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Komodo Dragon Blood Could Be The Antibiotic Of The Future 

Sam Jones
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Komodo Dragon Blood Could Be The Antibiotic Of The Future 

Literal dragon blood is helping scientists find new ways to develop antibiotics, according to a new study.

Researchers at George Mason University used the knowledge that the komodo dragon’s unique saliva harbors more than 80 bacterial strains, several of which would harm or kill another animal. Somehow, the dragon isn’t hurt by all of these bacteria, and goes on living its very chill life on the island named after it.

What makes them immune? According to the BBC:

Led by Monique van Hoek, the team in Virginia found DRGN-1 worked well on infected wounds in mice against two bacterial strains, the “superbugs” Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphlyococcus aureus, also known as MRSA.
These two bacteria are particularly stubborn and hard to treat as they have bacteria that stick together to form colonies (or biofilms) that are much more resistant to antibiotics than a single bacterium.
They suggest that DRGN-1 assists wound-healing both through antimicrobial activity and also by promoting the migration of skin cells to close the wound.

Komodo dragons are are the largest species of living lizards, growing up to 10 feet long and 150 pounds. Because there are no other predators on their Indonesian islands, they’re able to grow huge, undisturbed. Their bite is poisonous to humans, but they mainly feed on deer and other prey mammals.

The development of synthetic dragon’s blood could lead to new advances in multidrug-resistant pathogens, especially as a topical agent for wounds.

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Here’s Why A Wall Won’t Stop Drugs From Coming Across The Border

Drug Policy Alliance
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Here’s Why A Wall Won’t Stop Drugs From Coming Across The Border

“They’re bringing drugs” is what Donald Trump said about Mexican immigrants like me during his campaign. While there is a lot to say about his remarks, today I want to talk about his proposed solution for stopping the flow of drugs from Mexico into the United States: the wall.

For a businessman, President Trump seems to ignore basic economic principles. These are the principles that guide the movement and consumption of drugs in the United States. Supply follows demand. Until the U.S. addresses addiction and problematic substance use, the production and distribution of drugs will not be reduced, no matter how many walls we build.

Decades of distribution crackdowns, mass incarceration, and other tough-on-drugs tactics prove these principles are true. The federal government has spent more than a trillion dollars on supply reduction strategies over the past forty years. Yet, drugs remain cheap and widely available. At the same time, new challenges such as prescription opioid addiction continue to arise. Unfortunately, President Trump’s billion dollar wall follows the logic of these tough-on-drugs tactics: stop the supply.

Many elected officials, however, now recognize a demand-side approach is more cost-effective at reducing harmful drug use. President Trump, himself, rightfully highlighted the need for drug treatment during his first Congressional address.

A study by the RAND Corporation found that every dollar invested in drug treatment, meant to reduce drug demand, returns taxpayers $7.46 in societal costs — which would cost fifteen times as much in supply-side expenditure to achieve.  If President Trump is truly committed to tackling drug use, he should propose investing those billions of dollars from the wall on medication-assisted treatment, syringe programs or medical research instead of a wall. After all, a good businessman should choose projects with the highest chance of return in investment.

A quick look at drug policies adopted in other countries demonstrate the success of demand reduction strategies. In Portugal, Switzerland, Australia and Brazil, safe injection facilities have played a major role in reducing cases of HIV and other infectious diseases. In Canada, overdose deaths have dropped and more people struggling with addiction have sought treatment thanks to these facilities. In the United Kingdom, Germany and Denmark, a marked decrease in ‘street’ heroin use happened due to the use of drug replacement and maintenance therapy. The world is at a tipping point in how we address harmful drug use.

The United States must choose between the same failed tactics or a new, public health, approach to drug use. President Trump’s wall fits within the former not the later.

I want to clarify that I understand the President’s concerns with drug cartel violence. I, myself, moved to the United States out of concern for my safety, amidst Mexico’s own war on drugs. But, once again, if we wish to stop funding these organizations, we need to reduce demand at home. The best way to do this is to expand treatment not build walls.

Diana Davila writes for the Drug Policy Alliance.

