Sunday, November 23, 2008

Brains....

Some interesting stuff in science news recently...

A new Homo erectus fossil shows that they probably had wide hips for babies with big heads.

Our brains are actually physically changed by learning... such that even if we forget, it's much easier to re-learn.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

When Can I Buy the Pro-Bacterial soap?

So we are all suddenly being told (by ads on TV) to buy yogurt, because it's pro-biotic. And as much as I hate these marketing campaigns, they're right.

And even though we sort of knew that the human body had loads of healthy bacteria that help our bodies function properly, doctors kept prescribing anti-biotic drugs, and using anti-bacterial soap. No one seemed to notice the contradiction.


Perhaps we have vilified bacteria unfairly in the public sphere.

Based on some cool new research on how to prevent pneumonia induced by intubation/artificial respiration in the hospital, I think I see a paradigm shift comin' round the bend. I mean a really MAJOR paradigm shift, in the western approach to medicine and health in general.

We'll be washing, shampooing and brushing our teeth with our favorite co-evolved bacteria.

Maybe this means we'll be able to say goodbye to potentially pandemic-causing anti-biotic resistant diseases, not to mention the environmental destruction caused by anti-biotics and anti-bacterial soaps and cleaners. (This research has been pioneered by Dr. Rolf Halden, and you can check out his CV and massive list of publications with all the data to back it up.)

So basically this is the lesson to be learned: stop using anti-bacterial soaps and houshold products. Go back to regular old soap, it will do the job. And stop taking anti-biotics as much as possible. Hopefully, it won't be too long before we have pro-biotic soaps, sprays, powders, mouthwash, etc. Really, we should have known all along. The only way to fight the bugs, was with the mutualistic, co-evolved bugs we've been carrying along with us for all these millenia.

P.S. Thanks to Zach for the link to the NIH.

If you really love her... say it with tequila.

Ok, so I haven't blogged in a while. But I have been listening, reading and absorbing a random assortment of stuff, and I wanted to have a place (with more flexibility than del.icio.us) to link to things I enjoyed. Like a minimetafilter.

So here goes:

If anyone ever decides to buy me a diamond ring this is the only kind I would accept.
(New advertising tagline: Tequila can get you into her pants... permanently.)