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The Thought Show: Does Eating Chocolate Make Your Brain Younger? Twitter Bot and Crowd Power

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Does Eating Chocolate Make Your Brain Younger?

14/12/2017 GMT

Does Eating Chocolate Make Your Brain Younger? Twitter Bot and Crowd Power

BBC World Service - The Thought Show, Does Eating Chocolate Make Your Brain Younger? Twitter Bot and Crowd Power

Does eating chocolate make your brain younger; how to spot a bot and the power of crowds

How true are the claims that eating chocolate can make your brain younger? How do you spot a Twitter bot and the power of being part of a crowd.

Headlines claim that eating chocolate can protect you from developing Alzheimer’s disease. The theory is that bioactives within chocolate called flavanols can help reduce the risk of heart attacks, strokes and even make your brain 30 years younger! But isn’t this too good to be true? The BBC’s Head of Statistics, Robert Cuffe, investigates, 

How do you detect a Twitter bot? Two students in the United States have invented an online tool aimed at stopping the spread of political propaganda on Twitter.  Also, how a goal celebration by the footballer Paul Pogba helped spread a massive online protest against slave auctions in Libya.

Why do we take so much courage from a crowd? At football matches, music festivals and protest marches, people become energised in groups. They can be frightening places when they erupt in violence, or peaceful forms of protest when we try to change social norms. Sandra Kanthal reports.

(Image: Large chunks of chocolate. Credit: Shutterstock)

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