Thursday, December 28, 2006

Speedlinking 12/28/06

This morning's image is from Live Science -- I love old house like this one.


BODY
~ TBT vs. Splits: An Analysis -- this is cool. "Lately there's been much discussion about whether it's more beneficial to do total body training (TBT) or some version of a split system where parts of the body are separated for different workouts. " I side with the total body approach since I am athlete and not a bodybuilder, because my schedule sometimes requires a missed workout, because it keeps me lean, and because I spend less total time training by using supersets.
~ Expanding Our Knowledge About Expanding Waistlines.
~ Pet Owners Are Sick More Often And Exercise Less Than Other Working-aged People -- interesting study.
~ Energy Bars: Health Food or Candy? Look for higher protein and less than ten grams of sugar. Also avoid bars with soy as the only protein and with collagen or hydrolyzed collagen as a primary protein source -- it is not digestible as a protein.
~ Protection Against Cancer May Begin During Pregnancy -- Good pregnancy diet protects one's child much later in life.
~ Popular supplement fails to lower cholesterol -- Policosanol fails in this study. The best supplements for cholesterol are fiber, garlic, cinnamon, and fish oil.


PSYCHE
~ Do Men Have Less Psychological Gender Than Women?
~ Experience Sculpts Brain Circuitry To Build Resiliency To Stress. "It's long been known that experiencing control over a stressor immunizes a rat from developing a depression-like syndrome when it later encounters stressors that it can't control."
~ Orexin reinforces the euphoria felt when drinking alcohol -- “Orexin reinforces the euphoria felt when drinking alcohol, so if a drug can be developed to block the Orexin system in humans, we should be able to stop an alcoholic’s craving for alcohol, as well as preventing relapse once the alcoholic has recovered.”
~ Cellular Killer Also Important To Memory -- "A protein known primarily for its role in killing cells also plays a part in memory formation, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign report." The body is amazing system where everything is interconnected.
~ Brains Can Recover From Alcoholic Damage But Patients Should Stop Drinking As Soon As Possible.
~ Acupuncture Not a Viable Treatment for Depression.
~ Positive Psychology & Happiness -- I'm not a big fan of positive psychology. It feels to me like repression of anything dark and unhappy, which makes for a big fat shadow and lots of unconscious projection.


CULTURE
~ Rabbi Gellman: Christians Must Reassert Holocaust Truth -- How Christians should respond to Holocaust denial from a Jewish leader.
~ Web Glitch Causes John Edwards to Announce Candidacy A Day Early -- John Edwards makes it official.
~ Dispel The Top 10 Myths About Evolution.
~ Court sides with government in steroids probe -- Pro baseball is about to get spanked -- 100 players who tested positive three years ago can be used in the govt's steroid case.
~ In Mecca, more than 1.6M ready for hajj. And from Beliefnet: Your Guide to the Hajj Pilgrimage.
~ Gratitude Comes Through Service.
~ Top Ten Stories of 2006: 10) US Elections Yield Calls for Civility, Honesty.


HABITATS
~ FDA Set to OK Food From Cloned Animals -- In theory, this seems like a no-brainer, two animals with the same DNA should be identical. But in practice, cloned animals seem to be much more prone to cell mutations that could be disease causing when consumed. There needs to be more research.
~ Living near busy street ups breathing problems -- The joy of urban life.
~ Stabilizing Southern Africa Through Information Technology.
~ Will Polar Bears Catch a Break? Looks like they will be listed as endangered.
~ Dow tops 12,500 and two-thirds -- or more -- of Americans are still living paycheck to paycheck.
~ Two-Headed Reptile Fossil From Age of Dinosaurs Found.
~ Talking Fish: Wide Variety of Sounds Discovered -- "At least 1,000 species communicate by sound, and scientists are only beginning to discover the range of bizarre noise-making and listening techniques."
~ Ten Simple Things You Can Do to Go Green.
~ Youth Worldwide Raise $40,000 to Help Orphaned Chimps.


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