Research has shown that emotions, attitudes, and beliefs such as altruism , and faith , and optimism can increase one's length of life and improve marriages. People who attend religious services weekly live longer. Specifically, the research looked at how many years are added to life expectancy based on:
Regular physical exercise: 3.0-to-5.1 years
Proven therapeutic regimens: 2.1-to-3.7 years
Regular religious attendance: 1.8-to-3.1 years
Optimistists had a 55 percent lower risk of death from all causes and 23 percent lower risk of death from heart failure. Altruistic love was associated with greater happiness in general and especially with more marital happiness.
Friday, April 14, 2006
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Cancer Proactivity
A recent article in WebMD states 7 steps to prevent the chances of cancer.
1. Don't smoke. If you smoke now, quit, and don't hesitate to seek help with the effort.
2. Lose extra weight.
3. Get regular physical activity.
4. Eat healthfully.
5. Limit unprotected time in the sun.
6. Follow recommendations for cancer screening.
7. Start as soon as possible.
I agree with these, but I am not worried so much about #5 as I feel the hype about the sun is a bit much. Gradual exposure and burn prevention is a good idea. The sun is the best source of vitamin D.
If one adopts a paleo or evolutionary based diet and exercise program, coupled with a carefully planned environment free from pollutants as much as possible will decrease the probabilities of cancer. I believe optimal gene expression occurs and the presence of phytomchemicals and other antioxidants in the diet prevent rogue cellular activity.
1. Don't smoke. If you smoke now, quit, and don't hesitate to seek help with the effort.
2. Lose extra weight.
3. Get regular physical activity.
4. Eat healthfully.
5. Limit unprotected time in the sun.
6. Follow recommendations for cancer screening.
7. Start as soon as possible.
I agree with these, but I am not worried so much about #5 as I feel the hype about the sun is a bit much. Gradual exposure and burn prevention is a good idea. The sun is the best source of vitamin D.
If one adopts a paleo or evolutionary based diet and exercise program, coupled with a carefully planned environment free from pollutants as much as possible will decrease the probabilities of cancer. I believe optimal gene expression occurs and the presence of phytomchemicals and other antioxidants in the diet prevent rogue cellular activity.
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Nanotechnology Eradicates Cancer
On my webpage I talk about Kurzweil's concept of the future called "Singularity." This is a convergence of nanotechnology, genetics, and robotics that will allow for a radical change in our existence in many areas including health. Scientists are getting closer to proving Kurzweil correct and today have announced the use of nanoparticles to eradicate cancer cells in mice. I feel that this is a tremendous step and is a powerful reactive resource. Couple this with a proactive lifestyle that includes proper diet and exercise for optimal gene expression and cancer could become much less prevalent and deadly.
Monday, April 10, 2006
Dangers of being like Monk
I love the show "Monk" and although I love to be clean, I do not have OCD and do not wipe my hands upon contact with someone. The body has a very robust immune system, but like most systems in the body, it must be stressed to perform optimally. Want to live long and prosper? Expose yourself to some dirt. Early exposure to dirt has been shown to increase the life of fruit flies by 30%, whereas latter exposure had no effect or was even detrimental. The Monkish War on Bacteria is wrongheaded. The rising incidence of asthma and allergies in the developed (cleaner) world, doctors say, could be tied to the relatively sterile environments our children live in compared to a generation ago. Children not exposed to harmful bacteria, or conversely, given antibiotics to kill bacteria, do not receive the germ workout required to make antibodies. More specifically, they do not develop T-helper cells, which fight foreign cellular invaders and minimize allergies. This has been called the "Pigpen Effect."
Sunday, April 09, 2006
Science and Religion-Still Worlds Apart
I love the dynamic tension between Science and Religion; two different approaches to the explanation of "reality. A recent study still indicates a wide chasm that will probably exist for eternity, especially as long as either know little about each other. For some reason, either approach explains well, both are subject to bias, and neither have to be incompatible. We owe our dichotomy of thought to the Greeks and their analytical worldview. Whereas the Hebrew Oriental mind would have no problem with seeming inconsistencies and allow for opposite realities.
