Office by Alex Penny

freckles make me strong.

I live in Seattle. These are things that catch my attention, pique my interest and/or make me want to pass notes in class like a 7th grader

January 2, 2013 12:53 pm
theweekmagazine: As if space travel weren’t risky enough already, now astronauts have to grapple with the fear that being in deep space might fry their brains. The radiation in space is similar to what might be experienced in a nuclear explosion, but here on Earth, we’re protected by our planet’s magnetic field. When astronauts leave Earth’s orbit, however, that layer of protection is gone, and human bodies are bombarded by radioactive particles, which have already been linked to increased cancer risk and cardiovascular issues. But “perhaps the greatest danger of such prolonged exposure,” says Alasdair Wilkins at io9, is “the degeneration of the brain itself.”  Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center wanted to study how prolonged time spent in deep space could affect astronauts. So they exposed mice to levels of radiation similar to what humans would encounter on a three-year round trip to Mars, then tested the mice’s memories. The results were startling. Mice exposed to radiation failed to recall objects and places, and their brains showed an increased buildup of beta amyloid, a protein considered one of the clearest indicators of Alzheimer’s disease. ”These findings clearly suggest that exposure to radiation in space has the potential to accelerate the development of Alzheimer’s disease,” says researcher M. Kerry O’Banion. Are cosmic rays giving astronauts Alzheimer’s? Whoa. 

theweekmagazine:

As if space travel weren’t risky enough already, now astronauts have to grapple with the fear that being in deep space might fry their brains.

The radiation in space is similar to what might be experienced in a nuclear explosion, but here on Earth, we’re protected by our planet’s magnetic field. When astronauts leave Earth’s orbit, however, that layer of protection is gone, and human bodies are bombarded by radioactive particles, which have already been linked to increased cancer risk and cardiovascular issues. But “perhaps the greatest danger of such prolonged exposure,” says Alasdair Wilkins at io9, is “the degeneration of the brain itself.” 

Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center wanted to study how prolonged time spent in deep space could affect astronauts. So they exposed mice to levels of radiation similar to what humans would encounter on a three-year round trip to Mars, then tested the mice’s memories. The results were startling. Mice exposed to radiation failed to recall objects and places, and their brains showed an increased buildup of beta amyloid, a protein considered one of the clearest indicators of Alzheimer’s disease. ”These findings clearly suggest that exposure to radiation in space has the potential to accelerate the development of Alzheimer’s disease,” says researcher M. Kerry O’Banion.

Are cosmic rays giving astronauts Alzheimer’s?

Whoa. 

April 28, 2012 10:01 am
theweekmagazine: You guys like tiny sharks that glow in the dark, right? New research has explained why the smalleye pygmy shark (pictured, with a yolk sac still attached) and lantern shark are able to make their bellies glow: camouflage. Whenever these small sharks swim close to the surface, they put themselves at risk of being spotted by larger predators below them. The glowing bellies are a form of counter-illumination, allowing their silhouette to blend in with the bright sky above. So, how do they do it?  Incredible. 

theweekmagazine:

You guys like tiny sharks that glow in the dark, right?

New research has explained why the smalleye pygmy shark (pictured, with a yolk sac still attached) and lantern shark are able to make their bellies glow: camouflage. Whenever these small sharks swim close to the surface, they put themselves at risk of being spotted by larger predators below them. The glowing bellies are a form of counter-illumination, allowing their silhouette to blend in with the bright sky above.

So, how do they do it? 

Incredible. 

March 29, 2012 10:00 am
ilovecharts: whereinthehellisnowherenow: mesmerizing real time map of US wind currents Can’t … look … away.

ilovecharts:

whereinthehellisnowherenow:

mesmerizing real time map of US wind currents

Can’t … look … away.

August 22, 2011 11:00 am
"… studies show that people with the best self-control are the ones who structure their lives so as to conserve willpower. They don’t schedule endless back-to-back meetings. They avoid temptations like all-you-can-eat buffets, and they establish habits that eliminate the mental effort of making choices. Instead of deciding every morning whether or not to force themselves to exercise, they set up regular appointments to work out with a friend. Instead of counting on willpower to remain robust all day, they conserve it so that it’s available for emergencies and important decisions."

—

Do You Suffer From Decision Fatigue? NYTimes.com (via somethingchanged)

Sorry, I’ve made all the decisions I had budgeted for today. Please schedule something for tomorrow. This is genius!

(via somethingchanged)

September 19, 2010 7:07 pm
The price of love? Losing two of your closest friends [Link]

“If you go into a romantic relationship, it costs you two friends. Those who have romantic relationships, instead of having the typical five ‘core set’ of relationships only have four. And of those, one is the new person who’s come into their life,” said Dunbar.”

I find this article a little depressing.

April 26, 2010 4:25 pm

They Might Be Giants - Science is Real

This is terrific.  Hooray, science!

April 21, 2010 12:47 pm
What is the memory capacity of the human brain? Is there a physical limit to the amount of information it can store?: Scientific American

heyitseva:

houseofmind:

Coming from a computer science background, I must say that it is an interesting question. The comments section is highly recommended.

The new RadioLab talks about this. Super interesting.

I was just listening to this.  The stories about physical limits are also intriguing.  I especially enjoyed the piece about the people who bike across country for ten day sleeping no more than an hour a day and use hallucinations to get themselves across the finish line.

August 28, 2009 10:00 am
Dog Hair May Shed Light On Cancer [Link]

This just in, Bo Obama (or at least some of his relatives) may very well cure cancer, kind of. 

June 3, 2009 5:37 pm
Stem Cell Contact Lenses Cure Blindness in Less Than a Month

robotindisguise:

Here’s something that people with poor or no vision will be excited about: three patients had their sight restored in less than a month by contact lenses cultured with stem cells. All three patients were blind in one eye. The researchers extracted stem cells from their working eyes, cultured them in contact lenses for 10 days, and gave them to the patients. Within 10 to 14 days of use, the stem cells began recolonizing and repairing the cornea.
Hooray SCIENCE!