Since the end of the world didn’t happen, we really don’t know. (NOTE: Subscribers can still listen to this show).
We all know our birthday, but hospice doctors know something we don’t: They know our death day. It turns out our genes do too–researchers believe they have found a gene that regulates the time of day a person is likely to die (NOTE: Subscribers can still listen to this provocative interview). read more
Shyness may be the result of deficits in two areas of the brain. A new study found that people who identify themselves as inhibited may have deficits in the amygdala and the hippocampus regions of the brain. The researchers drew this conclusion after they used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine shy adults with either an inhibited or uninhibited temperament.
And if it has to do with brain structure, then shy adults are more likely to have shy kids. This also means that there is probably a REASON for this–perhaps their shy ancestors survived because they hid when dangerous individuals were near, rather than stepping up to interact with them.
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Does this explain the kind of thing that went on at Columbine?
A recent study suggests that bullying by peers changes the structure surrounding a gene involved in regulating mood, making victims more vulnerable to mental health problems as they age. Researcher Isabelle Ouellet-Morin says, "Many people think that our genes are immutable; however this study suggests that environment, even the social environment, can affect their functioning. This is particularly the case for victimization experiences in childhood, which change not only our stress response but also the functioning of genes involved in mood regulation."
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You can’t yet buy a car that drives itself, but you’ll soon be able to get one that lets you know whether or not you’re a safe driver, by using biometric sensors to check on your vital signs, including pulse, breathing and "skin conductance," (sweaty palms–a sign of your emotional state). That information will then fed into the computer that controls your car’s safety systems, meaning that it might not let you start the car if it decides that you’re not healthy enough to drive.
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