Brain Freeze To Treat Concussions
Researchers at the Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center are developing a surgical technique that uses therapeutic hypothermia to treat serious or multiple concussions, reports Medical News Today. Therapeutic hypothermia helps reduce the risk of tissue injury by lowering a patient's temperature. The research involves cooling a specific part of the brain to protect the tissue by replacing blood in the area with a cooled crystalloid solution. Positive results could mean a less invasive procedure for patients and improved outcomes.
-- Lisa Lombardi
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November 10, 2009
Adventure Lab: World's Deepest Diver
One of the best sources for the coolest, and quirkiest, scientific news is Henry Fountain's Observatory column for The New York Times. It comes out weekly in Science Times, one of the last big concentrated science sections in a major paper. This week he called out an interesting study that suggests elephant seals may rest, or even sleep, while they dive. Picture a dead leaf falling off a tree and floating to the ground. It's a great way for the seals to increase efficiency as they may spend up to 90 percent of their time in the ocean diving.
While the elephant seal may have the easiest time diving, it raises the question: What animal dives the deepest?
Herbert Nitsch vs The Sperm Whale
You can maybe hold your breath for two minutes. Nitsch tops nine. The “Flying Fish” works as an airplane pilot and dives in his off time—training and competing enough to have set 25 world records in seven of the eight freediving disciplines during his career. His goal by 2010, is to freedive to 300 meters, or 1,000 feet.
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November 09, 2009
The Results Are In: Decoding Dog Breeds with DNA
Last week on Outside's dog blog, OutsideK9.com, readers guessed the breeds that make up Assistant Editor Carr's dogs, Rio and Odin. Results from the Canine Heritage Breed test were in transit from the lab.
Today, the results are revealed. Head over to the dog blog to find out if you were correct!
And be prepared to be completely shocked by the findings.
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November 06, 2009
TEDMED Conference
The fifth TEDMED conference finished last week, and videos of all the talks will be up in a few months on the web site. TED Talks are always interesting and innovative, and with all that's going on in our country regarding health care, these topics should be especially engaging. Be sure to look for talks on topics such as "Can My iPhone Save my Life?" by New York Times columnist David Pogue, "Can a Video Game Cure Cancer?" by Steve W. Cole of Hopelab, and "Can We End Aging?" by Aubrey De Grey of the SENS Foundation. Along with specialists, researchers, and foundation representatives, lecturers include Martha Stewart, Goldie Hawn, David Blaine, and Aimee Mullins.
-- Lisa Lombardi
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Adventure Lab: Testing "Prosthetic Advantage"
A couple of years ago, Wired magazine put out a forward-looking article addressing whether paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius's artificial legs (called Cheetahs) gave him an advantage over able-bodied sprinters. After all, at the time he was close to qualifying for the Olympics with prostheses.
No one expects able-bodied runners to compete head-to-head with wheelchair-bound marathoners. The wheels confer an obvious speed advantage, and maybe Oscar Pistorius’ Cheetahs do, too. So the real question is this: Do able-bodied athletes need protection from him? (Wired, March 2007)
A team of scientists from MIT took on the challenge, testing whether new advances in prosthetic technology gave athletes with artificial legs an advantage. The team put six elite sprinters with prosthetic legs on a fancy treadmill. They measured the ground reaction force of the sprinters' legs and watched videos to examine leg swing times. The article was published this week in Biology Letters.
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November 05, 2009
Adventure Lab: World's Best Climber
Welcome to the Adventure Lab, our new blog dedicated to the intersections of science, sports, education and nature. The connections will sometimes be loose, but that should make it fun. Please comment and ask questions.
This week at NASA's Dryden Research Center in California, three teams of scientists are competing to propel robotic climbers up cables using directed lasers. The sponsoring partners hope the competition spurs development of a climbing elevator that can work in outer space. That's why they're offering the winner $2 million. (You can watch the competition live here.)
No doubt some of the climbing designs get their inspiration from nature. This fact, and the coincidence that Dean Potter will be featured this Sunday on NBC's World of Adventure Sports FreeBASEing the Eiger, lead me to reach for the question: What animal is the best climber on earth?
DEAN POTTER VS THE TOKAY GECKO
DEAN POTTER
Constant climbing has made Dean
Potter’s hands tougher than the bottom of most people’s feet. “I can stick my
hand into crystallized cracks and hold on to razors,” said Potter.
While a marathoner may prep by running 50-70 miles a week, Potter “easy” free-solos up vertical faces four or five days a week, three to four hours each day. In the spring and summer he frequents Yosemite, in the fall and winter Patagonia, Chile, and Moab. The constant movement—balancing, flexing, wedging, launching—builds a physical knowledge that allows him to approach a state of grace on harder routes. “I think that’s where the highest level of climbing happens, when you’re moving instinctually,” said Potter. “I kind of, more and more, don’t think about it rationally.”
