June 2007 Archives
An Apple Peel A Day Might Keep Cancer At Bay: Cornell researchers have identified a dozen compounds -- triterpenoids -- in apple peel that either inhibit or kill cancer cells in laboratory cultures.
Male Mice Get A Longevity Boost from compound found in creosote bush:
... These common North American desert shrubs have been traditionally used by Native Americans as healing remedies. The preliminary results ... show that male mice fed a normal diet and NDGA [a compound derived from creosote bushes] so far have survived in significantly greater numbers than mice on a normal diet. Scientists measured the difference at a point called median lifespan, when half the control mice had died of natural causes associated with aging. ... No significant difference occurred in female mice. ... In six to 10 months, once all the mice in the control group have died, the scientists will get answers to the really burning question: Will the mice fed NDGA, already well past middle age, live past the normal outer limit of old age...
The principal scientist quoted, Miller, seems to hint at a 20 or 30 percent lifespan increase.
An inverted pyramid array of panels collects dew from the air and turns it into fresh water in almost any climate. Inspired by the dew-collecting properties of leaves, one 30m2 unit can extract at least 48 liters of fresh water daily.
Would California still need its aqueducts? would one still need to dig a well for a new house? how much maintenance is required?
