tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65677392538491762942012-01-27T18:15:00.853+10:00Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.comBlogger1601100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-34054176935459450582012-01-27T18:15:00.000+10:002012-01-27T18:15:00.887+10:00

Long ago I heard about various bods trying to explore geometry as it relates to life. Now the research is getting interesting ... . The basic idea of Dr. Andrulis' framework is that all physical reality can be modeled by a single geometric entity with life-like characteristics: the gyre. 

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-35222404099377370862012-01-24T14:25:00.002+10:002012-01-24T14:25:26.366+10:00

Aneuploidy has been much neglected but is now gaining interest, possibly because after finding so many genetic alterations it has been realised that cancers are much more than about genes. There is one issue with this news release though. When they state: "But in cancer, there are many cases of extra or missing chromosomes. Yet cancer cells thrive more effectively than other cells," Prof. Shamir

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-78521200004776281152012-01-22T22:49:00.003+10:002012-01-22T23:15:49.593+10:00

Ever wondered why a cancer treatment can so successfully reduce tumor size only to see it come back stronger than ever some months later? If you're prepared to investigate the mathematical model put forward in this paper then you'll have an interesting perspective on the challenge of cancer treatment and the realisation that modern cancer treatments are still missing a vital component in strategy

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-23120705408687300102012-01-22T20:19:00.000+10:002012-01-22T20:19:45.533+10:00

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-77902173664255891602012-01-22T17:54:00.001+10:002012-01-22T17:54:41.183+10:00

A friend of mine directed me to this TED talk. I have heard of the promise of thorium reactors and this talk by Kirk Sorensen is an excellent example of why we need to consider nuclear power for our future needs. I do believe in AGW but I don't believe in props on sticks and shiny things facing the sky. These technologies have their place and will be important for our future energy

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-8845773630575003672012-01-20T20:22:00.002+10:002012-01-20T20:22:36.782+10:00

"House keeping" refers to an intra-cellular process that relates to the functions which involve removing excess and potentially dangerous molecules and detritus from the cell. It is crucial to cell function and survival. The main waste product that builds up is called lipofuscin, a set of lipids and proteins and lipoproteins that need regular removal before aggregation makes it too difficult to

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-34258691292818887622012-01-20T17:12:00.000+10:002012-01-20T17:23:39.392+10:00

In my previous post, Cancer as a Metabolic Disease, I referenced an extensive review article that argues for a different etiology for cancer. Their argument is that it arises from mitochondrial dysfunction which in turn causes aneuploidy, the key focus of this recent research. As stated in the news release: "The most common genetic change in cancer is the presence of an incorrect number of

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-11379691190517621672012-01-04T21:14:00.002+10:002012-01-04T21:16:21.052+10:00

4/01/2012 5:33PM Cancer as a Metabolic Disease(Review), Thomas N. Seyfried, Laura M. Shelton Nutrition & Metabolism, 2010, 7:7 Download the full paper here. Abstract Emerging evidence indicates that impaired cellular energy metabolism is the defining characteristic of nearly all cancers regardless of cellular or tissue origin. In contrast to normal cells, which derive most of their usable

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-48531453991986709522011-12-19T20:04:00.002+10:002011-12-19T20:53:30.997+10:00

19/12/2011 4:46PM A review of a Nature Reviews Neuroscience paper, and then I just sortta wonder off and babble incessantly ... . Nature publications generates some high quality reviews that are great for catching up on the latest developments in a given area. I've always  had a bit of interest in the hippocampus so was pleased that Nature Reviews Neuroscience offered the extensive review

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-65602661811968175612011-10-06T00:31:00.002+10:002011-10-06T00:31:31.573+10:00

I do get carried away. The below arose from a FB discussion. Normally I stay away from these debates but thought Sergio was worthy of a considered reply. No time to proof. Sorry about that. 6/10/2011 12:19AM You're a good chap Sergio and worthy of a considered reply. I've done my best but it is well past midnight and work beckons ... Warning! I have an unusual approach to these questions, my

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-87657883760125263102011-09-13T21:04:00.002+10:002011-09-13T21:18:47.161+10:00

Cardiovascular Disease remains a big killer in modern societies. While various drug interventions have enabled millions to go on living when they would otherwise be dead, the spikes in obesity and type 2 diabetes in the last 30 years are harbingers of a cardiovascular disease epidemic in the making. This has already been hinted at with a piece of recent research. As stated in the news release: A

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-18949560861993530202011-08-05T00:28:00.002+10:002011-08-05T00:28:12.074+10:00

Here's the link. ... If we accept, as the perfectly normal Arctic behavior of many centuries, that ice extent should diminish in the last two weeks of August, it does not augur well for minimum extent in 2011.