Saturday, April 08, 2006
Force Field
4-6-06
The Israeli's have developed a "life imitates science-fiction" defense system known as the Trophy APS or Active Protection System. The system has completed hundreds of live test with the Israel Defense Forces and demonstrated effective neutralization of anti-tank rockets and guided missiles, high safety levels, insignificant residual penetration and minimal collateral damage.
The Israeli's have developed a "life imitates science-fiction" defense system known as the Trophy APS or Active Protection System. The system has completed hundreds of live test with the Israel Defense Forces and demonstrated effective neutralization of anti-tank rockets and guided missiles, high safety levels, insignificant residual penetration and minimal collateral damage.
Artificial Sweeteners
4-5-06
I use artificial sweeteners, but only in ice tea. I get my "sweets" from fruit and an occasional bite of someone's dessert (of which my body later tells on me). A recent Italian study found that modest amounts of aspartame caused cancer in rats. Naturally this is of concern to me. A huge federal study in people — not rats — takes the fizz out of arguments that the diet soda sweetener aspartame might raise the risk of cancer.No increased risk was seen even among people who gulped down many artificially sweetened drinks a day, said researchers who studied the diets of more than half a million older Americans. A consumer group praised the study, done by reputable researchers independent of any funding or ties to industry groups. The Center for Science in the Public Interest pointed out some potential problems with the study: the people observed in the new study were only 50 to 69 years old. In contrast, the Italian researchers allowed the rats to die a natural death, equivalent to people living into their 80s, 90s, or older. If aspartame only causes cancer in truly elderly people, the new study wouldn't detect a problem. Also, the new study's means of measuring aspartame consumption -- food-frequency questionnaires -- is imprecise. That approach is not capable of detecting small increases in cancer rates.
I use artificial sweeteners, but only in ice tea. I get my "sweets" from fruit and an occasional bite of someone's dessert (of which my body later tells on me). A recent Italian study found that modest amounts of aspartame caused cancer in rats. Naturally this is of concern to me. A huge federal study in people — not rats — takes the fizz out of arguments that the diet soda sweetener aspartame might raise the risk of cancer.No increased risk was seen even among people who gulped down many artificially sweetened drinks a day, said researchers who studied the diets of more than half a million older Americans. A consumer group praised the study, done by reputable researchers independent of any funding or ties to industry groups. The Center for Science in the Public Interest pointed out some potential problems with the study: the people observed in the new study were only 50 to 69 years old. In contrast, the Italian researchers allowed the rats to die a natural death, equivalent to people living into their 80s, 90s, or older. If aspartame only causes cancer in truly elderly people, the new study wouldn't detect a problem. Also, the new study's means of measuring aspartame consumption -- food-frequency questionnaires -- is imprecise. That approach is not capable of detecting small increases in cancer rates.
Numerology
4-4-06
Numbers line up for once-in-a-century moment. Set your digital clock for 01:02:03 on 04/05/06, early Wednesday morning the time and date will be 01-02-03-04-05-06.
“It just happens to be a chronological oddity,” said Geoff Chester, spokesman for the U.S. Naval Observatory, an official world atomic clock timekeeper. “If you were to use the full year, that would screw things up completely. You do have to bend it a little if you want to make it work. That’s what you call ’Finagle’s Law of Best Fit.’”
Even numerologists, such as Rob Ragozzine, who runs the SimplyNumbers.com web site, dismiss the 1-2-3-4-5-6 moment as merely “a neat coincidence” because of that pesky 2006 thing.
We innately try to see patterns, even when there aren't any. It's how our senses function and they serve us well in most instances. But our senses are also a grand source of error. Phenomena such as this is known as numerology.
Numbers line up for once-in-a-century moment. Set your digital clock for 01:02:03 on 04/05/06, early Wednesday morning the time and date will be 01-02-03-04-05-06.
