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New study: Meditation and yoga can 'reverse' the negative effects of stress on our DNA


Science News
Thu, 15 Jun 2017 00:00 UTC
DA meditation

Mind-body interventions (MBIs) such as meditation, yoga and Tai Chi don't simply relax us; they can 'reverse' the molecular reactions in our DNA which cause ill-health and depression, according to a study by the universities of Coventry and Radboud.

The research, published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology, reviews over a decade of studies analysing how the behaviour of our genes is affected by different MBIs including mindfulness and yoga.

Experts from the universities conclude that, when examined together, the 18 studies -- featuring 846 participants over 11 years -- reveal a pattern in the molecular changes which happen to the body as a result of MBIs, and how those changes benefit our mental and physical health.

The researchers focus on how gene expression is affected; in other words the way that genes activate to produce proteins which influence the biological make-up of the body, the brain and the immune system.

Comment: One very beneficial way to relieve stress and increase a state of well being is to practice Éiriú Eolas.



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Brain

Is Stephen Hawking scientifically illiterate?

Lubos Motl
The Reference Frame
Sat, 08 Jul 2017 17:05 UTC
Stephen Hawking
Five days ago, Stephen Hawking - or someone who has hacked his computerized speech generator - has told us that Donald Trump is a supervillain who will transform the Earth to another Venus with temperatures at 250 °C and sulfuric acid rains.

Wow. Now, every intelligent 10-year-old kid must know why this possibility is non-existent, why the statement is nonsense. Some scientists including Roy Spencer have pointed out how absurd these Hawking's statements were from a scientific viewpoint.

But lots of the scientists who have paid lip service to the lies about the so-called global warming or climate change in the past have remained silent and confirmed that their scientific dishonesty has no limits. I despise all the climate alarmists who know that statements like that are absurd but who hide this fact because a lie like that could be helpful for their profits or political causes. You know, what these jerks and the people who tolerate these jerks' existence haven't quite appreciated is that it is only lies that may be helpful for them.

Comment: It looks like Hawking is losing it... See also: Not even wrong: Stephen Hawking says Trump's Paris Agreement stance could 'push the Earth over the brink'

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Info

Praying mantises feast on birds they killed & mate at the same time - study


RT
Mon, 10 Jul 2017 14:40 UTC
Preying mantis
© Mike Hutchings / Reuters
In what researchers are hailing a "spectacular discovery," a new study has revealed that praying mantises all over the world are feasting on birds they catch and kill.

The carnivorous creatures usually eat insects, spiders and sometimes frogs and snakes to feed their voracious appetites. However, research published in The Wilson Journal of Ornithology now shows the prolific killers also have a taste for birds.

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Rainbow

Dying may not be as awful an experience as you think


Medical Express
Fri, 07 Jul 2017 11:20 UTC
Does the very idea of death worry and frighten you? There may be reassurance from a new study that finds those fears might be exaggerated.

What Dreams May Come
© Universal Studios
In fact, the research shows, death is often described as a peaceful, "unexpectedly positive" experience by those who approach it.

Death is one of life's guarantees, yet it's something people often avoid talking about, according to study author Kurt Gray. He's an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
"There's almost an unspoken assumption that death is something to be avoided at all costs," Gray said.
But his team found that the abstract concept of death may be scarier than the reality.

Comment:

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Nebula

'New frontier' in physics: CERN discovers subatomic particle with double dose of 'charm'


RT
Fri, 07 Jul 2017 18:35 UTC
subatomic particle
© Daniel Dominguez / CERN
A long sought subatomic particle has finally been found, according to physicists at the Large Hadron Collider. Scientists hope the discovery will help to further explain a key force that binds matter together.

High-speed collisions in the Large Hadron Collider - the world's biggest atom smasher - helped to discover a baryon particle called Xi cc, according to a report issued by the University of Glasgow on Thursday.

"LHCb data collected last year contains more than 300 of the new Xi-cc++ particles," the report says.

"This is the first time that a baryon has been conclusively observed containing two heavy charm quarks and is a new frontier in understanding the strong force that binds quarks together," Professor of Experimental Particle Physics at the University of Glasgow Paul Soler said of the breakthrough discovery.
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Galaxy

Physicist wants to find out if the entire universe is conscious

Jake Anderson
The Anti Media
Wed, 28 Jun 2017 17:55 UTC
eye of the universe
You don't have to look far to find outlandish theories on the nature of the cosmos and human consciousness. These days, notions once relegated to science fiction are finding their way into esoteric academic journals, and from there, into mainstream discourse. One example of this is the Simulation Argument, recently championed by Elon Musk; another is 'time crystals,' a tantalizing non-linear phase of matter. The newest symphony of mind jazz being broadcast across the Internet posits new ideas about the embattled theory of "panpsychism," or the belief that mind is a fundamental property of the physical universe and is imbued into all states of matter.

