Sandra Aamodt and Sam Wang wrote a NYTimes piece recently on the benefits of physical exercise for the “executive function” of your brain, which Aamodt and Wang characterize as “the set of abilities that allows you to select behavior that’s appropriate to the situation, inhibit inappropriate behavior and focus on the job at hand in spite of distractions.” Executive function relies on features like processing speed, response speed and working memory. Apparently studies indicate that physical activity, especially for the elderly, can significantly improve executive functioning. The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia has an online exhibit about the brain, including an overview of the impact of exercise on the brain.
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Don’t mess with Paul Anka. [audio NSFW]
If you believe in the predictive power of markets, this certainly seems like a bad sign.
The NYT Well Blog has a short post on five easy ways to start eating organic food: milk, potatoes, peanut butter, ketchup, and apples. The list is based on a slightly longer list from Dr. Alan Greene. Dr. Greene’s list also includes organic baby food, cotton, beef, soy, corn, and as a bonus, organic wine. The NYT seems focused on those foods to which it would be easy to switch. As Dr. Greene points out, though, switching to organic corn and soy would be virtually impossible without going completely organic.
I was surprised by the amount of pesticide in some of the non-organic foods. For example, a USDA study showed that approximately 80% of the non-organic potato samples tested contained pesticides, even after being peeled and cleaned. That’s not so good.
Science and the Stradivarius. Colin Gough describes the scientific search for the secret ingredient that makes Stradivarius violins superior instruments.
Do you look like your breakfast? Photos by Jon Huck. Some of these look pretty good.
Pablo Casals plays Bach’s Suite No. 1 for Cello, in two parts:
Fun With Camera from brainwidth on Vimeo.