“It just happens to be a chronological oddity,” said Geoff Chester, spokesman for the U.S. Naval Observatory, an official world atomic clock timekeeper. “If you were to use the full year, that would screw things up completely. You do have to bend it a little if you want to make it work. That’s what you call ’Finagle’s Law of Best Fit.’”
Even numerologists, such as Rob Ragozzine, who runs the SimplyNumbers.com web site, dismiss the 1-2-3-4-5-6 moment as merely “a neat coincidence” because of that pesky 2006 thing.
We innately try to see patterns, even when there aren't any. It's how our senses function and they serve us well in most instances. But our senses are also a grand source of error. Phenomena such as this is known as numerology.
Neuro-Chips
4-3-06
The line between living organisms and machines has just become a whole lot blurrier. European researchers have developed "neuro-chips" in which living brain cells and silicon circuits are coupled together. Seems Kurzweil's Singularity is closer to reality.
The line between living organisms and machines has just become a whole lot blurrier. European researchers have developed "neuro-chips" in which living brain cells and silicon circuits are coupled together. Seems Kurzweil's Singularity is closer to reality.
Unhealthy Responses
4-2-06
People who cope with long-term stress by engaging in unhealthy behaviors and lifestyle, may very well alleviate symptoms of stress in the short term, but end up creating significant health problems in the long run. Americans engage in unhealthy behaviors such as comfort eating, poor diet choices, smoking and inactivity to help deal with stress, according to a new national survey. These of course, are just the opposite responses needed. People experiencing stress are more likely to report hypertension, anxiety or depression and obesity. In particular, women report feeling the effects of stress on their physical health more than men. The survey results seem to tie in with what research shows, that 43 percent of all adults suffer adverse health effects from stress. We cannot possibly stem the tide of society or technological advancement, but we can individually make an effort to reduce the mismatch between our ancestral and modern environment. Approximate the 150 person limit by increasing your closeness to extended kin and develop deep friendships. Reduce subjective distress by selecting a mate that is similar and compatible on as many levels as possible thereby reducing jealousy and infidelity and divorce. Cooperation and reciprocity can reduce competitive drives inherent in our psyche. We don't react well in tit-for-tat scenarios. And most importantly: Physical Exercise!
People who cope with long-term stress by engaging in unhealthy behaviors and lifestyle, may very well alleviate symptoms of stress in the short term, but end up creating significant health problems in the long run. Americans engage in unhealthy behaviors such as comfort eating, poor diet choices, smoking and inactivity to help deal with stress, according to a new national survey. These of course, are just the opposite responses needed. People experiencing stress are more likely to report hypertension, anxiety or depression and obesity. In particular, women report feeling the effects of stress on their physical health more than men. The survey results seem to tie in with what research shows, that 43 percent of all adults suffer adverse health effects from stress. We cannot possibly stem the tide of society or technological advancement, but we can individually make an effort to reduce the mismatch between our ancestral and modern environment. Approximate the 150 person limit by increasing your closeness to extended kin and develop deep friendships. Reduce subjective distress by selecting a mate that is similar and compatible on as many levels as possible thereby reducing jealousy and infidelity and divorce. Cooperation and reciprocity can reduce competitive drives inherent in our psyche. We don't react well in tit-for-tat scenarios. And most importantly: Physical Exercise!
Loneliness
3-31-06
Loneliness kills according to a recent study. Lonely people have blood pressure readings as much as 30 points higher than non-lonely people, said the study leaders Louise Hawkley and Christopher Masi. Blood pressure differences between lonely and non-lonely people were smallest at age 50 and greatest among the oldest people tested. It is not surprising in that we humans are social by nature, and it is a very advantageous adaptation. Dr. Alan Fiske has identified four forms of sociality that we engage in on a daily basis, these are: Communal Sharing, Authority Ranking, Equality Matching, and Market Pricing. Each model increases in complexity and interestingly each corresponds to the four levels of analysis identified by S.S. Stephens: nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio.
Loneliness kills according to a recent study. Lonely people have blood pressure readings as much as 30 points higher than non-lonely people, said the study leaders Louise Hawkley and Christopher Masi. Blood pressure differences between lonely and non-lonely people were smallest at age 50 and greatest among the oldest people tested. It is not surprising in that we humans are social by nature, and it is a very advantageous adaptation. Dr. Alan Fiske has identified four forms of sociality that we engage in on a daily basis, these are: Communal Sharing, Authority Ranking, Equality Matching, and Market Pricing. Each model increases in complexity and interestingly each corresponds to the four levels of analysis identified by S.S. Stephens: nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio.
Grass Fed Beef
3-25-06
Where's the beef? At least the kind that is good for you. I do not eat corn because of the inability of the body to properly digest it and the proteins that are a source of human allergies as well as the high carb content. Unfortunately, most of our beef is fed corn and the meat is fat, marbled, and contains the foreign proteins. Try and eat wild game or grass fed beef.
Where's the beef? At least the kind that is good for you. I do not eat corn because of the inability of the body to properly digest it and the proteins that are a source of human allergies as well as the high carb content. Unfortunately, most of our beef is fed corn and the meat is fat, marbled, and contains the foreign proteins. Try and eat wild game or grass fed beef.
10% Brain Usage
3-24-06
It is a common myth or urban legend that we only use 10% of our brain. More interesting is that 80% or more of reality is actively held within our brains. I have referred to the movie "The Matrix" in that it brought the question of the nature of reality to audiences all over the world. Radical Constructivism says that the only reality is that which we behold by our senses. Research using adult ferrets by showing the ferrets movie scenes (The Matrix btw.), as well as random static and darkness, the research team was able to compare the change in the timing and spacing of neuron firings in response to visual input. They found patterns in the neuron firings for adult ferrets that were largely missing in infant ferrets. Like human infants, the visual systems of infant ferrets are immature – their eyes do not track moving objects. The researchers attributed the adult brain patterns to the development of visual perception. Interestingly, the majority of the patterns did not depend on the visual input. "This actually makes sense," Weliky said. "The biggest part of perception is taking cues from the outside world and passing them through our recollection." Weliky pondered the philosophical implications of having 80 percent of perception locked in our heads.
It is a common myth or urban legend that we only use 10% of our brain. More interesting is that 80% or more of reality is actively held within our brains. I have referred to the movie "The Matrix" in that it brought the question of the nature of reality to audiences all over the world. Radical Constructivism says that the only reality is that which we behold by our senses. Research using adult ferrets by showing the ferrets movie scenes (The Matrix btw.), as well as random static and darkness, the research team was able to compare the change in the timing and spacing of neuron firings in response to visual input. They found patterns in the neuron firings for adult ferrets that were largely missing in infant ferrets. Like human infants, the visual systems of infant ferrets are immature – their eyes do not track moving objects. The researchers attributed the adult brain patterns to the development of visual perception. Interestingly, the majority of the patterns did not depend on the visual input. "This actually makes sense," Weliky said. "The biggest part of perception is taking cues from the outside world and passing them through our recollection." Weliky pondered the philosophical implications of having 80 percent of perception locked in our heads.
Optimism
3-23-06
Research shows that people who are grateful, optimistic and forgiving have better experiences with their lives, more happiness, fewer strokes, and higher incomes. However, happiness is 50 percent genetic, says University of Minnesota researcher David Lykken. What you do with the other half of the challenge depends largely on determination, psychologists agree. As Abraham Lincoln once said, "Most people are as happy as they make up their minds to be."
Research shows that people who are grateful, optimistic and forgiving have better experiences with their lives, more happiness, fewer strokes, and higher incomes. However, happiness is 50 percent genetic, says University of Minnesota researcher David Lykken. What you do with the other half of the challenge depends largely on determination, psychologists agree. As Abraham Lincoln once said, "Most people are as happy as they make up their minds to be."
