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Napping…

Posted on by Lenny Variano

Naps not only feel amazing and rejuvenating, but they can also have health benefits. A study in the journal “Heart” linked napping to a lower risk of heart disease. According to The American Psychological Association, naps can improve memory, learning capacity as well as improve immune function and mood. There are 4 stages of the sleep cycle and depending on the length of your nap will determine what phase you most likely will enter. Stage 1-dosing off, Stage 2-body functions slow down, Stage 3-restorative sleep, Stage 4-REM, most likely to dream.

20-minute nap- in this short time you can enter stage 2 in which body and mind can reach full relaxation.

60-minute nap- This is enough time for repairing tissue, fortifying your immune system as well as feeling recharged.

90-minutes- a complete sleep cycle is 90 minutes. Most likely you will enter the dream cycle.

However, more than 90 minutes can interfere with nighttime sleeping. I personally do not have time to take a 90-minute nap. I sometimes only need to enter stage 1 which is simply to be allowed to doze off even for 10 minutes. Napping is personal. Some people get enough deep sleep at night and never feel the need to nap.

Virgin Crocodile birth…

Posted on by Lenny Variano

In Costa Rica, a female crocodile who had been living alone in captivity for 18 years gave birth to a cluster of eggs. Although this is not uncommon, one of the eggs looked perfectly normal and was able to produce a baby crocodile. The egg did eventually produce a perfectly formed but stillborn baby. Parthenogen is the term given to a virgin birth in which the newborn will only contain DNA material from the mother. This has been seen in other species such as cobras, and California Condors but never in crocodiles. Since Crocodiles are from a particular branch of the tree of life, this may have also been true for pterosaurs and dinosaurs. Although animals born in this way are not genetically strong, they are able to mate with others of the same species. What is the reasoning behind this? It is possible that animals will reproduce in this manner when they feel the survival of their species is threatened when there is no mate available.

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/scientists-find-crocodile-virgin-birth-costa-rica-zoo-2023-06-07/#:~:text=MEXICO%20CITY%2C%20June%207%20(Reuters,to%20a%20study%20published%20Wednesday.

Trees and cooling the world…

Posted on by Lenny Variano

Living Carbon, located outside of San Francisco, is a biotechnology company that has produced genetically modified poplars. This genetically modified poplar can grow at an accelerated rate and in so doing consume more carbon dioxide from the air. To date this is all experimental and the company has only been successful in growing these plants in greenhouses. Over a five-month period indoors, these poplars grew 50% faster. Photosynthesis is the process in which enables plant life to thrive. The hope is that these genetically modified trees will use this process more efficiently in turn absorbing more carbon dioxide from the air.  At present only a small field trial is under way to see how these trees grow outside the greenhouse. There is resistance from researchers who fear that these trees, since they are genetically modified, will cross pollinate with other trees. The positive side is that these trees can hopefully replace the problem we are facing with deforestation from the lumber industry.

https://www.livingcarbon.com/post/photosynthesis-enhanced-trees-grow-faster-and-capture-more-carbon

Tomato Power…

Posted on by Lenny Variano

Tomatoes now come in all shapes (plum, beefsteak, grape) and in a variety of colors (purple, green, yellow, red, orange). However, all contain the powerful phytochemical lycopene. Lycopene, an antioxidant, plays a role in cancer prevention, heart disease as well as many other diseases. A study in Cancer Causes found that men who consumed a diet that included a regular consumption of tomatoes had a 28% less chance of developing prostate cancer. Lycopene has also been connected to protecting the skin from overexposure to sun as well as maintaining bone mass in women. Lycopene is more accessible when tomatoes are cooked. Cooking breaks down the cell walls and increases the potency of the vitamin. Combining cooked tomatoes with olive oil or avocados increases the absorption, since lycopene is fat soluble. Think red sauce, gazpacho soup, or salsa. Yellow tomatoes have a stronger concentration of beta carotene which is converted to Vitamin A. Vitamin A is extremely important for eye health. The belief that tomatoes should be avoided for people with arthritis has little proof to back it up. In fact, tomatoes are anti inflammatory if anything. Experiment with all the different ways you may consume this fruit and enjoy them especially in the summer when sun ripened tomatoes are available,

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/benefits-of-tomatoes

https://chicagohealthonline.com/7-health-benefits-of-tomatoes/