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-91344332126510014672011-08-01T15:23:00.000+10:002011-08-01T15:23:41.796+10:00

You can read it here. I am not interested in debates about AGW. I am interested in research items published and Patrick's monthly reports contain extensive data

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-82667268914624883312011-07-30T17:39:00.001+10:002011-07-30T17:39:46.899+10:00

The Myth of Alzheimers: What You Aren't Being Told About Today's Most Dreaded Diagnosis Peter J. Whitehouse, M.D., Ph.D, with Daniel George, M.Sc. St. Martin's Griffin, New York, 2008 Peter J. Whitehouse is a respected neurologist with over 30 years experience in the relevant field. The Website for the book.  Amazon Link. This text takes a courageous stand. I appreciate the central thrust of

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-82036619548205938112011-07-18T15:39:00.002+10:002011-07-18T15:47:32.016+10:00

I have been consistently surprised by the numbers of people in the USA diagnosed with a mental illness. For example, consider this statement from an excellent review on the apparent epidemic of mental illness in the USA: The number of people treated for depression tripled in the following ten years, and about 10 percent of Americans over age six now take antidepressants. The increased use of

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-91278982641731400052011-07-16T01:09:00.004+10:002011-07-16T01:41:26.880+10:00

... "I think [technology] might hurt the type of memorization that we usually think about, like remembering the name of an actress, but I think there might be some benefits, too," said study author Betsy Sparrow, an assistant professor in the department of psychology at Columbia University in New York City. ... Yes, that is true. Remember that fairy tale that human memory is infinite? I used to

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-51313430445653614512011-07-15T20:41:00.000+10:002011-07-15T20:41:37.734+10:00

I had long speculated about the impact of completely covering the skin on vitamin D production. This study highlights the risk to pregnant Arabian women. If you are someone who doesn't receive daily sunlight exposure it is absolutely critical to take charge of your vitamin D status. Foods will not be sufficient, you will need supplementation. Pregnant Arab women have an "extraordinarily high

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-49688299666681786982011-07-15T18:14:00.002+10:002011-07-15T18:16:06.379+10:00

This news article highlights the problem of treating dementias. The relevant article from Nature can be found here. Prevention is always better than cure. In relation to dementias it is now clear that years, if not decades, before symptoms arise a neurodegenerative process has been in play. As noted at the top of the news release, once alzheimers is established there probably is never going to

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-15039766521465926982011-07-15T17:45:00.002+10:002011-07-15T17:47:25.843+10:00

This recent news item highlights some unusual findings with respect to meditation practice. Basically they found that: Meditation prevents age related cerebral atrophy. Meditation *appears* to be strengthens the connections between various brain regions. This study is one in a long line of meditation studies pointing to the potential value of meditation not just in addressing conditions like

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-74730862612061290002011-07-14T15:01:00.000+10:002011-07-14T15:01:39.953+10:00

This is the link to Scientific Blogging. .... Within recent decades, and especially in the 21st century, we constantly see reports that total ice extent is the lowest, 2nd lowest or 3rd lowest ever recorded.  So far the lowest ever ice extent was in 2007 and we have charts and reports which show no such low extent since at least the 16th century.  It needs no great mathematical skill to deduce

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-82528624218296927992011-07-13T23:15:00.001+10:002011-07-13T23:15:44.791+10:00

This link from Science Daily highlights the value of moderate consumption of nuts. Previously spurned because of their high fat content, recent research is finding that nuts are an excellent addition to our diet. Of particular interest note the finding in March claiming that walnuts are the best overall nut for consumption. Walnuts contain good quantities of gamma tocopherol, a much better form

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-21868166014558571712011-07-13T23:07:00.002+10:002011-07-13T23:07:58.396+10:00

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-48275555298487137832011-07-13T22:41:00.003+10:002011-07-13T22:52:07.047+10:00

Today I was caught by surprise from  a US Federal Government statement. They stated that in their opinion there is no medical value in marijuana. The claim is premature and in contradiction to a world wide research interest into cannabinoids for therapeutic purposes ranging from the management of atherosclerosis to cancer to neurodegeneration. Just today Science Daily posted this news items

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-91868662450954585882011-07-12T14:39:00.000+10:002011-07-12T14:39:49.060+10:00

This link from Foodconsumer highlights a recent finding regarding potassium and blood pressure. We have all heard how bad salt can be for our blood pressure. What we are not told is that the studies do not always support this conclusion. This study highlights what I believe to be a big reason for this. The salt - potassium balance is out of kilter, hence leading to high blood pressure. Potassium

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-64936057815945995212011-07-11T22:41:00.000+10:002011-07-11T22:41:06.353+10:00

Mismatch: Why our world no longer fits our bodies Peter Gluckman and Mark Hanson. Foreword by Robert Winston Oxford University Press, 2006 About the Authors: Gluckman and Hanson are doctors who hold posts in academia. Amazon link If you have a copy of The Selfish Gene throw it away. Don't give it to anybody, throw it away because it is a dangerously misleading text. I still recall reading it

