Today in Research: Hibernating Mice Live Longer; Your Eye Goop

Today in research: who cares about lazy mice, why laughter is good for you, what eye goop is made of, and another explanation for science's errors.

• Why should we care that hibernating mice live longer? Because we want to live longer too. A new study published by the British Royal Society was described by Discovery News as notable for firmly linking hibernation and longevity in mammals. Humans, like mice, are mammals too. Thus the interesting theory posited by the news outlet: "Do Lazy Mammals Live Longer?" Considering the curious list of things that have already been linked by research to longevity, the laziness theory might not be too absurd. [Discovery News]

• Explained: the stuff that 'eye goop' (or whatever you call it) is made of. The dried tears that form on the inside corner of the eye were just waiting for a proper explainer. MSNBC.com's Body Odd blog finds that the stuff is made from "water, protein, oils, and a mucous layer known as mucin, which typically coat the surface of the eye to moisten and protect it from viruses and bacteria." Now we know. Truthfully, we were more surprised at the amount of nicknames the goop has garnered. [MSNBC.com]

Read the full story at The Atlantic Wire.