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New Study: Human Hands, Feet and Foreheads Emit Light

Now this is really interesting! New research has found that certain parts of the body emit measurable numbers of photons. This may open up new diagnostic techniques. But that's just the beginning. Spiritual healers from many different faiths have long said that they experience light coming from their hands, and can feel (and even see) energy from the hands, feet and heads of other people. And of course there's the classical image of halos around the heads of saints, which can be taken metaphorically, or perhaps literally, in light of this new research. I wonder if the levels of light coming from different people indicates not only health, but perhaps alertness, stress levels, or state of mind. There are many interesting possibilities for this research...

Sept. 6, 2005 — Human hands glow, but fingernails release the most light, according to a recent study that found all parts of the hand emit detectable levels of light.

The findings support prior research that suggested most living things, including plants, release light. Since disease and illness appear to affect the strength and pattern of the glow, the discovery might lead to less-invasive ways of diagnosing patients.

Mitsuo Hiramatsu, a scientist at the Central Research Laboratory at Hamamatsu Photonics in Japan, who led the research, told Discovery News that the hands are not the only parts of the body that shine light by releasing photons, or tiny, energized increments of light.

"Not only the hands, but also the forehead and bottoms of our feet emit photons," Hiramatsu said, and added that in terms of hands "the presence of photons means that our hands are producing light all of the time."

The light is invisible to the naked eye, so Hiramatsu and his team used a powerful photon counter to "see"it. 

The detector found that fingernails release 60 photons, fingers release 40 and the palms are the dimmest of all, with 20 photons measured.

  The findings are published in the current Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology. 

20% of Your Genes Belong to Them

From Boing Boing today:

Xeni Jardin: A report in this week's issue of Science says 20 percent of human genes have been patented in the United States:

The study (...) is the first time that a detailed map has been created to match patents to specific physical locations on the human genome. Researchers can patent genes because they are potentially valuable research tools, useful in diagnostic tests or to discover and produce new drugs.

"It might come as a surprise to many people that in the U.S. patent system human DNA is treated like other natural chemical products," said Fiona Murray, a business and science professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, and a co-author of the study.

I have long felt that patents should not be granted on naturally occuring phenomena -- such as the DNA of any species. It is simply absurd to grant a patent on something that has existed in the public domain for millions or even billions of years! It's simply an absurd abuse of the legal system, for the benefit of corporate greed, in my opinion. I do believe that patents should be granted for new inventions (although I think all patent rights should expire much faster than they presently do -- which would solve many of the problems in the patent world) -- but it is simply wrong to allow patents on naturally occuring physical phenomena. Discoveries are not inventions.

Blood Tests for Psychological Illnesses

A new blood test was just announced for quickly diagnosing anxiety. Next, the makers plan to release a blood test for diagnosing depression. This is an interesting new trend: blood tests for psychological illnesses. And it's just the tip of the iceberg. After the Genome, the mind is the next great frontier for medicine.

Immune Cells Capable of Long-Distance Communication

Breakthrough research has found that human immune cells communicate over long distances via microtubulin pathways. This proves that neurons are not the only cells in the body capable of long-distance messaging. It establishes the immune system runs on another, previously unknown, communications network in the body. This is a Big Discovery. Amazing innovations will follow from it.

You do what you eat?

This article presents some fascinating evidence that nutrition has a direct relationship on behavior, particularly antisocial behavior.

Idea for Safer Submarines

I've been following the drama of the stranded Russian mini-sub. One of the main problems is that they have limited oxygen, which doesn't give the rescue team much time to retrieve the sub. This got me thinking and I came up with a simple idea that could make all submarines safer: Every submarine should have an external valve hookup so that pressurized air can be pumped into the cabin from an external source. This valve design should be a universal standard that every navy and coast guard agrees on, so that all submarine rescue teams have compatible equipment for it. When a submarine is stranded on the sea floor, the first thing rescuers would do is to send down a remotely piloted drone with an air supply line. The drone would locate the external air valve and attach the air supply line to it. Once attached, a rescue ship on the surface would begin pumping appropriately pressurized air into the submarine's cabin, which would relieve the time pressure caused by dwindling native oxygen supplies in the submarine. This air supply valve could also house a wireline communications hookup for two way communications between surface teams and the submarine crew.