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-53369941283883264022011-07-11T22:05:00.003+10:002011-07-11T22:43:16.393+10:00

Africa Doesn't Matter: How the West Has Failed the Poorest Continent and What We Can Do About It. Giles Bolton 2007 Arcade Publishing, NY A long time ago I was introduced to Chomsky. His scholarship is impressive, his arguments are strong, but after reading a couple of his texts I thought to myself, "What do I gain from reading more of the same sad story about the influence of power in human

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-49258342163777879752011-06-14T23:35:00.000+10:002011-06-14T23:36:19.918+10:00

No one likes to talk about incontinence. It's on the list of hush-hush topics that people just don't discuss. Don't worry. I won't tell your friends that you're reading this blog. However, I do want you to keep reading and learn about ways that you're really making your bladder control issues worse than they have to be. It's obvious that drinking too much will agitate the situation, but there are

Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16513270541896199519noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-53170808633182374362011-06-08T02:21:00.001+10:002011-06-08T02:21:56.294+10:00

Menopause and post-menopause is a rough time. Most doctors recommend hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to help alleviate the symptoms of menopause. While it is effective, there are many different side effects and issues that come up with hormone replacement therapies that make them undesirable for so many people. Hot flashes and other symptoms are difficult to deal with and finding the best

Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16513270541896199519noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-64806383338783536842011-05-26T12:16:00.001+10:002011-05-26T12:16:56.444+10:00

According to an article written in Time magazine, they've been doing research in Europe that proves that lower sodium intake might not actually help heart health in the long run. Studies have shown that people who have high blood pressure or heart disease would benefit from lowering salt intake. However, in a study of more than 3,500 people who didn't have heart problems, the ones who had the

Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16513270541896199519noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-28863507164045649172011-05-22T22:44:00.000+10:002011-05-22T22:46:10.753+10:00

In a blog I wrote a while back on healthy aging and elderly safety, I spoke about how education is such a valuable resource for people who want to maintain an active, healthy life. Being constantly in fear of your health and aging is not any way to enjoy retirement. You have to take the time to learn about your health issues, your lifestyle, and the things that will help you live the longest,

Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16513270541896199519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-71978855644013529172011-05-18T10:13:00.000+10:002011-05-18T10:14:24.679+10:00

I was recently reviewing a blog I wrote awhile back about the benefits of medical alarm systems, and really wanted to reach out and talk about medical and health technology and advances that can be used to our advantage. As retirement approaches, or as it carries on for some of us, knowing the different advances in technology that are available is often helpful. Medical technology like medical

Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16513270541896199519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-35727459128597626602011-04-07T18:01:00.002+10:002011-04-07T18:01:55.685+10:00

Great piece of work by Patrick. 

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-4761704304934925512011-03-28T12:48:00.000+10:002011-03-28T12:48:48.507+10:00

Hmmm, this is not good: "Arctic sea ice extent for February 2011 tied with February 2005 as the lowest recorded in the satellite record."  Interestingly, 2005 was a year of very high sunspot activity and this year sunspot activity is also high.

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-56179723339569799252011-03-28T06:10:00.001+10:002011-03-28T06:11:05.971+10:00

Book Review: Apocalypse 2012: An Investigation into Civilisation's End. Lawrence E. Joseph. Broadway Books, New York, 2007 I find this a perplexing text. So many new ideas from so many different sources. The author traveled around the world to interview scientists, psychics, Mayan ancestors, and various individuals ranging from shamans to mystics. It would take me far too long to investigate all

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-38342138235518737082011-03-13T20:12:00.002+10:002011-03-16T17:53:12.400+10:00

There is no easy way to establish strategies for living a long life. This news release adds to our confusion. I proffer the following cautions: This study contradicts many other studies. When that occurs don't accept the study at face value, it needs to be subject to critical review by many people, and believe me that is far superior to peer review!  This study is relying on data gathered a

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-22989616112916498422011-03-13T19:56:00.000+10:002011-03-13T19:56:45.230+10:00

One of my pet hates in neuroscience is the propensity to attribute highly specialised functions to currently identified brain regions. If only it were that simple. This study, remarkable in its detailed analysis, again reminds us that the brain is not only a wonderful thing but an incredibly wonderfully complex thing. It has long been known and studied that the ventral tegmental area(VTA), a

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-39973299625808268122010-11-12T21:41:00.002+10:002010-11-12T21:44:37.820+10:00

Be warned, I'm calling shenanigans on this one. ScienceDaily (Nov. 11, 2010) — People spend 46.9 percent of their waking hours thinking about something other than what they're doing, and this mind-wandering typically makes them unhappy. So says a study that used an iPhone web app to gather 250,000 data points on subjects' thoughts, feelings, and actions as they went about their lives. I'd be

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-75883353243994616222010-11-10T14:11:00.001+10:002010-11-10T14:12:15.783+10:00

