Tip: Eat plenty of fish and don’t play violent video games if you want to keep your brain healthy

"A diet that includes at least one serving of baked or broiled fish a week significantly reduces the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease later in life, according to one study. And young men who play violent video games damage parts of their brains that help them control their emotions, learn, organize, plan and problem-solve, according to the other. In the first study, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh compared the diets of 260 healthy men and women with brain scans. The 163 patients who ate fish every week were at almost five times less risk of contracting Alzheimer’s or dementia ten years later, Dr. Cyrus Raji said."

'via Blog this'Eat fish, limit violent video games for healthy brain, studies show - Chicago Sun-Times: The second study, carried out by researchers at Indiana University, found that young men aged 18-29 who played a violent video game for 10 hours over the course of a week had reduced activity in parts of their brain that allow them to control their emotions and aggressive behavior.

Update: Total and Amyris Partner to Produce Renewable Fuels & Jet Fuels Worldwide

Total and Amyris have agreed to expand their ongoing research and development collaboration to accelerate the deployment of Biofene(R) and develop renewable diesel based on this molecule produced from plant sugars. The ambitious R&D program, launched in 2010 and managed jointly by researchers from both companies, aims to develop the necessary stages to bring the next generation renewable fuels to market at commercial scale. Total has committed to contribute $105 million in funding for an existing $180 million program. In addition, Total and Amyris have agreed to form a 50-50 joint venture company that will have exclusive rights to produce and market renewable diesel and jet fuel worldwide, as well as non-exclusive rights to other renewable products such as drilling fluids, solvents, polymers and specific biolubricants. The venture aims to begin operations in the first quarter of 2012. "The creation of the joint venture and the implementation of the new renewable diesel R&D program are two more major steps forward for Total, which is aiming to become a key supplier in renewable fuels," commented Philippe Boisseau, President of Gas & Power at Total."

'via Blog thisTotal and Amyris Partner to Produce Renewable Fuels - MarketWatch: "

Update: The world is looking to the United States—and China—for leadership on Climate Change issue

"In extensive multi-country surveys covering a majority of the world’s population, majorities in almost every nation surveyed believe that global warming is a threat or a problem. Globally, the percentage of respondents holding this view is an overwhelming 84 percent. In the United States, the figure has declined slightly in recent years but remains a robust 70 percent (according to a 2010 Pew poll). Moreover, solid majorities in most countries—including the United States—believe that climate change is related to human activity and that, if it is left unchecked, they will be negatively affected by it in their lifetimes."

'via Blog this'Stewart M. Patrick: The Internationalist » Public More Willing than Politicians to Address Climate Change:At Durban, nations should not that 93 percent of Chinese citizens consider climate change a “serious” problem­ according to a 2009 WPO poll—and use it as a bargaining chip to encourage China to accept responsibility for addressing climate change. (read more, click link above)

Tip: Sleep very well to cure emotional pain (New Study: Overnight Therapy, REM sleep heals)

"MRI scans performed during REM sleep revealed that brain activity fell in the amygdala—the emotion-processing part of the brain—possibly allowing the more rational prefrontal cortex to soften the images' impact. (See an interactive brain map.) In addition, recordings of the subjects' electrical brain activity during sleep made with electroencephalograms showed a decrease in the levels of brain chemicals linked to stress. When people experience an emotional event, stress chemicals are released to flag and prioritize that event, essentially reminding the brain to work through it during sleep, according to Walker, whose study appeared November 23 in the journal Current Biology. "Somewhere between the initial event and the later point of recollecting, the brain has performed an elegant trick of divorcing emotions from memory, so it's no longer itself emotional," Walker said."

'via Blog this'Why Do We Dream? To Ease Painful Memories, Study Hints:

Alternative Energy: A new way of life and a new generation of wealth

"Because while natural gas will likely be our main source of power generation for decades to come, wind, solar, and geothermal will also be getting a bigger piece of that pie. And while we'll suck every last ounce of oil from anywhere we can economically produce it, we are actively developing alternative modes of transportation right now that will either require less oil or no oil at all. From natural gas trucks and buses to more efficient internal combustion engines to electric cars, this is happening right now. And this is our opportunity to make a choice...
Either embrace it and profit from it, or miscalculate the enormity of the change that is about to take place — much in the way the former Michigan Savings Bank president did when he insisted the automobile was nothing more than a novelty. When it comes to energy in the 21st century, the only novelty or fad is the outdated and delusional mentality that the world is not transitioning its energy economy to one that will rely less and less on finite resources." Jeff Siegel, Editor, Energy and Capital

'via Blog this'Alternative Energy Warnings:

United States: Agreed to take its emissions 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020

"Added together, all of the nations' proposed cuts — if successful — would lead to about 5.8 degrees F (3.2 degrees C) warming by the year 2100, a significant distance from the target of 3.6 degree F, according to calculations by the independent science-based project Climate Action Tracker. These voluntary commitments to reduce emissions are a "very, very positive sign," said Niklas Höhne, director of energy and climate policy for the independent research and consulting company Ecofys, one of the organizations behind Climate Action Tracker."

'via Blog this'Durban climate change talks: Experts see warmer world as inevitable - CSMonitor.com:

Tip: Avoid Playing Violent Games. New Brain Study reveals Emotion decreases after playing

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), scientists were able to document altered brain responses after video game play. What's more, some of those changes were still present a week later. "We found that functioning has been changed in the brain by violent video games," said Dr. Yang Wang, an assistant research professor in the department of radiology and imaging sciences at Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis. "We found that activation [of an area of the brain that controls emotion] is decreased after playing violent video games.""

'via Blog this'Violent Video Games May Alter Brain Function: Study - US News and World Report: