Congratulations New Horizons and Pluto! But more on those results, later. This posting is largely about... medicine and biology. Starting with...
An epidemic of short-sightedness. No, not the all-too rampant political kind. But actual myopia, which has seen a steep rise over the last few decades. In China, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore, 80 to 90% of teens are nearsighted, compared to 10 to 20% of youths sixty years ago. The same trend is seen in the U.S. and Europe, where nearly half of young adults are now myopic, twice as many as fifty years ago.
Clearly there is a genetic component to myopia, but this can't explain these rapid changes. Data does not back up a frequently-cited explanation due to reading or computer use. - though there is a pattern of increasing myopia with years of schooling. The strongest correlation is with environmental exposure, hours spent outdoors. Myopia is virtually unknown among hunter-gatherer tribes -- though some suggest that diet may also play a role.
One hypothesis, according to a report in Nature: "light stimulates the release of dopamine in the retina, and this neurotransmitter in turn blocks the elongation of the eye during development." Animal studies support this idea: it is possible to induce myopia in chicks by controlling the level of natural light. One study showed a 23% decrease in myopia among Chinese children who spent an additional 40 minutes outdoors. Australian researchers estimate that children need to be exposed to about three hours a day of bright light (at least 10,000 lux) to be protected against myopia. Lighting levels should be taken into account in school design -- a classroom typically offers only 500 lux.
A new study has shown that soft lenses, worn only at night, can prevent the progressive elongation of the eye in children.
== New in Biosciences! ==
An epidemic of short-sightedness. No, not the all-too rampant political kind. But actual myopia, which has seen a steep rise over the last few decades. In China, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore, 80 to 90% of teens are nearsighted, compared to 10 to 20% of youths sixty years ago. The same trend is seen in the U.S. and Europe, where nearly half of young adults are now myopic, twice as many as fifty years ago.
Clearly there is a genetic component to myopia, but this can't explain these rapid changes. Data does not back up a frequently-cited explanation due to reading or computer use. - though there is a pattern of increasing myopia with years of schooling. The strongest correlation is with environmental exposure, hours spent outdoors. Myopia is virtually unknown among hunter-gatherer tribes -- though some suggest that diet may also play a role. One hypothesis, according to a report in Nature: "light stimulates the release of dopamine in the retina, and this neurotransmitter in turn blocks the elongation of the eye during development." Animal studies support this idea: it is possible to induce myopia in chicks by controlling the level of natural light. One study showed a 23% decrease in myopia among Chinese children who spent an additional 40 minutes outdoors. Australian researchers estimate that children need to be exposed to about three hours a day of bright light (at least 10,000 lux) to be protected against myopia. Lighting levels should be taken into account in school design -- a classroom typically offers only 500 lux.
A new study has shown that soft lenses, worn only at night, can prevent the progressive elongation of the eye in children.
== New in Biosciences! ==
Envisioning disease...From just a single drop of blood, VirScan can detect the remains of more than 1,000 strains of 206 viruses that are infecting or have ever infected a patient. After screening blood from 569 people on four continents, experts found people were exposed to 10 viruses on average; two had antibodies for 84 different viruses. This is important.
U.S. and Chinese scientists have developed a method to inject microelectronic devices such as wires and transistors directly into the brain (or other body parts) to measure or stimulate neural activity.
Scientists have for the first time documented the actual formation of newly learned concepts inside thebrain. Thanks to recent advances in brain imaging technology.
Networked monkey brains: And now they are linking animals mentally! Via electrodes, rats and monkeys can coordinate their brains to carry out such tasks as moving a simulated arm or recognizing simple patterns. In many of the trials, the networked animals performed better than individuals.
Researchers from The University of Texas at Austin have been able to successfully inhibit alcohol and drug addiction by using a drug, israpidine, that is already approved by the FDA to treat high blood pressure. The drug is able to erase (at least for rats) the unconscious memories that may underlie addiction.
A new view of autism? “For decades, autism has been viewed as a form of mental retardation, a brain disease that destroys children’s ability to learn, feel and empathize… A new open-access study shows that social and sensory overstimulation drives autistic behaviors and supports the unconventional view that the autistic brain is actually hyper-functional.” This fits in with the fact that when two hyper-functional people breed together, the odds of autism in offspring go up. It suggests a drastic shift in approaching the suite of syndromes. Autistics in future may benefit from a wide range of tech-enhanced opportunities to engage with the world… as I portray in EXISTENCE.
Researchers at Dundee University have discovered a new compound which could treat malaria while protecting people from the disease and preventing its spread, all in a single dose.
Looking toward the end... George Dvorsky on io9 presents a very interesting rundown of recent research and arguments regarding the reason life forms age and die. Alas, George does not pursue the elephant in the room… why are humans the methuselahs of mammals? Of course, I have my own theory about that. (See: Do We Really Want Immortality?)
== Physics & Light ==
The science of light: Scientists have now captured an image of a photon as both a wave and a particle for the first time. Moreover, this experiment shows that the future talks to the past! That later events influence earlier ones. “Time went backwards. Cause and effect appear to be reversed. The future caused the past. The arrow of time seemed to work in reverse.”
We live in boggling times.
There is also good evidence that quantum processes take place inside our brains and within our body cells, as reported by the Guardian last year.
== And only somewhat less "biological"
Frequency combs on fiber optic cables could remove distortions, giving us faster, more efficient internet signals.
These students built a (very tiny) working hyper loop.
== And only somewhat less "biological"
Frequency combs on fiber optic cables could remove distortions, giving us faster, more efficient internet signals.
These students built a (very tiny) working hyper loop.
Researchers from MIT have developed a new algorithm that lets autonomous robots divvy upassembly tasks on the fly, an important step forward in multirobot cooperation.
Another way of looking further: Augmented Reality: I spoke at AWE 2015 the Augmented Reality Conference, in Santa Clara, in June (My interview on AWE.tv has been posted online). There I saw how very many companies are suddenly diving into augmented reality. Take a look at Epson’s “Moverio” system.
Another way of looking further: Augmented Reality: I spoke at AWE 2015 the Augmented Reality Conference, in Santa Clara, in June (My interview on AWE.tv has been posted online). There I saw how very many companies are suddenly diving into augmented reality. Take a look at Epson’s “Moverio” system.
The U.S. Air Force – according to unverified reports - has developed an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) device that is analogous to the EMP version of a sniper rifle, rather than a bomb. In a single test mission in Utah, CHAMP successfully blacked out all seven of its targets in a single flight.
The Batteriser, a new $2.50 gadget promises to bring your AA and C batteries back from the dead, by maintaining voltage levels instead of letting them decline as the battery's chemical supply depletes. However David Jones on EEVBlog systematically disputes these claims.
Why so many science-based blog postings from me, lately?
Because we live in amazing times. And we should all be paying attention. Anyway, you'll be fed up with me and politics, by the time 2016 is over! Hang in there. Keep up!
Why so many science-based blog postings from me, lately?
Because we live in amazing times. And we should all be paying attention. Anyway, you'll be fed up with me and politics, by the time 2016 is over! Hang in there. Keep up!
