Comprehensive sex education that does not rely solely on abstinence works, at least in terms of reducing teen pregnancies, according to a newly published study that looked at birth rates in 55 U.S. counties before and after a federally funded teen pregnancy reduction program.

Researchers found that in the first year of the program, local teen pregnancy rates declined 1.5%, and 7% by year five, for an overall decline of 3%.

Body of Knowledge

Your lungs aren't so much like balloons as big buckets of blood through which bubbles of air pass. In fact, your lungs contain as much blood as the entire rest of your body, which is why your center of gravity is above the waist.

Get Me That, Stat!

Adult smoking rates have fallen from 22% in 2003 to 14% in 2019. High school smoking rates have dropped from 23% in 2002 to 5% in 2020, according to a new American Lung Association report. But more than 2 million high school and middle school students said they used e-cigarettes in 2021.

Doc Talk

Orthopnoea: breathlessness while lying down

Mania of the Week

Clinomania: an excessive desire to stay in bed

Never Say 'Diet'

The Major League Eating record for (deep-fried) asparagus is 12 pounds, 8.75 ounces in 10 minutes, held by Joey Chestnut. Victory never smelled so sweet — for those who could actually smell it.

Food for Thought

According to FDA regulations, up to 60% of frozen berries can be moldy, with an average of four or more insect larvae or 10 or more whole insects per 500 grams. The average pie requires 550 grams (5 cups) of berries; insect content is a matter of personal taste.

Best Medicine

Q: Why do phlebotomists use red crayons?

A: They need them to draw blood.

Observation

"Anywhere is walking distance if you have the time." — Comedian Steven Wright

Medical History

This week in 1822, Charles M. Graham of New York was issued the first U.S. patent for artificial teeth. The record and its details were lost in the Patent Office fire of 1836. Also lost was the 1817 patent by William R. Eagleson for setting natural and artificial teeth.

False teeth were not new, with various earlier attempts made to replace rotten teeth and prevent related illnesses. George Washington had at least four sets of false teeth, though none were wooden, despite the myth. His first dentures were made using human teeth set into carved ivory. In 1789, dentist John Greenwood made Washington a complete set from hippopotamus ivory, gold wire springs and brass screws holding human teeth. Washington's single natural remaining tooth was a molar, and Greenwood left a hole in the dentures to accommodate it.

Perishable Publications

Many, if not most, published research papers have titles that defy comprehension. They use specialized jargon, complex words and opaque phrases like "nonlinear dynamics." Sometimes they don't, and yet they're still hard to figure out. Here's an actual title of actual published research study: "Sword swallowing and its side effects."

Published in 2009, researchers offered penetrating, if somewhat obvious, insights into the dangers of sword swallowing, noting that injury risk was heightened when performers were distracted.

Bottom line: Don't turn your head when you have a blade poking down your gullet.

Sum Body

The 10 organs of your digestive system:

No. 1: Mouth

No. 2: Esophagus

No. 3: Stomach

No. 4: Small intestine

No. 5: Large intestine

No. 6: Rectum

No. 7: Anus

No. 8: Pancreas

No. 9: Gallbladder

No. 10: Liver

Curtain Calls

In 1814, eight people died when a giant vat at a London brewery burst, flooding nearby streets with 3,500 barrels of beer. Then, 105 years later, 21 people died in Boston when a massive tank of molasses burned on a warm day, producing a 25-foot-high wave of sweetener that flowed through the surrounding neighborhood at 35 miles per hour.

To find out more about Scott LaFee and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: Fotorech at Pixabay