Sleep Doctors Reveal Exactly What to Do the Day After a Bad Night of Sleep to Recover Fast - Women’s Health https://apple.news/APQSaLUPjS-ycaMckOtYIYw
Monday, September 14
A fossil feather preserved inside dinosaur poop could help explain why birds survived the mass extinction
A fossil feather preserved inside dinosaur poop could help explain why birds survived the mass extinction
Birds are a specialized kind of dinosaur, and they've been around for a long time. The earliest known bird is Archaeopteryx, from 150 million years ago, and birds continued to evolve and co-exist alongside their fellow dinosaurs for nearly 100 million years. In the aftermath of the Earth’s collision with an asteroid 66 million years ago, nearly all the dinosaurs, including nearly all the birds, went extinct. But one group of birds, Neornithes, survived, and every living bird today is one of their descendants.
One of the biggest mysteries in paleontology is why this one small group of birds survived, when all the other birds and all the other dinosaurs died out.
“We think the types of feathers that these birds had, and/or the way they molted those feathers, may have been one of the underlying causes of the selectivity of the end-Cretaceous mass extinction—essentially, why some birds died out and why others survived,” she says.
The feathers on a bird’s body help insulate it from the cold. If the hesperornithiforms’ and enantiornithines’ feathers weren’t as good at keeping their bodies warm as Neornithes’ feathers, that could have been a major factor in these groups’ abilities to survive the impact winter following the asteroid strike 66 million years ago.
Thursday, September 10
Fwd: Know the signs of heat stroke and heat exhaustion
🥵 Good advice during these very hot days from climate change:
Begin forwarded message:
Begin forwarded message:
From: UCLA Health <myhealth@h.uclahealth.org>
Date: September 9, 2026 at 3:04:16 PM PDT
To: serviceforlee@icloud.com
Subject: Know the signs of heat stroke and heat exhaustion
Reply-To: UCLA Health <reply-DBTXJHWC4YNE5A23UKCICZG5SE.130024@h.uclahealth.org>
Date: September 9, 2026 at 3:04:16 PM PDT
To: serviceforlee@icloud.com
Subject: Know the signs of heat stroke and heat exhaustion
Reply-To: UCLA Health <reply-DBTXJHWC4YNE5A23UKCICZG5SE.130024@h.uclahealth.org>
UCLA Health: Center for High Quality Health Care Services
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Friday, July 10
Outbreak of diarrhea-causing parasite grows to more than 1,000 cases — The Associated Press
Good advice! 👍🏼
“How can you protect yourself from cyclospora? 😱
People who have diarrhea that hasn’t gone away on its own within a few days should see a health provider and discuss the possibility of cyclospora, officials say.
The best way to prevent infection with a parasite is to avoid food or water that may have been contaminated.
Fresh produce should be thoroughly washed before being eaten. But be aware that cyclospora can really stick to some foods, so washing may not eliminate the risk of infection.
As Michigan officials investigate the potential source, they recommend consumers purchase whole heads of lettuce rather than prewashed, bagged lettuce or salad mixes, and to remove the outer two to three leaves before washing the remaining leaves under running water.
They also say to cook vegetables when possible.”
Excerpt From
“Growing outbreak of parasite causing severe diarrhea is investigated in dozens of states”
The Associated Press
https://apple.news/AcT-CD1AATuSvKxIdUCQ2FQ
This material may be protected by copyright.
Tuesday, July 7
How to stop A.I. from ruining how you think
How to stop ChatGPT from ruining how you think
To prevent ChatGPT from diminishing your critical thinking and creativity, set boundaries, encourage skepticism, and actively engage your own cognitive processes rather than outsourcing them entirely.
