From Gene Editing to AI – How Will Technology Transform Humanity? – The New York Times Magazine, November 18, 2018 The most fundamental questions…Will we engineer our children and ourselves? Will AI transform medicine? Will we know too much? Will we live longer and happier?…are addressed from a rich variety of perspectives. How Cities Can Fix Tourism Hell – TechCrunch, November 17, 2018 Cities are…
Why Is CBD Everywhere? – The New York Times, October 27, 2018 Cannabidiol (or CBD) is being touted as a magical elixir, now popping up in everything from bath bombs to dog treats to pharmaceuticals. It’s impossible to overstate the speed at which CBD has moved from the margins to the cultural center. Is it just a fix for our anxious times? Do people…
Humanity Has Wiped Out 60% of Animal Populations Since 1970, Report Finds– The Guardian, October 30, 2018 This is about a new, widely cited report. According to the World Wildlife Fund (involving 59 scientists from all over the world), humanity has wiped out 60 percent of mammals, birds, fish and reptiles since 1970. The vast and growing consumption of food and resources by the…
A book that just came out (Heart: A History, from Sandeep Jauhar, a cardiologist) sheds some fascinating light on the connection between wellbeing and cardiac issues. Put in the simplest possible terms: Stress can kill. As the author explains, the connection between our physical heart and our emotions is an intimate one. Sentiments, such as fear and grief, can cause cardiac injury by causing blood…
A large, new study (122,000 patients) led by the Cleveland Clinic had “extremely surprising” findings: A sedentary life is a massive risk factor for death and worse than being a smoker or having diabetes or heart disease. The researchers reported, “We’ve never seen something as pronounced and as objective as this,” and insisted that a sedentary lifestyle should be seen as a disease, with the…
Doctors in Scotland Can Now Prescribe Nature – World Economic Forum, October 15, 2018 Since early October, doctors in Shetland, Scotland, have been authorized to prescribe nature to their patients. It’s thought to be the first program of its kind in the UK and seeks to reduce blood pressure and anxiety and increase happiness for those with diabetes, mental illness, stress, heart disease and more.…