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Magic Happens: Here’s A Healthy Take On The Starbucks Unicorn Frappuccino

Ryan Ross
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Magic Happens: Here’s A Healthy Take On The Starbucks Unicorn Frappuccino

Is anyone else as concerned about the unicorns as I am?!  Like, are they getting royalties for our current obsession with unicorn colored foods? The jury is still out on whether or not this toxic-looking food trend, most recently catapulted into mainstream by Starbucks, is intended for unicorns, made by unicorns, eaten by unicorns, or just simply made to be enjoyed by folks who want to be unicorns. Either way, whoever is partaking in these sugar bombs are sure to become extinct, just like the unicorns?

Unicorn foods are the most beautiful concern I’ve had in a while. We were doing so well with our superfood smoothie bowls and kale salads lately, and now this?! The antithesis of nutrition has got to be these sugary, etherial,  trendy buckets of glitter. Unicorns, I am both concerned for and ashamed of you!

I am just as basic as the next unicorn-lovin-bia, and so desperately want to eat hot pink things too! I can’t bring myself to go out and try this radioactive version available, so here is a healthy and nutrient dense version that will appeal to my fantasy…..of not getting diabetes.

Healthy Unicorn Smoothie Recipe

Photo by Ryan Ross

For swirls:

  • 1/2 cup cashew cream or yogurt, divided
  • 1 Tbsp of blueberry powder
  • 1 tsp matcha

In half of your cream, mix your blueberry powder and scoop into a piping bag or the corner of a ziploc works as well. In the other half of your cream, do the same with the matcha powder. Snip the tips of your piping bags, and using a clear glass or jar proceed to make swirls on the inside of the glass. Set aside. You are ready to make your smoothie base!

For smoothie base:

  • 1 cup frozen strawberries
  • 1 cup frozen raspberries
  • 1/2 frozen banana
  • 2 cups raw coconut water
  • juice from 1/2 lemon

Add all ingredients to a high powered blender and blend until smooth. Keep some water on hand to stream in if your smoothie is too thick. Pour into your swirled glass.

For whipped cream:

  • canned coconut cream, refrigerated
  • 2 Tbsp  of grade B maple syrup or honey
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Your coconut cream should be nice and chilled, scoop into a mixing bow, add sweetener and vanilla, beat with a hand mixer until nice and fluffy. Scoop into a piping bag or a large ziploc will work great as well. Snip the tip and pipe a large mound atop your smoothie.

For garnish:

  • Freeze-dried raspberries
  • optional, more blueberry powder, chia seed, coconut sugar, date sugar, hemp hulls, blue green algae powder, matcha powder.

TFT How-To: Use Leftover Chocolate Like The Baking Pro You Are

Jessie Moore
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TFT How-To: Use Leftover Chocolate Like The Baking Pro You Are

Leftover chocolate doesn’t exist. At least that’s what most people in the world will tell you. However, small excess of chocolate have been known to happen, possibly even in your own kitchen. You know, those weird bits: the two squares of leftover baker’s chocolate, that half- bar of good quality dark chocolate, or that leftover holiday candy.

Should you find yourself in this unlikely position of excess chocolate, do not despair–and don’t even think about throwing the stuff away. There are plenty of delicious ways to utilize and enjoy this sweet bounty; here are some tasty ideas, organized by the amount of chocolate you have on hand.

A Little Bit Of Leftover Chocolate

(handful of chocolate chips; portion of a candy bar; other small amount)

Photos by Jessie Moore
  • Just eat it. It had to be said.
  • Stir it into hot coffee for an easy DIY mocha-style drink. You just saved $4!
  • One and a half words for you: s’mores. Make some using that extra chocolate. For a creative variation, make S’moreos (Oreos + S’mores).
  • Top your ice cream; it was looking pretty naked without chocolate on top, anyway.
  • Chop it and use it as an alternative to sprinkles on top of cupcakes or cake.

A Moderate Amount Of Leftover Chocolate

(a couple of ounces; ¼ cup or more; half or more of a candy bar)

Photos by Jessie Moore
  • Make Nanaimo bars. If you’ve never heard of or tried Nanaimo bars, you need to remedy that immediately. These three-layer bar cookies are composed of a cocoa/graham cracker/nut base, an irresistible custard center, and a chocolate topping. The top of the bars doesn’t require a ton of chocolate (less than half a bag of chocolate chips), so it’s a great way to use up leftovers.
  • Break it into pieces and line a pie shell before pouring/spooning a harmoniously-flavored filling (me, I love to line my pumpkin pie shells with a little bit of white chocolate).
  • Make cookie cups. Bake cookies in a muffin tin, then deflate the centers. Brush the inside with chocolate, and you now have a cup which can hold milk right in the cookie.
  • Melt it and dip stuff in it. Chocolate dipped pop-tart, anyone?
  • Melt it and make chocolate garnishes. Impress your friends!

