Hannah Huxford encountered the fry-stealing gull in Bridlington, a coastal town on the Yorkshire coast. Huxford snapped the well-timed photo on her iPhone in 2011; it went viral soon after. A decade later, the fry-stealing gull is appearing on billboards, as part of an advertising campaign for Google.

Researchers recently discovered that food may actually become more attractive to gulls when the birds observe humans handling it first, according to a 2020 study published in the journal Royal Society Open Science.

Because the birds seem to be attracted to food items that they’ve watched humans touch, another of the study’s authors, says that it’s even more important to properly throw food waste and snack wrappers in the trash. “Our findings suggest that gulls are more likely to approach food that they have seen people drop or put down, so they may associate areas where people are eating with an easy meal, ‘‘ Dr. Laura Kelley said.

The scientists approached 74 herring gulls in coastal towns in Cornwall, tempting them with weighted bags of fried potatoes. Only 19 gulls were curious or hungry enough to linger (逗留), allowing the scientists to place the bag on the ground and retreat a short distance away, waiting in a crouched (蹲下) position to see if a gull would approach.

Their experiments demonstrated that gulls were more cautious about approaching a tempting treat if there was a person nearby who was watching them closely. However, the scientists also found that far fewer of the birds than expected showed interest in investigating the food at all when being stared at.

In fact, people may be able to protect their lunches from gulls by avoiding areas where the birds tend to gather and keeping a closer eye on their meals, she added. “Gulls have a bad reputation but, like all animals, they are just trying to survive,“ Goumas said. “We can try to alleviate the conflict we have with them by making changes in our own behavior. ”

When you love working out, taking a break from exercise can seem a waste of time – there are training plans to follow and goals to be met. So, what’s the problem? According to new research, excessive training can be damaging to mental well-being.

“The benefits of regular physical activity are well-established, but it’s possible to have too much of a good thing,” says Hayley Jarvis, head of physical activity at Mind. But how do you know if you’re doing too much? “Over-exercising can mean training for too long or too intensely without enough rest for your personal limits,” she says. “Some of us may feel unable to stop.” Indeed, Mind’s research shows almost 40 per cent of us feel guilty if we miss a workout and less than 59 percent regularly take a rest day. So should you be taking more time out?

By exercising beyond your limits, not only could you injure your body and reduce muscle mass, you could also end up feeling anxious, too. Over-exercising can impact your mood, relationships and ability to function in other areas of your life, warns Jarvis. “Exercise releases the stress hormone cortisol. For most people, this can help you better manage stress levels. Over-exercising, however, can lead to increased levels of cortisol in the blood stream which can lead to poor sleep, depression and problems with memory and concentration.” 

Still not convinced? If you find it hard to put down your trainers, you’re not alone. Up to 10 per cent of endurance athletes are affected by overtraining syndrome, with common effects including muscle soreness, persistent fatigue and even mental breakdown, says Professor James Goodwin, director of science and research impact at Brain Health Network. “In addition, over-exercise can stimulate hyper inflammation, which has a severe effect on brain health.” There is a simple solution, however. “It has been shown that fatigue may be delayed almost indefinitely by frequent and regular short breaks,” assures Goodwin.