Sallie Baliunas
3-23-06
Much ado about global warming. Here is an interview that should add more light than heat to the subject (pun intended).
Stars in Her Eyes Astronomer Sallie Baliunas on sunspots, global warming, and the benefits of privately funded science
Interviewed by Virginia Postrel and Steven Postrel
When she became an astronomer, Sallie Baliunas never thought she'd be posing for magazine photos. But her life as a scientist hasn't been a matter of pure research. In her quest to study the stars, she has found herself drawn into the world of entrepreneurship and public policy.
An astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Massachusetts, Baliunas is also the deputy director of the Mount Wilson Institute in the San Gabriel Mountains north of Pasadena, California. She spends about a week a month on the West Coast, using Mount Wilson's historic 100-inch telescope to study "sun-like stars." Baliunas came to the observatory as a graduate student in 1977. On her very first night, a lightning bolt struck a tree outside the dining room. "All the windows in the building were shattered from the shock wave of the tree disintegrating," she recalls. "This was an omen whose meaning was not clear until years later."
In between observing and management, Baliunas can also be found testifying before congressional committees and giving papers at conferences on global climate change--a subject she was drawn to by her research on the sun's fluctuating magnetic field. She is a leading greenhouse skeptic. How, she wondered, could climate models be so specific when we hardly understand the sun or its effect on the earth? Baliunas talked about this and other questions with REASON Editor Virginia Postrel and her husband, Steven Postrel, an economist who teaches business strategy at U.C.-Irvine, under the Mount Wilson dome in late June.
Much ado about global warming. Here is an interview that should add more light than heat to the subject (pun intended).
Stars in Her Eyes Astronomer Sallie Baliunas on sunspots, global warming, and the benefits of privately funded science
Interviewed by Virginia Postrel and Steven Postrel
When she became an astronomer, Sallie Baliunas never thought she'd be posing for magazine photos. But her life as a scientist hasn't been a matter of pure research. In her quest to study the stars, she has found herself drawn into the world of entrepreneurship and public policy.
An astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Massachusetts, Baliunas is also the deputy director of the Mount Wilson Institute in the San Gabriel Mountains north of Pasadena, California. She spends about a week a month on the West Coast, using Mount Wilson's historic 100-inch telescope to study "sun-like stars." Baliunas came to the observatory as a graduate student in 1977. On her very first night, a lightning bolt struck a tree outside the dining room. "All the windows in the building were shattered from the shock wave of the tree disintegrating," she recalls. "This was an omen whose meaning was not clear until years later."
In between observing and management, Baliunas can also be found testifying before congressional committees and giving papers at conferences on global climate change--a subject she was drawn to by her research on the sun's fluctuating magnetic field. She is a leading greenhouse skeptic. How, she wondered, could climate models be so specific when we hardly understand the sun or its effect on the earth? Baliunas talked about this and other questions with REASON Editor Virginia Postrel and her husband, Steven Postrel, an economist who teaches business strategy at U.C.-Irvine, under the Mount Wilson dome in late June.
Evolution Deja Vu
3-21-06
If the history of life on Earth could be rewound and replayed, many of the same innovations would reappear, although at different times and in slightly different forms. This is the conclusion of Geerat Vermeij, a paleontologist at the University of California, Davis. Vermeij's views imply that evolution is in some ways predictable and that life on other planets might not be so alien after all. "Some traits are so advantageous under so many circumstances, or arise so relatively easily by virtue of self-organization, that you're likely to see the same things again and again," Vermeij told LiveScience. Among the innovations that evolution might find irresistible: photosynthesis, plant seeds, mineralized bones, intelligence and language.
