Monthly Finds November 2010

Environmental Toxin May Play Important Role in Multiple Sclerosis: Hypertension Drug Possible Treatment - ScienceDaily, Nov. 23
Is MS a modern disease due to tobacco smoke and auto exhaust? Initial study in mice.

LA 2010: Toyota RAV4 EV, powered by Tesla, hits the stage - Autoblog Green, Nov. 17
Electric RAV4 100 miles per charge coming in 2012.

Nighttime lights linked to depression - MSNBC, Nov. 17
Nighttime lights inhibit melatonin, but do they also shrink the hippocampus?

The dramatic decline of the modern man - Salon, Nov. 14
Salon’s Thomas Rogers interviews author of Manthropology: The Science of Why the Modern Male Is Not the Man He Used to Be (via Mark Sisson’s post).

Doing S.P.E.E.D.: A Paleo-Friendly Weight Loss Manual - Primal Wisdom, Nov. 12
Don reviews new weight loss book based on a bio-psycho-social model.

Origins of first European farmers revealed - The Environment Institute (The University of Adelaide), Nov. 10
Did the first European farmers arise from local hunter-gatherers or where they invaders?

Mark Sisson’s longevity series - Mark’s Daily Apple

Why Did Grok Live So Long? - Nov 10

Just How Long Did Grok Live, Really? – Part 2 - Nov 3

Just How Long Did Grok Live, Really? - Oct 28

Born to Run the Marathon? - New York Times, Nov. 4
Reflections on marathons from author of Born to Run

Indoor Gardening in 5 Steps - NRDC SimpleSteps, Nov. 1
Begin with your sunniest window.

Jeans made with less water

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Looking for a new pair of jeans? Want to save water?  In January 2011, Levi Strauss will introduce a line of Levi's® brand jeans that requires much less water to manufacture. According to the company's website:

The Levi's® brand today announced its new Water<Less jeans – made using significantly less water. The average pair of jeans uses 42 litres of water in the finishing process. The Water<Less collection reduces the water consumption by an average of 28% and up to 96% for some new products in the line.

Not interested in saving water? Then try this on from Sustaining Life:

Despite the fact that rivers, lakes, and wetlands cover less than 1 percent of the Earth’s surface and hold only about 0.01 percent of its water, they harbor extraordinary concentrations of biodiversity.

… as much as one-third of all vertebrate species are confined to freshwater habitats.

Freshwater habitats are among the most endangered in the world, and decline of freshwater biodiversity outpaces that in both terrestrial and marine systems.

Or, maybe you are one of the “30 million people in seven US states and Mexico” dependent on the dwindling Colorado River. Or, you live in one of the top ten U.S. cities running out of water.

If you are in the market for a pair of jeans next year, buy used. If you are buying new, these may just work for you. 

Are tilapia inflammatory?

Image: Michael Rupert HayesSo, you started eating Paleo? You’re browsing the blogs trying to figure out just what the Paleo diet is. But one thing you know for sure, fish is Paleo. Indeed, 70 to 80 thousand years ago our ancestors living  in Blombos Cave, South Africa were catching fish in the Indian Ocean. They also created the first clear symbolic image, a block of ochre engraved with cross-hatched lines bordered above and below by parallel lines. This stunning find suggests the importance of fish to the development of the human mind. After all, seafood has plenty of omega-3 fatty acids, right?  

At the fish counter of your grocery store you pick up a couple of tilapia. The fish are small, bland, and can easily be incorporated into a variety of meals. They are just the right size to serve as the main course. Only one problem - well, probably more than one - tilapia have minimal, if any, omega-3 fatty acids (n-fatty acids) and are high in omega-6 fatty acids: a recipe for inflammation. (We need both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids; what is important is the ratio of the two.) As a primarily vegetarian fish, tilapia, even wild-caught as in the image above, are very low in omega-3. Unfortunately,

October 2010 finds

Primal Holiday Desserts - Mark’s Daily Apple, Oct 30

Yummy!

Oldest Modern Human Outside of Africa Found - National Geographic Daily News, Oct 25

Did Homo sapiens reach Asia 60,000 years earlier than previously thought?

How Grok got Milk- Mark’s Daily Apple, Oct 26

Herding settlers versus hunter-gathers.     

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Marathons Affect Heart, but Runners Bounce Back - MedlinePlus, Oct 25

Unraveling the effects of marathoning on the heart.

Tough Mudder: Dirty, Adventurous Fun! - Modern Paleo, Oct 25

Are you tough enough! Richly illustrated all-day modern Paleolithic fitness fest.

From China, The Future of Fish - Bloomberg Businessweek, Oct 21

Fish farming won’t improve until we make better choices.

The Catail's Outta of the Bag - Mark’s Daily Apple, Oct 21

Controversy over grain consumption 30,000 years ago.

Fun with headlines: Did Paleolithic people eat grains? - Hunt.Gather.Love, Oct 20

Response to research finding human use of grains 30,000 years ago.

Is Samwise Gamgee Right About Potatoes? - Mark’s Daily Apple, Oct 19

Who was right about potatoes in The Lord of the Rings? Also see Part Deux.

Thank you for an amazing inaugural New York City Barefoot Run - Hunter-Gatherer, Oct 13

Great review of a milestone event in paleo fitness.

Barefooting - Paleo Playbook, Oct 12

Great post on persistence hunting and barefoot running, with video. (Interestingly the persistence hunter wears shoes, the modern paleoterran is barefoot.)

The Neandertals of Mount Doom - john hawks weblog, Oct 11

Did volcanoes or “death-rays” knock off Neandertal? Or neither?

43,000-year-old assemblages from Highland New Guinea - john hawks weblog, Oct 1

Pandanus nut roasting and other foods 43,000 years ago.