Nova Spivack – Minding the Planet

Just in time for the 4th of July, here is a comprehensive report on sunscreens which may be potentially unsafe to use. Yes, it turns out there are several new ingredients now being used in sunscreens which are not FDA approved and may cause unknown effects on humans. Other sunscreen ingredients paradoxically break down in [...]

Suspicions of a link between Aspartame (the commonly used artificial sweetener) and various forms of cancer have received another boost from a new Italian study. The study found that even at relatively low levels of consumption, rats exposed to Aspartame had a significantly increased risk of several types of cancer. The implications of this are [...]

There are thousands of promising drugs for treating diseases that are simply not getting studied or brought to market because they are derived from natural or common substances that can’t be patented. The dirty little secret of the pharma business is that even a miracle cure for cancer won’t be invested in if it can’t [...]

Read this fun article that lists and defines some of the key concepts that every post-singularity transhumanist meta-intellectual should know! (via Kurzweil) Related Posts:Big Thinkers' Most Dangerous IdeasCollective Intelligence 2.0Simulated Universes and the Nature of ConsciousnessScientists Discuss their Beliefs in the UnknownHuman-Brained Monkeys Pose Ethical Challenge

150 years ago, German physiologist Emil Du Bois-Reymond discovered that electric currents could speed up the healing of flesh wounds. But his research has been ignored ever since. Until now… Now Josef Penninger of the Austrian Institute of Molecular Biotechnology in Vienna and Min Zhao of the University of Aberdeen, UK, have demonstrated that natural [...]

The next generation of the breathalyzer won’t just measure blood alchohol content, it will detect many types of disease as well. A laser-based technology for measuring the breath is being proposed as a viable alternative to blood tests. Related Posts:New Aspartame Concerns — Study Finds Link to Cancer At Lower LevelsAnti-Aging Molecule DiscoveredBig Thinkers' Most [...]

South Korean researchers have synthesized a molecule that seems to not only stop, but also reverse, the built-in aging functions of cells. A team of South Korean scientists on Sunday claimed to have created a “cellular fountain of youth,’’ or a small molecule, which enables human cells to avoid aging and dying. The team, headed [...]

I’ve been interested in bacteriophages for a few years, ever since I first heard about them. This article goes into more detail about why they may present a new and better alternative to antibiotics in the treatment of resistant bacterial infections. In the 1920s and ’30s, with diseases like dysentery and cholera running rampant, the [...]

This is pretty cool. It turns out you can freeze water at room temperature, creating so-called "hot ice." There are at least two known methods for doing this. Hot ice effectively transforms water into a solid that is like a form of glue. This opens the door for some interesting potential applications — including using [...]

Recent brain scans have shown that accupuncture can actualy deactivate the brain’s pain centers. One more bit of evidence for alternative medicine. Related Posts:New Aspartame Concerns — Study Finds Link to Cancer At Lower LevelsElectric Currents Heal WoundsAnti-Aging Molecule DiscoveredFighting Infection with PhagesBig Thinkers' Most Dangerous Ideas

The Edge has published mini-essays by 119 "big thinkers" on their "most dangerous ideas" — fun reading. The history of science is replete with discoveries that were considered socially, morally, or emotionally dangerous in their time; the Copernican and Darwinian revolutions are the most obvious. What is your dangerous idea? An idea you think about [...]

A recent study has found that human-level dosages of aspartame (the artificial sweetener formerly known as Nutrasweet and now cleverly disguised by new, obscure trade-names) causes stastitically significant increases in the occurrance of multiple forms of cancer. In other words, don’t drink diet colas that include aspartame, don’t chew sugar-free gum, and when you see [...]

Now this is really interesting! New research has found that certain parts of the body emit measurable numbers of photons. This may open up new diagnostic techniques. But that’s just the beginning. Spiritual healers from many different faiths have long said that they experience light coming from their hands, and can feel (and even see) [...]

This article presents some fascinating evidence that nutrition has a direct relationship on behavior, particularly antisocial behavior. Related Posts:New Aspartame Concerns — Study Finds Link to Cancer At Lower LevelsBig Thinkers' Most Dangerous IdeasAspartame (Nutrasweet) Proved to Cause Cancer at Human Levels of IngestionSuperwater Kills Bugs DeadA Bottle That Purifies Enough Water for a Year

A new technique has been successfully tested which appears to be able to bring dogs back to life after 3 hours of being clinically dead. This research may hold promise not only for saving lives in cases where clinical death happens before surgery can be performed or completed, but also perhaps for preserving and later [...]

A modified form of salt water has an ion imbalance that kills viruses, bacteria and other single-celled organisms. It also speeds burn and wound healing dramatically. Best of all, it’s safe if ingested (and has no calories!). Meanwhile, researchers continue to discover that germs are the cause of previously misunderstood diseases, such as many cancers. [...]

Dr. Ian Stevenson has amassed 3000 documented cases of children remembering events from past lives. In each case of children’s past life memory, Dr. Stevenson methodically documents the child’s statements.  Then he identifies the deceased person the child remembers being, and verifies the facts of the deceased person’s life that match the child’s memory. He [...]

A recent study by the University of California, San Francisco, has found that stress causes the same changes in cells that are typically caused by aging: The study involved 39 women ages 20 to 50 who had experienced grinding stress for years because they were caring for a child with a serious chronic illness, and [...]

In February of 2005, a controversial new anti-aging pill called Protandim is slated for release. This drug is claimed to increase the body’s natural production of anti-oxidants, which in turn is believed to combat damage from free-radicals. Preliminary studies on mice demonstrated "reduction of lipid peroxidation by 60% to 75% in both plasma and liver, [...]

Via my friend, Lee Stein: MIT researchers may have found a gene that enables mice (and humans, potentially) to live 30% longer without caloric restriction. It is already known that cutting down food intake by 1/3 can result in up to 50% longer lifespans. Here is a terrific article on the possible implications of this [...]

Adding new evidence that is sure to lend credence to the 100+ year old “cancer microbes” hypothesis, a recent study has found that a doxycycline, a common antibiotic, appears to “shut off” aggressive liver cancer — causing cancer cells to stop reproducing and behave normally as long as it is administered. Related Posts:Open-Source MedicineAnti-Aging Molecule [...]

Interesting new research has found a measurable effect from homeopathic medicines on inflammation. The research has been published in a respected peer-reviewed medical journal. The authors admit they cannot explain the cause of this effect, and they are hoping others will join them in trying to figure it out. The basic issue is that homeopathic [...]