On a recent walk, Karla took this picture of one of our local inhabitants!
Here is what I am reading today:
“A glass inspired by spider’s webs is being used to keep birds from smacking into windows.
Birds can’t see glass well, and so many of them die when they hit picture windows. Humans can’t see glass well either, which might explain why some people try to walk through glass doors. But most people know that the refection of the sky and landscape in a window isn’t real — unfortunately, birds don’t. According to the Fatal Light Awareness Program, a building with glass walls or windows can kill up to 10 birds per day, and estimates of worldwide deaths from such collisions reach hundreds of millions of birds each year.”
“The team from the University of Adelaide and University of Colorado has discovered the key mechanism in the body’s immune system that amplifies addiction to opioid drugs. Laboratory studies have shown that the drug (+)-naloxone (pronounced: PLUS nal-OX-own) will selectively block the immune-addiction response. The results – which could eventually lead to new co-formulated drugs that assist patients with severe pain, as well as helping heroin users to kick the habit – will be published tomorrow in the Journal of Neuroscience.”
“To investigate the effect of flavanols on blood pressure, the researchers reviewed data from trials in which people consumed dark chocolate or cocoa powder containing between 30-1080 mg of flavanols in 3-100 g of chocolate each day. Altogether, 856 people were involved in 20 trials lasting 2-8 weeks, or in one case, 18 weeks. Flavanol-rich chocolate or cocoa powder reduced blood pressure on average by 2-3 mm Hg.”
” A new study by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, published online in the journal Metabolism, for the first time has shown that a history of yo-yo dieting does not negatively affect metabolism or the ability to lose weight long term. “A history of unsuccessful weight loss should not dissuade an individual from future attempts to shed pounds or diminish the role of a healthy diet and regular physical activity in successful weight management,” said the study’s senior author Anne McTiernan, M.D., Ph.D., a member of the Hutchinson Center’s Public Health Sciences Division.”
“A Brazilian construction worker has survived after a 2m (six-foot) steel rod fell from above and pierced his head, doctors who treated him say. Eduardo Leite was taken to a Rio de Janeiro hospital, where the rod was removed after five hours of surgery.
The doctors said he had responded well to treatment, suffering little pain.”
“It’s that time of year again, when college students scramble for textbooks, in the hopes they’ll have money left over for food and fun during the school year.
No longer does the campus bookstore have the monopoly on book sales. Students now have the option to buy their books elsewhere, often choosing to purchase used books online, or even rent textbooks from various sites. Some schools are even incorporating e-textbooks into their coursework.
The key is to find the right edition of a textbook at the right price, and that can take some research.”
“A human skull dated to about 2,684 years ago with an “exceptionally preserved” human brain still inside of it was recently discovered in a waterlogged U.K. pit, according to a new Journal of Archaeological Science study.
The brain is the oldest known intact human brain from Europe and Asia, according to the authors, who also believe it’s one of the best-preserved ancient brains in the world.”
