Drug discovery meets quantum mechanics in this article about recent evidence for quantum tunneling in enzymes:
… Read More “New Discovery: Enzymes Capable of Quantum Tunneling”SYDNEY, 25 August 2006: British scientists have found that enzymes
cheat time and space by quantum tunnelling – a much faster way of
travelling than the classical way – but whether or not perplexing
quantum theories can be applied to the biological world is still hotly
debated.
They said the palmtop gadgets, which have been nicknamed
‘crackberries’ because users quickly become hooked on them, could be
seriously damaging to mental health.… Read More “Study: Blackberry Addiction Similar to Drugs”
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…
… Read More “Electric Currents Heal Wounds”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 electric fields and currents in tissue
play a vital role in orchestrating the wound-healing process by
attracting repair cells to damaged areas.
New research has shown that fatherhood brings about dramatic enhancements in male brains. Although the researchers don’t suggest it, this effect may be nature’s way of counteracting the dramatic decrease in male brain function that occurs in proportion to the number of times they get laid in a given week (Note: this particular malady was brought to national attention on the popular TV show Seinfeld).
A major new discovery about the structure of DNA molecules has been announced. Researchers have found there is a pattern to the organization of nucleosomes in DNA, which may explain why certain parts of the molecule are accessible or inaccessible to transcription.… Read More “New Level of Order Discovered in DNA”
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.
South Korean researchers have synthesized a molecule that seems to not only stop, but also reverse, the built-in aging functions of cells.
… Read More “Anti-Aging Molecule Discovered”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.
A new mathematical technique provides a dramatically better way to
analyze data, such as audio data, radar, sonar, or any other form of
time-frequency data.
… Read More “Breakthrough in Finding Patterns in Complex Data Such as Sound”Humans have 200 million light receptors in their eyes,
10 to 20 million receptors devoted to smell, but only 8,000 dedicated
to sound.
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.… Read More “Fighting Infection with Phages”
Are you living in a cloud of electronic smog? New research has shown that fields from electrical wiring and devices in the home and office should be considered to be a form of pollution. Recent studies are finding that many cancers and other diseases may be directly related to exposure to these electrical fields.
A new study has found a fatal flaw in past studies that claimed moderated drinking is good for your health. It seems the past studies compared moderate drinkers to abstainers, and found the moderate drinkers were more healthy. Unfortunately what they neglected to consider was the fact that many of their abstainers were abstaining because they had other health problems or were frail and elderly and on medications that interacted with alchohol.… Read More “Moderate Drinking Turns out to Not be So Healthy After All”
More evidence that many synthetic food and beverage packaging materials are unsafe:
… Read More “Widely Used Food Packaging Material Related to Surge in Prostate Cancers”A CHEMICAL used to make food wrapping and line tin cans could be the
cause of surging prostate cancer rates in men, says a study.Bisphenol A is widely used in the food industry to make
polycarbonate drinks bottles and the resins used to line tin cans, even
though it is known to leach into food and has long been suspected of
disrupting human sex hormones.
Where’s George, an internet game in which people track the spread of dollar bills as they move around, has yielded an unexpected breakthrough in the science of predicting the spread of epidemics.
In a big step for medicine, scientists have figured out how the flu virus replicates — including the bird flu — inside cells. This opens up new pathways for developing drugs to fight all strains of the flu.
The theory of quantum evolution is a radical new take on how mutations
in DNA occur. Basically the theory postulates that DNA molecules are in
fact macroscopic quantum objects that undergo quantum interference. It
is spearheaded by Johnjoe McFadden, a professor in the UK and makes for an interesting read.… Read More “Quantum Evolution — A Radical Theory”
Recent brain scans have shown that accupuncture can actualy deactivate the brain’s pain centers. One more bit of evidence for alternative medicine.
The Edge has published mini-essays by 119 "big thinkers" on their "most dangerous ideas" — fun reading.
… Read More “Big Thinkers' Most Dangerous Ideas”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.
More news about aspartame ("Nutrasweet"), which is being found to be far more toxic than anyone imagined… (from: this article)
Combining food additives may be harmful, say researchers
… Read More “Aspartame Even More Toxic When Mixed with Food Coloring”· Aspartame and artificial colourings investigated
· Mice nerve cells stopped growing in experiments
Felicity Lawrence, consumer affairs correspondent
Wednesday December 21, 2005
The Guardian
New
research on common food additives, including the controversial
sweetener aspartame and food colourings, suggests they may interact to
interfere with the development of the nervous system.
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 "sugar-free" on food, beware.… Read More “Aspartame (Nutrasweet) Proved to Cause Cancer at Human Levels of Ingestion”
Yuck. I hate sauerkraut. But even I will eat the stuff if it turns out to help fight bird-flu, as this article reports. Anyway, the good news is that kimchee may be equally effective; kimchi is delicious.
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) energy from the hands, feet and heads of other people.… Read More “New Study: Human Hands, Feet and Foreheads Emit Light”
From Boing Boing today:
… Read More “20% of Your Genes Belong to Them”Xeni Jardin: A report in this week’s issue of Science
says 20 percent of human genes have been patented in the United States:The study (…) is the first time that a detailed map has been
created to match patents to specific physical locations on the human genome.
A new blood test was just announced for quickly diagnosing anxiety. Next, the makers plan to release a blood test for diagnosing depression. This is an interesting new trend: blood tests for psychological illnesses. And it’s just the tip of the iceberg.… Read More “Blood Tests for Psychological Illnesses”
Breakthrough research has found that human immune cells communicate over long distances via microtubulin pathways. This proves that neurons are not the only cells in the body capable of long-distance messaging. It establishes the immune system runs on another, previously unknown, communications network in the body.… Read More “Immune Cells Capable of Long-Distance Communication”
This article presents some fascinating evidence that nutrition has a direct relationship on behavior, particularly antisocial behavior.
I’ve been following the drama of the stranded Russian mini-sub. One of the main problems is that they have limited oxygen, which doesn’t give the rescue team much time to retrieve the sub. This got me thinking and I came up with a simple idea that could make all submarines safer: Every submarine should have an external valve hookup so that pressurized air can be pumped into the cabin from an external source.… Read More “Idea for Safer Submarines”
A cutting-edge research program is injecting human brain cells into monkey brains, to investigate whether this causes their brains to become more "human." This poses a potential ethical challenge: If the monkeys do become more human, would they be considered "human subjects" and be protected by ethical guidelines governing research onto humans?… Read More “Human-Brained Monkeys Pose Ethical Challenge”
Several recent articles discuss the discovery of insects that clone themselves:
… Read More “Cloning in the Animal Kingdom”The ant Wasmannia Auropunctata, which is native to Central and South
America but has spread into the US and beyond, has opted for a unique
stand-off in the battle of the sexes.
This article is very interesting not only because it provides an unusually detailed scenario of what would happen if a nuke was detonated in the Washington DC area, but also because it provides counter-intuitive guidance for how to survive such a situation, as well as information about new medical treatments for helping both first-responders and victims to combat radiation sickness.… Read More “Fascinating Article — Surviving a Nuclear Attack on Washington DC”