In genetics there has been of late considerable interest in a phenomenon known as "horizontal gene transfer". This news release takes that concept to new heights. ScienceDaily (Nov. 8, 2010) — Genetically modified plants can come about by natural means. A research group at Lund University in Sweden has described the details of such an event among higher plants. It is likely that the gene

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-2644837694878154682010-11-09T16:34:00.002+10:002010-11-09T16:36:26.979+10:00

This news release from ScienceDaily directly contradicts the findings of just a a few weeks ago. In my earlier post I was addressing research which indicated DHA can induce a "Th 1 type mediated inflammatory response". In relation to Stroke the conventional wisdom quite literally screams that such a response is the very last thing one would want to treat stroke yet now we have a report asserting

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-40547699580056417712010-11-04T17:04:00.001+10:002010-11-04T17:04:49.547+10:00

A friend of mine sent me this clip of John Dabiri. Great clip. If you have ever wondered what is the point of studying jellyfish movement and other such seemingly obscure research watch this clip. For some background on Dabiri you can read the following links: http://dabiri.caltech.edu/people/dabiri.html

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-30569528135653997542010-11-04T15:26:00.003+10:002010-11-04T15:27:52.526+10:00

This study, freely available here(4.61MB), has some striking implications. These are listed below. The Science Daily news release can read here. Microglia are typically perceived as the immune cells of the CNS but this study builds on former studies all pointing to the possibility that our current understanding about neural transmission and memory is too constrained. This present study indicates:

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-81323192136940827812010-10-31T19:28:00.001+10:002010-10-31T19:51:50.930+10:00

A report from Science Daily highlights the problems of modern intelligence research: ScienceDaily (2010-10-30) -- General intelligence is not enough. Practical intelligence can mean the difference between entrepreneurial success or failure. Psychologists have identified multiple kinds of intelligence, but a new study has found one -- practical intelligence -- to be an indicator of likely

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-73602476057361794182010-10-22T21:13:00.001+10:002010-10-23T00:54:38.780+10:00

This news release contains some very worrying information ... "We found that mice developed deadly, late-stage colon cancer when given high doses of fish oil," she said. "More importantly, with the increased inflammation, it only took four weeks for the tumors to develop." The results do not surprise me because I have long known that DHA can induce inflammation and in this study inflammation

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-16214095017330740512010-10-20T01:08:00.001+10:002010-10-20T01:18:55.439+10:00

Upon viewing the Headline - No Standard for the Placebo? I had hoped for something more in line with my current interests. Alas no, the news item relates to how the placebo pill contents are rarely published and may have important bearing on experimental results. I was off on a completely different tangent, wondering about the variability of the placebo response and the implications this has for

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-15893885941211675752010-10-19T14:46:00.001+10:002010-10-19T14:48:12.657+10:00

Open Access Publishing is where researchers can submit their results to an Open Access Journal, such as found on Biomedcentral, and is freely available to everyone. This study highlights how open access publishing is promoting increasing citation of studies. Makes sense, especially in an age where there is so much like research(wasteful duplication?). So why pay exorbitant fees for download a

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-4128759019057567152010-10-19T14:09:00.000+10:002010-10-19T14:09:43.050+10:00

Patrick provides extensive analysis and nice graphics to keep us informed of Arctic Ice movements.

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-78308873530215246852010-10-19T13:49:00.004+10:002010-10-19T14:59:08.448+10:00

This product, MMS, touted as a cure of everything from AIDS to cancer, is dangerous. (The product warning can be found here.) It equates to eating bleach. Relates to the idea that alkalinity is the key to killing cancer. Which is odd because I've read abstracts showing how alkalinity definitely helps some cancers survive. But there is no point looking at scientifically derived information because

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-75252971178325026462010-10-18T13:29:00.002+10:002010-10-18T19:40:55.711+10:00

"If you're standing on thin ice you may as well dance." Steven Cummings, Australian Singer You have to wonder about the unbounded optimism of our political leaders. At present there is yet another big meeting, this time in Japan, to try and find strategies to prevent the further transformation of the environment. Dreamers, silly little dreamers. Too late, that boat has sailed and was last seen

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-21255993431706270602010-10-16T11:23:00.000+10:002010-10-16T11:23:13.170+10:00

You can download the press release here. This is a startlingly good result, so good I want to see it followed up. It could be too good to be true or wonderful. The results in brief ... The results show that the food portfolio significantly reduced inflammation. Furthermore, LDL-cholesterol was reduced by 33%, blood triglycerides by 14%, blood pressure by 8 % and a thrombotic risk factor by 26

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-7877617718550859452010-10-15T23:40:00.000+10:002010-10-15T23:40:32.157+10:00

This news item from Physorg throws some light on the complexity of tasting. We might think it is just about taste buds and smell. Think again, our senses are not as separate as we are inclined to believe.

