Issue 9 2010: September
GOT GARLIC? GET MILK
"Feasting on a garlic-infused meal is a sure way to earn yourself some alone time. But if you'd like to get the health benefits of garlic and keep your friends, try drinking a glass of milk with it. A study found that milk lowers the concentration of volatile odor-emitting compounds from the nose and mouth. And it's best to make it whole milk: fat is an effective deodorizer". ..... Time
GOOD LUCK CHARMS WORK
Good luck charms may lack magical powers, but they do seem to provide their owners with a competitive edge, It's a matter of psychology, rather than wizardry: In a series of experiments German researchers found that when people carried a lucky charm, they set higher goals and felt more confident than people who left their talismanic coin or favorite stuffed animal at home. In one test, subjects who'd been told a golf ball was "lucky" tended to perform better than those who were simply handed the ball. "Superstitious behavior won't help you win the lottery," says psychologist and study co-author Barbara Stoberock. "But it could help you win a sporting event or pass a test." ..... LiveScience.com
THE CASE FOR AUTOMOBILE MAINTAINENCE
It was a good week for maintainence when retired Long Island, N.Y. schoolteacher Irv Gordon approached the 3 million mile mark on his 1966 Volvo. "Read the owner's manual, and do what it says," Gordon advised. ..... The Week
SHORTEST MAN IN THE WORLD (FOR A LITTLE WHILE)
A Columbian man was officially dubbed the world's shortest man by Guiness World Records last week. At 2 feet 3 inches, Edward Hernandez, 24, is nearly 2 inches shorter than the previous record holder, China's He Pingping. "I am very happy to be recognized as the shortest man in the world," Hernandez said in a statement. "The more unusual you are, the more you should fight and work harder." Hernandez will lose his title next month when the world's shortest teenager, Khagendra Thapa Magar of Nepal, turns 18. He is 2-foot-1. ..... The Week
BLACK SPRINTERS' (AND WHITE SWIMMERS') NAVEL ADVANTAGE
To size up a sprinter's potential speed, start by examining the navel. That's the conclusion of researchers at Duke University, who dared to examine the historically verboten question: Why do Africans and African-Americans tend to run faster than whites? The answer, says Science Daily, lies with the bellybutton, which marks the body's center of gravity. An analysis of prior studies of human measurements revealed that, on average, people of West African origin have longer legs than people of European heritage; longer legs, and shorter torsos, place their center of gravity 3 percent, or roughly an inch, higher. Collating a century's worth of sprinting records revealed that this height difference translates into a 1.5 percent boost in speed - enough to make a big difference in the results of sprints, in which fractions of a second separate winners from losers. "Locomotion is essentially a continual process of falling forward, and mass that falls from a higher altitude falls faster," says research leader Andre Bejan. The converse holds true for swimmers: Europeans have a 3 percent longer torso than West Africans, which equals a 1.5 percent speed advantage in the pool. The researchers were careful to note that they focused on the athletes' geographic origins and physical measurements, not race, which they deem a "social construct." ..... The Week
LEAVING YOUR MARK ON THE WORLD
Henry "Pop" Brown Sr., of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., died at the age of 98, leaving behind 10 children, 61 grandchildren, 130 great-grandchildren, 162 great-great-grandchildren, and 26 great-great-great-grandchildren. . ..... The Week
WALKING IMPROVES THE BRAIN
A team of scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign followed a group 65 previously sedentary adults, ranging in age from 59 to 80, for a year. Half the adults walked three times a week for 40 minutes at their own pace; the other half did regular stretching and toning exercises. Using an MRI to track neural activity, the team found that over time, the walkers showed improved connections between brain regions responsible for integrating different kinds of information. Psychologist and team leader Art Kramer says "tests revealed that the walkers improved in memory, attention, and a variety of other cognitive processes," more so than the stretch and tone group. Although walking seems easy, it requires the brain to coordinate information from the muscles, eyes, ears, and other sources. Giving those brain networks a regular workout ultimately helps keep planning, memory, and multitasking skills sharp. "It's that old concept: If you don't use it you lose it," says sports-medicine researcher Lynn Miller. ..... ScienceDaily.com
SMALL BUT LOUD
A tiny frog the size of a pea has been discovered in Borneo, calling attention to itself with a mating call befitting a much larger creature. Less than half an inch long, the newly discoverd species of frog lives in and around pitcher plants on the Southeast Asian island, and their tadpoles grow in the liquid that collects inside the plant.. Every night the male frogs gather around the plant, cheeping to impress potential mates. "We knew the calls of all frogs in the area, and this was different," herpetologist Indraneil Das tells the East Malaysia Daily Express. "I had to trap the frog in one of my baby son's clean white diapers in order to see what it really looked like, it was so tiny." The frogs are the second-smallest in the world; only a species in Cuba is smaller. ..... The Week
NURSING
Nursing is the hot occupation of the next decade, says the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The number of registered nurses is expected to swell to 3.2 million by 2018, up from 2.6 million today. ..... Fortune
MILT'S MORSEL OF THE MONTH
"Man does not live by words alone despite the fact that sometimes he has to eat them." ..... Adlai Stevenson, quoted in the Melbourne Sunday Herald Sun
JIM'S STETHASCOOP
"Politicians, old buildings, and prostitutes become respectable with age." .....Mark Twain, quoted in the Los Angeles Times
