Day: 05/23/2015

Are we ready for DIY drugs?

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Hard drugs are pretty serious business, but at least they’re hard to obtain, right? Well, that’s true now, but scientists say that very soon, it will become possible to “brew” opiates similar to heroine with a kit resembling a beer homebrewing system. And we all know how it goes with drugs: if there’s a way, it will be abused.

Slightly modified yeast will allow opiate ‘brewing’

Genetic engineering has given us some amazing advantages over the years, increasing crop yields and improving their resistance to diseases. But this kind of research always comes with a great moral responsibility. Once published, and put into use in clinical or industrial settings, it will trickle down into less honorable markets, no matter how noble the intentions.

Are we ready (or should we be?)

Does that mean these projects need to be stopped? Of course not, no more than any other scientific advancement should be stopped on account of its applicability in the criminal circuit. But we need to be ready for the societal ramifications that would certainly arise if this method of opiate production should lead to widespread availability of addictive substances.

Watch the video. URL: https://youtu.be/qxRgi2AEpZ4

Architects to hatch Ecocapsule as low-energy house

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Where people call home depends on varied factors, from poverty level to personal philosophy to vanity to community pressure. Ecocapsule appears to be the result of special factors, a team of architects applying their skills and imaginations to make investors and consumers re-think what can be a home.

To be sure, a newer wave of environment-minded “green” architects have been thinking beyond traditional concepts toward showcased structures as “living solutions.”

Ecocapsule is the work of a group called Nice Architects, a studio based in Bratislava, Slovakia. They worked out a concept of housing which is designed as energy-efficient. Their Ecocapsule drew the attention of several sites this week. Adam Williams in Gizmag talked about the structure on Thursday: “The big draw with this micro-home is the impressive sustainable technology that it promises. Packing a 2.6 sq m (28 sq ft) solar array on the roof, and an integrated battery system, Ecocapsule also sports a silent 750 W wind turbine that’s set on a retractable pole. The bathroom includes a composting toilet and a shower, and a rainwater collection and filtration system offers .”

The interior according to the site pictures looks attractive and inviting. There is an entrance, living/working space, kitchenette, toilet and shower, and folding bed, all part of the deal. It is described as adequate enough for two people.

This is a portable house with an “immense off-grid life span,” they said. Ecocapsule was designed as a living space that, in addition to a home, might even serve as an independent research station, tourist room unit, or emergency housing unit.

The Ecocapsule is powered by a built-in wind turbine complemented with an array of solar cells. They said that the body of an Ecocapsule is covered with high-efficiency solar cells and a retractable pole holds a 750W wind turbine attached to the body. “This creates an energy system that can support you for almost an entire year in many off-grid locations,” they said.

They also said the dual power system and a high-capacity battery “ensures that you will have enough power during periods of reduced solar or wind activity.”

Why the spherical shape? The architects chose the shape for collecting rainwater and dew. The built-in water filters allow people to use any water source. They did not yet put a price to this structure. They intend to start taking pre-orders and to announce the price later this year. They said they expect to deliver the first units in the first half of 2016. Ecocapsule, they added, can fit into any standard shipping container.

The team said the first public display of the Ecocapsule will take place at the Pioneers Festival in Vienna this month, which runs from May 28 to May 29. The Pioneers Festival is described as “Europe’s major conference for tomorrow’s ideas,” where startups, investors and media meet.

Dyslexia can be overcome with nursery rhymes and music, says Cambridge professor .

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Children can overcome dyslexia by learning nursery rhymes, dancing and singing because the condition is caused by lack of rhythm in brain, a leading neuroscientists has suggested.

Exposing children to nursery rhymes and singing could help them overcome dyslexia, a Cambridge Professor has claimed

Usha Goswami, prof of Cognitive Developmental Neuroscience at Cambridge has spent the last 10 years testing the brains of youngsters to find out what was driving the learning problem.

She found that the dyslexia is not caused by children reading words incorrectly, but instead their inability to hear the rhythm of words when they are being spoken.

