Once Fat, Always Fat; Another Close Asteroid

Discovered: Another close-to-Earth asteroid, even the formerly fat are remembered for being fat, and TV only improves the self-esteem of white boys. 

• Once fat, always fat. Here's some depressing news for those aspiring for a thinner figure. Even after dramatic weight-loss, peers will always think of their now-svelte friends as "the fat friend." "We were surprised to find that currently thin women were viewed differently depending on their weight history," explains researcher Dr Janet Latner. "Those who had been obese in the past were perceived as less attractive than those who had always been thin, despite having identical height and weight," she continued. Considering the other day science found obesity isn't always bad for one's health, this is awfully discouraging news. [Obesity]
• Another asteroid that almost hit the Earth. Remember that asteroid that almost, but not really, destroyed humanity? Well, another one of those passed by our dear planet, missing us by a mere 8,950 miles. We know, what a close call! But, as you can see, you're still alive today, so, no big deal for humanity. But, it was actually kind of a big deal as far as asteroids go. This one landed in the top ten list of asteroids that nearly destroyed the planet, snagging the number six spot. [iO9 via Universe Today]
• The best kind of cherries. Now that cherry season is almost upon us, science has figured out that some cherries are good for health. Cherry lovers, don't get too excited, tart cherries are the healthy ones. Gross. "With millions of Americans looking for ways to naturally manage pain, it's promising that tart cherries can help, without the possible side effects often associated with arthritis medications," explains researcher Kerry Kuehl. It has something to do with the red color and antioxidants, which reduce inflammation. All right, we can work with this. Does it count if we bake them into cherry pies? [American College of Sports Medicine]
• TV is good for children's self-esteem only if those children are white boys. Following the massive Internet discussion involving Girls and race and race on television in general, this should not come as a huge surprise. Researchers Nicole Martins and Kristen Harrison surveyed a group of  400 black and white preadolescents about how much time they spent watching TV and looked at how that correlated with their self-esteem. For those who living under a TV-free rock, here's the way things work: "Regardless of what show you're watching, if you're a white male, things in life are pretty good for you," explains researcher Nicole Martins. "You tend to be in positions of power, you have prestigious occupations, high education, glamorous houses, a beautiful wife, with very little portrayals of how hard you worked to get there," she continues. White boys rule, everyone else drools, if you will. "If you are a girl or a woman, what you see is that women on television are not given a variety of roles," she continued. "The roles that they see are pretty simplistic; they're almost always one-dimensional and focused on the success they have because of how they look, not what they do or what they think or how they got there," she said. And, black children don't exactly receive positive messages either. "Young black boys are getting the opposite message: that there is not lots of good things that you can aspire to," Martins said. And, of course, if one niche HBO show puts one minority character on their program this won't all change. But, this is the status quo. [Communication Research via Eureka Alert]

Image via Shutterstock by Bendao.

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