Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Coffee, Brains, and the Fuzzy Lobster
With all the recent good news about how coffee is good for you, it's important to remember that it's quite possible for too much of a good thing to become a bad thing. A fairly large study of Costa Ricans suggests that people with a 'slower version' of the gene for the enzyme cytochrome (CYP1A2) may suffer increased cardiovascular risks when drinking lots of coffee. To this I say, "duh." Anyone who drinks too much coffee is likely to do some damage to their system. This just seems to suggest that a certain population (I have no idea how widespread this gene variant is) has a lower tolerance. Still, it's interesting.
Children in Ecuador whose mothers were exposed to pesticides while pregnant show higher blood pressure and lower shape-copying ability than others. The study is small, and there are a few confounds that seem to linger, but I'd be confident suggesting that pregnant women (or anyone, for that matter) avoid exposure to pesticides as much as possible.
And the good news? This cutie pie:
Meet Kiwa hirsuta, the only member of an entirely new family of crustacean. This character lives in the extreme depths and toxic thermal vents of the South Pacific. Cool!
Children in Ecuador whose mothers were exposed to pesticides while pregnant show higher blood pressure and lower shape-copying ability than others. The study is small, and there are a few confounds that seem to linger, but I'd be confident suggesting that pregnant women (or anyone, for that matter) avoid exposure to pesticides as much as possible.
And the good news? This cutie pie:
Meet Kiwa hirsuta, the only member of an entirely new family of crustacean. This character lives in the extreme depths and toxic thermal vents of the South Pacific. Cool!