Brain scans shown that the metre of words was out of phase with internal rhythms in brain, meaning that youngsters struggled to encode the patterns, and therfore memorise speech.

But keeping up rhythmic practice will eventually allow children to read properly.

Children who are dyslexic could benefit from more rhythmic training

“Children who are dyslexic struggle with speech rhythm,” Prof Goswami told The Hay Festival.

“We realised that children are struggling in tasks which are not related to learning or reading but are related to rhythm.

“So we began to think that rhythm and these problems found in children with dyslexia might be related.”

Dyslexia is thought to be one of the most common learning difficulties. It’s estimated that up to 1 in every 10 people in the UK has a certain degree of dyslexia and Britain has one of the worst rates because the language is so difficult to learn.

Prof Goswami recommended clapping games, music, nursery rhymes and marching to The Grand Old Duke of York.

“All kinds of rhythmic experiences can be helpful, nursery rhymes, dancing and music as long as the beat is matched to language,” she said.

“Playground clapping and games may be very important to stopping dyslexia. You could start to remediate it before children even start school.

“If children keep it up they will learn to read. It will definitely happen. The brain just needs more training. These children need to know that their brain just works a bit differently and reading is going to be harder for them.”

Use It Or Lose It: How Age, Hormones, And Masturbation Predict Sexual Health

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This prompts some women to manage their “unacceptable” impulses by channeling them into acceptable behaviors. For example, these women may direct their sex drive toward their career. Women who are driven with ambition to reach the top, says Walfish, have sexual libido driving that energy. These women are putting out less in the bedroom and more at the office.

“This defense mechanism is known as sublimation. Women are sublimating sexuality into work,” Walfish said.

This unhealthy sublimation can lead to loneliness and reckless abandonment of our personal life. This puts all aspects of our life outside of work on hold — including sex. Soon, a month without sex turns into three months and three months turn into a year.

Before long, we begin to wonder: Where did our sex life go?

Sexual Dry Spell: A Woman And A Man’s Problem, Too

“Going through a dry spell” often gets labeled as a “woman’s problem.” The term is popularly used to describe a “sexless state” and isn’t given the best connotation. But these phases of celibacy, which could be months at a time, are actually normal.

A 2010 National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior from The Kinsey Institute found these droughts are common in partnered and unmarried women in their 30s. More than 28 percent of these women reported having intercourse somewhere between once a month and not at all, with the frequency being slightly lower for married women. This is known as “double income, no sex” for married couples in a sex-starved marriage.

Surprisingly, women aren’t the only ones refusing sex in marriages. In a study conducted by Dr. Denise Donnelly of Georgia State University, she found out of 75 married people in sexually inactive marriages, in 60 percent of the cases, it was the man who stopped having sex first. Reasons for the couples’ dry spell included extramarital affairs and demanding jobs. Low frequency of sex in marriages is not a problem unless the partner perceives it as a problem. But how much sex is healthy for a happy couple?
“Couples of all ages who are either married or cohabitating should be having sex one to two times a week on average,” Walfish said. She believes when couples have sex less than once a week (excluding unexpected circumstances), this becomes a cause for concern. Sex and its frequency is usually reflective of communication, based on Walfish’s professional experience.

However, physiological changes in the body, like menopause for women, can impact the quantity and duration of sex.

Menopause: Moist In All The Wrong Places

Women will inevitably experience menopause between the ages of 45 and 50, with the average onset at age 51, according to the Mayo Clinic. This normal part of aging means the ovaries have stopped releasing eggs and making most of their estrogen. Symptoms of menopause include hot flashes, mood swings, and the dreaded vaginal dryness.

This is a different kind of “dry spell,” which close to one out of every three women experiences. The drop in estrogen levels reduces the amount of moisture available, making the vagina thinner and less elastic, which is known as vaginal atrophy. Although this dryness may seem like a small health issue, it severely impacts a woman’s sex life.

“When women go through menopause where vaginal dryness occurs, men can experience decreased sexual desire and some women can have a lower sense of themselves as sexual beings,” Walfish said.

