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At the Heart of Health, a Song
In the 2000 movie "High Fidelity," record store proprietor and lovesick boyfriend Rob Gordon (played by John Cusack) bemoans the misery and the music: "Nobody worries about kids listening to thousands, literally thousands, of songs …Read more.
Height of Power
For a while in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the French general Napoleon Bonaparte ruled vast armies and much of Europe. He was just under 5 feet 7 inches, but stood much taller. Odds are, he thought so, too.
A new study out of Washington …Read more.
For Cosmetics Users, a Bit of ‘Tad' News
It's not time to toss the mascara and blush, but a new study out of Brown University suggests that even very low concentrations of a chemical commonly used in cosmetics hinders brain development — in tadpoles.
The chemical is called …Read more.
Brain Drain
When it comes to cognitive function, middle age is the new old.
At least, that's sort of the conclusion of a study published in the British Medical Journal that found that mental abilities begin to decline around the age of 45, not in the 60s as …Read more.
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An Ear for FearWimps are more likely to perceive an approaching sound as closer than it actually is, according to an evolutionary psychologist, who says the connection between a body's physical fitness and the brain's auditory system may have evolved to help the weak and scrawny get out of the way of looming danger. John Neuhoff and colleagues at The College of Wooster in Ohio tested participants by asking them to listen to a tone moving toward them and press a button when they thought it had arrived directly in front of them. Almost everyone pushed the button too early, which Neuhoff interprets as an adaptation that helps humans anticipate and avoid threats. The key difference, however, was that test participants in better physical shape allowed the sound to get closer than those who were not. The research expands upon earlier studies that found women respond to looming sounds sooner than males, though both genders perceive receding sounds equally. GET ME THAT. STAT! A Swedish study says a man's PSA number (Prostate Specific Antigen test) at age 60 reliably predicts the risk of fatal prostate cancer over the next 25 years. Men who have PSA values below the median of 1ng/mL have less than a 1 percent risk of dying of prostate cancer by age 85. NUMBER CRUNCHER A single serving of corn on the cob with butter (one ear — 146 grams) contains 155 calories, 31 from fat.
It also contains 6 milligrams of cholesterol (2 percent); 29 mg of sodium (1 percent); 31.9 grams of total carbohydrates (11 percent) and 4.5 g of protein. BODY OF KNOWLEDGE In a lifetime, the average American will consume 60,000 pounds of food, or the weight of six elephants. OBSERVATION The things we went through to get here. I was able to create a new life. — Chris Biblis of North Carolina, on the recent birth of his daughter, Stella, from sperm frozen 22 years earlier before he underwent chemotherapy for leukemia PHOBIA OF THE WEEK Didaskaleinophobia — fear of going to school (and maybe being asked to spell didaskaleinophobia). MEDTRONICA Ulrich Schrader's website info.ulrich-schrader.de/node/645 Schrader is a professor of health sciences in Frankfurt, Germany. This site, though spare, links to a variety of international disease surveillance programs. It is a good place to check out how various agencies and monitor health crises. EPITAPHS In a Ruidoso, N.M., cemetery: Here lies Johnny Yeast Pardon me For not rising. To find out more about Scott Lafee and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2009 CREATORS SYNDICATE INC.
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