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-63761230881307272022010-10-15T14:18:00.000+10:002010-10-15T14:18:40.356+10:00

This news link from Physorg has an interview with the man who kept promoting vitamin D when everyone else thought the sun was enough.

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-3498068474842037832010-10-12T16:47:00.000+10:002010-10-12T16:47:27.470+10:00

US War Crimes: Cancer Rate in Fallujah Worse than Hiroshima.... “This is an extraordinary and alarming result,” said Busby, a professor of molecular biosciences at the University of Ulster and director of scientific research for Green Audit, an independent environmental research group. “To produce an effect like this, some very major mutagenic exposure must have occurred in 2004 when the attacks

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-52449542756793060682010-10-12T16:24:00.000+10:002010-10-12T16:24:24.037+10:00

When I was writing up the earlier piece last night I came across some searches from Norml, the rabidly pro marijuana organisation. The search page had the extract - schizophrenics have improved cognition if smoking pot. At the time I dismissed it but today I realised I was being silly, there is a very good neuroimmunological explanation for why cannabinoids can be helping schizophrenics. In

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-79729165128854174212010-10-12T13:08:00.000+10:002010-10-12T13:08:48.903+10:00

I just found this article from the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 2007. This statement is striking ... Patients with schizophrenia who had removed themselves or been removed from antipsychotic medications showed significantly better global functioning and outcome than those still being treated with antipsychotics. Detailed analyses of those patients with schizophrenia on antipsychotic

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-17858417093654464372010-10-11T18:18:00.003+10:002010-10-11T20:17:17.847+10:00

Long, 2250 words, difficult, give yourself a chance. My conclusion is that the current approach to treating schizophrenia could very well be inducing neurodegeneration through an autoimmune mediated pathology. I examine this from the perspective of heat shock proteins, autoimmunity, and neuroimmunology. This raises very serious questions about the current emphasis on "pre treating" so called "

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-74872621701264406062010-10-02T03:35:00.000+10:002010-10-02T03:35:51.621+10:00

Must be that time of year when all the long held myths concerning health and nutrition are held up for scrutiny. About time, many people believe that saturated fat is bad. That is bollocks. You need saturated fat. This obsession with the terror of saturated fat is what drove many people to avoid eggs and dairy products. This in spite of good literature showing that eggs are an excellent food and

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-60582111834913371162010-10-02T01:40:00.000+10:002010-10-02T01:40:26.559+10:00

This finding from the British Journal of Psychiatry is very consistent with the known pharmacology of THC. It is found that the higher the THC content, the greater the memory loss. Modern breeds of marijuana undoubtedly have higher THC content, though this increase is greatly exaggerated by the authorities. This modern change in the ratios of THC to CBD probably explains the rise in cannabis

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-82689211259495121332010-09-29T18:41:00.001+10:002010-09-29T18:42:21.002+10:00

Remarkably creative and clever approach to attacking cancer ... In the zebra-fish study, Lapotko and his collaborators at Rice directed antibody-tagged gold nanoparticles into the implanted cancer cells. A short laser pulse overheated the surface of the nanoparticles and evaporated a very thin volume of the surrounding medium to create small vapor bubbles that expanded and collapsed within

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-16744143112573678372010-09-24T03:42:00.004+10:002010-09-24T04:11:05.274+10:00

It was only a few years ago that most believed amyloid plaques and protein tangles could not be removed from the nervous system. We now know better and recent findings have important implications for our cerebral health. Over recent years there have been a number of studies highlighting that in contradiction to another once well established opinion, age associated cognitive impairment is not

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-83169008258033717222010-09-10T15:17:00.004+10:002010-09-10T16:21:32.813+10:00

Every month or so Patrick provides update on the ice dynamics in the Arctic. Here is the latest report. Thanks Patrick!

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-1467107508926938612010-09-09T23:25:00.000+10:002010-09-09T23:25:02.637+10:00

Funny.

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-28956409050018393522010-09-09T16:44:00.002+10:002010-09-09T17:54:00.718+10:00

This news release from Science Daily highlights yet another epigenetic study that raises difficult questions about our understanding of natural selection. There is a long, fascinating, and in some ways sad history about epigenetics. It all began with the Australian immunologist Ted Steele. Does the Impact of Psychological Trauma Cross Generations? It has been assumed that these

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-24784723002766521072010-08-28T15:22:00.000+10:002010-08-28T15:22:15.405+10:00

Hats off to Richard Lockerby for his continued efforts to bring the science of climate change to the wider public. His recent post, Mad 2.0, illustrates the urgent need for the wider public to become much more informed about the science of climate change. Follow his posts because Patrick has an excellent grasp of the problem and the need for urgent change.