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November 02, 2009
Decoding Dog Breeds
Ever wonder what breeds make up your mutt? Certain breeds are happier to live an outdoor lifestyle than others are. Rhodesian ridgebacks, for instance, can withstand extreme heat and cold and they love miles-long runs, so they make good companions for distance runners. Chesapeake bay retrievers, on the other hand, are some of the strongest swimmers, making them ideal for river trips.
Assistant Editor Alicia Carr tries to crack the DNA of her two shelter dogs with the Canine Heritage Test, which involves only a simple cheek swab. Head to Outside's dog blog, Outsidek9.com, to read the first part of the story. And, to take a guess at what breeds make up Editor Carr's dogs.
There's already a pool going on in the comments section.
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October 29, 2009
U.S. Water Use Down Since 1975
According to the new U.S. Geological Survey report, the United States is using less water than it did in 1975. ENN reports that, even with a 30 percent population increase, water consumption in the U.S. down compared to peak use in 2000, 1985, and 1975. The cause is attributed to alternative methods for cooling power plants and more efficient irrigation systems.
-- Lisa Lombardi
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October 27, 2009
IOC Condcuts Conference For Gender Cases
In the wake of the Caster Semenya gender controversy, the International Olympic Committee is in the process of convening a panel of medical experts to draw up a set of guidelines for future issues surrounding gender ambiguity. In the past the IOC conducted gender testing, but testing stopped before the 2000 Sydney Games as they were found to be unscientific and unethical. "Our intention is to look at the state-of-the-art science and see what we should recommend to sport when it comes to cases like that," IOC medical commission chairman Arne Ljungqvist told to the Associated Press on Tuesday. "The general recommendation is obvious -- they should be treated as medical cases in compliance with up-to-date procedures. But we have to be more specific in telling the sports people what that actually means and what they should do."
--Alison Kelman
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October 21, 2009
The Good Route: Biking, Climbing, Paddling Down to 350
This Saturday, October 24th, will be action-packed. Normally, this would not be news for Outside readers, for whom most weekends are packed with biking, skiing, boating, etc. But this year, it's news. October 24th is the much-anticipated international day of action, designed to get everyone—really, everyone—talking about climate change and demanding action from world leaders to make real strides in mitigating its impact by signing a new, aggressive treaty during the upcoming United National Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.
Hard to say whether this Saturday's actions will set off the chain re-action we imagined in the October issue (well, OK, that scenario is a real stretch). But you're probably going to be out and about this weekend anyway, right? So if you believe climate change is happening, if you believe it is a real threat to humanity (not to mention your outdoor recreation opportunities), and if you can count to 350*, there's really no reason not to add your voice—and sweat—to the choir.
Here's a small sampling of the more than 4,000 events that are planned, or already in motion, around the world (170 countries and counting):
A dozen Bay Area cyclists took off Monday on a 350-mile ride down the California coast. They'll arrive in San Francisco on Saturday. If you're in that 'hood, join them for the very last bit of their giro (details here).
Legendary climber Lynn Hill plans to unfurl a 350.org banner (from the top of an still-undisclosed ascent)
Pro XC skiers on Team Steinbock will warm up their legs in a rollerski race for 350.org at Soldier in Midway, UT.
Pro mountain biker Lea Davison is leading a ride in Jericho, VT and Kiwi mountain bike pro Kashi Leuchs is leading a ride in Dunedin, NZ.
Record-setting ocean rower Roz Savage will speaking at a 350.org event in London
Canadian World Cup skiers Thomas Grandi & Sara Renner are leading a ride in Canmore, Alberta.
In Portland, Ore., a gaggle of boaters will form a huge 350 in the Willamette River
Speaking of oceans, in NYC cyclists are planning a "Future Sea Level Ride," complete with aquatic costumes, to drive—er, ride—the point home that climate change means rising oceans.
Over in Middlebury, VT (ground zero for the 350.org, since organizer Bill McKibben is a scholar-in-residence at Middlebury College) you can join in on 350 sun salutations, among many other events
And should you find yourself in Times Square on Saturday, you can watch highlights of these global actions as they're beamed to a 30-foot screen.
So what are you planning? Let us know. And if you can't join any of the above, find an action on this handy map, or create your own.
*According to NASA scientist James Hansen, 350 parts per million is the safe upper limit for atmospheric CO2. Many leading scientists concur with this estimation. Right now, we're at about 387 ppm. So we've got some serious back-pedaling to do.
--Mary Catherine O'Connor is a freelance writer, covering the environment, sustainability and outdoor recreation. The Good Route, her new blog for Outside Online, is focused on the places where the active life and sustainability merge.
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