Researchers have demonstrated that a compound made in the gut, produced by consuming foods like pomegranate and walnuts, can rejuvenate the immune system in middle age, shielding us from cell damage, inflammation and chronic diseases, including cancer.
Researchers at Germany’s Georg-Speyer-Haus, Institute for Tumor Biology and Experimental Therapy, have spent years investigating the metabolite urolithin A (UA), a natural compound that’s produced by gut bacteria in response to ingested ellagitannins from foods such as pomegranates, almonds, walnuts and some berries.
The new study follows on from a breakthrough in 2022, when the team found that UA induced a biological pathway that rejuvenates the cellular power plants – mitochondria – in T cells, equipping these immune cells with more cancer-fighting might. But it goes far beyond cancer.
“Three years ago, we discovered that urolithin A could powerfully expand a special population of long-lived, anti-tumor T cells in our laboratory models,” said principal investigator Dr Dominic Denk, a physician-scientist at University Medicine Frankfurt. “Our goal was always to translate our findings from the lab into the clinic.”
Polarization and the lack of debate about whether it might be wise to explore some middle ground between the ‘black’ or ‘white’ options will leave both sides totally divided, each thinking they’re the smart ones. This can only lead to more mandatory vaccination or a revolution against any kind of prophylactic immune intervention and public health altogether. MAHA won’t be able to sort it out politically. As I previously stated, people who haven’t worked in the vaccine industry or public health institutions simply don’t realize the kind of lobby they’re up against. Lawsuits won’t do the job. There needs to be a transition phase to make things work out differently. That phase can -IMHO- only consist of diplomatic scientific debate between David and Goliath. I don’t see anything like this happening right now.
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So far, I see RFK doing something like this. Vanden Bossche has the experience to offer this conclusion. I can see it from his angle and from the angle of what the public can handle psychologically. ABN
The lab leak of a man-made coronavirus (CoV) caused an acute pandemic that killed several people, especially the elderly and other immunologically vulnerable individuals. However, the mass COVID-19 vaccination campaign that followed as a pandemic response was another man-made blunder, one that eventually transformed the acute pandemic into a chronic condition, thereby debilitating and killing millions of people. But this is not the end; under evolving immune pressure in highly COVID-19 vaccinated populations, this chronic, “immune escape” pandemic will ultimately transition into a hyperacute wave, killing many more millions, as immune selection of a highly virulent CoV is the only way nature can restore the natural host-pathogen balance. Mass vaccination therefore amplified the dramatic consequences of the lab leak of a man-manipulated coronavirus by several orders of magnitude and will be remembered as the largest and most incredible gain-of-function experiment ever conducted in human history.
Transgender athletes and those athletes with differences of sexual development (DSD) will reportedly be banned from competing in female competitions at the Olympics from early next year.
A report in The Times claims this comes after a science-based review undertaken by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) which looked into the permanent physical advantages of being born male.
Previously, Olympic sports had the power individually to decide whether transgender women could compete if they had reduced testosterone levels.
President Donald Trump has announced a landmark deal aiming to expand Medicare coverage to include certain weight-loss medications, a move that could dramatically change access to these treatments for millions of older Americans. On November 6, Trump revealed that his administration had struck agreements with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk, the makers of popular weight-loss drugs including Ozempic and Wegovy, to reduce costs and allow for broader Medicare coverage starting in 2026.
Under the arrangement, prices for GLP-1 drugs—used both for diabetes and obesity—will be slashed for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. The prices of Ozempic and Wegovy will fall from $1,000 and $1,350 per month, respectively, to $350 when purchased through through the TrumpRx.gov website set to launch in January 2026,
Scans revealed a wave of cerebrospinal fluid being expelled from the brain moments after attention dropped and returning a second or so after the lapse ended. Such waves are normally seen in deep sleep and are thought to help the brain flush out metabolic waste that builds up during the day.
Other measurements showed that the pupils of people’s eyes constricted about 12 seconds before the fluid left the brain and returned to normal after the lapse. Breathing and heart rate also fell, the researchers report in Nature Neuroscience.
While more questions remain, the lapses seem to happen when the brain tries to juggle normal cognitive functioning with essential maintenance that is normally carried out during sleep. “It’s your brain trying to take a break,” Yang said.
This graph describes why digital babies appear to be humanity’s best hope for a peaceful and successful future.
Call the process genetic engineering or genetic enhancement or whatever you like, through voluntary selection of better genes, parents will be able to improve their stock, perhaps orders of magnitude above what they have received randomly through Darwinian evolution.
Properly done, human-controlled, conscious evolution will be welcomed by many and will transform human life on earth.
Some planning and moral oversight might be good, but basic Darwinian forces channeled through inevitable human technology and choice will probably suffice to do the job very well.
The limit of human biological IQ is estimated to be around 300.
In a handful of generations it may be possible to boost average global IQs to the 120-150 range.
In my view, that would be wonderful.
