As per the name, ‘winter penis’ is what happens to your manhood in the colder months — December through to February, to be precise.

Depending on the temperature, some men might see shrinkage of up to 50 percent in length if exposed to any air temperature below 60°F, Dr Darius Parduch, a sexual health specialist, previously told Men’s Health.

You may also experience 20 to 30 percent shrinkage girth wise, as well as your testicles getting smaller – and the reason they do this to retain heat.

Parduch further explained: “When you’re cold, your blood vessels constrict, which limits blood flow to your penis.”

He also warned it could cause some pain and discomfort if you get ‘winter penis’ (also known as vasoconstriction).

A way to prevent this from happening is by wearing sport boxer briefs to prevent your appendage moving around and causing unwanted friction.

A doctor may also prescribe you erectile dysfunction tablets to encourage blood flow to your penis (not so you’ll get a hard-on).

And speaking of not getting boners, if you struggle erectile dysfunction you might be more susceptible to getting ‘winter penis’.

Asda Online Doctor, Dr. Crystal Wyllie, told The Sun: “Those with erectile dysfunction (ED) are most at risk as they could find their symptoms more difficult to manage.”

ED tablets might be prescribed to increase blood flow to the penis (Getty Stock)

As well as having ED making someone more likely to suffer with ‘winter penis’, ED can also be more common in the colder months — and you can thank you cold weather and lack of sunshine for that.

“While [erectile dysfunction] can occur at any time of the year, it’s more common in winter as lower levels of sunlight affect the brain and increase amounts of melatonin, a hormone that makes you feel sleepy,” Pilot explained.

“With this lower sunlight, you’ll also experience a reduction in how much serotonin your body produces which is linked to depressive symptoms.”

An estimated 30 million men in the United States suffer from erectile dysfunction, says the National Institutes of Health.

But it’s not just the lack of sunlight in the winter months you have to worry about as dehydration can also make ‘winter penis’ worse.

Dr Saransh Jain, a world-renowned sexologist, told GB News that men should focus on staying hydrated during the winter months as ‘dehydration exacerbates the effects of vasoconstriction’.

The Palisades Fire, which is devastating the area between Malibu and Santa Monica, has been reported as the most destructive wildfire ever to hit Los Angeles County.

The fire has covered more than 17,000 acres and stands at zero percent containment at the time of writing (January 9).

With three other fires – the Hurst Fire, Eaton Fire, Sunset Fire – still burning, some people have been left wondering why firefighters can’t use water from the Pacific Ocean to try and extinguish the flames.

Water is the natural enemy of fire, but there are some differences between freshwater and saltwater that make freshwater the preferred choice.

One of those differences, Technology.org points out, is that salt can cause corrosion. While ocean water may work to tackle the fire, storing it in water tanks and putting it in contact with other equipment used in firefighting can cause damage, potentially hindering the use of the equipment in the future.

Another reason to avoid using saltwater in fires is the impact it can have on the ecosystem in the future. Salt makes it harder for plants to get water, meaning its use can result in landscapes left barren for years.

Firefighting equipment can become damaged from salt water (Apu Gomes/Getty Images)

Even in areas where there is less vegetation, most existing firefighting systems rely on fire hydrants and fire engine tanks which have been adapted to use fresh water, making salt water impractical.

Salt can also reduce the cooling effect of water, which in turn makes it less efficient at lowering the temperature of a fire.

All of this is not to say salt water absolutely couldn’t be used to fight the Los Angeles fires, but it’s not the ideal solution.

Questions about using salt water to fight fires rose after some Los Angeles County fire hydrants began to run dry as firefighters tackled the blazes, despite the water storage tanks that service the hydrants being filled before the fires broke out.

Jim Hudson, of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, told CNN that the issue was a ‘challenge’ early on, but assured the water system has since started to ‘stabilize’.

Brooke Shields has spoken out about the horrific moment she was informed by her surgeon that he had performed additional surgery on her genitalia without her consent.

The Hollywood star has lived in the public eye before she could talk.

Shields, born in New York, became a child model at the age of 11 months before shooting to superstardom at age 12 for her role as a young prostitute in Louis Malle’s 1978 film, Pretty Baby, which included nude scenes of her.

She was just 11 years old when she played a highly sexualised role in a movie (ABC News Studios/Hulu)

The now 59-year-old hasn’t shied away from discussing the trauma she endured as a rising star while under the brutal scrutiny of the press in an overtly exploitative and sexualised industry when she was just a child.

Shields opened up about her objectification in the 2023 Hulu documentary, Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields, and touched upon another major traumatic event when she said she was raped by an important casting figure, who she has not identified, in her 20s.

Yet the star’s personal boundaries continued to be invaded into adulthood, she has revealed in her new memoir, Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old: Thoughts on Aging as a Woman.

Brooke said she felt ‘invaded’ by the surprise surgery (Bruce Glikas/Getty Images)

In her book and to Us Weekly, Shields said she endured an unwanted and unnecessary procedure while in her 40s as a surgeon ‘tightened’ her vagina without her consent while performing another surgery.

