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Tai chi chih, the Westernized version of the 2,000-year-old Chinese martial art characterized by slow movement and meditation, significantly boosts the immune systems of older adults. And researchers are making robots that move more efficiently by teaching them tai chi.

The immune systems’ defenses against the painful, blistery rash known as shingles, which is the adult version of Chicken Pox, were stronger in a group of over 100 adults, ranging in age from 59 to 86, who practiced tai chi. If tai chi strengthens the immune system, it may explain why it is so popular in China.
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Despite the fact that sunspot activity has been at an all time high recently, we reported (3 years ago) that the sun can’t be blamed for global warming. A new scientific study confirms this.

In BBC News, Richard Black writes that the latest study shows that the Sun’s output has actually declined during the last 20 years, while temperatures on the earth have been steadily rising. He quotes UK astronomer Mike Lockwood as saying, “This should settle the debate.”

Art credit: gimp-savvy.com
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In her new diary, Anne Strieber writes: “You often see little kids squeezing their eyes closed and putting their fingers in their ears so they don?t have to see (or hear) anything they don’t want to. When we grow up, there are still many facts we would rather not hear (about the illness or death of a loved one, for instance), but we no longer expect to be able to avoid learning bad news?But doing the right thing, despite what others may say about you at the time, is what history tells us that truly great leaders have always done.”

NOTE: This news story, previously published on our old site, will have any links removed.read more

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In order to fulfill the Kyoto Agreement, some countries volunteered to plant more trees, but it turns out that this doesn’t help nearly as much as everyone hoped it would. A new study shows that forests in the US and other northern mid- and upper-latitude regions are playing a smaller role in offsetting global warming than previously thought, but intact tropical forests are removing an unexpectedly high proportion of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, partially offsetting carbon entering the air through industrial emissions and deforestation. The message from all this? We need to save our rainforests!
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