Understand the Risks
Over-reliance on ChatGPT can reduce your ability to think independently. It can eliminate productive struggle, the mental effort required to connect ideas and solve problems, which is essential for creativity and memory formation
Medium
. Using ChatGPT for instant answers can lead to cognitive offloading, where your brain stops storing information because it knows the AI can provide it on demand
Forbes
. This may result in fuzzier thinking, reduced problem-solving skills, and a diminished sense of ownership over your ideas
The Conversation
. Additionally, ChatGPT’s tendency to agree with you—known as sycophancy—can prevent you from stress-testing your ideas and recognizing flaws
Practical Strategies to Maintain Independent Thinking
- Customize ChatGPT to Challenge You
Use the personalization settings to instruct ChatGPT to be skeptical and critical. For example, in the Custom Instructions box, you can write: “You are an expert who double-checks things, is skeptical, and does research. I am not always right, and neither are you, but we both strive for accuracy.”This encourages the AI to provide constructive pushback rather than simply agreeing - Preserve Productive Struggle
Start tasks on your own before consulting ChatGPT. Write your first draft, outline, or solution independently, then use the AI to refine or critique your work. This leverages the Generation Effect, which strengthens memory and understanding through active creation - Limit Iterations and Options
Avoid endless AI-generated alternatives. Limit yourself to a few options (e.g., three drafts) and make decisions based on your judgment. This reduces decision fatigue and prevents reliance on AI for every choice - Schedule Tech-Free Thinking Time
Dedicate blocks of time without AI or digital tools to engage in deep thinking, brainstorming, or problem-solving. Activities like walking or journaling can boost creativity and reinforce independent cognitive skills - Use AI as a Tool, Not a Crutch
Treat ChatGPT as a supplement for fact-checking, idea refinement, or brainstorming, rather than a replacement for your own reasoning. Prioritize tasks that require genuine creativity and critical thinking for your own mental effort, and offload only routine or repetitive tasks
Key Takeaway
By customizing AI behavior, preserving mental effort, limiting reliance, and creating tech-free spaces, you can use ChatGPT effectively without letting it erode your memory, creativity, or critical thinking. The goal is to maintain your cognitive independence while benefiting from AI as a supportive tool
Thursday, May 14
Activities that challenge your mind may help maintain brain health — CBS News
“"We want to do things that you have to learn something new or engage in that in a new way," said Pike, adding, "There are multiple ways that you can think about it. The key step is to learn and for it to be novel or new."
Along with a game like chess, in which players must respond to a competitor's moves, Pike also recommended options like picking up a new musical instrument, learning a language, or reading about a previously unfamiliar topic.
She also stressed the importance of maintaining social connections.
"We know, based on science, that individuals who are isolated have a 70% greater risk of cognitive decline," Pike said, making it an important aspect of "brain activation."
More information about the Alzheimer's Association's "(re)think your brain" initiative and "6-Step Challenge" is available online at rethinkyourbrain.org. Users can sign up for the challenge there, and elect to receive daily action steps and guidance via text or email.”
Excerpt From
“Activities that challenge your mind may help maintain brain health”
Emily Mae Czachor
CBS News
https://apple.news/Aj9jdY3yfSveR_ryMNZA7iA
This material may be protected by copyright.
Monday, May 13
The new science of death: ‘There’s something happening in the brain that makes no sense’ - The Guardian
Wow 🤯!! Fascinating 🧐. Reminds me of my Dad's study of parapsychology 🙏 only this is hardcore science 👍🏼. - Lee
"In the moments after Patient One was taken off oxygen, there was a surge of activity in her dying brain. Areas that had been nearly silent while she was on life support suddenly thrummed with high-frequency electrical signals called gamma waves. In particular, the parts of the brain that scientists consider a "hot zone" for consciousness became dramatically alive. In one section, the signals remained detectable for more than six minutes. In another, they were 11 to 12 times higher than they had been before Patient One's ventilator was removed.
Given the levels of activity and connectivity in particular regions of her dying brain, Borjigin believes it's likely that Patient One had a profound near-death experience with many of its major features: out-of-body sensations, visions of light, feelings of joy or serenity, and moral re-evaluations of one's life.
It is the hope that by transcending the current limits of science and of our bodies, we will achieve not a deeper understanding of death, but a longer and more profound experience of life. That, perhaps, is the real attraction of the near-death experience: it shows us what is possible not in the next world, but in this one."
The new science of death: 'There's something happening in the brain that makes no sense' - The Guardian
https://apple.news/A-bodnuXOTcGTMozQgMdvPw
https://apple.news/A-bodnuXOTcGTMozQgMdvPw
Friday, May 10
Neuroscientists warn of 'cascading' Alzheimer's risk from these two habits - Newsweek
Neuroscientists warn of 'cascading' Alzheimer's risk from these two habits - Newsweek
Scientists believe that Alzheimer's is caused by the abnormal buildup of proteins in and around our brain cells, although exactly what triggers this buildup is still unclear.
