Sex differences in human lifespan are also true in other mammals

In human populations, women live longer than men. Nevertheless, the rate of aging is the same in both sexes. Demographic data from 101 mammalian species shows that the female’s median lifespan is, on average, 18.6% longer than that of males of the same species. However, the difference is very variable across species, meaning other factors need to be considered to explain this variability. In humans, the female advantage is, on average, 7.8%. For example, nine out of 10 people who live to be 110 years old are female. 

Females have two X chromosomes, while males have an X and a Y. The theory is that the extra X in women has a protective effect against harmful mutations and holds true in other species. Nevertheless, the cause for females' long life is probably an interaction between environmental conditions and sex-specific genetic variations. For example, males devote more resources towards specific functions (such as mating, fighting) than females. 

After all, there is hope for men; the risks of dying are not increasing more in males than females as they get older. There are no sex differences in aging rates. Although male mortality is always higher, the difference is due to local environmental conditions and sex-specific reproductive costs. Therefore, the rate of dying evens out for the genders as they age.

Read the whole article in PNAS:

Sex differences in adult lifespan and aging rates of mortality across wild mammals

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Understanding the Coronavirus: The Hammer and the Dance

Adopted from: Coronavirus: The Hammer and the Dance by Tomas Pueyo

The coronavirus is new. We know very very little about it. We have to learn to stop hand-shaking and give hugs. We must open doors with our elbow. We must wash our hands after touching a doorknob. We must disinfect tables before sitting down. Masks can help to avoid infecting other people when we are sick and reduces the likelihood that we get infected. All of these are pretty cheap ways to reduce the transmission rate. The less this virus propagates, the fewer measures we’ll need in the future to contain it.

Strong coronavirus measures today should only last a few weeks, there shouldn’t be a big peak of infections afterward, and it can all be done for a reasonable cost to society, saving millions of lives along the way. If we don’t take these measures, tens of millions will be infected, many will die, along with anybody else that requires intensive care, because the healthcare system will have collapsed.

Read the whole article

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Humanity's grand challenge: hope during the Coronavirus epidemics

What can we learn from Italy and China about the Coronavirus?

Young people (under 30) have much, much lower mortality rates than older individuals.

What can older folks do to improve their chances of recovery? A good diet and social distance is a good start but what is we had a treatment would be a game-changer!  GAMECHANGER Therapy? Hydroxychloroquine & Azithromycin as a COVID-19 treatment... (an antimalarial & an antibiotic). See the chart below, which displays this combo's *stunning* results. Here’s the original article.

Source: Gautret et al., 2020.

Hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin as a treatment of COVID‐19: results of an open‐label non‐randomized clinical trial. International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents – In Press 17 March 2020 – 

DOI : 10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2020.105949

Image, Coronavirus under microscope (NIAID-RML)

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Is the cosmos infinite or discrete?

Is the cosmos infinite or discrete? Currently, physics cannot decide this question. Establishing a solution to this question has ramifications for our understanding of the cosmos, theoretical physics, pure mathematics, and even programming. 

The answer is related to dimensionality. In mathematics, the number of dimensions reflects the number of independent characteristics you can adjust. In quantum mechanics, every possible position of the electron defines a different state space, but holographic spaces, such as black holes, have a limited description.

Is the cosmos infinite or discrete? Separating a compact space from the universe by an information blocking horizon gives rise to a wave function, i.e., the particles. Compact dimensions define the wave function's discrete frequencies. Insulation of the wave function frees the particle from gravity, which permits entanglement. The waves can form fluid-like behavior, such as interference and entanglement. For example, interference occurs as ripples combine on the surface of a pond.

The universe is in constant change. Interaction switches the rates of oscillations of the compact dimensions, but it also changes the volume of space (Figure 1). The universe acts like a giant clock, with the compact dimensions forming its small hand. Gravity is the big hand, which indicates our distance from the poles (white and black holes); we are located at about halfway between the poles (Figure 2). The answer to the question in the title is both discrete and infinite! When viewed within gravity regions, the universe is discrete, but it expands into infinity within white holes (the cosmic voids). 