Human-Brained Monkeys Pose Ethical Challenge

A cutting-edge research program is injecting human brain cells into monkey brains, to investigate whether this causes their brains to become more "human." This poses a potential ethical challenge: If the monkeys do become more human, would they be considered "human subjects" and be protected by ethical guidelines governing research onto humans? At which point does a monkey qualify as a legal Person? Could a more humanlinke monkey, or a state attorney on it's behalf, file suit against scientists who harmed it or deprived it of its rights? If a monkey becomes more humanlike, do we have the right to hold it against its will? Super-intelligent monkeys used to be the stuff of the Wizard of Oz, and Flash Gordon science fiction -- now we're actually making them --  what a world we live in! Hey, I have an idea, instead of trying to make monkeys more like men, could we figure out a way to make men LESS like monkeys??? Let's start with the politicians!

Cloning in the Animal Kingdom

Several recent articles discuss the discovery of insects that clone themselves:

The ant Wasmannia Auropunctata, which is native to Central and South America but has spread into the US and beyond, has opted for a unique stand-off in the battle of the sexes. Both queens and males reproduce by making genetically identical copies of themselves - so males and females seem to have entirely separate gene pools. Conventional reproduction happens only to produce workers. This is the first instance in the animal kingdom where males reproduce exclusively by cloning, though male honeybees do it occasionally.

Fascinating Article -- Surviving a Nuclear Attack on Washington DC

This article is very interesting not only because it provides an unusually detailed scenario of what would happen if a nuke was detonated in the Washington DC area, but also because it provides counter-intuitive guidance for how to survive such a situation, as well as information about new medical treatments for helping both first-responders and victims to combat radiation sickness. Let's hope nothing like this ever happens!

Extracting Video from Cat Brains

Fascinating article about research which has successfully extracted video from monitoring cat neurons. They have actually reconstructed what the cat actually saw from its neural signals. This opens the door to recording our day-to-day perceptions (lifelogs) and perhaps even to recording our dreams. And of course there might be options for playback as well. This is cool stuff.

US Scientists Bring Dogs Back from Dead

A new technique has been successfully tested which appears to be able to bring dogs back to life after 3 hours of being clinically dead. This research may hold promise not only for saving lives in cases where clinical death happens before surgery can be performed or completed, but also perhaps for preserving and later reanimating healthy people who simply want to wake up in the future. It's a new approach to suspended animation. Sounds awefully cold though...

New Discovery - All Vertebrates Share Certain "Junk DNA" Segments

In an amazing new research finding, it turns out that a substantial amount of the so-called "junk DNA" in humans and other vertebrates is the same and has remained unchanged for 600 to 700 million years. Not only that but it turns out that at least some of the base pairs in this set have been found to regulate genes in other parts of the genome. So it's not "junk DNA" after all...

Read an interview with the researchers here

Brain Has Particular Neurons for Recognizing Celebrities and Other Concepts

In a very interesting new finding, researchers have discovered the people's brains contain individual neurons, or small groups of neurons, that seem exist only to recognize particular people or concepts. This would imply that there is one neuron, or at least a small group of neurons, in our brains for every unique thing that we know. However, that raises certain questions -- for example, if this is true, then the brain should be a lot larger since there wouldn't be room to represent everything a typical adult knows with unique neurons in that amount of space. On the other hand, perhaps the memories are not stored on the neuronal level at all, but instead are stored and computed on the sub-neuronal tubulin "quantum computing" level, which is the subject of much research these days. For more on that check out this book on research into quantum computing in the brain (found by: Josh).

Hackers Crack Junk DNA?

A group of researchers working at the Human Genome Project will be announcing soon that they made an astonishing scientific discovery: They believe so-called non-coding sequences (97%) in human DNA is no less than genetic code of an unknown extraterrestrial life form.

The above excerpt is from an article that has to be one of the most interesting things I've read all year -- IF IT CAN BE CONFIRMED (note: I am not sure yet whether this information is reliable -- it could be a hoax or it could be the real thing -- so please read the source article for yourself and help me research the validity of its claims: I have not yet located supporting materials, have you? Link to this post and I'll see your trackback).

The article is an account of an alleged project to decipher the "junk DNA" portion of the human genome, by treating it as if it were an encrypted message. Essentially they attacked the problem in the same way that one might try to crack an encrypted message.  It turns out, according to their report, that the junk DNA is not junk at all, but actually appears to be DNA that has been "commented out" in much the same way as portions of unused computer code are commented out.

As a result of their study, the researchers found that among other things, they may have uncovered a new approach to curing cancer. Beyond this however, they have come up with some interesting speculations about who wrote this code and then commented it out (yes, it is even suggested that this code could have been written by extra-terrestrials) and how we might take advantage of it to generate new lines of "debugged" humans. While I'm not sure the code they have found is due to aliens (it might be a side-effect of some yet-unknown evolutionary process for example), it is certainly one of the most interesting new frontiers for further research.

I hope that some geneticists will take a look at this research in more detail. Please link to this article so that those with a deeper knowledge of the relevant science can comment and critique it. I have not been able to substantiate the claims that are made, but if it turns out to be correct, this is the kind of research that has the potential to really change the world.

Notes:
- This article -- if it turns out to be correct -- is possible experimental confirmation of my earlier hypothesis that there could be a hidden message in the junk region of human DNA. This is an idea that has also been proposed by various science-fiction writers in the past.

Superwater Kills Bugs Dead

A modified form of salt water has an ion imbalance that kills viruses, bacteria and other single-celled organisms. It also speeds burn and wound healing dramatically. Best of all, it's safe if ingested (and has no calories!).

Meanwhile, researchers continue to discover that germs are the cause of previously misunderstood diseases, such as many cancers.

New Technique may Cure All Cancers

Scientists in England claim remarkable results in a new approach to fighting cancer that is based on modifying a patient's T-cells to better target cancerous cells. The approach may provide a cure for all types of cancer "within 5 years." Wow, let's hope so. This could really be an important breakthrough.

What the Next Pandemic Will be Like

Here is an article written by an MD about what the coming H5N1 flu pandemic will be like, based on historical records of the 1918 flu pandemic. Scary reading.

Who Inserted Mutated Human Flu Virus in South Korean Pig Virus?

In a worrying development, part of a mutated human influenza virus related to the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic was found in a virus in pigs in South Korea. The question is, how did this happen and what does it indicate? It couldn't have taken place naturally and may be evidence of the early-stages of a  bioterror attack.

The Threat of Contaminated Money: Proposed Solutions

by Nova Spivack, Minding the Planet, http://www.mindingtheplanet.net

This news article reports that the FBI is investigating a situation in which mobsters deliberately contaminated their drug money with a virus in order to deter in-house theft by members of their organization. Several years ago, during the days of collective paranoia following 9-11, I started thinking about how to combat potential terrorist threats -- and one of the threats I came up with was precisely this threat of contaminated money. Because money travels in a "viral" manner along social and economic networks it represents a perfect vector for spreading a contaminant. While the effects of such an attack would be minimal in terms of actual fatalities, they would potentially be enormous in terms of panic and disruption to our way of life.

I knew it was only a matter of time before this threat materialized somewhere in the world: Now it seems that an actual case has emerged. While the money in question did not represent a large sum, and although viruses (at least) have a relatively short shelf-life, it is an example of a scary new kind of threat that governments need to prepare to defend against. Below are some thoughts about a potential worst-case scenario and various countermeasures that could be implemented to protect against it.

Study Finds that Second-Hand Smoke Dulls Children's Brains

A new study has found that exposure to even low levels of second-hand smoke at home had a significant negative impact on children's reading and math performance at school.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Next Flu Pandemic...

This article provides some interesting details on the leading candidate for the next flu pandemic, which is overdue, and appears to be brewing in Asia. Unlike normal flu's pandemic strains seem to have an uncanny ability to kill off people in the prime of their lives, by causing the immune system to go so far into overdrive that it actually kills the host as well as the virus. The article points out that governments and vaccine companies are dragging their feet in facing this threat.

Designer Babies Approved in England

Couples in England with certain forms of inherited cancer will now be able to prescreen embryos to choose give birth to healthier babies. This sets a new precedent for the pre-screening and selection of embryos with other desired genetic traits.

Russian Doc Predicts Bird-Flu Will Kill 1 Billion; Possibly This Year...

A Russian academician has predicted that bird-flu will stem to humans and kill up to one billion people around the world within 6 months of an outbreak. He says it is highly probable that a pandemic could take place within the next year. There is no evidence cited for his claims however he refers to studies to this effect allegedly in hands of US authorities. We'll be tracking this meme as it develops to see if it is credible. Please update here if you get further data. Editor's Note: The World Health Organization is organizing an emergency summit to develop strategies to combat the threat of this potential pandemic.