It’s Not Really Leftover Chocolate, But I Need Baking Ideas

(1 cup or more; a large bar of baking chocolate; etc)

Photos by Jessie Moore
  • Make a flourless chocolate cake. It’s the type of cake that will make it seem as if “Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover” by Sophie B Hawkins is playing in your mind.
  • Homemade thin mints. Where are those Girl Scouts when you need them? During the cookie off-season, you can make your own thin mints and enrobe them in chocolate.
  • Whip up some epic brownies. These ones require about 3 large bars of chocolate, and they are glorious.

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Gossip: Huffington Post Changes Name; Richard Simmons’ Big Comeback Is Happening

Naughty Gossip
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Gossip: Huffington Post Changes Name; Richard Simmons’ Big Comeback Is Happening

Today’s letter from the editor at The Huffington Post:

“As we launch a brand-new name and look for HuffPost, I’ve been thinking a lot about these questions. How can we become better listeners? How can we serve you, our audience, better? We’re doubling down on our bold, splashy style, and serving up the news with a sense of humor, outrage and empathy. We’re also taking the suggestion of our audience across the globe and formally adopting the shorter name they’ve called us for years: HuffPost.”

Richard Simmons’ Big Comeback Is Happening

Richard Simmons has been missing from the public eye for three years, but now the fitness guru is getting ready for a major return.

“Richard is in talks for a major prime time interview and has been writing a book for the past three years. He plans to tell everything and in the process he will make a fortune,” sources tell Straight Shuter. “People can think he is nuts but he is crazy like a fox. Richard knows exactly what he is doing and has made himself more talked-about than Angelina and Brad. This is a genius marketing move and will make him millions.”

Confirming our sources, Prominent Brand + Talent, the management company co-founded by Simmons’ longtime manager, Michael Catalano, just announced that it has secured exclusive worldwide rights to represent the fitness icon for merchandising, licensing and endorsements.

Additionally, a visit by the Los Angeles Police Department to Richard’s home revealed that all is well.

Has Richard been playing us all?

Naughty Gossip? Let us know in the comments!

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If You Stole This Lady’s Placenta From The Fridge, Please Just Return It

Sam Jones
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If You Stole This Lady’s Placenta From The Fridge, Please Just Return It

Look. We’re not about to snitch on someone who desperately needed to placate their midnight craving for human placenta. This is a safe space, and breaking into someone’s house to steal some food is a desperate, albeit questionable, move and we’re not here to judge anyone for that.

But if you did sneak into New Zealand mom Loralie Burns’ house and raid her freezer, she has a simple plea for you: “Please just drop it back, I don’t need to know who you are or why you did it, I just really want it back, no questions asked.”

New Zealand blog Stuff.co.nz reports that a burglar broke into Burns’ home and stole some old meat, as well as a plastic container with her 5-month old son’s placenta inside. They had planned to bury it somewhere meaningful, alongside her mother’s ashes, at a later date. Until someone stole it, that is.

She cannot imagine that the thief would want the placenta for anything except for a meal. She simply can’t fathom that they’d take a Tupperware with a mysterious-looking organic material in it, mistake it for some other foodstuff, and make off with it. No, they definitely want the placenta.

Eating one’s own placenta, either dried into capsule form or blended into other foods, is a choice some moms make to get vitamins after childbirth. There’s little evidence, aside from anecdotal, that it’s actually good for you. Some new mothers swear by it. This must be what the burglar was after, the family believes.

Anyway, all that aside, the point of this story is to find Loralie’s placenta. If you know who took it, please urge them to return it. Unless it’s been stir-fried already, in which case, best just keep quiet about it forever.

And everyone else, please label your frozen foods more carefully.