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-51174350447537312372010-08-28T13:17:00.000+10:002010-08-28T13:17:53.998+10:00

A friend of mine in the USA sent me this long (30min) and fascinating video which highlights the development of a new perspective on cultural analysis that is based on ideas drawn from behavioral analysis. This is a seminal approach and will take many years if not decades to be explored. There are some interesting ideas being explored here, the talk introduces these ideas but you'll need to track

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-34355060722793407742010-08-11T21:44:00.004+10:002010-08-11T21:52:38.649+10:00

Primate Economics

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-89162279033806373152010-08-11T20:34:00.000+10:002010-08-11T20:34:24.028+10:00

This recent press release has caused a world wide stir, with critics pointing out flaws in the analyses, though with the caveat that the identified flaws did not disprove the conclusions but raised questions that needed further investigation. In that link the researcher states his own research also identifies 150 specific markers in the exceptionally long lived. This more critical analysis though

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-38274367433011293252010-08-09T21:05:00.002+10:002010-08-09T21:22:39.422+10:00

This news release reminded me of this prior research which prompted me to think about this research. Then I found this and  this and this and this  and this which of course led to the obvious hypothesis being thus  and thus (full text available at link)all of which reminded of this recent research news wherein they still fail to recognise the obvious hypothesis. Take note from the last reference:

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-28979158317376263242010-07-31T18:48:00.000+10:002010-07-31T18:48:31.633+10:00

In a previous post I mentioned the new research showing how an enriched environment can markedly impede the development of cancer. This research, the abstract of which is available here. (This research is concordant with research I earlier addressed, you can read it here.)The results of this current research indicate that a key variable is leptin. Leptin is a hormone released by fat cells(and

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-25446677087250430422010-07-30T18:57:00.002+10:002010-07-30T19:00:54.388+10:00

bad science Dr. Ben Goldacre Fourth Estate - London, 2008 Website: Bad Science Purpose of this text: to inform the general public about how to better understand modern biomedical news and in particular health related news. He is a British doctor and keeps his focus on the British scene but his lessons are universal and badly needed. In an earlier post  I  made some comments on the chapter in

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-76127122081954995322010-07-24T17:49:00.000+10:002010-07-24T17:49:10.067+10:00

The other day I picked up this text and late last night decided to read the chapter Professor Patrick Holford because I read a book of his some years ago. Ben Goldacre is a British doctor who writes regularly for the Guardian and has taken up the challenge of addressing all the kookiness out there in relation to health advice. Good on him, high time the medical profession put some effort into

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-64722780974999054502010-07-24T15:20:00.000+10:002010-07-24T15:20:44.727+10:00

Coffee used to be regarded as a dangerous substance. The research is now clearly pointing out that coffee can confer a great many benefits. This video from Healthday puts forward the results of some surprising research showing that regular coffee consumption is protective against a range of cancers.

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-54718574886401263342010-07-24T03:18:00.001+10:002010-07-24T03:18:43.770+10:00

This report from the Ohio State University Medical Center presents some challenging ideas in relation to stress and cancer. It has been assumed that cancer patients should avoid stress, this advice being predicated on the common presumption that any stress suppresses the immune response. That idea is not correct, it is sustained stress that inhibits the immune response, but mild intermittent

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-68729661132344097012010-07-24T02:36:00.000+10:002010-07-24T02:36:05.166+10:00

The Universe: A Biography John Gribbin Allen Lane, 2006 Links: Cosmos Review Amazon New Statesman Review John Gribbin is an astrophysicist with an uncanny ability to communicate his love for cosmology in an accessible and entertaining manner. If you are not familiar with cosmology then this book is an excellent starting point. Unlike Re-inventing Gravity which addresses the specific issue of

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-58569894908973033432010-07-24T02:34:00.002+10:002010-07-24T02:35:06.390+10:00

The Modern Mind: An intellectual history of the 20th Century Peter Watson Perennial, London, 2001 Links: Amazon Wiki entry on the author This work is a remarkable scholarly achievement. The author admits he cannot cover in detail all the relevant ideas of the last century yet he does an excellent job in providing the reader with a sweeping panorama of 20th century thought. The writing is

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-44930408135126890642010-07-03T03:30:00.007+10:002010-07-04T18:17:37.571+10:00

I have long toyed with the idea that intelligence is embedded in the universe, it is not an emergent property but an intrinsic property. Materialists will resile at that idea but they can eat my shorts. As I like to say, how is it that in this materialist universe our most powerful tools are ideas? I have long been sceptical of the strict materialist position because I have always found the

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-6868701963387371422010-07-03T02:34:00.007+10:002010-07-04T18:18:24.037+10:00

Physics is something I read for fun because I'm too ignorant to analyse it. I love it though, the research is fascinating and hats off to the physicists who labor so hard and long to uncover the mysteries of the universe. For a preview of this work you can refer to this website of Prof Moffat. Full credit to John Moffat for presenting very complex arguments in a highly accessible literary style

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-20234839842323722792010-07-03T02:05:00.003+10:002010-07-03T02:06:46.656+10:00

