- Better sleep, less likely to catch a cold. Subjects were exposed to a cold virus. Those who’d slept longer during the preceding weeks were less likely to come down with cold symptoms. Likewise, those with higher “sleep efficiency” (fraction of time spent in bed that you’re asleep) were much less likely to come down with cold symptoms. When my sleep greatly improved, I stopped getting obvious colds. The implication is that if you get obvious colds, your sleep (and immune function) may have room for improvement.
- Redesigning the save symbol (undated)
- Bacteria in Japanese pickle prevents flu
- Some surgeons are much more dextrous — and their patients do better — than others. The only way you can find out about a surgeon’s manual dexterity, it seems from the comments on this article, is to ask a nurse.
Thanks to Sean Curley and Alex Chernavsky.
Long ago I worked at a university with a famously good medical school. I asked what sorts of dexterity tests were applied to the candidates for admission. “None.”
I suppose that the ancient test of tossing ‘em a cricket ball and seeing if they could catch it was viewed as infra dig.
Seth: This reminds me of when I asked a Berkeley professor of epidemiology about his upcoming introduction to epidemiology class. “Do you cover what causes immune function to get better or worse?” No, he said.
Catching a cricket ball may or may not be relevant– as far as I can tell, there are many kinds of dexterity.
I became a good calligrapher rather easily, but throwing and catching are my strong points.
The Japanese pickle microbe study was conducted by a food company with a probiotics business. Yet somehow the authors declare “no competing financial interests.”
Seth, have you seen this article?
https://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/10/business/the-co-villains-behind-obesitys-rise.html?src=me&ref=general
Have you considered the possibility that the Shangri-La diet works by modifying gut flora?
Seth: No. the appetite reduction is very fast, too fast to involve modification of gut flora.
“The Japanese pickle microbe study was conducted by a food company with a probiotics business. Yet somehow the authors declare “no competing financial interests.””
good point.
Typo: I meant to say that throwing and catching are NOT my strong points.