Man Denied Lung Transplant Over Marijuana Dies

Mike Adams
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Man Denied Lung Transplant Over Marijuana Dies

A young man from Utah, who made headlines after he was refused a lung transplant because traces of marijuana were found in his system, has died, according to a report from the Salt Lake Tribune.

Although Riley Hancey was eventually given a second chance, receiving approval for a double lung transplant that the hospital in his home state would not authorize because he tested positive for THC, he died Saturday afternoon at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, just one week after celebrating his 20th birthday. He was surrounded by his mother and father, as well as other family members, who called the hospital staff “angels” for the level of care they offered Riley before his passing.

The whole rotten situation began last year, around Thanksgiving, when Hancey came down with a severe case of pneumonia than landed him in the University of Utah. One of his lungs had collapsed, and he spent two weeks on life support, before it was determined that he would need an organ transplant to survive. The only problem was Hancey did not qualify for a set of new lungs because he had apparently smoked marijuana at some point within the past 30 days. Only small traces of THC metabolites were discovered in his system, yet hospital officials said it was against the rules to provide transplants for patients with “active alcohol, tobacco, or illicit drug use or dependencies.”

It was then that the Hancey family began to scour the planet for a hospital that would do the transplant. That journey led them to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, roughly 2,000 miles from their home in Park city.

Riley underwent a double lung transplant at the end of last month. Unfortunately, his body was just not strong enough to make it successfully through the recovery process.

“It is with heavy hearts, we are devastated to announce that Riley Hancey passed away from complications of a lung transplant,” the Hancey’s announced on its YouCaring fundraising site. “We are extremely thankful to all the wonderful doctors and staff at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Utah for their expertise and care that Riley received. We would also like to thank the donor family, who in their own grief chose to save a life. We will never forget your kindness and generosity.”

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Gossip: Elton John Cancels Shows After Being Hospitalized With Rare Infection; Amber Heard And Elon Musk Relationship Official

TFT Editors
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Gossip: Elton John Cancels Shows After Being Hospitalized With Rare Infection; Amber Heard And Elon Musk Relationship Official

Elton John has canceled all of his Vegas performances through next month due to an illness that forced him to be hospitalized, it was announced on Monday.

His entire performance schedule for the upcoming April/May run of “The Million Dollar Piano” at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace was canceled, as was his scheduled performance for Bakersfield, California, on May 6.

According to the statement from Rogers and Cowan, after his South American tour, John contracted a bacterial infection, and became “violently ill” on his flight home from Chile. He was admitted to the hospital when he returned home to the U.K., and spent two nights in intensive care.

He was released from the hospital on Saturday, and is now “comfortably resting at home per doctor’s advice.” He is expected to make a full recovery, and is set to resume performing in Twickenham, England, on June 3.

Amber Heard and Elon Musk Make Their Relationship Official

Elon Musk requested to meet Amber Heard by email years ago. “If there is a party or event with Amber, I’d be interested in meeting her just out of curiosity.”

After months of speculations, Amber Heard is finally ready to go public with boyfriend Elon Musk.

The Danish Girl star and the billionaire made things Instagram official on Sunday when they each shared photos of a cozy dinner together at Moo Moo on the Gold Coast of Australia. In the pictures, the two certainly weren’t shy about PDA as Musk was snapped with Heard’s lipstick print on his face.

“Cheeky,” the actress captioned a shot of her with her arm resting on her beau’s shoulder.

Love the fresh dirt we bring over daily from Naughty Gossip? Let us know in the comments!

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Wait, Is Anne Hathaway Secretly A Marijuana Enthusiast?

Brendan Bures
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Wait, Is Anne Hathaway Secretly A Marijuana Enthusiast?

So it turns out that Anne Hathaway might not be so green when it comes to the green. During a special 420 episode of Watch What Happens Live with host Andy Cohen, the Devil Wears Prada actress was asked if she was a smoker or not. Hathaway, who is currently on a press tour to promote her movie Colossal, she answered the question with a perfect non-answer.

Cohen asked the question during a segment called “Plead The Fifth,” where he asks celebrities three questions and they can “Plead the Fifth” to just one. After downing some liquid courage via tequila, Cohen asked Hathaway about her marijuana usage.

“There was a rumor in 2013 that a photo exists and was circulating of you with a massive blunt,” Cohen asked. “On a scale of 1 to 10, how big of a stoner is Anne Hathaway?”