Can you believe that your brain is intrinsically unreliable? I can't, I implicitly trust it. I have no choice. In this news release they address one of the great mysteries of nervous function: is "noise" a byproduct of nervous function or does it serve some fundamental purpose? I used to become very annoyed at people who likened brains to complicated computers. The analogy is so stupid it is

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-13749423482682478822010-07-03T01:32:00.000+10:002010-07-03T01:32:42.761+10:00

Initially I was pleased to see this news release because it appeared concordant with my earlier post wherein I explored the angle of depression and arousal. Upon further reflection I realise there are some serious problems with the conclusions put forward in the news item. Nonetheless this study represents a novel approach to the issue of depression. What they did was create a mouse with a

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-82889181249428053442010-07-02T21:38:00.000+10:002010-07-02T21:38:56.982+10:00

One of the more remarkable features about depression is the number of therapies that have proved beneficial. I explored that issue in this post. This latest study highlights the importance of prostaglandin regulation in depression. This latest study, the largest ever trial on omega 3 fats in treating depression, demonstrates a careful delineation that helps clarify the role of omega 3's in

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-3325497045741192712010-07-01T04:43:00.000+10:002010-07-01T04:43:41.025+10:00

Not really sure that eating lots of nitrates to control blood pressure is a good idea. As the news item states the nitrates are converted to nitric oxide, which is very important in inducing relaxation of the blood vessel muscles, thereby reducing blood pressure. There are 3 major enzymes for producing nitric oxide, iNOS,nNOS,eNOS. i=inducible, typically associated with inflammatory events, n=

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-53750264130541079482010-06-29T05:33:00.004+10:002010-06-29T05:56:32.097+10:00

Generally I prefer to stay away from debates about climate change. I try to perceive the issue in an ecological setting rather than some argument what is going to happen in 50 years if we don't or do do A or B. I have little confidence in our ability to predict the future but I often get the impression that arguments from sceptics and advocates appear predicated on the idea we can make reasonable

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-12841951450726431522010-06-22T04:06:00.005+10:002010-06-22T04:24:37.733+10:00

Hope springs eternal, except when you're dead. (With no Arrow of Time is one eternally dead or eternally alive? Or am I in a box and if God happens to look inside will my fate then be decided? God, don't look!) On the internet there is a cure and conspiracy for everything. Such is the nature of human cognition, a ramshackle attack on reality that through brute force manages to get enough things

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-17567651974390468192010-06-19T01:06:00.001+10:002010-06-19T16:12:40.069+10:00

My friend in New York sent me a link addressing the work of Alan Snyder who for many years has been arguing that within all of us reside hidden talents that can be unmasked through inhibiting certain regions of the brain. He goes so far as to state that this ability can constitute genius, more on that latter.  While I have a number of problems with the various assumptions embedded in the ideas

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-53731044975620290262010-06-10T03:08:00.002+10:002010-06-10T03:17:50.586+10:00

Who are these dinosaurs who think they can determine the true measure of intelligence? At the Sydney Writers' Festival one of Australia's most prominent "literary novelists", Peter Carey, whines about how we are turning into a nation of idiots. As regards to the purported dumbing down of our culture I addressed that in this post. Peter Carey might want to learn something about the vagaries of

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-5576145978764418702010-06-08T00:27:00.005+10:002010-06-10T03:25:34.625+10:00

This post is very long (3850 words) and very difficult. It is a preliminary investigation of the idea that depression arises from chronic sustained arousal leading to amine depletion and various other physiological changes. This news release from Science Daily highlights a new pharmacological approach to treating depression. The nutshell is this: there is a class of proteins in our brains called

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-9113383832814104882010-05-28T05:11:00.004+10:002010-05-28T05:19:20.507+10:00

It all began way back in the 19th century. "Sickness Behavior" was observed in humans and farm animals. As that Wiki article goes on to explain, there are some interesting similarities between sickness behavior and depression. This has been an active area of research for many years now. One key article is this one from 2003. This strange and puzzling linkage between the nervous systems and immune

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-1163018268063334262010-03-27T12:43:00.003+10:002010-03-27T12:58:04.046+10:00

Recently some people told me about how an Italian cardiologist is making a big fuss out of the fact that when he removes a tumour he finds fungal infections around it, the implication being the fungal infection is causing the tumour. Classic case of mis-attribution of cause. Despite the claims of the news article and\or researchers, this is not news. By way of example, look at the following

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-64698695286903224802010-03-20T18:19:00.002+10:002010-03-20T18:26:14.361+10:00

Given the massive amount of research in biomedicine it is tempting to think that we are now in the process of completing the picture of biological processes and just need to keep on moving forward. I wish, a more sober conclusion is that ongoing research into the particulars of biological processes and is going to leave us further bewildered. Fortunately there are some researchers who are

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-49506664879326304342010-03-16T21:16:00.001+10:002010-03-16T21:17:25.763+10:00

