A scientific strategy for learning

Posted on September 28, 2013 by Chris

This is a nice comprehensive blog entry about memorizing things through Spaced repetition. There is a lot of neuroscience that shows that neural circuits “learn” (attain permanent state changes) based on repeated firing of the right circuits. And they learn optimally when the stimuli come at regular intervals of specific periods. So if you want to memorize something, it’s best to hit yourself with the knowledge repeatedly at these intervals.

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Malcolm Gladwell: Do Genetic Advantages Make Sports Unfair? : The New Yorker

Posted on September 6, 2013 by Chris

In the New Yorker, Malcom Gladwell asks a strange question: Do Genetic Advantages Make Sports Unfair? Anyone who was ever picked last for baseball laughs at this question. Anyone who is a “hard gainer” in the weight room shakes his head. Of course sports are not fair. Elite athletes are all freaks of nature in some way(s). The ancient Greeks celebrated that freakiness as gifts from the gods. Now it seems people labor under the illusion that they could have become Tom Brady if only they had worked at it hard enough. The real question should be, “do genetic advantages make sports uninteresting?” I would say no–they are still a fantastic celebration of the struggle of life, of nature and spirit in all its unfairness and inequality, in microcosm. The glory comes from overcoming difficulties, which includes genetic (and I might add, psychological) disadvantages. And having rules, having boundaries and codes, makes that celebration that much more pointed and intense.

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How Exercise Changes Fat and Muscle Cells

Posted on July 31, 2013 by Chris

More great work on how exercise changes not only our bodies, but also, effectively, our genes.

…studies have found that exercise has an equally profound effect on DNA methylation within human muscle cells, even after a single workout.

How Exercise Changes Fat and Muscle Cells – NYTimes.com.

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Exercise in a Pill? The Search Continues – NYTimes.com

Posted on July 16, 2013 by Chris

I’ve wondered how much people would pay if all the benefits of exercise were available in a pill. Now some researchers are talking about doing just that. But it seems to me they are talking about only a part of the benefit of exercise–increasing the density of mitochondria. I don’t think this provides the whole range of benefits.

Exercise in a Pill? The Search Continues – NYTimes.com.

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How Aspirin Might Stem Cancer

Posted on July 8, 2013 by Chris

More reason to take daily anti-inflammatories.

 

How Aspirin Might Stem Cancer – NYTimes.com.

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Inflammation and brain cells

Posted on June 25, 2013 by Chris

A link between suicide and inflammation. There is more and more evidence that inflammation reduces neural reproduction and connection in clinically significant ways. Which is why I am taking a daily bit of NSAIDs like ibuprofen.

 

Clues in the Cycle of Suicide – NYTimes.com.

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How the Hum of a Coffee Shop Can Boost Creativity – NYTimes.com

Posted on June 25, 2013 by Chris

This is something I’ve always found true–the hubbub of a coffee shop gives just the right level of background noise–like white noise–so that you can tune it all out and concentrate. If things are too quiet, any little sound grabs your attention. If too loud, you can’t help but listen. Now someone has created a virtual coffee shop to give you that background noise (but what a loss not to have the smell and taste of espresso.)

 

How the Hum of a Coffee Shop Can Boost Creativity – NYTimes.com.

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Michael Douglas says cunnilingus gives you cancer – but is he right?

Posted on June 3, 2013 by Chris

Oral cancer: another cancer ascribed to HPV infection. The statistic that jumped out at me was that there are almost as many people (men?) who get HPV related throat cancer as there are women who get HPV related cervical cancer. 

When it comes to oral cancers, here’s a rough guide to the statistics. In 2010, around 6,000 people were diagnosed. For comparison, in 2010 there were also 2,850 diagnoses of cervical cancer and 49,900 diagnoses of breast cancer.

Noting the above caveats, it’s calculated that between 25% and 35% of oral cancers are HPV-related – meaning it seems to be involved in somewhere between 1,500 to 2,000 diagnoses a year.

via Michael Douglas says cunnilingus gives you cancer – but is he right? | News | guardian.co.uk.

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Is It Better to Walk or Run?

Posted on May 29, 2013 by Chris

The New York Times has a story on whether walking or running is better for health, and one of the observations is that running is better for weight control. Running, it turns out, is more of an appetite suppressant, which is something I’ve always know for myself. IN one experiment, they let people loose in a buffet after walking or running:

The walkers turned out to be hungry, consuming about 50 calories more than they had burned during their hourlong treadmill stroll.

The runners, on the other hand, picked at their food, taking in almost 200 calories less than they had burned while running.

via Is It Better to Walk or Run? – NYTimes.com.

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Watching Your Brain Freak Out on a Scanner Calms You Down

Posted on May 28, 2013 by Chris

In a quirky new experiment, researchers at Yale University found that simply showing people what their anxious brains look like was enough to help those subjects lessen their anxiety. The participants in the study even learned how to control activity in a certain brain region after just two sessions of watching real-time brain imaging feedback.

via Watching Your Brain Freak Out on a Scanner Calms You Down.

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