The universe may be conscious, say prominent scientists
What consciousness is and where it emanates from has stymied great minds in societies across the globe since the dawn of speculation. In today’s world, it’s a realm tackled more and more by physicists, cognitive scientists, and neuroscientists. There are a few prevailing theories. The first is materialism. This is the notion that consciousness emanates from matter, in our case, by the firing of neurons inside the brain.
Take the brain out of the equation and consciousness doesn’t exist at all. Traditionally, scientists have been stalwart materialists. But doing so has caused them to slam up against the limitations of materialism. Consider the chasm between relativity and quantum mechanics, or Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle, and you quickly start to recognize these incongruities.
The second theory is mind-body dualism. This is perhaps more often recognized in religion or spirituality. Here, consciousness is separate from matter. It is a part of another aspect of the individual, which in religious terms we might call the soul. Then there’s a third option which is gaining ground in some scientific circles, panpsychism. In this view, the entire universe is inhabited by consciousness.
The Physics of Death (and What Happens to Your Energy When You Die)
The Energy In You
Even though it’s an inexorable part of life, for many people, death — or at least the thought of ceasing to exist forever — can be a scary thing. The disturbing things that happen to the body during decomposition — the process by which cells and tissues begin to break down post mortem — are bad enough.
Successful Ways to Work With Clients Who Struggle With Deep Feelings of Shame
When a client experiences shame, they live in constant fear of being rejected. And they become trapped in the avoidance strategies they create to escape the pain.
Hyper-Long Telomeres Give Non-Genetically Modified Mice Longer, Healthier Lives
Scientists at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) generated the first mice that have super-long telomeres in every one of their body cells. Studies with the animals showed that in comparison with mice that have normal length telomeres, the hyper-long telomere animals lived on average nearly 13% longer, were leaner with less white fat tissue, and had better metabolic health. The researchers generated the mice from embryonic stem (ES) cells that carry the hyper-long telomeric repeats capping the ends of their chromosomes. The most relevant achievement for the scientists is that for the first time longevity was significantly increased without any genetic modification. “This finding supports the idea that, when it comes to determining longevity, genes are not the only thing to consider,” commented research lead Maria Blasco, PhD, head of the CNIO Telomeres and Telomerase Group. “There is a margin for extending life without altering the genes.”
Blasco and colleagues published their findings in Nature Communications, in a paper titled, “Mice with hyper-long telomeres show less metabolic aging and longer lifespans.”
Tatuagem para diabéticos muda de cor, de acordo com os níveis de açúcar no sangue
Pesquisadores desenvolveram uma nova tinta de tatuagem que muda de cor que responde a mudanças no corpo, como açúcar no sangue e níveis de sódio.
Usando um líquido com biossensores em vez da tinta tradicional, os cientistas querem transformar a superfície da pele humana em uma “tela interativa” – uma idéia que torna essa prova de conceito emocionante de se assistir. Tecnologias como essa podem se tornar uma nova maneira revolucionária de monitorar a saúde.
O projeto, chamado DermalAbyss , é uma colaboração entre pesquisadores do MIT e da Harvard Medical School, combinando esforços da Fluid Interfaces e da biotecnologia.
El ejercicio modifica cómo actúa el ADN
La actividad física se relaciona con cambios en la estructura del ADN sin modificar la secuencia de letras de los genes, su estructura primaria, de forma que impacta en cómo se expresa la información genética, según demuestra un estudio liderado por investigadores del Instituto Hospital del Mar de Investigaciones Médicas (IMIM).
El estudio, publicado en la revista ‘Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise’, destaca que realizar actividad de forma moderada-vigorosa, es decir, caminar a diario de forma rápida o practicar algún deporte durante, al menos 30 minutos, permite maximizar beneficios para la salud.
What do we do with all the chemical elements? This ingenious periodic table shows you
An interactive periodic table with pictures makes it easy to see how each element is used.
The periodic table is an important but rather dry scientific tool. It lists all the chemical elements, ordered by their atomic numbers. Elements with similar behavior are grouped in the same column (called a group), with metals generally on the left and non-metals (gases) on the right. Rows are called “periods” – hence, periodic table.
Helping others helps your brain feel less pain
Doing good for others may do us good in turn, a new paper suggests. Engaging in altruistic behavior without expecting something in return can lessen physical pain, it found.