She said it started when her gynecologist had asked her whether her labia had caused her discomfort, which she said it had along with bleeding and chafing since she was a high school student.

The doctor advised her to book a surgical reduction, which she did with a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon.

Shield explained: “Of course, it’s not covered by insurance because it’s considered cosmetic, which is very interesting. The last time I did check, I did not want to be a porn star.”

In her book, she wrote a caveat that it might be ‘too graphic or simply TMI’ but stressed her need to share it.

The actress has been vocal about the sexual objectification she was subjected to from a young age (Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Fortune Media)

“I’d be lying if I said I’m not embarrassed to share this very intimate information.

“But, if we are to change the way we approach and talk about women’s health, then we need to bring up the uncomfortable but very real issues. Shame is no longer an option.”

It was during her post-op consultation that her surgeon ‘proudly’ announced he had thrown in ‘a little bonus’ – a vaginal rejuvenation which involves either tightening or reshaping of female genital tissues.

The actress told the magazine: “It felt like such an invasion — such a bizarre, like, rape of some kind” and that she was ‘dumbfounded’ by the surgeon’s admission.

She continued: “Nothing pointed toward this need to be tighter or smaller or firmer or younger, especially there.

Both Shields and her gynecologist were angry about the irreversible procedure being carried out without her permission but said she didn’t want to talk about it, feeling ‘shame’ and ‘anger’.

She didn’t even tell her husband, Chris Henchy, for ‘the longest time’ but decided against taking any further action.

Shields’ memoir hits shelves next Tuesday (January 14).

ABC News anchor David Muir is being slammed on Twitter as users call him a ‘loser’ and a ‘narcissist’ for his apparent choice of clothing while reporting on the ongoing wildfire situation in Los Angeles.

LA declared a state of emergency this week as the fires rampaged through acres of land in a matter of hours on Tuesday, prompting a mass evacuation order of more than 130,000 residents.

As dry conditions and high winds have only fanned the ferocious flames, footage on social media show homes and businesses continue to burn in scenes that look something straight out of an apocalyptic movie.

While LAFD continue to battle the deadly blaze, reporters from across the world have been deployed to the area to report on the devastation, albeit from much safer distances.

Yet Muir’s clip, set to the backdrop of a fire-ravaged Palisades, has seemingly gone viral for all the wrong reasons.

Footage from a plane shows the scale of the devastation across LA (@TONYxTWO/Twitter)

While wearing a yellow flame-retardant jacket in his broadcast, eagle-eyed viewers spotted he was using clamps to cinch his jacket in at the back.

The host of World News Tonight with David Muir started his segment on the tragedy saying: “As you can see here behind me,” and as he does so, turns to point to the rubble – which exposes his alleged fashion faux pas and unusual accessory.

As he points to the scene, a wooden peg can be seen on the back of his jacket, apparently tightening the jacket in at his waist.

Jack Osbourne slammed the anchor’s look, writing on social media: “Nice Jacket Bro. Glad you look nice and svelte with those clothes line pegs, while our city burns to the ground.”

Osbourne even tagged Elon Musk in his scathing comment.

The wooden clamp could be seen when he turned (@JackOsbourne/Twitter)

And Osbourne wasn’t the only one to have thrown in their two cents on the ‘look’.

One Twitter user described the anchor as ‘an absolute tool’ while others weighed in the ’embarrassing’ outfit made him look like a ‘loser’ and a ‘narcissist’.

Amongst the hurl of insults, a woman commented: “It actually looks ridiculous cinched that tightly.”

Another wrote: “Sorry, not being nice here. He thinks he looks good. The fact that he cares how he looks at a time like this is really something.”

“Lol, the vanity in LA never takes a pause,” a third enraged viewer added.

“Wow! He’s like, ‘does this jacket make me look fat? Get me some clothes line pegs, stat!'” penned another.

Muir was slammed in the summer for moderating a debate between Trump and Harris (Heidi Gutman/ABC via Getty Images)

However, dozens of others have jumped to Muir’s defence, pointing out the wind would have made his jacket flap and ‘given his sound tech an aneurysm’ while broadcasting, referring to the sound interference with his microphone.

Media personality Brenna Morello simply said: “We all do this in TV. Nothing new.”

The latest criticism comes as Muir was slammed by Conservatives when he moderated a debate last summer, during which critics noted he interrupted Donald Trump five times while leaving Democratic nominee Kamala Harris alone.

Meanwhile in LA, NBC News reports at least five people in one of the most serious wildfires LA has ever experienced.

There are many things people will be aware of that can increase your risk of developing cancer.

From sun beds and skin cancer, to smoking and lung cancer; many common cancers are associated with people’s lifestyle choices.

With this in mind, a 2019 study revealed that 50 percent of all cancer deaths could be prevented by people making lifestyle changes.

There are around 44,100 cases of bowel cancer every year in the UK (Getty Stock)

And one lifestyle change you could make to reduce the risk of you developing bowel in particular is by simply drinking a certain beverage on a daily basis — milk.

Now, milk has long been associated with the positive benefits it can have on our teeth and bones, but new research by Cancer Research UK has found consuming an additional 300mg of calcium (about the amount in a large glass of milk) a day could be linked to decreasing the risk of bowel cancer by 17 percent.

