Free Republic

You might have seen this article The Island Where People Forget to Die a few years ago. I recently re-read this exploration of "blue zones" where people habitually live long, productive lives, and read a companion piece on the "blue zone" author's discoveries about food and diet: My Dinner With Longevity Expert Dan Buettner. What really struck me in this re-reading was the centrality of purposeful work and a robust social ecosystem in the lives of the productive/active elderly. This mechanical mindset leads us to conclude that doing time on a treadmill and being hyper-vigilant about sticking to a strict...

In our planet's early history, 720 to 640 million years ago, thick sheets of ice covered the majority of the surface, as the Earth was locked in a deep freeze. But explosive underwater volcanoes changed the chemistry of the Earth's oceans and were key to breaking the planet from its icy state, according to a new study. Researchers at the University of Southampton believe underwater volcanoes helped to thaw out "Snowball Earth", and even led to runaway chemical chain reactions, which created the conditions for an explosion of life on Earth. While much of the driving forces behind glaciation during...

UCLA scientists inject silicon carbide nanoparticles into a magnesium zinc alloy. The result is a metal with 'record breaking' strength and stiffness-to-weight.Scientists at UCLA have found a new way to inject silicon carbide nanoparticles into a molten alloy of magnesium and zinc, resulting a metal nanocomposite that demonstrates "record levels" of stiffness-to-weight and specific strength, and "superior stability" at high temperatures. Magnesium is already the lightest structural metal, this lab creation maintains its light weight but makes it much stronger. The researchers said they also developed a scalable manufacturing process, opening up a door to lighter and stronger cars, planes,...

At left, a deformed sample of pure metal; at right, the strong new metal made of magnesium with silicon carbide nanoparticles. Each central micropillar is about 4 micrometers across. Credit: UCLA Scifacturing Laboratory ============================================================================================================= A team led by researchers from the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science has created a super-strong yet light structural metal with extremely high specific strength and modulus, or stiffness-to-weight ratio. The new metal is composed of magnesium infused with a dense and even dispersal of ceramic silicon carbide nanoparticles. It could be used to make lighter airplanes, spacecraft, and cars, helping to...

Most seniors may suffer from some degree of vitamin D deficiency, according to a study from researchers at University of California at Davis and Rutgers University. For the study the researchers surveyed 400 men and women with an average age of 76 in either good health or with mild cognitive impairment. They found that nearly all of the participants showed low levels of vitamin D with 26 percent displaying a deficiency and 35 percent show what they classified as insufficiency. "This work, and that of others, suggests that there is enough evidence to recommend that people in their 60s and...

Imagine a glass window that's tough like armor, a camera lens that doesn't get scratched in a sand storm, or a smart phone that doesn't break when dropped. Except it's not glass, it's a special ceramic called spinel {spin-ELL} that the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) has been researching over the last 10 years. "Spinel is actually a mineral, it's magnesium aluminate," says Dr. Jas Sanghera, who leads the research. "The advantage is it's so much tougher, stronger, harder than glass. It provides better protection in more hostile environments—so it can withstand sand and rain erosion." As a more durable...

The race is on around the world as scientists strive to develop a new generation of batteries that can perform beyond the limits of the current lithium-ion based battery. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have taken a significant step toward the development of a battery that could outperform the lithium-ion technology used in electric cars such as the Chevy Volt. They have shown they can replace the lithium ions, each of which carries a single positive charge, with magnesium ions, which have a plus-two charge, in battery-like chemical reactions, using an electrode with a structure like those...

Like Earth, the interior of Mars has undergone a process known as differentiation. This is where a planet, due to its physical or chemical compositions, forms into layers, with denser materials concentrated at the center and less dense materials closer to the surface. In Mars’ case, this translates to a core that is between 1700 and 1850 km (1050 – 1150 mi) in radius and composed primarily of iron, nickel and sulfur. This core is surrounded by a silicate mantle that clearly experienced tectonic and volcanic activity in the past, but which now appears to be dormant. Besides silicon and...

... Trouble getting to sleep: Magnesium plays a key role in the bodily function that regulates sleep. Insomnia is one of the symptoms of magnesium deficiency ,and in fact,a 2006 analysis in the journal Medical Hypothesis suggests that such a deficiency may even be the cause of most major depression and mental health problems.… Trouble staying asleep: Potassium supplements may be helpful to those who have trouble sleeping through the night,according to a 1991 study in the journal Sleep.... When most people think about potassium,they think bananas. Bananas do contain a fair amount of this mineral (about 10 percent of...

Low magnesium levels have been found to be the best predictor of heart disease, contrary to the traditional belief that cholesterol or saturated fat play the biggest roles....

Of all the minerals, magnesium has always been close to my heart – in more ways than one. Magnesium is truly a wonder mineral While people might be aware of the power of this mineral, there is now scientific evidence that takes magnesium to a new level. A study was conducted on more than 3700 women who were post menopausal. The results were astounding in that it was revealed that magnesium has incredible anti-inflammatory properties. This is great news for people like you and I who are health-conscious and do not wish to depend upon harmful medications to reveal inflammatory-related...

