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Really-old-but-still-totally-relevant history lesson (it's quick—I promise!): The Ancient Greeks were so awed by dolphins, whom they deemed friends to humans, that every time they spotted one swimming behind a ship, they considered him or her a good omen. Now, a new study suggests that in order to respect our marine friends and cognitive cousins, we must simply stay away from them. Findings from researchers at Newcastle University suggest that human interactions with dolphins—from following them in tourist boats to swimming with them to touching them—are harmful to these intelligent, sensitive mammals.

The report claims that when humans swim near bottlenose dolphins and touch them, they inflict severe stress on them, "preventing them from resting, feeding or nurturing their young." The study found that whenever tourist boats are present, dolphins become unsettled, and according to Newcastle University's Dr. Berggen, "[T]he dolphins are using more energy than they are taking in because they aren't resting or feeding as much but are swimming more as they try to avoid the tourist boats." This has a negative impact not only on individual animals but also on the population as a whole, and long term, it could be devastating.

Every dolphin is a self-aware individual with a unique personality, so it's no surprise that these animals are perceptive to their surroundings and susceptible to stress-related illnesses. If they're so intensely affected by the mere presence of humans, just imagine the kind of irreparable trauma they suffer when pulled from the ocean and placed in SeaWorld's chemically treated prisons. The only way that we can ensure that they'll live natural, happy, and peaceful lives? Leave them alone—no matter where they are.

Posted by Logan Scherer

Men who can't get it up down there, beware: A new study suggests that those who suffer from erectile dysfunction "are twice as likely to succumb to cardiovascular disease or heart attacks as those who do not have the problem." German researchers say that since penile blood vessels are smaller than those in the heart, atherosclerosis appears in the penis a few years before it reaches your ticker.

Finally, someone's listening. Guys, we've told you that the saturated fat and cholesterol in meat, dairy products, and eggs clogs your arteries and slows the blood flow to all your organs, making you a Sally in the sack and increasing your risk of dying young from a heart attack. Not only does going vegan save the lives of more than 100 animals a year, it also gets your blood flowing and your love life going.

Posted by Logan Scherer

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As if heart disease, cancer, strokes, and diabetes weren't enough, we've just learned of another shocking health fact that will have you replacing the flesh on your fork. Meat is linked to anaphylactic shock.

Researchers from the University of Virginia, the University of Tennessee, and the John James Medical Centre in Australia recently discovered that meat allergies may be much more common than we once thought. The scientists examined 60 patients who suffered from recurring cases of unexplained anaphylaxis and found that nearly half of those people were actually reacting to a carbohydrate in meat. Symptoms of the meat-induced allergy don't appear until hours after eating, making the dangerous reaction difficult to trace.

A potentially deadly allergic reaction that's almost impossible to trace? Sounds like an easy path to an early grave. But even if you're not allergic to meat, we'd like to let you in on a secret to a longer, healthier life. Give your body a break and start eating a cruelty-free diet.

Posted by Logan Scherer

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Your best friend is hit by a car on a busy freeway, right in front of you. Would you risk your own life to pull him or her to safety? That's exactly what one intrepid dog, did last year when he came to a friend's rescue by risking his own life to run into oncoming highway traffic.

What if you saw a mother and her baby drowning at the beach? Would you rush to their rescue? A dolphin named Moko did when she guided two beached whales into deeper waters off the coast of New Zealand.

Researchers at the University of Paris recently discovered that selflessness among animals like that heroic dog and Moko the dolphin—who put their own lives in danger in order to save others—is even more prevalent than we once thought. The examples of animal altruism are many and moving: Dolphins endanger themselves to rescue their trapped friends, ants help fellow colony members when they're caught in traps or under attack from a predator (though we've known that insects were geniuses for a while now), female fruit bats help each other during labor to ease birth pains—and that's only a quick sampling.

Their selfless acts don't end with their own species either: Dogs will risk their lives to save their guardians, gorillas will care for human children, and one hears story after story about dolphins who come to the aid of swimmers and surfers. If animals can put aside the differences they have with us to help ensure our survival, isn't it about time we did the same?

Posted by Logan Scherer

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Bugs are fascinating, and if anyone tries to tell you different, have them check out this article, which offers proof that many insects are tiny geniuses who are capable of counting, categorizing objects, and recognizing human faces. Recent studies show that even though their brains are oh-so-teeny-tiny, ants, bees, and other braniac bugs are brilliant creatures. There is overwhelming evidence that brain size has no effect on intelligence and that in many cases a bigger brain is not a smarter brain.

One study shows that honeybees, whose behavioral abilities rival that of some vertebrates, can determine whether or not shapes are symmetrical, can classify objects according to sameness and difference, and will stop flying after passing a predetermined number of landmarks.

I bet if you tried you could think of a few humans who struggle with those three tasks. I've been known to have a little trouble with that last one, myself.

So the next time you see one of these clever critters, keep in mind their ingenious minds, and let them live their complex, profound lives. We've got just the thing to help you.

Posted by Logan Scherer