Millions of Americans in 31 cities could be drinking tainted water, a study finds.
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Monday, December 20, 2010
Free Radicals Don't Cause Aging.
Dr. Siegfried Hekimi and his student Dr. Wen Yang, who are in the Montreal university's biology department, planned to test the so-called “free radical theory of aging” by genetically modifying wild worms in a lab to accelerate production of free radicals — toxic molecules generated as a byproduct of oxygen use.
Although the theory has long been held as conventional wisdom by some, Hekimi said he “stands the theory on its head” by showing in his experiment that increasing free radical production did not necessarily speed up aging.
The production of mitochondrial free radicals may actually protect organisms from the damage of cells associated with aging, he said.
“It also suggests that free radical generation and aging are correlated because free radical generation is a positive reaction. It’s an attempt to turn on stress responses to fight the damage that accumulates during aging.”
He suggested that taking antioxidants such as vitamin C, meanwhile, may actually be “misguided.” As far as it goes for attempting to prolong life, they may not be the answer. Such vitamins could actually be a factor of resistance as they soak up free radicals like a sponge.
So antioxidant food products and supplements are just bullshit marketing, and may actually accelerate the aging process? Who'd have ever guessed that?
Although the theory has long been held as conventional wisdom by some, Hekimi said he “stands the theory on its head” by showing in his experiment that increasing free radical production did not necessarily speed up aging.
The production of mitochondrial free radicals may actually protect organisms from the damage of cells associated with aging, he said.
“It also suggests that free radical generation and aging are correlated because free radical generation is a positive reaction. It’s an attempt to turn on stress responses to fight the damage that accumulates during aging.”
He suggested that taking antioxidants such as vitamin C, meanwhile, may actually be “misguided.” As far as it goes for attempting to prolong life, they may not be the answer. Such vitamins could actually be a factor of resistance as they soak up free radicals like a sponge.
So antioxidant food products and supplements are just bullshit marketing, and may actually accelerate the aging process? Who'd have ever guessed that?
Surprising facts about colds
Orange juice and echinacea are both touted as ways to stay healthy.
Also: Periodic Table Gets A Makeover
Remember memorizing the periodic table in high school? Well, forget it. Some information on the table is about to be reset. The world's top chemists and physicists have determined that the atomic weights of 10 elements need to be expressed as an interval rather than a static number, Science Daily reports.
The new atomic weights of hydrogen, lithium, boron, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, silicon, sulfur, chlorine and thallium will more accurately reflect how those elements occur in nature.
Amazing Automatons: Ancient Robots & Victorian Androids
Dark Roasted Blend does a roundup of wonderful, ingenious automata of ages past -- the early clockwork robots that boggled crowds with their ticktock liveliness: "As watch making developed in the Age of Enlightenment in the eighteenth century, so did the art of creating mechanical people and animals. Jacques Vaucason created numerous working figures, including a flute player, which actually played the instrument, in 1738, plus this duck from 1739. The gilded copper bird could sit, stand, splash around in water, quack and even give the impression of eating food and digesting it:"
The Hermitage Of San Colombano
As you drive over the Passo Pian delle Fugazze in Italy, between Vivenza and Rovereto for the first time, you are due for something of a surprise. The Leno valley of the Trento province is home to the Hermitage of San Colombano.
You would expect a hermitage to be somewhat off the beaten track but this takes isolation to a new height - literally.
Ten Of The Worst Natural Disasters Ever
A natural disaster is the effect of a natural hazard (e.g., flood, tornado, hurricane, volcanic eruption, earthquake, or landslide) that affects the environment, and leads to financial, environmental and human losses. The resulting loss depends on the capacity of the population to support or resist the disaster, and their resilience.
This understanding is concentrated in the formulation: 'disasters occur when hazards meet vulnerability.' The term natural has consequently been disputed because the events simply are not hazards or disasters without human involvement.