Hathaway responded by delivering a knowing raised eyebrow and smiling wide, the way someone does playfully when they know they’ve been caught. She then said, “Not a little one,” to Cohen’s query.

“But here’s the thing, though,” she said. “I’m a parent and I don’t feel like getting arrested, so I’m going to say zero.”

Hathaway quickly added: “I guess I should’ve just pleaded the Fifth on that one.”

So there you have it. The Devil wears Prada and smokes the green. Hathaway stars in the movie Colossal, where she plays an addicted and addled internet blogger who is forced to move home when her life starts to collapse upon itself. There she reconnects with an old school friend and soon discovers she has the ability to control a massive kaiju-like monster.

The film surprises and is smarter than you perhaps envision from previews. Much more rumbles underneath the surface and Hathaway returns to classic acting form. Alongside Hathaway stars Jason Sudeikis. Considering Sudeikis is a known marijuana enthusiast, we can only imagine how “cloudy” things got on set.

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12 Country Music Stars Openly Proud Marijuana Enthusiasts

Brendan Bures
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12 Country Music Stars Openly Proud Marijuana Enthusiasts

Though it isn’t mentioned often in the same breath of other genres like hip hop, country music stars sure enjoy their cannabis.

While some write songs about it and others admit their marijuana usage in interviews, country singers are no stranger to the green. Here are just 12 singers who’ve come out publicly and embraced marijuana.

Toby Keith

We’ll let the video fill you in here.

Brantley Gilbert

When the country singer was announced as the headliner for 2014’s Taste of Country Festival, Brantley Gilbert gave an interview about his anticipation. During the interview he was asked about the previous festival headliner Willie Nelson, and Gilbert admitted he had a Willie Nelson story.

“I have a story, but I can’t tell it, because I would never smoke weed because it is against the law,” Gilbert said. “And I am a law abiding citizen and never lie.”

Loretta Lynn

Now, when it comes to marijuana, Loretta Lynn admits she’s not the biggest fan, though she has tried it. In an interview with Sirius XM, the country legend relayed the story of her first time trying it.

RELATED: Willie Nelson’s Wife Announces Marijuana-Infused Artisanal Chocolate Edible Line

‘Somebody said, ‘Hey, it’s time you smoke marijuana,’” Lynn told host Elizabeth Cook. “I took one little thing off of that thing. It hit me in the chest and I thought, ‘My God, I’m gonna die.’ I ain’t smokin’ anymore. So I decided if you either go blind or smoke marijuana, I’ll just go blind.”

Ashley Monroe

Just listen to this song.

Jake Owen

Jake Owen grew up on the beach where surfers lounge and skaters chill. As he revealed in a 2014 Rolling Stone interview, “I have done my share of weed.”

Eric Church

In a Men’s Journal interview, Eric Church admitted to enjoying cannabis. He might surprise you about the way he consumes it, however.

“I do more of the edibles now just because the smoking part is sucking for me vocally,” Church said. “I mean, it’s one of those things I’m not ashamed of. It’s something I enjoy. It’s escapism. I do it responsibly.”

Church also said he smoked out a Dial soap bar and he wrote a song called “I’m Gettin’ Stoned.”

Aaron Lewis

In a 2015 concert, fans reported that Aaron Lewis during a performance of “Country Boy,” Lewis sang “Rarely drink from the bottle and I quit smoking the weed.”

Reba McEntire

On a segment of “Plead the Fifth” during Andy Cohen’s Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live, McEntire came out the proverbial weed closet.

RELATED: Meet Power Plant Gym: The First To Mix Fitness And Marijuana 

“No, no, no. I am not a stoner,” McEntire said. “But I have had the edibles and have smoked before. I don’t like the edibles too much. I don’t know when it’s going to kick in.”

Florida-Georgia Line

It perhaps doesn’t surprise you that Florida-Georgia Line enjoy their weed. In an interview with Billbaord, the reported asked the duo about their country stoner anthem, “Sun Daze,” and whether they participate in cannabis use. “Yeah. Oh, yes,” said Tyler Hubbard.

Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard

Watch the video.

Kris Kristofferson

The iconic country singer revealed that even if weed has affected his memory, “I’m not quitting.”

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