The study marks the largest single study of diet and bowel cancer to date in Nature Communications, and used data from more than 500,000 women.

The data was analyzed by researchers from the University of Oxford to see if there were any links between 97 dietary products and nutrients and bowel cancer risk over an average time of 16 years.

An extra large glass of milk a day could reduce your risk of developing bowel cancer (Getty Stock)

Dr Keren Papier, lead researcher of the study, said of the findings: “This is the most comprehensive single study ever conducted into the relationship between diet and bowel cancer, and it highlights the potential protective role of calcium in the development of this disease.”

Dairy foods rich in calcium — such as yoghurt and milk – were linked to lower risk of developing cancer.

Non-dairy foods that are rich in calcium, like green leafy vegetables, were also found to be beneficial in reducing people’s risk of developing the common cancer.

Calcium-rich, green leafy vegetables were also found to be beneficial (Getty Stock)

Papier further added: “We have some idea on why calcium has this effect.

“It’s suggested that calcium might protect against bowel cancer by binding to bile acids and free fatty acids to form a type of a harmless ‘soap’, which stops them from damaging the lining of our gut.”

The so-called ‘soap’ aids bile and fatty acids to be swept out of the gut like a ‘spring clean’, Cancer Research UK explained. This way they’re less likely to build up and cause and damage that might lead to cancer.

Before you get too excited, however, other studies have linked high dairy consumption to breast and prostate cancer, and an increased risk of heart disease.

Having great eyes is certainly something worth bragging about, but if you are quickly able to spot the danger in this one photo you might need to change professions because, damn.

A bird’s eye photo of a boat, some surfers and a great white shark has recently been posted on Reddit and has had users patting themselves on the back for spotting where the shark is.

This is a game that has long been played on social media and is so popular on Reddit there is a whole subreddit dedicated to it called ‘find the sniper.’

The post challenged users to find the great white shark and captioned the image: “Shark attacks are rising in Australia. Technology is helping stop them.’

The whereabouts of the shark aren’t exactly obvious, hence the challenge, and on top of that, the sea waves make it tricky for even those with the sharpest eyes to spot the shark.

Can you see it?

Some remarked that it wasn’t particularly difficult, sooo if you were struggling, (like I was) we can just assume they were lying about it being easy. Yup. Sounds good to me.

One Reddit user commented: “Found the Great White, took me a few seconds, had to look at the same spot a couple of times, just to make sure that’s what I was seeing, it was. This one was fun

Another said: “This was unnerving, the ocean is so beautifully frightening.

With a third saying: “Growing up in Florida and flying over ponce inlet regularly. I was able to spot this almost immediately.”

While a another person highlighted their own experiences dealing with sharks getting closer to surfers.

They said: “We have juveniles that cruise our coast. Bites are sporadic and usually during elephant seal pup season when the locals are mistaken because of the surfboard. aren’t fat enough to bother with.

“Gotta love the oceans apex predators. The other off our local shores are Biggs Orca, who are smart enough GG to know better.”

Just north of the boat you can see the dark outline of the shark(justreddis/Reddit)

Personally, I don’t see the harm in struggling to find the shark, I’ll just stay out of the ocean. But if you do feel like braving the seas, the shark is at the very top of the image, above the boat and slightly to the left.

Firefighters in the area are tackling what is reported to be the most destructive wildfire to ever hit Los Angeles County in the Palisades Fire – displacing thousands of residents in the area between Malibu and Santa Monica.

So far, the wildfire has covered more than 17,000 acres and stands at zero percent containment at the time of writing (January 9), while three other fires – the Hurst Fire, Eaton Fire, Sunset Fire – are still burning.

Paris Hilton has seen her home in Malibu ‘burn to the ground’, while actor John Goodman has seen his residence suffer the same fate – but they are just two of a long list of celebrities who are suffering at the hands of the most ferocious fire LA has seen.

So, when people hear that residents are intentionally setting fires just a couple miles down the road, it has infuriated the public. Take a look below:

“Called it in & fire dept & police responded. Stay safe and call in any activity ASAP. We don’t need more flames out here.”

The alleged idiocy even garnered a response from Elon Musk, who simply wrote: “Wow.”

While another added: “What is wrong with this World?! Praying for ALL of us!”

It comes as people have called for the state to use water from the Pacific Ocean, which LA sits on the coast of, to fight the flames that have been spread by the strong winds and hot temperatures.

However, there’s a good reason why authorities are not doing that.

“Is there any particular reason why we can’t use ocean water to help put out the fires?,” one person asked on Twitter, as another claimed they had found a ‘solution’ to the wildfires, with a map pointing to the ocean.

Water is the natural enemy of fire, but there are some differences between freshwater and saltwater that make freshwater the preferred choice.

One of those differences, Technology.org points out, is that salt can cause corrosion. While ocean water may work to tackle the fire, storing it in water tanks and putting it in contact with other equipment used in firefighting can cause damage, potentially hindering the use of the equipment in the future.

Another reason to avoid using saltwater in fires is the impact it can have on the ecosystem in the future.