Colorful Geyser
This geothermal geyser is somewhere near Gerlach, Nevada. The colors are due to different mineral deposits as well as algae growing on it. Read about how this strange formation came about at Kuriositas. Link
They look as if they were taken on another planet, or at least on the set of a new and very expensive science fiction movie. Yet these pictures are of the Fly Geyser which is very much of planet earth even though - and herein lies the surprise - it is effectively man made.
What Can This 300 Year Old French Fortress Tell Us About Green Architecture?
Photo: GIPE under a Creative Commons license.
These days it seems that every new building is being billed as green: LEED certifications and new technologies that limit the environmental impact of lighting, water use, heating and air conditioning abound. But on a trip last weekend to Besançon, in eastern France, I visited a building that isn't LEED certified or equipped with any fancy technology, but that nonetheless showcases important principles of green architecture. The building: the Citadel of Besançon. The architect: Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban. The client: King Louis XIV of France.Article continues: What Can This 300 Year Old French Fortress Tell Us About Green Architecture?
Erosion Eating Up South Carolina Beaches
Photo: Jack Duval
Folly Beach, a South Carolina Beach just outside of Charleston, needs another re-nourishment project just five years after the last one, according to a recent article in The State.Article continues: Erosion Eating Up South Carolina Beaches
Iran's Lake Urmia Is Drying Up Fast
Salt crystals in Lake Urmia.
Photo: Ehsan Mahdiyan / Creative Commons.
About 100 years ago, my grandfather emigrated to the United States from a village near Lake Urmia, in what is now northwestern Iran. He died long before I was born, leaving me with little connection to my ancestors in the region, but a strong desire to someday visit the place -- tantalizing close to Turkey, where I now live, though difficult to reach due to visa restrictions -- where they apparently once tended vineyards. If I don't manage to get there soon, though, there may not be much left to see of the lake itself.Article continues: Iran's Lake Urmia Is Drying Up Fast
The Most Heroic Animals of 2010
The Daily Beast collected stories of animal heroism from the past year that might make you a bit teary-eyed. The story of Angel the golden retriever is an example.Eleven-year-old Austin Foreman was gathering firewood near his home in Boston Bar, British Columbia, when he came face to face with a cougar. When the wild cat lunged at him, his Golden Retriever, Angel, stepped in. She put herself between Austin and the cougar, giving him time to escape to the house. The cougar viciously attacked Angel, carrying her around by the neck while Austin’s mother called 911. Police arrived just in time to shoot the cougar, and after a few moments of suspense, Angel coughed back to life. She had several puncture wounds and a punctured sinus cavity, but she made a full recovery.See a video report about Angel and read about the other heroic animals in a slide show.
Ohio zoo names snake Hanna, after celebrity zookeeper
An Ohio zoo has settled on a familiar name for its new snake that has replaced her record-breaking mother.
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium says its new reticulated python will be called Hanna - which happens to be the last name of the zoo's celebrity zookeeper, Jack Hanna.Hanna the snake was acquired last month from the same private breeder ...
Giant Yummy Eggs Killed Off the Elephant Bird
Photo: De Agostini Picture Library/BBC
Sir David Attenborough explains:
Recent archaeological evidence has revealed the fragments of elephant bird egg shells among the remains of human fires, suggesting that the eggs, which are 180 times bigger than a chicken egg, regularly provided food for entire families.
Sir David says: "I doubt it was hunted to extinction – anyone who has seen an ostrich in a zoo knows that it has a kick which can open a man’s stomach and an enraged elephant bird, many times the size of an ostrich, must have been a truly formidable opponent.
"I suspect it was its egg. They may not have been able to tackle an adult bird, but they could have taken its eggs which would have been a huge source of food.
"Even if the bird itself was held in awe or fear by the people here, it’s unlikely the eggs were – and that would have meant the gradual disappearance of this unique giant."
Dog gives birth to 17 puppies
A dog in Germany has given birth to 17 puppies, leaving their owner thrilled but fatigued after having to feed them with a bottle for several weeks because their mother couldn't cope with the demand.
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