I realize this post lacks purpose. I'm just excited...

Yes, that title is a bit ostentatious. But the foods we eat contain many compounds that can be beneficial to brain health. One strategy for optimizing our brains for long-term peak performance is to identify these compounds and discover how they are beneficial. Head-healthy chemicals have previously been isolated from curries and spices before, and it looks like we've found another curcuminoid, bisdemethoxycurcumin, which may be useful in combating Alzheimer's Disease: Researchers have isolated bisdemethoxycurcumin, the active ingredient of curcuminoids -- a natural substance found in…

Put a fork in 'em. The ultraconservative in centrist's clothing is toast.

Kinkade, the self-professed "painter of light", is known to be a rather boorish businessperson, to put it politely. I have long been uncomfortable, however, looking at the hackneyed Hallmark "art" he produces, but I could never understand why. Could it be that Thomas Kinkade, aka painter of light aka Lucifer, the light-bearer, be the source of all evil, and that evil be reflected in his paintings? Now I have proof.

It looks like somebody either never heard of Dover, or refused to learn from their lesson. It seems the local ID supporters of Chesterfield County aren't happy: So far, the official actions of the CCSB have been limited to issuing a rather vague and confusing statement. ID proponents had hoped to influence the selection of science textbooks, but they started their campaign too late, and the CCSB approved the selection of standard biology texts. But there is still much concern about the situation in Chesterfield. ID supporters, backed by a local conservative group called the Family…

I just noticed a comment in my Undergraduate Research Changed My Life post from a friend of mine; Camilo at Mercurical tagged me with the "8 Things" meme. Ok ok ok. I should just jump on this bandwagon as well. After all, Wilkins is doing it, and Tara at Aetiology issued a blanket tag for everybody that reads her blog (which I do regularly, so heck with it I better do this). Here are 8 things about me, in no particular order: 1. I was adopted out by Catholic Social Services at the ripe old age of 9 days, in Macomb IL. (Yeah yeah, that one is in order). 2. Cooking is something I like…

The Alliance for Science, a wonderful group of which I am a member, has a link about a survey that examines public perception of the new Creation Museum. Having recently visited the Propoganda Ministry Museum myself, I was very underwhelmed. I will report my experiences there in a future post replete with pictures. I feel bad because I haven't been keeping up on the evolution/science activism side of my life for a very long time now, aside from this post and pushing the Alliance for Science's Evolution Essay Contest, I have done very little this year to even address the issue. Might have…

I recently posted three "Basics"-style blurbs about menopause and hormone therapy (HT). If you missed it, they are here, here, and here. The field has gone through a lot of upheaval since the WHI studies in 2002, and I would just like to share my thoughts on how to approach where we stand now. These are the sorts of questions and considerations that researchers and health care professionals need to keep in mind when they evaluate HT. After the reference-heavy previous posts this one is going to just be my thoughts, and very off-the-cuff at that. We, as humans, have a tendency to put…

I'm pretty hyped to see The Simpsons Movie, so of course I have to jump on the "make your own avatar bandwagon". Here's me, rendered as a Simpson's character...

My dad passed away on June 21st at 1:28 pm. I haven't posted anything about it yet because I had to take some time to clear my head. Part of my sporadic posting has been due in large part to his health issues, as he has been steadily spiraling downward in his battle with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma for the last few months. So as I've been bouncing back and forth halfway across the country for a while now, well, blogging just hasn't been of much interest to me. I'll try to rectify that in the near future. I drove home the weekend before to see him and scarcely got back to my apartment before I…

I've been reading the Brian Herbert/Kevin J. Anderson prequels and sequels to the late Frank Herbert's Dune series. Dune is arguably the most influential sci-fi series ever, and in my opinion one of the best ever written, even Frank Herbert's later books in the series which people tend to shun. However, I simply cannot stand KJ Anderson's writing style, and his influence on Brian Herbert and the prequels/sequels is particularly onerous. I find him to be completely without talent for the genre. His penchant for merely dragging the story through a series of plot points is perhaps the most…

This is the third part in an overview of menopause and hormone therapy. Parts one and two are here and here. This time around I describe changes in cognitive and behavioral profiles for women and animal models of menopause. I may decide to expand on a handful of studies at a later date, but for now I wanted to provide a very brief overview of human studies, problems inherent to human studies, and animal studies. I think the next part of this series will focus on the quality of our animal models and what they have to tell us. But for now, anyone who is interested in these issues knows where…

This is the second of a series that examines menopause, hormone therapy, and consequences of each. Today's installment looks at the makeup of common hormones on the market, physiological consequences of hormone loss and replacement, and the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) studies. A slight emphasis is placed on Alzheimer's Disease as a segway to the next installments, which will focus on cognitive and neurobiological consequences of menopause and hormone therapy. Components of Common Hormone Therapies 17-beta estradiol (E2), the primary circulating estrogen during reproductive years, was…

I thought I'd hop on the Basics bandwagon. Here's an oldy of mine with some menopause and hormone therapy background. WARNING: rampant pharmaceutical company sexism ahead. Do not attempt to communicate or reason with Zuska for at least 4 hours after reading. Rumor also has it that Tara is advocating for a beat-down. Parts II and III are here and here. The Transition to Menopause Menopause is defined as the cessation of ovarian function. It occurs at the average age of 50 in women, is accompanied by a decrease in circulating levels of estrogen and progesterone associated with the loss of…

Lots of talk today about the joys of undergraduate research sparked by a recent study (the results of which can be found here). Chad has a post or two that I like on the matter. I thought I would throw my personal two cents in the ring as well, since undergraduate research has factored heavily into my career choices. When I got to college at a small liberal arts school in Illinois, I was unsure what career plans were. I had some vague interest in being a lawyer or potentially some sort of psychologist, but nothing tickled my fancy. My thoughts turned to science in my first year, and I went…

It has come to my attention that Kurt Vonnegut has passed away. His death was reported by Morgan Entrekin, a longtime family friend, who said Vonnegut suffered brain injuries as a result of a fall several weeks ago. I need not delve into Vonnegut's literary exploits. Suffice to say he led an amazing, full life and reflected that in his writings, where his compassion for the human race was colored with poignant dark humor. Few authors today can claim to have had such an enormous impact crossing so many generations and cultural themes. Sleep well, Mr. Vonnegut. "We are healthy only to the…

Yet again, another Jesus flare-up. Rob Knop posted his personal religious views and the prophetical shit hath hit the fan. I swear the science and spirituality debate is like a bad case of hemorrhoids. Some of us just never had these problems that result from self-identification. I stress the self part because, as Chris Rowan points out, the whole discussion really is about how individuals reconcile their personal views with physical realities. We only run into problems when we start trying to pigeon-hole everybody else. Which is why when it comes to my personal beliefs/lack thereof,…

Welcome to the latest edition of the Tangled Bank! We appear to have a smaller bank than normal this week, perhaps everybody is exhausted after the Valentine's Day festivities. As for me, well, 2006 ended on an extremely bad series of notes and that has unfortunately spilled over into 2007, but that's a post for another time. Coupled with some lovely computer issues, The Bank is a couple days late. Apologies all around and I'm swearing off hosting any blog carnivals until I get my life (and computer) in order. As a side note, when you submit articles to TB please make a conscious effort…