If the history of life on Earth could be rewound and replayed, many of the same innovations would reappear, although at different times and in slightly different forms. This is the conclusion of Geerat Vermeij, a paleontologist at the University of California, Davis. Vermeij's views imply that evolution is in some ways predictable and that life on other planets might not be so alien after all. "Some traits are so advantageous under so many circumstances, or arise so relatively easily by virtue of self-organization, that you're likely to see the same things again and again," Vermeij told LiveScience. Among the innovations that evolution might find irresistible: photosynthesis, plant seeds, mineralized bones, intelligence and language.
Happiness
3-20-06
Happiness, perhaps the most sought after emotion. Overall happiness among U.S. residents has not changed much over the years, according to the latest survey by the Pew Research Center that finds 34 percent of adults are very happy.
Among 3,014 telephone respondents, half reported being pretty happy, and 15 percent said they are not too happy.
The survey, released this week, points out several disparities based on lifestyle, beliefs and political persuasion:
Republicans are happier than Democrats.
People who worship frequently are happier than those who don't.
The rich are happier than the poor.
Whites and Hispanics are happier than blacks.
Married people are happier than the unmarried.
Dog owners and cat owners rate the same.
Sunbelt residents are happier than everyone else.
Happiness, perhaps the most sought after emotion. Overall happiness among U.S. residents has not changed much over the years, according to the latest survey by the Pew Research Center that finds 34 percent of adults are very happy.
Among 3,014 telephone respondents, half reported being pretty happy, and 15 percent said they are not too happy.
The survey, released this week, points out several disparities based on lifestyle, beliefs and political persuasion:
Republicans are happier than Democrats.
People who worship frequently are happier than those who don't.
The rich are happier than the poor.
Whites and Hispanics are happier than blacks.
Married people are happier than the unmarried.
Dog owners and cat owners rate the same.
Sunbelt residents are happier than everyone else.
Neo-Freud
3-17-06
For decades, Freudian concepts such as ego, id and repressed desires dominated psychology and psychiatry’s attempts to cure mental illnesses. But better understanding of brain chemistrygradually replaced this model with a biological explanation of how the mind arises from neuronal activity. The latest attempts to piece together diverse neurological findings, however, are leading to a chemical framework of the mind that validates the general sketch Freud made almost a century ago. A growing group of scientists are eager to reconcile neurology and psychiatry into a unified theory. Perhaps trying to put new wine into old wineskins though.
For decades, Freudian concepts such as ego, id and repressed desires dominated psychology and psychiatry’s attempts to cure mental illnesses. But better understanding of brain chemistrygradually replaced this model with a biological explanation of how the mind arises from neuronal activity. The latest attempts to piece together diverse neurological findings, however, are leading to a chemical framework of the mind that validates the general sketch Freud made almost a century ago. A growing group of scientists are eager to reconcile neurology and psychiatry into a unified theory. Perhaps trying to put new wine into old wineskins though.
War vs. Peace
3-16-06
I love science and the science of human beginnings. But this area brings out deficiencies in science in what is usually believed to be a reliable source of information and progress. The problem is that ultimately, when presented with evidence, there is no way to remove the human element. Data has to be interpreted by human minds, and of course ones worldview, level of analysis, background knowledge, biases, etc. factor in. Was early man peaceful or warlike? You be the judge.
I love science and the science of human beginnings. But this area brings out deficiencies in science in what is usually believed to be a reliable source of information and progress. The problem is that ultimately, when presented with evidence, there is no way to remove the human element. Data has to be interpreted by human minds, and of course ones worldview, level of analysis, background knowledge, biases, etc. factor in. Was early man peaceful or warlike? You be the judge.
John D. Barrow
3-15-06
John D. Barrow, professor at Cambridge University was recently awarded the Templeton Prize of $1.4 million for his work on cosmology, including spiritual implications of the Big Bang. I admire a scientist that admits science cannot provide all the answers (nor does religion).
John D. Barrow, professor at Cambridge University was recently awarded the Templeton Prize of $1.4 million for his work on cosmology, including spiritual implications of the Big Bang. I admire a scientist that admits science cannot provide all the answers (nor does religion).
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