Recently, though, Sprout Pharmaceuticals resubmitted the drug flibanserin to the Food and Drug Administration for approval for a third time. Flibanserin aims to treat hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) in women, defined as the persistent or recurrent deficiency or absence of sexual fantasies and a desire for sexual activity that causes distress or interpersonal difficulty, according to the press release. This drug is believed to help women, especially postmenopausal women who struggle to boost their sex drive.

Masturbation: A Cure-All To ‘Use It Or Lose It?’

Women can prepare for the effects of menopause even before they reach their 40s, without relying on drugs. Masturbation can help women remain sexually active — and men, too. It helps protect the nerve fibers and blood vessels responsible for erectile function. However, Walfish advises men be careful with this because they can become fascinated or obsessed with masturbation and begin to turn to it more accessibly.

“It becomes easier to do it yourself than communication. The hard stuff becomes the talking,” she said.

Here’s What Happens To Your Body When You Consume Okra

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Okra is one of the most therapeutic vegetables. After reading this article, we are certain that you will begin utilizing Okra as a part of your every day diet. What Is Okra? This therapeutic vegetable is grown all throughout the tropical and warm mild districts around the globe for its stringy fruits or “pods”. Okra can be consumed as a vegetable. Okra aka “Lady’s finger” is in with the Malvaceae (mallows) family and is named deductively as Abelmoschus esculentus. Why Should You Incorporate Okra In Your Eating Regimen? Brings Down Bad Cholesterol: Okra (soluble fiber pectin) helps lower the serum (bad) cholesterol and avoids atherosclerosis. For Pregnancy and Fetal advancement: Okra helps prevent unnatural birth cycles, promotes development of the fetal neural tube, and prevents imperfections in the tube. Skin Detoxifier: Okra (Vitamin C, fiber aids toxic) is utilized to repair body tissues, heal psoriasis, eliminate pimples, and other skin conditions. Treats Genital Disorders: Okra treats genital issue like syphilis, extreme menstrual bleeding, leucorrhoea, dysuria, and gonorrhea. For Asthma: It can shorten the duration of asthma manifestations and prevent deadly attacks. Okra is high in vitamin C, has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Reduces Colon cancer risk: Okra cleans out the intestinal tract with its insoluble fiber, diminishing the danger of colon-rectal tumor. The high cell reinforcements in Okra aid in securing the immune system against unsafe free radicals and avoid transformation of cells. Immunity Booster: Okra is a decent immune booster food high in antioxidants and vitamin C. Other vital minerals like calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, battle against unsafe free radicals and support the immune system. Rich Fiber Source: Okra helps regulate digestion, and regularization of entrails with its filaments. Rich Protein Source: The superb wellspring of top notch vegetable protein and oils, cystine, advanced with amino acids like tryptophan, and other sulfur amino acids content are contained in the seeds of Okra. Lively Hair: Okra is an extraordinary hair conditioner, battles dandruff and lice, scalp cream for dry and irritated scalp and adds a youthful sheen to your hair. Treats Sun strokes: Okra eases general misery, weakness, and fatigue. Relieves Constipation: the mucilaginous and rich fiber content in Okra cases helps enhance stool mass, binds poisons, guarantees simple solid discharges, encourages fitting assimilation of water, and lubricates the intestines with its common purgative properties. Probiotics: Okra facilitates the propagation of probiotics and helps the natural production of vitamin B complex. Diabetes: Okra regulates glucose levels. The kind of fiber found in Okra i.e. Eugenol, aids in settling glucose by controlling the rate at which sugar is ingested from the intestinal tract. Learn how to make okra water in the video below. Feeds Blood Network: Okra helps build the structure of blood vessels. Respiratory soother: The antioxidants in okra along with a large content of vitamin C are effective in treating respiratory problems and has shown to reduce the frequency of asthma attacks in patients. Counteracts Anemia: Helps red blood cell production. Prevents Obesity: the Okra’s fiber helps in keeping you full, and the copious supplements sustain you. Ulcers: The same mucilage in okra which helps ease digestion can also heal and relieve the pain of stomach ulcers. Strong Bones: Okra is an excellent source of vitamin K which is vital for reinforcing bones and counteracting osteoporosis. | Source: http://www.whydontyoutrythis.com/2015/04/heres-what-happens-to-your-body-when-you-consume-okra.html?m=1

Scientists Discover New Type Of Fat Cell That Converts Bad Fat To Good Fat .

