Daniel Lemire's blog

, 1 min read

Science and Technology links (July 23 2023)

  1. People increasingly consume ultra processed foods. They include
    energy drinks, mass-produced packaged breads, margarines, cereal, energy bars, fruit yogurts, fruit drinks, vegan meat and cheese, infant formulas, pizza, chicken nuggets, and so forth. Ultra processed foods are correlated with poorer health.
  2. Homo sapiens was not the first human species to venture out of Africa, it was the last.
  3. Researchers claim to be able to reprogram the cells in our eyes to repair retinal degenerence.
  4. Older people are often prescribed statins to keep their risk of cardiovascular disease low. However, statins reduce short-term cognitive performance.
  5. Killifish are animals that have amazing regeneration abilities, being even able to regenerate part of their brain. As they age, this regenerative ability is lost. Killifish, like other animals, tend to accumulate dysfunctional cells with age, called senescent cells. Though having a few senescent cells is not a problem, and may even be necessary, having too many is believed to reduce fitness. Thankfully, we have drugs called senolytics that can eliminate some of the senescent cells. By using these drugs in old killifish, they were able to restore some of the amazing regenerative abilities.
  6. There may be a mushroom that is able to increase nerve growth and improve memory, in human beings.
  7. Resistance training might be a viable anti-skin-aging strategy for women (and possibly men).