Figure 2. Compact dimensions are separated from the space top; interaction changes the volume of space around entangled particles. Interaction changes the shape of space and forms the smooth topology of gravity. 

Figure 2. The horizontal lines indicate the compact dimensions. Energy levels are increasing, but frequencies are decreasing from the top toward the bottom. Interaction changes the gravity (S shape) between the poles of the universe (black holes and white holes). 

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Visions of hope

More than half of Americans are currently living with at least one chronic disease and nearly a third of patients are managing two or more of these conditions. Patients often lack community support and proper counseling to care for their illness. Growing evidence indicates that spiritual practices enhance personal resilience even under challenging circumstances. 

My book, "Visions of Hope," is published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. The manuscript recognizes the surprising parallels between the long struggle of chronic disease and Jesus’ last torturous hours. It uses the ‘Stations of the Cross’ as a symbolic framework in the counseling of patients. Combining the wisdom of the Bible (Stations) with modern considerations of positive psychology gives a practical guide map for coping and facing the many trying facets of chronic disease. The thought-provoking text leads the reader through the trials of despair by giving meaning to suffering and assigning value to social connections. The book does not shy away from discussing the most difficult questions the reader might face, including the need to face death and what happens after we die. Original illustrations, religious and spiritual texts bring the content into a sharper focus for the reader in an aesthetically pleasing and meaningful volume.

Visions of Hope; Reflections for Chronic Patients Based on the Stations of the Cross (Wipf and stock) can be found at these fine booksellers. You can ask your local library for a copy.

      





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Science or fiction? Super-conduction of both electricity and energy

An immense amount of energy is lost in power lines and machinery every year. There is a fierce worldwide competition to find more efficient energy and electricity transport. 

Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) is a superfluid state in which atoms or particles flow without friction. The phenomenon was predicted nearly a hundred years ago by Albert Einstein and Satyendra Nath Bose. Bose-Einstein condensation was first produced from rubidium atoms in 1995 on temperatures near absolute zero. Recently its existence has been found at a much warmer temperature (still way too cold for your sandwich). The finding can open new possibilities for high-temperature superconductivity (to transport energy without loss).

Exciton condensate is similar to Bose-Einstein condensate, but it conducts energy instead with nearly zero loss. To generate both states in the same material would revolutionize many industries. Theoretically, at least, there is a condition when both beneficial states exist together. The combination of superconductivity and exciton condensates would be useful in lots of applications, such as electronics, spintronics, quantum computing. Read more: phys.org 

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Can overdiagnosis of cancer become a problem?

Cancer is the leading cause of death across the globe. For years now, researchers have led meticulous studies focused on how to stop this deadly disease in its tracks. An estimated 1 in 2 people now receive a cancer diagnosis at some point in their lives and with that comes overdiagnosis, which can reach up to 11,000 cancers in women and 18,000 cancers in men each year. Cancer overdiagnosis can negatively impact a person’s mental health and cause them to undergo harsh treatments when they may not be necessary.

Most overdiagnoses occur during routine procedures that detect cancers that would otherwise remain undetected. In addition, early detection of abnormal cells could also be attributed to overdiagnosis. Many people would argue that overdiagnosis is better than underdiagnosis, and that screening has already been at the heart of saving many people’s lives.

There are many treatments available to treat the cancers and many people are able to have long, healthy lives when they use maintenance therapy to manage these types of cancer. It is important to note that when a person receives a treatment harsher than is necessary for their type of cancer, a doctor has misdiagnosed cancer, not overdiagnosed it. Cancer screenings nevertheless save lives, and ultimately, the earlier they detect cancer, the higher the chance of survival and the lower the chance of recurrence.

The evidence for this is irrefutable.

Read more:

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321106

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