Zapping Your Brain Improves Verbal Skills

New research has found that running a mild electric current through your brain can significantly boost your verbal skills, with no side-effects, as far as anyone knows so far. Very interesting. It appears to decrease the firing threshold of neurons in the path of the current. This research was applied mainly to the frontal lobe of the brain. I wonder what it might do to other brain regions? Fascinating discovery.

Genetically Engineered Hypo-Allergenic Cats

Read the rest on Slashdot...

"Allerca Inc is now taking reservations for genetically engineered hypo-allergenic cats, which it calls 'lifestyle pets'... and apparently they are just the beginning... Read the press release here... and you can take delivery of a cuddy non-sinus bothering bundle of joy for just $3500. 'The hypoallergenic cats produced by ALLERCA will allow consumers to enjoy the love and companionship of a pet without the cost, inconvenience, risk, and limited effectiveness of current allergy treatments. Clients will take delivery of the first ALLERCA kittens in 2007. The hypoallergenic cat is the first of a planned series of lifestyle pets that ALLERCA will develop over the next few years.' Meow!"

Humans will live to 150

A leading researcher claims that he is certain that some humans alive today will live to be 150 due to changes in the human lifespan. He even bet money on it. Meanwhile another study has found that certain mutations in our DNA may be causing shorter lifespans. I guess if you combine the enhancements with the mututations our lifespans will balance out to about current levels.

New Technique Turns Animals into Drones; Humans Next?

Scientists have discovered that by blocking the effect of a gene called D2 in a particular part of the brain they can transform normal monkeys into "drones" that will work as hard as they can, continuously, on repetitive tasks, without needing any expection of reward to keep going. In other words, they can transform regular monkeys into the primate-equivalent of worker-bee's. Normally monkeys (and most humans) tend to work hardest only when they expect a reward, and in particular they don't usually sustain high productivity on endless repetitive tasks without some sort of "light at the end of the tunnel." But not anymore; It's a Brave New World folks -- this same drone-gene is expected to also function the same way in humans, raising the spectre of Aldous Huxley's Epsilon (human drone worker) Caste becoming a reality. (New product idea -- Dronicine -- the little grey pill that makes you a drone!). It's a scary thought -- but then again, maybe a daily dose of this stuff would have made junior high-school more bearable. Come to think of it by the way, for those of you (like me) who find themselves working 12 hours a day for no reason (and without any big reward in sight for that matter), maybe we're already drones???

Fourth Domain of Life Identitfied?

Researchers have discovered a strange new organism that seems to have traits of both a virus and higher lifeforms. Some scientists are speculating that this could herald the discovery of a fourth domain of life. The next step would be to see whether this new class of organism is related to any diseases.

The Longevity Gene

Via my friend, Lee Stein: MIT researchers may have found a gene that enables mice (and humans, potentially) to live 30% longer without caloric restriction. It is already known that cutting down food intake by 1/3 can result in up to 50% longer lifespans. Here is a terrific article on the possible implications of this discovery.

Common Antibiotic Appears to Block Some Cancers

Adding new evidence that is sure to lend credence to the 100+ year old "cancer microbes" hypothesis, a recent study has found that a doxycycline, a common antibiotic, appears to "shut off" aggressive liver cancer -- causing cancer cells to stop reproducing and behave normally as long as it is administered.

Babies Process Sound Differently in Each Ear

New research shows that babies process language better in their right ears, and music better in their left ears. Previously it was known that the brain processes sound differently in each hemisphere; this new research shows that the differences extend all the way to ears. Interesting.

New Study Shows Measurable Effects from Homeopathy

Interesting new research has found a measurable effect from homeopathic medicines on inflammation. The research has been published in a respected peer-reviewed medical journal. The authors admit they cannot explain the cause of this effect, and they are hoping others will join them in trying to figure it out. The basic issue is that homeopathic solutions contain such extremely dilute quantities of the "active ingredients" that there is almost no probability that enough molecules remain after dilution to have any effect at all. But for some reason, these extremely dilute solutions, which are for all intents and purposes just water or just sugar, have demonstrable medical effects that in some cases outperform that of a placebo. One hypothesis is that somehow water molecules are able to retain a "molecular memory" -- perhaps in a quantum field -- of other substances that they come into contact with, essentially enabling the "active ingredient" to "program" the water molecules with its "molecular imprint." But who knows!!! It's interesting though. I really enjoy these exotic unexplained frontiers. Magic is the future of science waiting to be understood.