But what we do know is that our risk of developing Alzheimer's is dependent on a range of genetic and environmental factors. And among these environmental factors are alcohol consumption and chronic stress.
https://apple.news/AzWO6T0sJQ3KPoryw1MxKiA
Tuesday, March 26
Scientists may have discovered what causes long COVID brain fog - Prevention
It's a small sample, but results seem clear 🥹🧐. Here's an excerpt:
The scientists then did MRI scans with dye of 22 people with long COVID, along with 10 people who recovered from COVID-19. They found that long COVID patients who had brain fog had signs of a leaky blood-brain barrier. Specifically, the dye injected into the bloodstream leaked into their brains and pooled in regions that play a role in language, memory, mood, and vision.
Scientists may have discovered what causes long COVID brain fog - Prevention
https://apple.news/A_3hSfAuLQ5OvqMGgfoHU2w
https://apple.news/A_3hSfAuLQ5OvqMGgfoHU2w
Wednesday, December 20
😩 Surges of flu, COVID, and RSV - Simultaneous!
WINTER ILLNESS THIS YEAR IS A DIFFERENT KIND OF UGLY
Facing down simultaneous surges of flu, COVID, and RSV, most Americans still aren't getting the vaccines that could temper the worst effects.
Wednesday, December 6
The Scientist Who Wants to Show You How to Live for a Really, Really Long Time - Popular Mechanics
Very interesting 🧐! We need to do this to live long!!
The Scientist Who Wants to Show You How to Live for a Really, Really Long Time - Popular Mechanics
https://apple.news/AXKgzZTa2TvCRAw5X7f3bJA
https://apple.news/AXKgzZTa2TvCRAw5X7f3bJA
Modern healthcare, as Hood sees it, is reactive when it should be preventive. If a person gets sick, they go to a doctor and get treatment. If the treatment works, they will get better—but damage may have already been done in waiting. If things don't get better, their condition worsens and other associated diseases may emerge.
Hood—who is best known for inventing revolutionary biological instruments that paved way for the Human Genome Project and pioneering systems biology, an all-encompassing approach to science—feels uniquely qualified to captain a movement toward a new, wellnessdriven health system.
Incurable, debilitating disease is an outcome that Hood has grown determined to avert. He's turned himself into a kind of guinea pig for longevity. Some of his habits are pure orthodox: He believes exercise has helped him live long and stay sharp. (It was an easy and familiar habit for the high school quarterback who climbed Yosemite's El Capitan in his youth.) But he also regularly screens his body for toxins like mercury and lead. He takes drugs like NAD+, which has been shown to slow aging in animals, but is still considered unproven. As he puts it: "I am a living experiment."
Incurable, debilitating disease is an outcome that Hood has grown determined to avert. He's turned himself into a kind of guinea pig for longevity. Some of his habits are pure orthodox: He believes exercise has helped him live long and stay sharp. (It was an easy and familiar habit for the high school quarterback who climbed Yosemite's El Capitan in his youth.) But he also regularly screens his body for toxins like mercury and lead. He takes drugs like NAD+, which has been shown to slow aging in animals, but is still considered unproven. As he puts it: "I am a living experiment."
HOOD BELIEVES THAT WE NEED A GLOBAL healthcare revolution. "What I'd like to do is basically convert healthcare from a disease-driven entity," he says, "to a wellness- and prevention-driven entity." And he's confident that innovations in engineering, biology, and data science have equipped us to do that by making much more sophisticated predictions with better opportunities for intervention.
Wednesday, November 29
Monday, November 20
Fwd: Covid Special Report
Good and scary info that we should all be aware of. Get the booster shots asap. Stay healthy! 👍🏼👍🏼
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: National Geographic <ng@email.nationalgeographic.com>
Date: Wed, Nov 15, 2023 at 3:25 PM
Subject: COVID SPECIAL REPORT: How this virus attacks your body
Date: Wed, Nov 15, 2023 at 3:25 PM
Subject: COVID SPECIAL REPORT: How this virus attacks your body
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