A new paper, published by physicist Gregory Matloff, has brought the idea back into scientific discussions, promising experimental tests that could "validate or falsify" the concept of a ubiquitous "proto-consciousness field." Matloff also pushes the controversial idea of volitional stars, suggesting there is actually evidence that stars control their own galactic paths.

As absurd as the theory sounds, it has several prominent adherents, including British theoretical physicist Sir Roger Penrose, who introduced panpsychism three decades ago. Penrose believed consciousness arises from the properties of quantum entanglement. He and anesthesiologist Stuart Hameroff authored the Orchestrated Objective Reduction (Orch-OR) hypothesis, which asserts, among other things, that consciousness results from quantum vibrations inside microtubules.

Comment: See also:

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Fireball 5

88 pound meteor strikes the moon causing a massive explosion

Paul Baldwin
Express
Thu, 13 Jul 2017 16:59 UTC
meteor strike
© Getty
The moon was struck by a meteor creating an explosion visible with the naked eye.
A METEOR with the explosive power of TEN cruise missiles has struck the Moon - sparking a massive explosion visible with the naked eye.

And terrifyingly the 56,000 mph collision - captured by NASA scientists highlighting the catastrophic danger planet earth faces from similar meteors - was caused by a space rock weighing no more than 88 lbs (40 kilos).

Despite the meteor's tiny proportions - about the size of a small boulder and the weight of an average 10-year-old boy - the impact damage was colossal and the explosion shone with the brightness of a magnitude 4 star.
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Clipboard

Study reports temperature adjustments account for 'nearly all of the warming' in climate data

Michael Bastasch
The Daily Caller
Wed, 05 Jul 2017 11:21 UTC
burning earth
© NASA/Shutterstock/Martin Capek
Having a hot one, are we?
A new study found adjustments made to global surface temperature readings by scientists in recent years
"are totally inconsistent with published and credible U.S. and other temperature data. Thus, it is impossible to conclude from the three published [global average surface temperature (GAST)] data sets that recent years have been the warmest ever - despite current claims of record setting warming," according to a study published June 27 by two scientists and a veteran statistician.
The peer-reviewed study tried to validate current surface temperature datasets managed by NASA, NOAA and the UK's Met Office, all of which make adjustments to raw thermometer readings. Skeptics of man-made global warming have criticized the adjustments.

Climate scientists often apply adjustments to surface temperature thermometers to account for "biases" in the data. The new study doesn't question the adjustments themselves but notes nearly all of them increase the warming trend.

Basically, "cyclical pattern in the earlier reported data has very nearly been 'adjusted' out" of temperature readings taken from weather stations, buoys, ships and other sources.

In fact, almost all the surface temperature warming adjustments cool past temperatures and warm more current records, increasing the warming trend, according to the study's authors.

Comment: Are we surprised? One would think 'science' is one of the most mutable disciplines that welcomes course-correction to isolate the truth of a process. Nah. Nope. Nada.

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Sun

Solar minimum: The sun is getting quieter... and its rotation is slowing down

Hannah Osborne
Newsweek
Mon, 03 Jul 2017 19:10 UTC
Solar minimum
© NASA
The sun is about to enter a period of quiet, known as a solar minimum. This cycle happens every 11 years and is characterized of decreased activity—when sunspots fade away and produce fewer solar flares. With this latest period of inactivity approaching, scientists have been monitoring the sun to better understand some of the unusual activity observed over recent years.

In a study published in May the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, a team of scientists from the U.S., U.K. and Denmark analyzed 31 years' worth of data from the Birmingham Solar Oscillations Network (BiSON)—a group of six ground-based telescopes that provide constant monitoring of the sun's oscillations.

In the study, Yvonne Elsworth and colleagues studied the sound waves from the sun over the last three solar minimums to see how they have changed during different periods of activity. Elsworth will present the findings at the National Astronomy Meeting at the University of Hull, U.K., on Tuesday.

"The sun is very much like a musical instrument except that its typical notes are at a very low frequency—some 100,000 times lower than middle C," she said in a statement. "Studying these sound waves, using a technique called helioseismology, enables us to find out what's going on throughout the Sun's interior."
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Music

New study shows that music boosts brain cell connectivity and communication


SBS
Thu, 06 Jul 2017 00:00 UTC
music and the brain
Using music to learn a physical task significantly develops an important part of the brain, according to a study.

People who practised a basic movement to music showed "increased structural connectivity" between the regions of the brain that process sound and control movement, the University of Edinburgh research shows.

The findings - published in the medical journal Brain & Cognition - showed that brain wiring enables cells to communicate with each other.

Experts say the study could have positive implications for future research into rehabilitation for patients who have lost some degree of movement control.

Comment: And on that note, enjoy:



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