037 - Deep Fakes, Dangerous Cheese, and Astronaut Nutrition - HealthHippieMD Week In Review
The Most Dangerous Cheese in the World
Casu marzu, or "rotten cheese," is a delicacy in Sardinia, Italy. The cheese is also illegal in the U.S. due to food safety laws regarding eating food with insects and parasites. Despite the cheese's legal status, "epicurious" individuals are figuring out ways to give it a try: Would You Eat Casu Marzu, the Illegal Cheese With Maggots?
New Insights into Aging
Research on how stem cells destroy aberrant material offers new insight into the aging process: Stem Cell' Junk Yards' Reveal a New Clue About Aging.
Fighting Antimicrobial Resistance
Another call for the government to reign in the misuse of antibiotics in livestock: To Fight Antimicrobial Resistance, Start with Farm Animals. See my old opinion piece in the Huffington Post on the same topic: Antibiotics, Obesity and You.
How to Detect Lies
"A new study demonstrates that simply focusing on the level of detail in a person's story can be a surprisingly accurate way to detect a lie. The more detail there is, the less likely that a story is fabricated." Here's a simple way to detect lies — that works.
Brain Tempo
A new study out of Australia shows that "Changing between slow and fast integration of information, the brain can flexibly modulate the timescales on which it operates." How the Brain Slows Down When We Focus Our Gaze.
Turning Negative Thinkers Into Positive Ones
The NY Times, back in 2017, published an interesting article on fostering positive emotions. Well worth a (re)read: Turning Negative Thinkers Into Positive Ones. (gift article)
Help, Heard, or Hug?
A simple question can improve the quality of communication in relationships: Helped, Heard, or Hugged? What to Ask When Someone You Love Is Upset. (gift article)
Ghosting Between Friends
Ghosting doesn't just happen on the dating scene. Ghosting by a friend hurts just as much (or more) than that experienced in the apps. What to Do if a Friend Ghosts You. (gift article)
Hibernating Bears
Bears hibernate for a good portion of the year, but unlike other mammals, they don't suffer from blood clots and other cardiovascular problems from their long bouts of inactivity. These scientists are trying to understand why: Hibernating Bears Reveal How to Prevent Blood Clots in Humans.
How to Argue Effectively
Disagreements are inevitable. Here are some strategies to argue more effectively: Harvard negotiator explains how to argue.
Self-Aware Fish
I enjoyed the article, Are Fish Self-Aware? that touches on animal cognition and consciousness. The article also highlights a problem with science and scientific publication: entrenched, dogmatic ideas are defended vehemently by their proponents, even when there is plenty of evidence to refute their beliefs.
Two States Want to Ban Food Additives Linked to Health Concerns
What do Red dye no.3, titanium dioxide, brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, and propylparaben have in common? They are all common in certain processed foods and could soon be banned in N.Y. and C.A. The food industry is vehemently opposed: California and New York Could Ban 5 Food Additives Linked to Health Concerns. (gift article)
London Lonely Girls Club
She was lonely. She started a friends club, and 35,000 people joined (gift article) tells the story of how one lonely woman started a club to fight her isolation. Similar groups are emerging throughout the world.
The Positive Side of Anxiety
Anxiety causes much suffering, but there is an upside to worry as well: Positive strengths of having anxiety.
Out-of-this-World Nutrition
Here is an interesting article about the program researching the impact of diet on well-being in space: Diet-Mental Health Relationship in Astronaut Performance.
Deep Fakes in Space
Curious about deep fakes (A.I. generated videos)? To Make a Deepfake is a fascinating video from Scientific American that touches on the technology and its implications using the context of a Richard Nixon speech.