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For the first time, researchers in the US have identified a new type of fat cell in humans that can convert unhealthy white fat into healthy brown fat.

Now known as ‘beige’ fat, these cells are located within person’s white fat, which in high amounts has been directly linked to diabetes and obesity. When stimulated by some kind of stress, such as chronic cold exposure, this beige fat converts the white fat cells into brown fat cells. This is great for a person’s health, because brown fat generates heat by burning energy, and is actually more closely related to healthy skeletal muscle than it is to white fat.

 

“This finding brings us another step closer to the goal of our laboratory, which is engineering fat cells to fight obesity,” said one the team, biologist Shingo Kajimura from the University of California, San Francisco, in a press release. “We are trying to learn how to convert white fat into brown fat, and until now, it had not been demonstrated that this recruitable form of brown fat is actually present in humans.”

For years we’ve known that human are born with a whole lot of brown fat – a much higher percentage than is found in adults – because all that energy-burning for heat gives babies a natural defence against the cold. Bears are also known to have great stores of brown fat, which helps carry them through the bitter winter months.

Then in 2009, it was discovered that as adults, we actually retain a whole lot of brown fat, but no one could figure out if it was the same type of brown fat that babies have, or a slightly different kind. Publishing in Nature Medicine today, Kajimura and his team describe how they’ve now managed to isolate and clone individual brown fat cells taken from two adult volunteers, and compared these to the brown fat cells found in babies on a genetic level. It turns out that as adults, we get a new type of fat cell: a beige fat cell that hides inside our white fat and produces brown fat when our bodies are exposed to stress.

Now knowing the genetic basis for these beige fat cells, the team can reliably culture them in the lab and test their development, heat-producing capacity, and ability to convert white fat to brown when faced with a bunch of different stimuli. Getting to know how beige fat cells work could mean the development of drugs that mimic their behaviour to fight obesity.

But the team had better be quick – just last month, a separate research group in the States announced that they’ve been testing a new drug that converts white fat into brown fat using a different method. As Fiona MacDonald reported in March, after taking the drug daily for approximately two weeks, genetically obese mice lost weight and also more than 50 percent of their fat mass. And mice that were obese as a result of their diets had a similar response.

“If you think about obesity, it’s generally caused by an imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure,” said Kajimura. “So far, all of the approved anti-obesity medications reduce energy intake by decreasing appetite. They work in the short term, but they often have side effects such as depression. If we have a compound that increases energy expenditure by recruiting new brown fat and activating brown fat thermogenesis, then it might work synergistically with conventional anti-obesity medications. This would be a novel approach to modulating whole-body energy balance.”

Spirulina Explained: What You Need To Know About This Healing Superfood

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One of the oldest life forms on Earth, spirulina is a blue-green microalgae that helped produce the oxygen in our atmosphere billions of years ago so that other life forms could appear. The original ‘superfood,’ spirulina is so nutrient dense that you could survive on it and water alone.

Hundreds of studies have confirmed spirulina’s powerhouse status. It has 60-70% complete protein, meaning it has all 8 essential amino acids and 10 non-essential ones that support good health. That’s more protein than beef, chicken or soybeans.

According to Balch, it contains concentrations of nutrients “unlike any other single grain, herb, or plant.” Some of its other valuable components include: gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), linoleic acid, arachidonic acid, vitamin B12, iron, nucleic acids RNA & DNA, chlorophyll and phycocyanin, which is found only in blue-green algae and has been shown to increase survival rates in mice with liver cancer (Balch).