From a Buddhist POV, there is zero moral problem with doing this wisely and ethically.
From a technological point of view, this transformation is inevitable.
Once it has been shown to work well and produce healthy and intelligent offspring, almost everyone will want it.
Holdouts must be left free to do as they please.
They will have to answer only to their children and grandchildren, many of whom may not follow in their footsteps. ABN
Japanese and US researchers, led by the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, have completed the first-ever human trial testing the viability of enteral ventilation, where patients with severe respiratory failure could potentially have oxygen delivered through the intestine, allowing the lungs to recover and to prevent further injury.
The procedure’s safety and tolerability was examined on 27 healthy male adults in Japan, who had oxygen-rich fluid pumped into their anus.
“This is the first human data, and the results are limited solely to demonstrating the safety of the procedure and not its effectiveness,” said researcher Takanori Takebe, MD, PhD, from the Cincinnati Children’s and the University of Osaka. “But now that we have established tolerance, the next step will be to evaluate how effective the process is for delivering oxygen to the bloodstream.”
This research first came about after scientists had studied a type of bottom-feeding fish that swallows air from the surface of the water and absorbs oxygen through its gut, supplementing gill function in poor quality conditions. If humans were able to safely absorb super-oxygenated liquid through their colon, into their bloodstream, it has the potential to provide life-saving emergency treatment to people with blocked airways caused by injury or inflammation, or when lung function has been severely compromised.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will begin its annual distribution of RABORAL V-RG®, an oral rabies vaccine (ORV) bait, in select areas in the eastern United States to prevent the spread of raccoon rabies into America’s heartland.
Rabies is a serious public health concern. While rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms appear, it also is 100% preventable. Human exposures can be successfully remedied if medical attention is sought immediately following exposure. Costs associated with rabies detection, prevention, and control may exceed $500 million annually in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 90 percent of reported rabies cases in the United States are in wildlife.
APHIS and its cooperators will begin distributing ORV baits on or about Aug. 13, 2025, across rural areas by airplane and in suburban or urban areas by helicopter, vehicle, and bait station. ORV baits are coated with a fishmeal attractant and are packaged in two-inch plastic sachets or one-inch square cubes.
The RABORAL V-RG® vaccine is safe for many animals, including domestic dogs and cats. Humans and pets cannot get rabies from contact with the baits but should leave them undisturbed if they are encountered. Dogs that consume many baits may experience a temporary upset stomach, but there are no long-term health risks. If people come in contact with baits, they should immediately wash the contact area with warm water and soap.
ORV baits will be distributed during the following time periods and based out of airports in the cities listed below:
In Northeast to Mid-Atlantic states during August:
The Houlton, Maine, project will cover parts of northern Maine and distribute approximately 713,000 ORV baits by airplane and vehicle.
The Brockport, N.Y., project will include areas in western New York and distribute approximately 100,000 ORV baits by airplane. In addition to RABORAL V-RG®, APHIS will distribute another ORV bait, ONRAB, in select areas of New York as part of an ongoing field assessment.
The North Lima, Ohio, project will involve distribution of approximately 729,000 ORV baits in parts of western Pennsylvania. Field assessment of ONRAB will also occur in western Pennsylvania at the same time.
The Buckhannon, W.Va., project will include portions of western Pennsylvania and West Virginia, distributing approximately 364,000 ORV baits by airplane and vehicle. ONRAB field assessment also will take place in select areas of West Virginia.
In Massachusetts from mid-September through mid-October:
The Cape Cod, Mass., project will cover parts of peninsular and mainland Massachusetts and distribute more than 74,000 ORV baits by helicopter, bait station, and vehicle.
In Southern states during October:
The Abingdon, Va., project will cover parts of North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and a small portion of southern West Virginia, distributing more than 634,000 ORV baits by airplane, helicopter, and vehicle.
The Andrews, N.C., project will include areas in western North Carolina and north Georgia and will distribute 410,000 ORV baits by airplane, helicopter and vehicle.
The Dalton, Ga., project will cover areas in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee, distributing approximately 690,000 ORV baits by airplane and helicopter.
The Gadsden, Ala., project will cover parts of northeast and central Alabama (including the Greater Birmingham area) and distribute approximately 718,000 baits by airplane, helicopter, and vehicle.
Friends I have watched decline into alcoholism all displayed this trait.
They were all good people and loved good times, but after years of abuse everything about them declined into dysfunction.
If you know a young person like this, appropriate measures should be taken quickly, before it’s too late.
My nephew started drinking vodka when he was nine years old. Today he is dead.
This gene is a good candidate for gene therapy.
Alcoholism harms not only the alcoholics but also virtually everyone they come into contact with.
If there is a clear, strong genetic factor behind alcoholism, people with that gene should be banned from politics (where today they are functioning very well, for themselves) and probably many other responsible endeavors.
Alcoholics are simply incapable of reasoning well. ABN
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