I searched FR and found no notice of the recall, and sure have not seen it on the news. I know I've been hit and miss due to a lot of health issues this past year, but we do watch the nightly news. And anything this big would have caught my attention because I keep Maalox in the house for occasional mild stomach upset/reflux when I eat something that disagrees with my stomach. Went to buy a bottle of Maalox and tried several different stores and types, finally one of the gals at a local Kroger's said Maalox had been...

( Summary) Magnesium balances calcium and its functions within the human body. It is believed that the adult human body contains approximately 1200 grams of calcium, with approximately 99% of it in the skeleton, and approximately 1% (about 12 grams) in extracellular fluids, intracellular structures, and cell membranes. This approximately 1% plays an essential role, in conjunction with magnesium, in the functions of nerve conduction, muscle contraction, blood clotting, and membrane permeability. It is believed that serum calcium concentration is maintained by several hormones, including estrogen and testosterone. It is known that dietary protein enhances calcium absorption, and dietary phosphorus...

Those who live in industrialized countries have easy access to healthy food and nutritional supplements, but magnesium deficiencies are still common. That's a problem because new research from Tel Aviv University suggests that magnesium, a key nutrient for the functioning of memory, may be even more critical than previously thought for the neurons of children and healthy brain cells in adults. Dr. Inna Slutsky of TAU's Sackler School of Medicine published results of a 5-year probe which has significant implications for the use of over-the-counter magnesium supplements.

Mice given extra doses of a new magnesium compound had better working memory, long-term memory and greater learning ability. Before you go popping heavy doses of magnesium, however, know that much more testing is needed. Though rodent brains work similarly to ours, animal studies do not always predict what will happen in humans. "If MgT is shown to be safe and effective in humans, these results may have a significant impact on public health," said Guosong Liu, director of the Center for Learning and Memory at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. Magnesium is an essential element found in some fruits,...

In a gripping, exclusive e-mail from Hawaii, the radio talker’s lady love, West Palm Beach resident Kathryn Rogers, gave Page2Live a dramatic play-by-play of what really happened before Limbaugh was rushed to a Honolulu hospital. And while Limbaugh told the media at his release from the hospital on New Year’s Day that doctors didn’t find anything wrong, Rogers’ intimate account indicates that, without the proper response, the outcome could have been different. Rogers, 33, a VIP manager for the upcoming Super Bowl, said she was having her nails done with her mother downstairs at the chi-chi Kahala when she received...

Virtually all "protein bars" on the market today are made with soy protein. Many infant formula products are also made with soy protein, and thousands of vegetarian products (veggie burgers, veggie cheese, "natural" food bars, etc.) are made with soy protein. That soy protein is almost always described as safe and "natural" by the companies using it. But there's a dirty little secret the soy product industry doesn't want you to know: Much of the "natural" soy protein used in foods today is bathed in a toxic, explosive chemical solvent known as hexane.To determine the true extent of this hexane...

A common household substance may be the key to reducing the number of babies born each year with cerebral palsy, a study being published today has found. Researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine found that infusing pregnant women at risk of premature birth with magnesium sulfate -- commonly known as Epsom salts -- just before they delivered cut their chances of having a baby with cerebral palsy in half. The study's authors say the findings could translate into immediate application by doctors in clinical settings, where about 3 of every 1,000 babies end up being diagnosed...

A new Australian magnesium alloy that's light, bright and shiny is exciting huge interest among manufacturers and designers around the world. Science and Technology:Research Contact: Professor Gordon Dunlop, General Manager Technology Development Advanced Magnesium Technologies Pty Ltd., PO Box 1364, Milton, BC, QLD 4064 International Telephone: +61 7 3510 4501 FAX: +61 7 3510 4525 Email: Gordon.Dunlop@am-technologies.com.au Website: http://www.am-technologies.com.au Print this storyemail this page to a friend TRANSCRIPT: BLANCH : The CAST Cooperative Research Centre and specialty magnesium products developer Advanced Magnesium Technologies have developed AM-lite, a featherweight, high-strength magnesium alloy, cheaper and 70 per cent lighter than zinc, which...

Magnesium VitB6 Intake Reduces Central Nervous System Hyperexcitability in Children Marianne Mousain-Bosc, MD, Michele Roche, PhD, Jean Rapin, MD, PhD and Jean-Pierre Bali, MD, PhD Department of Pediatry (M.M.-B.), CHU Nimes, FRANCEDepartment of Biochemistry (M.R.), CHU Nimes, FRANCELaboratoire de Biochimie, Groupe Hospitalier Carémeau (J.P.B.), Nimes Cedex, FRANCEDepartment of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bourgogne, Dijon (J.R.), FRANCE Address reprint requests to: Dr. Jean-Pierre Bali, Laboratoire de Biochimie, Groupe Hospitalier Carémeau, Place du Professeur Robert Debré, 30029 Nimes Cedex, FRANCE. E-mail: bali2003@yahoo.frObjective: Ionic magnesium (Mg2+) depletion has long been known to cause hyperexcitability with convulsive seizures in rodents, effects...