Spirulina is highly digestible, protects the immune system, aids in mineral absorption and reduces cholesterol. Originally from warm alkaline lakes in Africa and Central and South America, spirulina was consumed by Aborigines of those places (including the Aztecs) for centuries, verifying its safety and healthful effects on the body.

Why take it? In his book Eat to Live, Dr. Joel Fuhrman talks about the importance of eating nutrient-rich foods to maintain healthy weight, avoid or correct chronic and degenerative disease and maximize longevity. Spirulina is perhaps the most nutritious food source known to humans and has been used all over the world for centuries for both its nutritional density and its medicinal qualities. Spirulina is a source of vitality and life energy. Consumers of spirulina usually notice an increase in energy and overall health.

It supplies nutrients needed to cleanse and heal while providing protection from all kinds of cancers as well as multiple viruses including influenza, herpes, mumps, measles and AIDS. It’s common knowledge that we should all eat fish for the omega fatty acid content. Where do fish get their high omega content? Blue-green algae like spirulina.

Omegas are essential in fighting heart disease, reducing arthritis, osteoporosis, diabetes, and depression as well as lowering bad cholesterol. The high content of vitamin B12 makes it excellent for the development of healthy nerve tissue and the metabolism of every cell in the body. This means spirulina helps with nerve damage and diseases such as fibromyalgia. Spirulina is also known for its high content of beta carotene, which is converted into vitamin A, an essential nutrient needed for healthy immunity, teeth, bones, mucous membranes, skin and eyes. Spirulina also contains all the other B vitamins, vitamin D, vitamin K, vitamin E, calcium, chromium, copper, iodine, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, selenium and zinc. It has various antioxidants, phytonutrients and carotenoids.

It protects the brain and detoxifies the liver and kidneys. It balances pH to reduce inflammation, the root of much disease. It balances the immune system, including calming an overactive one, which is significant because overactive (or inflamed) immune systems are responsible for autoimmune diseases. These usually have their root in poor nutrition and digestion, which spirulina also helps correct. Additional Benefits Its superfood status means spirulina has many more benefits.

It increases antioxidant protection, fights free radicals, fights the aging process, curbs appetite and promotes weight loss, supports health cardiovascular function, improves the digestion process and gastrointestinal health, creates beneficial flora in the digestive tract and makes the body produce more red and white blood cells which kill germs and viruses. Spirulina’s antimicrobial effects help control the growth of pathogenic bacteria and yeasts. The chlorophyl means it is a blood cleanser. It also oxygenates the blood. Polysaccharides improve the functionality of bone marrow, thymus, and spleen cells.

Spirulina is good for the skin too: it improves age spots, eczema, acne and rashes. It’s good for the eyes as well, helping with glaucoma, cataracts and poor vision. Studies have shown that spirulina improves allergies and respiratory function and enhances exercise performance. Balch says taking spirulina between meals is beneficial for hypoglycemics because the high protein content stabilizes blood sugar levels.

How to get it in your diet Spirulina is named for the spiraling shape it makes as it grows. It grows best in warm, fresh water lakes, but is also found in saltwater and natural springs. It is what gives bodies of water their dark green color. It is harvested and turned into a thick paste, dried, and packed into powder or flakes to be turned into tablets or capsules. It is highly digestible and does not have the tough cell wall that others algae have. Most find the taste unpleasant. You can get flakes to add to food or smoothies, but most prefer to take it as a supplement, in pill form. Other things you should know Spirulina is one of the main go-to foods for protection from harmful radiation.

It protects the organs and helps detoxify the radiation out of the body. It was used to treat the children of Chernobyl. Spirulina has no side effects; it is very safe. It does contain iodine, to which some may be allergic. If you haven’t detoxed in awhile, add it to your regime slowly or you may experience the ill effects of detoxing. Some of it is wild harvested and tested for safety and purity while other is farmed to control environmental contaminates. Research the brand you choose or ask a qualified supplement consultant at a health food store. It is inexpensive, easy to find and it stores well. It is a great addition to your diet (as well as your disaster kit) so stock up!

