Many of us believe that we are great drinkers and that alcohol does not affect us as much. People who are able to drink without showing any sign of inebriation are known as social drinkers. In short, they are not addicted to alcohol but will not turn down the opportunity to have a good time! While it may seem like it doesn’t affect you, new studies suggest that it is just an illusion, even if you have high tolerance, alcohol affects your cognitive and motor functions more than you think.

The study reveals the below implications and techniques:

• Researchers used a new MRI technique to precisely measure brain electrical activity.
• By comparing brain scans before and after drinking, scientists identified specific areas affected by alcohol and how much brain activity slowed down.
• Participants were chosen to be regular social drinkers without alcohol addiction, ensuring the study focused on the effects of alcohol alone.
• MRI technology provided reliable data on brain activity changes caused by alcohol consumption.

How does the brain react to alcohol?

Think of it as the foundation for your brain's performance. When brain conductivity is high, information flows smoothly, and that helps your brain in rapid processing and response. On the other hand, low conductivity can hinder cognitive function, leading to slower thinking, impaired memory, and difficulties with coordination.

A study conducted at the Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) and UNSW Science unveiled a startling connection between alcohol consumption and brain conductivity.

What is the connection between alcohol consumption and brain activity?

While many people brush off the effects of alcohol as temporary changes in behaviour, the reality is much more complex. Beyond the obvious impacts on coordination and judgment, alcohol significantly alters brain function. Alcohol dramatically slowed down brain activity, especially in areas responsible for decision-making, planning, and physical coordination. This decline was so significant that it resembled the brain changes seen in normal ageing. This means even one drink could temporarily accelerate the ageing process of your brain.

Alcohol and Brain activity: What does the study Imply?

The implications of this research are far-reaching. It provides compelling evidence that alcohol consumption has a direct and measurable impact on brain function. The discovery that alcohol can significantly reduce brain conductivity opens new avenues for understanding the neurocognitive effects of alcohol abuse and dependence. While you may not feel like alcohol is affecting you and you have a high tolerance, it most definitely changes and affects your decision-making abilities and impulse control.

Furthermore, the MRI technique employed in the study could be a valuable tool for assessing the impact of other substances on the brain and for developing interventions to mitigate alcohol-related brain damage.

India's neighbor in the east, Bangladesh, is facing the worst of a crisis in the form of a massive measles outbreak. As per media reports, measles in Bangladesh has taken 545 lives. Facing this growing challenge, the authorities are in complete disarray.

The nation has been struggling with the disease almost from the beginning of the year, but as of now, the situation has worsened and appears as one of the worst outbreaks of measles since the inception of the country in 1971.

According to the local media, the country has a total of 458 suspected deaths and 87 confirmed deaths linked to measles since mid-March of this year. On the other hand, Bangladesh has seen 64,940 suspected measles cases and 8,719 confirmed infections in the same period.

The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) of Bangladesh has said that since the 15th of March, the number of admitted patients with measles was 51,585. This information was directly released by the Health Emergency Operations Center and Control Room, which is under the authority of DGHS.

Why The Measles Cases Are On The Rise In Bangladesh?

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said that gaps in immunization worsened during and after the 2024 student-led uprising that toppled the government, leaving large numbers of children unprotected. UNICEF emphasized the need to boost vaccination programmes and provide more funding for health facilities in the future.

Why The Situation Can Go South From Here?

Bakrid or Eid al-Adha is an occasion that is widely celebrated in Bangladesh. This Eid usually sees massive gatherings and festivities. As measles is a highly contagious disease, the chances of spreading the disease during the festivities are very likely. The public health experts and doctors are warning against attending mass gatherings. Other than that, usual long-distance travel and family visits during Eid holidays could spread the disease at an exorbitant pace.

What Is Measles?

Measles is a highly contagious virus that spreads through direct contact or through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It is a vaccine-preventable disease that can cause devastating complications, including blindness, pneumonia, encephalitis, and long-term immune dysfunction.

Symptoms usually appear in 7 to 14 days after exposure and may include:

• high fever,
• cough,
• runny nose,
• red eyes,
• rashes across the body.

How To Stay Safe From Measles?

• Maintaining good hygiene, such as frequent handwashing and covering the mouth while coughing or sneezing, helps reduce transmission.

• Avoiding close contact with infected individuals and ensuring proper nutrition to boost immunity are also important.

• Public awareness and community health programs play a crucial role in prevention.

European countries like France, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Germany are experiencing early heatwaves and record-breaking conditions.

The sweltering heat conditions have affected scores of people, reportedly resulting in the deaths of about seven people in France. The unusually high temperatures early in May are being triggered by a phenomenon called a “heat dome”.

“A classic, highly anomalous and powerful Heat Dome has parked over Western and Central Europe,” said Severe Weather Europe in a statement.

The forecaster also warned that temperatures are soaring by 12-16°C above “long-term climatological norms” with an extraordinary thermodynamic plume sending “a massive core of extreme warmth over Spain, Portugal, Ireland, the UK, France, and Germany”.

