Vapor from electronic cigarettes contains two previously undiscovered cancer-causing chemicals, according to a new study. Researchers found propylene glycol, an eye and respiratory irritant, and glycerin, a skin, eye and respiratory irritant, among 29 other chemicals released in e-cigarette vapor. Both are considered "probable carcinogens" by federal health officials. They're used in e-cigarettes to create artificial smoke. Decomposition of those chemicals, caused by heating them inside an e-cig, also releases toxic chemicals such as acrolein and formaldehyde, according to the study in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.

Sadness may be linked to creativity

The idea that sadness somehow kindles creativity is a popular and long-lasting one. Now, a study from an economist at the University of Southern Denmark appears to show that link. The researcher, Karol Jan Borowiecki, examined the emotional state of three of the West's most influential composers through the full course of their lives. Using linguistic analysis software that scanned the text for positive and negative emotions, such as joy, love, grief and hurt, he analyzed 1,400 letters written by Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Liszt to their friends, colleagues and loved ones. He then compared that data with the compositions they produced in a given time period. What he found appears to bear out popular ideas about creativity and melancholy: a link between periods of negative emotions and artistic brilliance.

Vegetarians have lower mortality risk

New research offers evidence that vegetarians not only live better, but also longer. A group of scientists analyzed data from two studies involving more than 150,000 participants to determine whether people who consumed protein from red and processed meats had a higher mortality rate than those who got their protein from plants. The researchers found that a 10 percent increase in proteins from animals resulted in a 2 percent increase in mortality overall, and an 8 percent rise in death risk from heart disease. But a 3 percent increase in protein from plants led to a 10 percent decrease in mortality and a 12 percent drop in risk of death from cardiovascular-related mortality.

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