m a n . o f . w a r

Stuff I’ve Read Today

[1] Doctors have identified a totally drug resistant strain of tuberculosis in India. There is currently no treatment for it, and it has a 100% mortality rate.

[2] The smallest microchip yet was created by a research group at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. The chip features atomic-scale wires produced from absorbing phosphorous atoms onto a silicon crystal and then covering the whole things with crystalline silicon. At this scale, Moore’s Law ends.

[3] Researches at Case Western Reserve have developed a biofuel cell that can be implanted in an insect, which can then be used to convert the chemical potential within insects to electrical potential. As the size of the fuel cell becomes smaller, the insect will be able to run or fly as it normally would. This is one step closer to cyborgs!

[4] By reactivating ancient genes, scientists were able to bring back ‘supersoldier’ ants.

[5] As the concentration of carbon dioxide grows on land, it grows in the sea as well. This causes the ocean to become more acidic over time. Acidic aquatic environments prevent coral reefs from being formed, which rely on calcium deposites. (Ka is basic).

[6] In the US, if you have a heart attack, you are more likely to be readmitted to the hospital for heart-related issues than if you were treated in other countries. Basically, US healthcare sucks.

[7] Mindset affects the levels of ghrelin, a hormone that influences hunger, after eating. If you eat something that you think has a ton of calories, the levels of ghrelin are less than if you think you ate something sensible.

[8] Recent research has shown that the brain protein RGS9-2 plays a role in regulating body weight and can be used via gene therapy to suppress drug-induced dyskinesias. This protein modulates the function of dopamine receptors, which are the targets of Parkinson’s and anti-psychotic drugs that cause dyskinesias.

[9] Cornell researchers have developed a “time lens, which can manipulate and focus signals in time”, which essentially enables to to create ‘time cloak’ that can mask an event. (Kind of like an invisibility cloak!) Beams of light are passed through optical fibers, and the wavelengths are manipulated in order to account for the time gaps. So far, the time gap is 15 picoseconds long, and might be increased to 10 nanoseconds.

[10] A molecule called CREB1 is activated by eating less, and “activates many genes linked to longevity and to the proper functioning of the brain”.

[11] The US tried to bully twitter into sensoring certain “terrorist” accounts.

[12] Sighhh. The US government sucks. What else is new?

[13] Currently reading about mindfulness and once I understand it better, I would like to try mindfulness meditation. I want to feel like I am in control of my emotions. After seeing the way I’ve acted in several situations, as of late… I realize that I am not. I want to feel peaceful within. I want to feel fulfilled and a sense of satisfaction from life that I currently don’t have. Monks can do it. Why can’t I?