Research of the Week

New archaeological evidence suggests that 2.6 million year-old hominin scavenging strategy was characterized by “a strong focus on acquiring and exploiting fatty, nutrient-rich, energy-dense within-head food resources (e.g., brain matter, mandibular nerve and marrow, etc.).” And still somehow we lack the genetic adaptations for eating animals, apparently, and animal fat is still bad for us. Oh well, at least we have a great new genre of food: “energy-dense within-head.”

Researchers may have discovered an important factor in bee die-off: giving bees HFCS instead of honey impairs their natural ability to detoxify substances and activate their immune systems, thereby leaving them vulnerable to certain pesticides. Not a big surprise, really, but it’s still nice to have it confirmed.

Interesting Blog Posts

Ned Kock explores the potentially genetic proclivity toward belief in the supernatural among humans, as well as the beneficial effects on “self-healing” that it appears to mediate.

The definitive guide to the brain and body health benefits of being naked.

According to Peter Gray, the “play researcher,” the most basic and fundamental human right is the freedom to quit.

Media, Schmedia

Did a grade school science fair project just determine that celiac disease is more prevalent than previously thought?

Everything Else

Check out this gorgeous photograph of kids from the USSR getting their vitamin D in an interesting way.

Here is today.

Recipe Corner

• Next time you’ve got a grill, some meat, a few pairs of swim trunks/bikinis, friends to wear them, and a body of swimmable water, make the watermelon mojito salad. Rum optional.
• Pesto’s good, but it’s real easy to burn those pine nuts when you toast them. For a more robust – and less omega-6-intensive – pesto, use macadamia nuts.

Time Capsule

One year ago (May 5 – May 11)

• Are Humans Hard-Wired to be Optimistic? – Are pessimists unnatural, soulless mutants? Just kidding.
• Why We Don’t Sprint Anymore (plus a Primal Health Challenge) – Since people no longer have as many reasons to run really fast once in awhile, I provide a few.

Comment of the Week

“A new study finds that markers of long-term stress (hair cortisol) correlate just as strongly to cardiovascular disease as traditional CHD risk factors.”

So, conventional wisdom would dictate that cutting our hair will help us avoid heart disease… !

– And in truly dire situations, cardiologists will place heart disease patients on radiation therapy.

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