Sunday, September 03, 2006
Strength
We all want to be strong and fit, but working out that much is a drag. And if you get sick or injured, the recovery makes you lose all that ground. This is how a new set of drugs, currently under development by various researchers, will be abused. Scientists are looking at ways to prevent muscle wasting, so that bedridden patients, astronauts, and the elderly can get back to life when they go home. It's a really cool and interesting idea, but abuse by athletes and lazy gym goers is rather inevitable.
On the other end of being healthy, it seems that eating lots of cured meats could harm your lungs: nitrogen compounds used in the curing process may be causing oxidative stress, reducing lungs' elasticity. This is an interesting find, but I'm not about to stop eating lunch meats over it.
Finally, researchers have found a gene - DUF1220, whose function is unknown - of which we humans have 212 copies, chimps have 37, and rats have one. This difference in copy number may have to do with how and why our brains develop differently than the other animals' do...and perhaps shed light on how we became human. Very cool.
On the other end of being healthy, it seems that eating lots of cured meats could harm your lungs: nitrogen compounds used in the curing process may be causing oxidative stress, reducing lungs' elasticity. This is an interesting find, but I'm not about to stop eating lunch meats over it.
Finally, researchers have found a gene - DUF1220, whose function is unknown - of which we humans have 212 copies, chimps have 37, and rats have one. This difference in copy number may have to do with how and why our brains develop differently than the other animals' do...and perhaps shed light on how we became human. Very cool.
