Dementia is obviously bad for those who suffer from this condition, but it also puts a strain on society. First of all, it removes potentially active people from society and secondly other people have to take care of dementia patients. Continue reading Fending off dementia
Category Archives: Science
Organ cultivation
Last week Japan announced it would allow experiments to grow human organs in animals. These experiments are controversial, not in the least place because of animal welfare concerns and the possibility of cross-species diseases. However, xenotransplantation is not the only line of research pursued to solve the shortage of donor organs. Continue reading Organ cultivation
Science round up 3
Once again we list some interesting science news items, we believe are relevant for future orbital space settlements. Continue reading Science round up 3
Simple questions
ScienceDaily reports an interesting study: Preschool teachers ask children too many simple questions. The bottom line is that most questions teachers at kindergarten ask to their pupils are way too simple (i.e. eighty-five percent of the children were able to answer them). Continue reading Simple questions
Home environment and education
In this post we want to discuss to studies reported by ScienceDaily on the relation between one’s home environment and performance an behavior at school. Continue reading Home environment and education
Health and working hours
We have discussed shorter work weeks in the past. There are several reasons for a reduction or working hours. Now French research adds another one to this list. According to a report on ScienceDaily people who work long hours over a decade have an increased risk of a stroke. Continue reading Health and working hours
Electric vehicles and public health
Our regular reader will know that we are quite hawkish when it comes to air quality and public health. One of the measure we have proposed is for space habitats to ban the use of internal combustion engines. A study by researchers from Cornell University provides a solid scientific base for a complete ban on internal combustion engines. Continue reading Electric vehicles and public health
Health promotion – some studies
ScienceDaily reports three interesting studies relevant for designing a public health policy. As we have stated previously, public policy should focus on prevention of disease – also known as health promotion. Continue reading Health promotion – some studies
Anti-radiation medicine?
Cosmic radiation is one, if not the most, major obstacle to space colonization. Different proposals have been made to address this issue. However, scientists have discovered that a protein called URI can protect against high dose radiation.
Though this research is done in mice and with the intend to help cancer patients through radiotherapy, it is still highly relevant for human space settlers.
Air pollution one more time
ScienceDaily reports of a Spanish study that shows that exposure around birth has a negative effect upon one’s cognitive abilities. Given that other studies on particulates have found similar and other negative impacts on human health, this study should not really surprise anyone. Continue reading Air pollution one more time