This Slinky lookalike ‘hyperlens’ helps us see tiny objects

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http://m.phys.org/news/2015-05-slinky-lookalike-hyperlens-tiny.html

Healthy skin cells harbour a high number of cancer-causing mutations .

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A quarter of healthy skin cells could harbour cancer-causing mutations resulting from Sun exposure, a new study by researchers in the UK suggests.

The finding offers clues about the transition of cells from a healthy to a cancerous state, and demonstrates how normal tissue analysis can provide clues about the origins of the disease.
It was previously thought that tumour-forming cell mutations were rare, and occurred just before the onset of cancer.

But this latest study, which examined healthy eyelid skin that was removed from four patients during cosmetic surgery, has revealed that these cancer-linked mutations “are staggeringly common in normal skin,” one of the team, oncologist Philip Jones from the University of Cambridge, told Tina Hesman Saey at Science News.

The researchers performed ultra-deep gene sequencing on 234 biopsies of skin taken from the four patients, who were aged between 55 and 73. They were scanning for 74 known mutations.

They found that about 25 percent of skin cells carried at least one mutation linked to cancer. This equated to more than 100 potentially cancer-causing DNA mutations in every 1 square cm (0.1 square inch) of skin, which is roughly the size of a fingernail.

“The most surprising thing is just the scale, that a quarter to a third of cells had these cancerous mutations is way higher than we’d expect, but these cells are functioning normally,” senior author Peter Campbell, head of cancer genetics at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, told James Gallagher at the BBC.

Skin cancer is caused by overexposure to the Sun’s radiation. The mutations observed in the analysed skin samples showed the patterns associated with the most common and treatable form of skin cancer, known as cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, rather than the more lethal form, melanoma.

The team found that these mutated cells had grouped into clusters – or ‘clones’ – and had grown to be around twice the size of similar clusters consisting of normal cells.

But interestingly, none of the mutations uncovered had developed into cancer.

“The burden of mutations observed is high but almost certainly none of these clones would have developed into skin cancer,” lead author, Iñigo Martincorena from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, said in a press release.

“Because skin cancers are so common in the population, it makes sense that individuals would carry a large number of mutations. What we are seeing here are the hidden depths of the iceberg, not just the relatively small number that break through the surface waters to become cancer.”

The findings, which have been published in the journal Science, could inform the development of new cancer drugs targeting changes in the cell-life cycle, and also highlight the importance of keeping your skin protected from sunlight.

“Whilst the body’s immune system can prove quite effective at removing mutated cells, it is important to remember that some of cells aren’t removed and mutate into cancers,” Bav Shergill from the British Association of Dermatologists, who wasn’t involved in the study, told the BBC. “Prevention is the first line of defence.”

Dogs domesticated over 27,000 years ago, study finds

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Man’s best friend may have been his companion for far longer than believed, scientists reported, publishing an analysis that dates domesticated dogs to over 27,000 years ago.

Humans possibly domesticated dogs 27,000 to 40,000 years ago, according to Swedish researchers whose work was published Thursday in the journal Current Biology.

The scientists based their analysis on an ancient Siberian jaw fragment. Previous estimates said modern dogs diverged from their wolf ancestors 16,000 years ago after the last ice age.

The “Taimyr” wolf bone in the study, dated to 35,000 years ago, shows that the animal was the most recent ancestor of wolves and modern dogs.


The lower jawbone of the Taimyr Wolf that lived approximately 27,000 to 40,000 years ago. 
“Dogs may have been domesticated much earlier than is generally believed,” said Love Dalen from the Swedish Museum of Natural History.

Dalen said the only other explanation for the unusual bone was the less likely possibility that a major divergence between wolf populations took place at that time that gave birth to modern wolves while the wolf population became extinct.

The Taimyr wolf lived a few thousand years after Neanderthals disappeared and modern humans spread throughout Asia and Europe, the study said.

DNA analysis also showed modern Siberian huskies and Greenland sled dogs have an “unusually large” number of gene in common with the Taimyr wolf.