Thursday, June 28, 2007

Aw, Nutz!

If you know me you know that I love squirrels. Unless, that is, they are stealing food from my fine feathered friends. I must admit that there are others out there whose affinity for rat-pigeons is greater than mine. One of these folks is the owner of Sugar Bush Squirrel - International Superstar and The World's Most Photographed Squirrel.

The photo I've chosen here is a representation of JonBenet Ramsey. It was created with all seriousness. It is beautiful.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Flavor Country 2.0

Smoking may be bad for you, but researchers and biotech companies are quietly developing pharmaceuticals that are decidedly good for brains, bowels, blood vessels and even immune systems -- and they're inspired by tobacco's deadly active ingredient: nicotine.

Nicotine acts on the acetylcholine receptors in the brain, stimulating and regulating the release of a slew of brain chemicals, including seratonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. Not surprisingly, the first scientific work that identified these chemicals and how they affect the body came out of nicotine research -- much of it performed by tobacco companies.

Now drugs derived from nicotine and the research on nicotine receptors are in clinical trials for everything from helping to heal wounds, to depression, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's, Tourette Syndrome, ADHD, anger management and anxiety.

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Thanks Wired!