Sorry, You’re All Flawed People often want to know the causes of their illnesses. They often hear the phrase “it’s genetics.” The answer provokes little solace and some fear. Aid is provided in the sense there is “an explanation.” But an explanation that speaks to innate, uncontrollable flaws? What will happen to me next, people […]
Sugar Coating Aspirin (12/18/12)
Aspirin Resistance? Aspirin is back in the news. Recently the science of “aspirin resistance” has taken a big knock. And once again calls for “aspirin for everyone” – at least everyone middle aged – are being pushed as “the” heart disease and cancer preventive. What we really learn from these debates is what runs the […]
Making the World Stupid (12/05/12)
The Nature of Intelligence Item: Put people in rooms where carbon dioxide is more than 600 ppm and watch analytic reasoning and thinking decline. Higher levels – dumber answers. If present trends continue, global levels may hit 1000 ppm at the end of the century. Everywhere. Item: Cognitive decline is accelerated when people don’t physically […]
Does Winter Kill? (11/28/12)
Tis the Season? “This is the winter of our discontent” writes Shakespeare. More than discontent – actual demise. New data analysis performed at UCLA looked from sea to shining sea – 1.7 million death certificates across the U.S. The figures demonstrated that no matter whether you live in cold or warm climates, American cardiovascular deaths […]
Reconstructing Memory (11/26/12)
Safeguarding the Self It’s true – you’re not you. At least not what you think. We slide through life consumed and propelled by memory. We know what we know, saw what we saw. Except recent research demonstrates that memory is always changed every time it is retrieved – whether you consciously remember it or not. […]