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Study Disputes Randomness of Dreams

A new study has found that particular types of dreams take place during different phases of sleep, lending credence to the theory that dreams are not random.

Smelling Out Your Perfect Mate

New research has found that people select mates by smell. People fall into distinct smell-types that appear to be directly related to corresponding types of immune systems. The study found that members of couples tended to NOT be of the same smell-type and thus also to not have the same types of immunities; perhaps because this results in offspring having more diverse immunities.

Google Suggest: Beta

Google has a very nice iterative suggestion feature in beta --
http://www.google.com/webhp?complete=1&hl=en

It's quite fast! Very nice. Kudos to the Google team!

Splenda (Sucralose): Not Safe?

This is an interesting article that points out some facts and unanswered questions about the safety of Splenda, an artificial sweetener that has been gaining in popularity since 2000.

A Stock Market for Ideas

Media Mammon  is a new stock market for memes. You can invest play money in words and phrases that are spreading through the media. May the best meme win! See also: A Physics of Ideas.

The Next Mozart?

This just in: Read this article about an amazing child prodigy who may be one of the greatest musical geniuses in 200 years. Not only can he compose like a master, but he can compose multiple pieces of music at once! How does he do it? It's a bit spooky -- maybe he's the reincarnation of Mozart? Or maybe his brain is just different in a special way?

What's Your Chronotype?

New research has found that each person has a distinct "chronotype" -- a genetically programmed biological clock preference. This explains why some people like to stay up late, others are early-risers, and some sleep in on weekends.

Interesting New Magnetic Motor Announced: Big Claims Made

If you are interested in alternative energy, here's something new to look at -- a new magnetic motor based on ideas that originated with Nikola Tesla. The makers claim it is an "economical solution for the world's power and energy needs." Well, we've heard that before, but it's good to keep an open mind -- maybe someone will get it right eventually. For more info, see their site, which has a lot more info on how it works.

Is it Time to Update the Drake Equation?

Frank Drake, the originator of the present-day radio-telescope-driven search for extraterrestrial intelligence -- has written an editorial suggesting that his famous Drake Equation may need an update. In short, he believes his equation should be changed because there may be a lot more intelligent life out there than has been previously suggested.

Physicists Tackle Linguistics

In an interesting convergence of scientific disciplines, physicists in Germany have turned their attention to linguistics, and have come up with a statistical model that predicts the distribution and mutation of languages over time.

New Study Finds Stress Causes Aging

A recent study by the University of California, San Francisco, has found that stress causes the same changes in cells that are typically caused by aging:

The study involved 39 women ages 20 to 50 who had experienced grinding stress for years because they were caring for a child with a serious chronic illness, and 19 other women with healthy children.

The researchers examined structures inside cells called telomeres - the caps at the ends of chromosomes. Every time a cell divides, telomeres get shorter. In the natural aging process, the telomeres eventually get so short that cells can no longer divide, and they die.

The researchers also measured levels of an enzyme called telomerase, which helps rebuild telomeres to stave off this process. Telomerase levels naturally decline with age.

The researchers found that the longer a woman had been caring for a sick child, the shorter her telomeres, the lower her levels of telomerase, and the higher her levels of "oxidative stress," in which so-called free radicals in the body damage DNA, including telomeres.

Compared to women with the lowest levels of perceived stress, women with the highest perceived stress had telomeres equivalent to someone 10 years older, the researchers found.

This is very interesting -- it would also help to explain why meditation, yoga, and other activities that reduce stress may have an effect on slowing the aging process.

New Anti-Aging Pill To Be Released

In February of 2005, a controversial new anti-aging pill called Protandim is slated for release. This drug is claimed to increase the body's natural production of anti-oxidants, which in turn is believed to combat damage from free-radicals. Preliminary studies on mice demonstrated "reduction of lipid peroxidation by 60% to 75% in both plasma and liver, as well as a decrease of more than 90% percent in brain tissue. Lipid peroxidation refers to the oxidation of lipids, a process that can destroy cell membranes." Human trials have not been compeleted yet however. While these results are incredibly promising, there is still debate about whether damage from free-radicals is the primary cause of aging and age-related illnesses. The fact is, very little is really understood about aging at present. However, it is known that anti-oxidants are beneficial to health and Protandim may be the most effective way to introduce antioxidants into the body. Whether it extends human lifespan to 120 years or more, as some claim it will, remains to be seen. It is certainly an interesting development to track and I think that anti-aging medicine will be a major new market in the next few decades.