At one time, the world of non-alcoholic drinks was limited to a few dusty old cans of ODouls sitting in the back fridge of your local bar.But more recently, the genre has exploded. Craft beer companies are bending the basic tenets of chemistry in an effort to make non-alcoholic IPAs, stouts, and other styles that more closely resemble their boozy cousins.And restaurants are crafting mocktails that focus on flavor specifically tailored to a lack of alcohol. All of this comes at a time when young people are seemingly drinking less than young people did in previous generations, .But what benefits do these non-alcoholic beverages even bring to consumers, if any?Alcoholic Beer vs. Non-Alcoholic BeerWhen it comes to a comparison between drinking alcohol in excess, the answers seem obvious and numerous. You can drink and drive on non-alcoholic beer and its unlikely to harm pregnancy.But there havent been many studies on actual health benefits of non-alcoholic drinks. Some of these potential benefits include the prevention of oxidative stress due to the antioxidants, helping blood and artery function, and lowering the potential of clotting.In fact, non-alcoholic beer is better than regular beer at positively impacting the body, according to research published in 2022 in Nutrients.This effect cannot be solely attributed to alcohol content, since the polyphenol content in conventional beer tends to be higher than that found in non-alcoholic beer, the researchers wrote in the study.Further studies are needed to learn more about the possible benefits of non-alcoholic beer. But, according to the evidence the researchers could find, The best option for cardiovascular health is probably a combination of non-alcoholic beer intake (instead of conventional beer) together with the inclusion of olive oil in the diet and increased physical activity, compared to drinking alcoholic beer.Mocktail Drink BenefitsAside from this, unlike alcohol, which can cause dehydration, drinks without booze can help keep your liquid levels high. But at least one study notes that due to sugar and other potential things in many of these drinks, plain old water is still likely better. The exception to this could be sparkling, non-alcoholic seltzers.Another drink often substituted for alcohol, kombucha, has antioxidant and antimicrobial properties that may work against foodborne pathogens.As far as the non-alcoholic spirits that have gained in popularity non-alcoholic whiskey, tequila and the likes they carry less calories than booze does, for those who need to watch their weight.Cutting BackOne of the main reasons for the rise in popularity of non-alcoholic drinks doesnt have to do with its supposed benefits. Non-alcoholic beer or seltzer allows people to cut back on booze.Nonalcoholic beers are a great way for individuals to reduce their intake of alcohol while still being able to enjoy the taste and experience of a beer, sobriety proponent Kerry Benson told Everyday Health. By removing the alcohol, youre taking out a compound that is toxic and that increases the risk of chronic disease.Studies have found as much. One paper published in 2023 found that people with alcohol use disorder were more likely to drink non-alcoholic beverages sometimes as an effort to replace alcohol in their diet. And according to reporting by The New York Times, even just replacing one of your usual drinks per week with a non-alcoholic one is likely to benefit your health.Are There Negative Impacts to Health? Not everything is positive with non-alcoholic drinks, however. For example, non-alcoholic beer could provide adolescents a stepping stone to the consumption of alcoholic beer.One study published recently in Behavioral Sciences conducted in Taiwan surveyed whether the consumption of non-alcoholic beer and influencer marketing could impact students decisions to drink actual alcohol. The survey revealed that influencer marketing of non-alcoholic beer could indeed affect their desire to drink non-alcoholic beer, as well as alcoholic beer.For individuals who did not purchase alcohol in the past year, both the exposure to influencer marketing and the consumption of non-alcoholic beer were associated with intending to purchase alcohol in the future, the researchers wrote, adding that this was also true about individuals who had previously abstained from drinking alcohol.In conclusion, when adolescents were exposed to influencer marketing of non-alcoholic beer they were more likely to consume it, which resulted in an increased likelihood that they would then purchase and consume alcohol, the researchers continued.As for other packaged mocktails or similar type non-alcoholic drinks, the question of whether they offer any actual health benefits other than not ruining your liver really depends on the ingredients. Many of these drinks still carry a lot of sugar, and artificial sweeteners may cause problems such as heart problems, and may not help those looking to lose weight.Article SourcesOur writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:Advances in Food and Nutrition Research. Chapter Three - Microbial Ecology of Fermented Vegetables and Non-Alcoholic Drinks and Current Knowledge on Their Impact on Human HealthEveryday Health. Everything You Need to Know About Nonalcoholic BeerNational Library of Medicine. Non-alcoholic beverage consumption among US adults who consume alcoholThe New York Times. What to Know About Non-Alcoholic BeveragesMission Health. The not-so-sweet effects of artificial sweeteners on the bodyJoshua Rapp Learn is an award-winning D.C.-based science writer. An expat Albertan, he contributes to a number of science publications like National Geographic, The New York Times, The Guardian, New Scientist, Hakai, and others.

