Thursday, December 5, 2013
Mice Inherit the Fears of Their Fathers
how, exactly, does a parent’s stress leave such a deep impression on its progeny?
Part of it is nurture. A parent’s sadness and stress naturally affects how they interact with other people, including their children. The Holocaust study, in fact, found that the survivors with PTSD tended to emotionally abuse or neglect their children. And we know from some remarkable experiments in rats that parental care affects the offspring’s genes: Rat pups that get a lot of licking and grooming from their mothers show distinct changes in their epigenome, the chemical markers that attach to DNA and can turn genes on and off. Neglected pups, in contrast, don’t show these epigenetic tweaks.
Now a fascinating new study reveals that it’s not just nurture. Traumatic experiences can actually work themselves into the germ line. When a male mouse becomes afraid of a specific smell, this fear is somehow transmitted into his sperm, the study found. His pups will also be afraid of the odor, and will pass that fear down to their pups.
http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2013/11/15/mice-inherit-the-fears-of-their-fathers/
Part of it is nurture. A parent’s sadness and stress naturally affects how they interact with other people, including their children. The Holocaust study, in fact, found that the survivors with PTSD tended to emotionally abuse or neglect their children. And we know from some remarkable experiments in rats that parental care affects the offspring’s genes: Rat pups that get a lot of licking and grooming from their mothers show distinct changes in their epigenome, the chemical markers that attach to DNA and can turn genes on and off. Neglected pups, in contrast, don’t show these epigenetic tweaks.
Now a fascinating new study reveals that it’s not just nurture. Traumatic experiences can actually work themselves into the germ line. When a male mouse becomes afraid of a specific smell, this fear is somehow transmitted into his sperm, the study found. His pups will also be afraid of the odor, and will pass that fear down to their pups.
http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2013/11/15/mice-inherit-the-fears-of-their-fathers/
Hollywood producer reveals his double life as an arms dealer and Israeli spy
Arnon Milchan, the Israeli producer
of smash hits including Fight Club and Pretty Woman, is opening up for
the first time ever in an Israeli TV show on Monday to speak about his
involvement in clandestine deals to acquire arms for Israel and his work
to promote the country's alleged nuclear program.
Russell Crowe, Robert De Niro, Ben Affleck and other major Hollywood players are also featured in the controversial report to be aired on Israel’s Channel 2.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2511965/Arnon-Milchan-reveals-details-double-life-arms-dealer-Israeli-spy.html
Russell Crowe, Robert De Niro, Ben Affleck and other major Hollywood players are also featured in the controversial report to be aired on Israel’s Channel 2.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2511965/Arnon-Milchan-reveals-details-double-life-arms-dealer-Israeli-spy.html
Casual sex linked to depression and suicidal thoughts
Casual sex can make you depressed and can even lead to thoughts of suicide, a
new study suggests.
Researchers interviewed around 10,000 people and found that teenagers with
depressive symptoms were more likely to engage in casual sex.
These same people were more likely to seriously consider suicide later in
life, according to the study.
Dr Sara Sandberg-Thoma, of Ohio State University and lead author of the study,
said: "Several studies have found a link between poor mental health and
casual sex, but the nature of that association has been unclear.
"There's always been a question about which one is the cause and which is the
effect.
Immunology: The pursuit of happiness
In 1964, magazine editor Norman Cousins was diagnosed with ankylosing
spondylitis, a life-threatening autoimmune disease, and given a 1 in
500 chance of recovery. Cousins rejected his doctors' prognosis and
embarked on his own programme of happiness therapy, including regular
doses of Marx Brothers films, and credited it with triggering a dramatic
recovery. He later established the Cousins Center, which is dedicated
to investigating whether psychological factors really can keep people
healthy.
At the time, mainstream science rejected the idea that any psychological state, positive or negative, could affect physical well-being. But studies during the 1980s and early 1990s revealed that the brain is directly wired to the immune system — portions of the nervous system connect with immune-related organs such as the thymus and bone marrow, and immune cells have receptors for neurotransmitters, suggesting that there is crosstalk.
http://www.nature.com/news/immunology-the-pursuit-of-happiness-1.14225
At the time, mainstream science rejected the idea that any psychological state, positive or negative, could affect physical well-being. But studies during the 1980s and early 1990s revealed that the brain is directly wired to the immune system — portions of the nervous system connect with immune-related organs such as the thymus and bone marrow, and immune cells have receptors for neurotransmitters, suggesting that there is crosstalk.
http://www.nature.com/news/immunology-the-pursuit-of-happiness-1.14225
Cloud seeding
Cloud seeding, a form of intentional weather modification, is the attempt to change the amount or type of precipitation that falls from clouds, by dispersing substances into the air that serve as cloud condensation or ice nuclei,
which alter the microphysical processes within the cloud. The usual
intent is to increase precipitation (rain or snow), but hail and fog
suppression are also widely practiced in airports.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_seeding
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_seeding
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