As a result, southern and southwestern regions, including Portugal, Spain, and France, will experience daytime temperature highs of 38°C. The majority of France is under a moderate to high temperature warning, while Germany and the UK are witnessing maximum temperatures exceeding 30°C, the Euronews reported.

“Air mass will be even hotter in the coming days for many countries, as the Heat Dome aloft intensifies further,” the weather forecaster said.

“Because this pattern restricts vertical mixing and cloud cover, maximum and minimum temperatures alike will challenge historical monthly records across hundreds of stations in Western Europe,” it added.

What Is A Heat Dome?

Also read: Heatwaves And Toxic Air Create A Growing Health Crisis In Delhi

Also known as a ‘heat bubble’, the term heat dome is a weather phenomenon in which a strong high-pressure system traps hot air over a region for weeks.

The system forms over a large area in the atmosphere, and causes extremely hot and dry weather conditions. It traps hot air and prevents it from flowing to rise and cool. This air then becomes compressed and heats up, leading to a dome-shaped area of hot air that can persist for several days or even weeks.

How A Heat Dome Forms

• A strong high-pressure system develops in the upper atmosphere
• Air sinks toward the ground and becomes compressed
• Compression increases temperatures
• The hot air expands and becomes trapped like a lid over the region
• Winds struggle to push the system away, allowing heat to build up

Effects Of A Heat Dome

Heat domes can lead to:

• Record-breaking temperatures
• Prolonged heatwaves
• Increased risk of dehydration and heatstroke
• Drought conditions
• Wildfires
• Stress on power grids and water supplies

Studies have proven that the incidence of heat domes is increasing in prevalence due to climate change.

How Heatwave Differs From Heat Dome

According to the Met Office, a heatwave is an “extended period of hot weather relative to the expected conditions of the area at that time of year, which may be accompanied by high humidity”.

On the other hand, a heat dome is a specific, stagnant, high-pressure atmospheric system that parks itself over a region. It traps hot air near the ground like a “lid on a pot”, and can typically last anywhere up to several weeks compared to a heatwave that sustains itself for just days or weeks.

Heatwaves In Europe

Climate change is increasingly driving heat conditions across the globe. According to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, 2025 was the third-hottest year on record, both globally and in Europe. The past three years – 2024, 2023, and 2025, in that order – were the hottest ever recorded globally.

Last year, temperatures exceeded 40°C in dozens of nations, pushing countries into drought, igniting wildfires, and killing thousands.

When it comes to weight loss, many try their own ways to drop the extra kilos. While portion control is advised, there are many who turn to starvation just to drop the extra kilos. In 2016, Japanese scientist Yoshinori Ohsumi won the Nobel Prize for his findings on autophagy. These findings facilitated a better understanding of conditions like dementia and Parkinson's disease. Autophagy refers to natural regeneration, which occurs at a cellular level. It reduces the chances of contracting diseases while also increasing lifespan.

Since then, drugmakers have been working towards coming up with a drug that can stimulate the process; wellness and diet experts have been willing to find a way to naturally induce the process by restricting carbs, fasting, and engaging in high-intensity exercise.

What do scientists have to say?

Experiments were also conducted on mice, and it was found that the ones who were put on genetic tools, fasting, or drugs had a tendency to live longer and remain in better overall shape. However, it is still unclear how the same effect can be replicated in humans. In mice, for instance, the effects of fasting on the brain are evident within 24 hours. In other body parts, such as the liver, the effects occur more quickly. Despite knowing that fasting is good for health, experts are unsure about the ideal duration of fasting for maximum health benefits. Researchers say that fasting does not induce autophagy, but it does have other health benefits.

What is autophagy?

Autophagy is derived from "self" and "phagein," which means "to eat." The process involves cells degrading and recycling their components. It provides fuel for energy and building blocks for cell renewal. Post-infection, it can destroy viruses and bacteria. Cells use the process to get rid of damaged organelles and proteins, and it helps counteract the adverse effects of ageing.

Autophagy was discovered in the 1960s, but its importance was recognised after Yoshinori Ohsumi's research. Researchers said that what they discovered protected against diseases like Huntington's, Parkinson's, and some forms of dementia. It also seemed beneficial in the context of infection control, along with protecting against excessive inflammation. New lifestyle books now suggest that the process can be switched on by making changes to diet and lifestyle or by observing a fast.

The impact on muscle mass

A book titled Glow 15 by Naomi Whittel shares a 15-day programme including 16-hour fasts three times a week. It shares a plan that reduces protein intake on some days, involves eating carbs later, and combines all this with high-intensity exercise. In the basic tests themselves, volunteers at Jacksonville University in Florida experienced several health benefits. Some of the participants lost about 3.5 kilos in 15 days. Others saw improvements in lean muscle mass, blood pressure, and a reduction in fine lines. Researchers said that none of these changes could cause harm to health.

Is fasting safe for all?

Researchers note that fasting too much is not a good idea for anyone. Before making drastic or major changes to lifestyle or diet, it is advised to check with a doctor first. Experts look at autophagy with optimism, and studies show that proteins together form clumps in the nerve cells of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's patients.