Is it a fish? Is it a sea monster? Is it Cthulhu?In 1997, while using underwater microphones to monitor volcanic activity in the depths of the southern Pacific Ocean, researchers with NOAAs Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) recorded a mysterious sound. It was extremely loud and, well, weird. The fact that no one, including NOAA, had any idea what was making the noise fed theories like the ones above. The sound came to be called the bloop and remained a mystery for more than a decade.Like everyone else on the planet, the PMEL researchers wanted to know what was behind the bloop, but so little of the ocean has been explored (less than five percent, according to NOAA) that tracking down the source of one weird sound among many was not realistic. So they did what scientists do; they carried on, continuing to record and study the sounds of seafloor volcanoes and earthquakes.From 2005 to 2010, the PMEL researchers took their acoustic survey to the area around the Drake Passage, between the tip of South America and the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica, and to the Bransfield Strait, between the South Shetlands and the Antarctic Peninsula. And there they found the source of the bloop. It was an icequake. The sound that had intrigued so many people and spawned so many strange theories was a sound not all that uncommon in the seas surrounding Antarctica. It was the sound of an iceberg breaking apart, a phenomenon known as calving.Antarctica's Role in the BloopOne wonderful thing about all the attention given to the bloop is that it was a reminder that Antarctica is down there. For those of us who live north of the equator, the southernmost continent is easy to forget.But it would not be wise to do so.Antarctica plays an important role in Earths climate. All that Antarctic ice reflects solar radiation away from Earth, helping regulate the planets heat balance. When the ice melts, Earth is able to absorb more solar radiation, and that can exacerbate global warming.Though the frozen continent is warming on average slightly faster than the rest of the planet Antarcticas glaciers and ice shelves have been largely stable. In fact, up until the mid-2010s, the extent of Antarctic ice was increasing, if only slightly. Then, after a peak in 2014, the yearly average of ice extent began to decline rapidly.By 2018, a 35-year gain in ice had been wiped out in just four years. The years 2023 and 2024 set two consecutive records for low maximum ice extent in Antarctica.Scientists arent sure what accounts for this change. Its likely due in part to warmer air and ocean temperatures, but Antarctic ice mass is known to take big swings, increasing and decreasing over relatively short periods. Global warming will eventually start to melt the frozen continent, but its too early to know if this is the beginning of that process or if Antarctic ice will remain more or less stable for a while yet. Regardless, its important to figure it out.Understanding AntarcticaUnderstanding whats happening in Antarctica could help us understand what to expect for the planet as a whole in the coming years. T. J. Fudge is a climatologist at the University of Washington in Seattle. Hes currently working on a project in Antarctica that gathers data on atmospheric gases from millions of years ago to help understand how the climate responds to high levels of carbon dioxide. This will help scientists better understand the climates feedback mechanisms as well as help make more accurate climate models.Antarctica, Fudge says, has been on the whole a bit slow to respond to climate warming. The continent is definitely experiencing overall warming and other changes that are leading to a rise in sea levels, he says. And those changes are expected to continue and accelerate. But the impact to the rest of the world depends a lot on the rate at which that happens.Some of these big glaciers are going to release meters of sea level rise, but it's going to be over hundreds if not thousands of years, Fudge explains. If we can limit the impact to Antarctica so that it slows from hundreds to thousands of years, that has a giant impact for society.As we blow past climate benchmarks, Fudge warns that we should not get fixated on the numbers. What we should fixate on, he says, is slowing the rate of warming. And its not too late to do that.Article SourcesOur writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:Sound recording of the bloop from NOAA. The Bloop: A Mysterious Sound from the Deep Ocean | NOAA SOSUSNOAA and Climate.gov. Antarctica is colder than the Arctic, but its still losing iceNOAA and Climate.gov. 2024 Antarctic sea ice winter maximum second lowest on recordT. J Fudge. climatologist at the University of Washington in SeattleAvery Hurt is a freelance science journalist. In addition to writing for Discover, she writes regularly for a variety of outlets, both print and online, including National Geographic, Science News Explores, Medscape, and WebMD. Shes the author of Bullet With Your Name on It: What You Will Probably Die From and What You Can Do About It, Clerisy Press 2007, as well as several books for young readers. Avery got her start in journalism while attending university, writing for the school newspaper and editing the student non-fiction magazine. Though she writes about all areas of science, she is particularly interested in neuroscience, the science of consciousness, and AIinterests she developed while earning a degree in philosophy.

Nature, Published online: 23 December 2024; doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08555-xAuthor Correction: -HuB: the proteomic navigator of the human body

Nature, Published online: 23 December 2024; doi:10.1038/d41586-024-04123-5Pupil contractions in a talking parrot, and how ancient numerals were derived from counting on fingers, in our weekly dip into Natures archive.

Nature, Published online: 23 December 2024; doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08546-ySteering perovskite precursor solutions for multijunction photovoltaics

The innermost Earth-like planet in the famous TRAPPIST-1 system might be capable of supporting a thick atmosphere after all, according to new research.

The Panasonic 15mm f/1.7 Leica Summilux DG ASPH is a Micro Four Thirds lens with an equivalent focal length of 30mm and a short minimum focusing distance.

These days, it seems like every protagonist is edgy and serious--with maybe the exception of cartoon mascots--across movies, games, TV, and wherever else you can imagine. Leave it to the Like a Dragon game series, which is essentially a playable Japanese-crime soap opera when you get down to it, to rethink that idea. Ichiban Kasuga is a refreshing, powerful antithesis to that, and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth put his optimistic, unironic outlook on the world to the test--one he passes with flying colors.Warning: We'll be discussing some spoilers from very early and very late in the game. This picture of Ichiban is your chance to back out now.Like a Dragon: Yakuza introduced us to Ichiban for the first time. As a longtime fan of the series, I was initially suspicious. I wondered, who's this guy? Who's this goofy-looking dork with hair like he bit down too hard on a live wire?Continue Reading at GameSpot

One of the most recognizable and beloved aspects of the entire Dragon Ball power system has to do with the ultimate attacks of each character. Though most characters in the series have attacks that are quite varied and serve many functions, they tend to have one ultimate technique that leaves all others in the dust in terms of power and effectiveness. These are the iconic ones whose names are typically yelled out before the user fires them.

Does Torterra even know what's happening on its back?