Category: Health Informatics

  • Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity: fact or fiction?

    Recently I’ve become aware of more and more concern about the electromagnetic soup we are embedded in from all of our various gadgets. While Europe has taken a much more cautious approach on this, the USA as always, has let free enterprise rule. Here is a fairly balanced Wiki article on this topic. Needless to…

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  • How language drives biology and culture

    How language transformed humanity | GrrlScientist | Science | guardian.co.uk Interesting TED Video and article suggesting that language has driven all biological and cultural evolution and is our most powerful neurological social technology allowing us to implant a thought into someone’s mind without the need for surgery according to Mark Pagel. Language created social learning…

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  • Thomas Lovejoy featured at Johns Hopkins University Krieger School of Arts & Sciences ceremonies

    Introduced by noted anthropologist and dean Katherine Newman the graduation ceremony for JHU Krieger School of Arts and Sciences featured Thomas Lovejoy, founder of Nature series on PBS  and the Biodiversity Chair at the Heinz Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment based in Washington, DC. Lovejoy noted that “human creativity is without limits” and critical…

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  • Hamilton college alumni weekend features new science center and other innovations

    I just returned from alumni weekend at Hamilton College and was amazed at the evolution of this school since I completed my studies there. A new science center that looks like an Apple store, expanding visibility for its expertise in writing, media and communications, a dynamic network of alumni and new e-learning platforms connecting it…

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  • Wifi laptops exposure and reproductive health

    For years, other countries have been far more cautious about the impacts of electromagnetic radiation on human health than in the US and far too little is known about this as we increasingly expose ourselves to these fields. In parts of Europe for example there are much stricter regulations on exposure to EMFs than in…

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  • Sugar as a toxin: YouTube video of biochemistry and evolutionary medicine

    Recently a YouTube video explaining the biochemistry of sugar has elevated public awareness of thousands of Americans enough to question heir intake. Much of the research, this speaker notes, points to sugar as a direct toxin, including more recent discoveries on its effect on insulin signaling and cancer. Of course anthropologists have long documented the…

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  • The promise and perils of cities

    Cities have been the engines of civilization for millennia, serving as places where the arts, commerce, and ideas flourish.  But as we are reminded in a recent article, the close social interactions that make a city so productive also proved ideal for tuberculosis, measles, the plague, and many other diseases. In European capitals, circa 1800,…

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  • Johns Hopkins researchers identify health benefits in hallucinogenic mushrooms

    Anthropology has long documented that most traditional medical systems use indigenous plants often with psychoactive, spiritual effects. Recently researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have been studying the effects of psilocybin, a chemical found in some psychedelic mushrooms, that’s credited with inducing transcendental states. Now, they say, they’ve zeroed in on the perfect…

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  • BU Executive Leadership Center: Leading Clean Energy Ventures

    Nice new center that will work to build clean energy ventures. Executive Leadership Center: Leading Clean Energy Ventures. Related articles United States Aims To Win Clean Energy Race (earthtechling.com) The New Sustainable Energy Factbook: A Strong Case for Consistent Policy (thinkprogress.org) Department of Defense: Clean Energy Tied to National Security (climateandsecurity.org) Greenpeace report urges 100%…

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  • Fitbit: Personal Informatics to track sleep and movement

    I’ve been using this device for some months and it is excellent for visualizing your movements including sleep habits. Fitbit. Related articles Check yourself with the new Fitbit One (bestbuymobile.com) Fitbit Ultra Wireless Activity and Sleep Tracker (bestbuymobile.com) Staying healthy is finally addicting, thanks to Fitbit! (bestbuymobile.com) Fitbit Ultra Wireless Activity Plus Sleep Tracker Review…

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