New research claims that ‘meditation could make you more intelligent as it boosts the size of your brain, reported The DailyTelegraph. It said that research found that brain scans revealed ‘significantly larger amounts of grey matter in long-term meditators. This small study compared the brain anatomy of 22 people who meditated with 22 people who didn’t. Although it did find some small differences in some parts of the brain, there were also many non-significant results. Overall brain size was not any larger in the meditators. Importantly, the researchers themselves acknowledge that to establish if meditation actually causes changes in brain anatomy, it would be necessary to look at the brains of meditators and non-meditators over a period of time. Where did the story come from? The study was carried out by Dr Eileen Luders and colleagues from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Medicine and the University of Jena. The research was funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The study was published in the peer-reviewed medical journal NeuroImage. What kind of scientific study was this? This brain imaging study investigated whether people who meditate have different brain anatomy […]
While major auto manufacturers race to bring new electric and hybrid cars to market, other companies are looking at alternatives to electricity – including using air to power cars. The idea of an air-powered car is nothing new, and companies have been touting the technology for the past few years but for now not much has emerged in the way of a production model, largely due to flaws with the design of the vehicles. In fact, many engineers are skeptical of the technology’s use, as the energy required to power air-compressors in air-powered cars is massive compared to using that energy in an electric battery instead. But there are some distinct advantages to be found in the use of air-powered cars, namely their relative inexpensiveness when compared to complex hybrids and electric vehicles. One such champion of this aspect of air-powered cars is the CEO of Zero Pollution Motors, a start-up that has developed its own compressed-air car that it hopes to bring to U.S shores by 2011. Heading up the company is Shiva Vencat, who says that while the ‘whole wide world’ may criticize air-powered cars, at the end of the cars such as the Chevrolet Volt […]
ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. – A year or so ago, when customers buttonholed the pharmacists at Almand’s Drug Store here the questions were invariably about dosing or side effects. These days, they are almost always about cost. Can I get this as a generic? Is the co-pay really that high? Will you match Wal-Mart’s $4 price? ‘I’m out of Lexapro,’ a woman pleaded one recent Tuesday, speaking of her antidepressant. ‘Can I just have four pills until payday on Friday?’ Some customers request prices for a fistful of prescriptions, and then say they can fill only the cheapest two. Others ask which are most important. ‘It can be a hard question to answer,’ said Traci W. Suber, the head pharmacist. ‘The only thing I can do is let them know what they’re for, get them the cheapest available and encourage them to come back for the others when they can.’ Even with the Medicare drug benefit, even with the prevalence of low-cost generics, even with loss-leader discounting by big chains, many Americans still find themselves unable to afford the prescription medications that manage their life-threatening conditions. In downtrodden communities like Rocky Mount, where unemployment has doubled […]
Improvements in energy efficiency will lead to greater use of fossil fuels, according to research published this week. Terry Barker, director of the Cambridge Centre for Climate Change Mitigation Research, predicts that by 2030, half the carbon emission savings gained from more fuel-effi-cient transport, buildings and industry will be cancelled out by a corresponding rise in consumption of fossil fuels. He argues that what he calls a ‘rebound effect’ has been seriously underestimated by policymakers, who will have to impose drastic measures such as high petrol taxes to tackle the problem. ‘The rebound effect is not very welcome to politicians because they have been thinking that energy-efficiency programmes are the answer to climate change, said Barker, a co-author of reports by the International Panel on Climate Change. ‘It’s not nearly as good an answer as they thought. Efficiency programmes will have to be ramped up to achieve the same targets.’ Steven Chu, America’s energy secretary, told the BBC this month of plans to make commercial buildings in America 80% more efficient and the European Union has set a target of a 20% reduction in overall consumption of fossil fuels by 2020. The rebound effect works […]
Three Australians have had their sight restored thanks to their own stem cells and ordinary contact lenses. Although the novel technique was used to reverse blinding corneal disease, it promises to be a quick, painless and cheap treatment for other visual disorders. It may even be useful for repairing damaged skin, the researchers reported today in the journal Transplantation. The team leader, UNSW stem cell scientist Nick Di Girolamo said: ‘We’re quietly excited. We don’t know yet if (the correction) will remain stable, but if it does it’s a wonderful technique.’ According to team member Stephanie Watson – an opthalmic surgeon with Sydney’s Prince of Wales Hospital – two of the three patients were legally blind in the treated eye; they can now read big letters on the eye chart. The third could read the top few rows of the chart but is now able to pass the vision test for a driving license. Although it’s early days yet, commented Peter McCluskey, an opthalomogist with Sydney University and director of the Save Sight Institute: ‘But I think it’s really exciting, innovative and novel.’ Dr Di Girolamo said the idea to team stem cells with contact […]
Remote Viewing the Year 2060
