Optimal Being

Scientists are intrigued by a drug that appears to imbue mice with the benefits of exercise without actually getting physical activity — but as you'd imagine, there are caveats, so don't throw out your workout clothes just yet. As a  University of Florida press release  about the new research declares, the newly developed compound SLU-PP-332 led obese mice to lose weight by apparently convincing their bodies to go into marathon training mode, leading to a faster metabolism and more energy and endurance, and all without actually exercising. "This compound is basically telling skeletal muscle to make the same changes you see during endurance training," Thomas Burris, a UF pharmacy professor who led the research, said in the school's press release. SLU-PP-332 purports to achieve this by targeting what are known as EFF proteins that activate the body's most "energy-gobbling" tissues, such as the brain, the heart, and other muscles. ERRs are naturally rel...

If children take a daily supplement containing extra vitamins and minerals, their brains work in a more focused way. In psychological tests the children make fewer mistakes, researchers at Northumbria University concluded from an experiment involving eighty children between eight and fourteen. Study The researchers gave their test subjects two Pharmaton Kiddi chew tablets daily for twelve weeks. The children took their tablets in the morning with their breakfast. The table below shows what the tablets contain. Soon after the children started taking the vitamins the researchers got them to do computer tests. The last test took place on the final day of the experiment, but the children were also tested a few times during the course of the experiment. Results The most consistent – in fact the only consistent – effect that the researchers discovered was for a test in which an arrow pointing left or right appeared on the computer screen. If it pointed to the left, the children had to click ...