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Things are definitely starting to heat up again, and global warming may speed up the pace of evolution in mammals. Will we get smarter in order to save ourselves?

In warmer climates, the cells that eventually develop into sperm and eggs divide more frequently. In BBC News, Victoria Gill quotes researcher Len Gillman as saying, “An increase in cell division provides more opportunities for mutations in the population over a given time. This increases the probability of advantageous mutations that are selected for within the species.”
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Whitley has an implant from the Visitors that he’s still learning how to use. But humans put implants into people as well: paralyzed people and amputees who use computers to control bionic limbs and to access the internet (they can even twitter). Now scientists have found a way to allow brain signals to control a computer without implants, by using microelectrodes that sit on top of the brain, but don’t penetrate it.
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More than just losing your money! – Smoking and drinking go together, and gambling? That too. And new research suggests that casino workers face a higher risk of heart disease and lung cancer because they work in buildings filled with tobacco smoke.

By one scientist’s calculation, six of every 10,000 nonsmoking casino employees in Pennsylvania alone will die each year because of exposure to secondhand smoke. Imagine what the statistics must be in Las Vegas!

Scientists expect that more than 90% of the deaths will be from heart disease, with the rest from lung cancer, which is uncommon in nonsmokers. Researcher James Repace says, “The only other group that’s exposed so much is bartenders.”
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Drinking 5 cups of coffee a day could reverese the memory problems of Alzheimer’s disease, making coffee a unique (or maybe not so unique) medicine.

Scientists proved it on mice, anyway. They found that caffeine reduced the production of those plaques that clog up the brain when you have that disease.

BBC News quotes researcher Dr Gary Arendash as saying that his research provides “evidence that caffeine could be a viable ‘treatment’ for established Alzheimer’s disease and not simply a protective strategy.”

Speaking of coffee, Did you know that you can keep us going for less than a latte a WEEK: Less than $12 gets you a 3-month subscription. So what are you waiting for? Subscribe today!

Art credit: Dreamstime.com

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