It starts out small — a pile of yearbooks here, a box of old photos there. But before you can turn around (if you can turn around), all the surfaces in your home are overflowing with “things,” and finding a clear walkway is like finding a needle in a clutterstack. It’s natural to want to […]
The last time I had my heart broken — I mean truly smashed, shattered, destroyed — I couldn’t fathom a future in which I was “over it.” For what felt like forever, a dull, aching pain gripped me during the day and haunted my dreams at night. It was brutal. I did get over it, eventually,
What Happens in the Body When Your Heart Is Broken — And How to Heal It Continue Reading »
When archaeologists opened King Tutankhamun’s tomb in Egypt in the 1920s, the unexpected deaths among members of the excavation team that followed sparked rumors of a “pharaoh’s curse.” Decades later, doctors speculated that fungal spores may have contributed to those deaths. Now, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have found a new way to harness that fungus: using it to treat leukemia. Detailing their findings in the journal Nature Chemical Biology, the scientists isolated a new class of molecules from Aspergillus flavus, a toxic crop fungus linked to infamous deaths following the excavations of ancient tombs. After the chemicals were modified, the resulting compound showed “promising” cancer-killing properties that rivaled FDA-approved drugs when tested against leukemia cells, according to a press release, opening new frontiers for fungal medicines. “Nature has given us this incredible pharmacy,” senior author Sherry Gao said. “It’s up to us to uncover its secrets. As engineers, we’re excited to keep exploring, learning from nature, and using that knowledge to design better solutions.”
Scientists Harness “Pharaoh’s Curse” Toxic Fungus to Create an Anti-Cancer Drug Continue Reading »
How many times have you used the words “good” or “bad” today? From checking your weather app to monitoring the progress you’ve made on your to-do list, to scrolling through social media, opportunities to make snap evaluations abound. And the more you sort things into these categories, the more instinctive making these judgments becomes. You may find yourself filtering everything that comes your way in terms of “good” or “bad.” A dark cloud triggers “bad,” a social media post of baby animals triggers “good,” a news story about a political scuffle triggers “bad.” Whether you think something is good or bad, or worthy of a like or not, is an important piece of information. But if that categorization is the only thing that’s on your mind, the only lens through which you interpret the world, you’ll miss out on a lot. I’m a philosopher who specializes in happiness, well-being and the good life. I study how one’s state of mind influences one’s experiences of the world. In my recent book “The Art of the Interesting,” I explore the ways the evaluative perspective squashes your ability to experience psychological richness and other positive dimensions of life. The more you instinctively react with a “good” or a “bad,” the less of the world you take in. You’ll be less likely to engage your mind, exercise curiosity and have interesting experiences.
“I should’ve known better.” “C’mon, you’ve got this!” “It’s just my luck.” There’s a decent chance you’ve heard these phrases before — right inside your very own head. That’s because they’re common examples of self-talk, the internal dialogue we have with ourselves throughout the day. At certain times it’s unconscious and at others it’s obvious,
Back in April, we wrote about the power of forgiveness and the scientific reasons it can pay to let things go. But after you enjoy the increased peace, meaning, and purpose that forgiving someone can offer, should you take it a step further and try to reconcile? Well, that’s where it gets a bit tricky.
If you share a bed with your sweetie, consider incorporating this step into your nighttime routine if you aren’t already: a snuggle sesh before sprawling out in starfish position or firing up the CPAP machine. A study found that couples who cuddled prior to drifting off experienced less stress and more feelings of security in
More than 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease, and while most adults are familiar with the outward signs, the inner experience is in large part a mystery to those without the condition. Moreover, memory loss, which is most widely associated with the disease, is just one symptom. Many people who have dementia caused
A campaigner who climbed Mount Everest to install a defibrillator has revealed the device saved a woman’s life — just three weeks later. David Sullivan founded Code Blue CPR, an organization that teaches people lifesaving CPR and installs defibrillators across England, after he lost four close friends, all under the age of 45, to cardiac arrest. Sullivan, 62, has spent the last several years traveling around the world trying to improve cardiac survival rates. Earlier this year, he ventured to the Himalayas, where he installed what he says is the world’s highest defibrillator. The dad of four from Oxted, England, first climbed to an altitude of 22,000 feet to test the defibrillator — and then descended to one of the villages near Everest Base Camp, at just over 16,500 feet, to install the device for use.
Trying to kick a drinking or smoking habit? Living in an area with ample green spaces may be the answer. A new study out of the University of Exeter found that people with more nature in their neighborhoods had a lower likelihood of smoking and consuming alcohol daily. After evaluating residents in 18 countries and
Those Living Near Nature Drink and Smoke Less, Study Shows Continue Reading »
