On:

Let’s try to make 2010 an organic year! Pesticides can be dangerous in surprising ways: For instance, Insecticide exposure may increase the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis and lupus in post-menopausal women.

Farming and agricultural pesticide exposure has been linked to the development of rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, but it is unclear whether pesticide exposure in other settings might also increase risk of disease.

Researcher Christine G. Parks says, “Our results provide support for the idea that environmental factors may increase susceptibility or trigger the development of autoimmune diseases in some individuals.”
read more

On:

If waterworld is our path in the future, we may ALL need levees to keep away the water, and if they fail, like they did in New Orleans during Katrina, we’ll need PLUGS.

Researcher Wil Laska has invented technology to quickly seal a levee breach and reduce floodwaters through the opening within four to six hours of detection, before the water can do major damage. He thinks the best solution is a large balloon or tub that is light enough to be transported by helicopter and flexible enough to adapt to a wide range of environmental situations. When launched or dropped, the tube would in quick succession fill with water, float on the flood currents to the breach, and adhere to the breach in the levee that had failed. When Laska tested this, it worked.
read more

On:

Most people will drink alcohol on New Year’s Eve, but those who do something else may wonder where those marijuana munchies come from. People who smoke pot almost always raid the refrigerator afterwards, but what is it about marijuana that causes them to do this?

It turns out that it’s all about having a sweet tooth: Researchers have discovered that cannabis acts directly on the tongue’s taste buds to enhance sweet taste. Biologist Robert Margolskee says, “Our taste cells may be more involved in regulating our appetites than we had previously known. Better understanding of the driving forces for eating and overeating could lead to interventions to stem the burgeoning rise in obesity and related diseases.”
read more

On:

If contact comes? – Will the Visitors reveal themselves soon? Whitley’s new journal talks about why contact may not come until our brains are ready for it. And for subscribers, Anne Strieber explains how the Grays are CHANGING our brains to make us ready!

Art credit: Dreamstime.com

NOTE: This news story, previously published on our old site, will have any links removed.read more