Days of strange co-incidences. Today a friend in the USA sent me a fascinating little article from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Basically the story goes like this: Cancer cells have very strong "pulling power", they tightly bind together. This has serious therapeutic implications which be latter addressed. What struck me as so odd about this research was just yesterday I read how immune

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-57579320523827372712010-03-02T21:10:00.001+10:002010-03-02T22:19:45.616+10:00

History of Madness Michel Foucault Routledge 2006 At the start of this text is a recommendation by R. D. Laing, a founder of the anti-psychiatry school. Laing states: "... brilliantly written, intellectually rigourous, and with a thesis that thoroughly shelves the assumptions of traditional psychiatry." As I will later illustrate, Mr. Laing is being somewhat exuberant in his praise. Talking

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-24811250405042217972010-03-02T16:22:00.002+10:002011-08-19T19:23:10.284+10:00

Watermelon is good for the heart? Yes, and it is also is being touted by some as a "natural viagra". These two issues are inter-related and will be addressed later in the post. This post was prompted by a news item on the BBC website which found that low fat, low carb, and mediterranean diets can reduce the size of plaques in our arteries. The effect was small, only a 5% volume reduction and

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-61066738581838449642010-03-02T01:30:00.001+10:002010-03-02T15:10:48.525+10:00

Air Power: From Kitty Hawk to Gulf War 11: A History of the People, Ideas and Machines that Transformed War in the Century of Flight Stephen Budiansky Viking, an imprint of Penquin Books 2003 This is a comprehensive text that deals with Air Power in a very informative and entertaining way. The author has been thorough in his research and the text has extensive footnotes and a large

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-27725315086818327572010-02-13T19:57:00.002+10:002010-02-13T19:58:28.765+10:00

For a long time it was believed that inflammation played a critical role in the development of Alzheimer's. This can be true but needs to be carefully qualified because as the below abstract demonstrates "massive gliosis" induced by interleukin 6 actually prevented amyloid deposition. Look at the gliosis link for the wikipedia entry, it is a good example of when not to trust Wiki. Wiki is very

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-35252452423038135962010-02-12T22:10:00.004+10:002010-02-17T01:10:38.418+10:00

Have a look at the abstract further down. It highlights something that we tend to ignore. We think that something like Chernobyl should have massive consequences but as indicated in studies on Nagasaki and Hiroshima mortality from radiation exposure was surprisingly low; excepting of course those in the immediate blast experience. What this study does highlight though is that even obesity and

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-28355479559475993752010-02-12T18:33:00.003+10:002010-02-17T01:31:07.978+10:00

A quick one. This report came up on Science Daily. ... The study found that a complex dietary supplement powerfully offsets this key symptom of ageing in old mice by increasing the activity of the cellular furnaces that supply energy -- or mitochondria -- and by reducing emissions from these furnaces -- or free radicals -- that are thought to be the basic cause of ageing itself. The abstract

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-45300205543664688422010-02-11T21:48:00.001+10:002010-02-11T21:51:39.457+10:00

Over the years there have been a multitude of reports on the anti-cancer properties of various foods. There is valuable truth in these reports and it does pay to adopt your diet so as to include a variety of these foods into your lifestyle. For example, it has long been known that a carotenoid found in tomatoes, lycopene, appears to confer protection against prostate cancer. Watermelon also

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-76975081748749632682010-02-11T19:10:00.001+10:002010-02-11T19:11:11.333+10:00

This news release from foodconsumer.org reports that some of the top Tuna brands sold in the USA contain levels of mercury that contravene the EPA standards. Mercury levels in some fish species have been rising for decades, the levels are now so high that pregnant women are advised to be very careful in the type of fish they consume. The irony of this is that studies done in Britain have

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-59785865252871050762010-02-11T17:24:00.001+10:002010-02-17T01:12:10.347+10:00

This article highlights a major problem with all modelling of climate data. When confronted with an open system like the climate there is an inherent unpredictability that is non-computable. That is, we can never fully anticipate the effects of human behavior upon the climate. We can make reasonable assumptions about what to expect but we never with the certainty we desire. This is becoming all

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-80103545291527215232010-02-09T17:29:00.002+10:002010-02-09T17:42:53.051+10:00

The wider community is typically unaware of the positive aspects emerging from cannabinoid research. The headline that reports this science news is an example of why that occurs, a matter I will address later in this post. For now I'll focus on this piece of research and other research into the medical use of cannabinoids. In this research they used a very potent cannabinoid analogue, HU-210,

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567739253849176294.post-11519490353301006822010-02-09T15:05:00.002+10:002010-02-09T15:06:31.253+10:00

Lynn Marguilis was the bod who championed the idea that mitochondria were originally a cell that took up residence inside other cells. Being a woman she had to work extra hard to make her argument stick. The story is that as the early earth environment became more oxygen rich from all those plant like cells absorbing CO2 and emitting O2, cells mutated to take advantage of the considerable

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401232760394588049noreply@blogger.com0