Monday, October 23, 2006
Science of...
Sleep: I really liked this one; it was hilarious and sweet, and very pretty. Clever too. And could Gael Garcia Bernal get any sexier?
Shoes: Oh my god, shoes. It seems that people with knee problems might be better off without them - a suggestion to which I can add anecdotal support. When my knees act up, I try to go barefoot more, or wear flat-soled thongs, which seems to help.
Students: Apparently the "freshman fifteen" is less of a myth and more of an exaggeration. No big shocks there...have we cured cancer yet?
Subterranean Bacteria: Princeton researchers have identified a novel group of bacteria living almost 3 kilometers underground, which collect energy from radioactive decay, rather than sunlight to survive. This is really bloody cool.
Starch: An Italian study suggests that eating lots of bread increases the risk of kidney cancer. It found small increases in risk for pasta, rice, milk, and yogurt. They also found that high poultry and meat consumption decreased risk. This all strikes me as rather odd, and I wonder (among other things) if the retrospective nature of the study mightn't have mucked things up a bit. Still, very interesting findings...
Shoes: Oh my god, shoes. It seems that people with knee problems might be better off without them - a suggestion to which I can add anecdotal support. When my knees act up, I try to go barefoot more, or wear flat-soled thongs, which seems to help.
Students: Apparently the "freshman fifteen" is less of a myth and more of an exaggeration. No big shocks there...have we cured cancer yet?
Subterranean Bacteria: Princeton researchers have identified a novel group of bacteria living almost 3 kilometers underground, which collect energy from radioactive decay, rather than sunlight to survive. This is really bloody cool.
Starch: An Italian study suggests that eating lots of bread increases the risk of kidney cancer. It found small increases in risk for pasta, rice, milk, and yogurt. They also found that high poultry and meat consumption decreased risk. This all strikes me as rather odd, and I wonder (among other things) if the retrospective nature of the study mightn't have mucked things up a bit. Still, very interesting findings...