Storing Data In the Human Body

Following up on my earlier post about storing messages in DNA it might be interesting to explore ways to encode large volumes of data directly into parts of the human body. Messing with DNA is risky -- it may be safer to store data in other parts of the human body (with the one potential disadvantage that such data would not be passed down via heredity). Here are some suggestions for parts of the human body that might be good media for data-storage:

US Army Food... Just Add Urine

The US Army has developed a new way to enable soldiers to carry less water. They have created rehydratable food rations that come in a wrapping that is actually a sophisticated semi-permeable membrane. So to rehydrate the food, soldiers can simply pee on it, or even pour dirty water on it if that's all that is around. The membrane filters out 99% of the bad stuff so that only clean water gets into the food. Sounds appetizing.

Are We Brain Damaged?

This just in from Jack Park at SRI...

Get this: a macaque got really sick, darn near died, and when it was all over, the monkey started walking upright like a human. Doctors think it was brain damage. Maybe all upright walking humanoids are similarly "brain damaged?" Go figure...

Here is the article and picture of the monkey walking upright . It is a very strange picture.

NYC Covered Up High Asbestos Levels After 911

A report has come out that the levels of asbestos in lower Manhattan were (are?) at least twice what is considered safe for humans by the FDA, and possibly worse. Levels were so high after 911 that they overloaded the tests. However, this data was purposely concealed from the public following 911.

Soylent Green is Made of PEOPLE....!!!!

A Russian scientist proposes turning all that wasted blood out there into yogurt, milk, cheese, etc. To quote the film, "Soylent Green is Made of People....!!!" Thanks, but I'm not hungry.

Mobile Phones Shown to Impact Male Fertility

A recent study indicates that radiation from cell phones harms sperm cells, and further that males who carry cellphones near their groin region may have up to a 30% reduction in fertility. I have long suspected that there are dangers from carrying cell phones in pockets or on belt clips -- after all these things are microwave transmitters -- it's insane to put them right next to the family jewels! Instead, someone should invent a cell phone that can be worn on the wrist or ankle, as far as possible from any vital organs. Using either Bluetooth, body-conduction, or even a wire, it could then communicate with an earbud and microphone. As I have said before, the mobile phone revolution is one of the largest uncontrolled biological experiments on the human population ever performed. We have no idea what the long-term effects of daily point-blank exposure of vital organs and DNA to microwaves will have on our own bodies, let alone future generations. In any case, until they make Faraday cage underwear, I'll be keeping my cell phone out of my pants!

Potent Carcinogen found in Most Condoms

Recent study has discovered the presence of a very potent carcinogen in most condoms. Small amounts of this chemical are released whenever condoms are used. Nobody knows whether this is serious yet however it is not likely to be healthy to expose the reproductive organs to cancer-causing substances on a regular basis. This is a potentially serious issue for much of the world's population that cannot afford or access other forms of birth control. I hope further studies will follow on this soon. Could this be related to the rise in cancer in women, and men as well?

Chocolate slows Artery Aging

Another reason to eat chocolate is that it protects the arteries. Considering all the chocolate I've been eating lately, this is very good news.

Nanobacteria: Evidence for a New Life form

Evidence is mounting for a new form of life called nanobacteria. Some researchers suspect nanobacteria may be responsible for a wide range of ailments. One problem: They are less than 100 nanometers across -- smaller than viruses -- and according to current theory this means they are too small to contain the DNA and proteins needed for replication. Idea: Perhaps they cooperate to replicate then -- each of them could contain some of what is needed and the entire colony could replicate as a whole? In any case, a very interesting read!

Link Found Between Fructose Sweeteners and US Obesity

One of the most widely used sweetening products, "high-fructose corn sweeteners," may be the cause of the dramatic rise in US obesity levels since the late 1970's. Fructose is metabolized differently than other sweeteners -- it does not trigger hormonal responses that regulate energy use and appetite in the same way as other sweeteners and is more likely to be turned into fat.

Common Bacteria Linked to Alzheimer's Disease

In another recent discovery, researchers found that a common bacteria was associated with higher rates of Alzheimer's disease, opening the way for Alzheimer's to be prevented or cured (if caught early) with antibiotics.

New Research Claims at Least Some Cancers Caused by Bacteria

New research claims that at least some common types of cancer may be caused by toxins released by bacteria. This opens the way for cancers to be prevented or cured using antibiotics.

Brainwave Helmet Controls Video Game

Wow. This is a very cool new project -- controlling video games with a braincap.