Ron Put

But of course. Just as I cannot absolutely "reject the possibility" that the universe was made by Father Christmas as a version of SimCity for some transcendental CES (the equation with a "simulation" is quite wrong, in this context). But untestable stuff like that is the stuff of fiction, not science. And scientists generally do not subscribe to it, although many do not wish to offend the believers (which ultimately impacts funding, unfortunately). Stephen Hawking said pretty much the same thing, but added that while he cannot reject the notion of a "creator" outright, everything works just fine without one, thus there is no need for "god." But hey, again, gods hide in the gaps of knowledge, so for the foreseeable future, there will be many, many believers.

Actually, it doesn't mean anything of the sort :) Just like there is no need for Zeus to explain lightning and no need for Yahweh to explain the result of 2+2. As Stephen Hawking quipped, there is simply no need for "god." "Matrix-like," as in the rather lame trilogy, is a pop misunderstanding. For a really simplified, no gods needed, explanation of the mathematical concepts (which are falsifiable, unlike the beliefs in transcendental deities), watch this relatively short lecture: Leonard Susskind on The World As Hologram

Interesting stuff: Immune discovery 'may treat all cancer A newly-discovered part of our immune system could be harnessed to treat all cancers, say scientists. The Cardiff University team discovered a method of killing prostate, breast, lung and other cancers in lab tests. The findings, published in Nature Immunology, have not been tested in patients, but the researchers say they have "enormous potential".

Find another hobby? Before your ears grow pointy and your teeth large....

There may still be a debate, but it doesn't meant that those "high-end audiophiles" know what they are talking about, or understand physics and human hearing. Ignorance and bias are a really good thing for "high end audiophile" manufacturers.

But of course. Epigenetics matter too. At the same time, having random variations provides another layer, but it certainly doesn't meant that genes do not matter. A lot.

I Biohacked for 10 Weeks to Try to Live Forever Interesting reading and a good example of how easy it is to make fun of the "longevity" fad, and also what click-bait journalism can do to generally sound theories proposing benefits from intermittent fasting and autophagy. The focus on David Asprey's rather nutty marketing spiel is also fitting the presentation.

This is a comprehensive analysis which finds that water kefir's bacterial population is dominated by Zymomonas, an ethanol-producing bacterium. Sequence-based analysis of the microbial composition of water kefir from multiple sources "In conclusion, we have established that the bacterial population of a number of water kefirs analysed through high-throughput sequencing consists of a dominant population of Zymomonas with lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus, Leuconostoc), acetic acid bacteria (Acetobacter and Gluconacetobacter) and Bifidobacteriaceae being detected in descending proportions. While dextran-producing lactic acid bacteria are not the dominant bacteria, it would seem that the possibility exists for the modulation of the microbiology of water kefir through the introduction of nonindigenous lactobacilli and bifidobacteria to facilitate its use as a nondairy-based system for the delivery of probiotics. Our results revealed that the yeast component of the water kefir samples was comprised of several species previously associated with water kefir, but notably a number of species not traditionally associated with water kefir, including Dekkera, Zygosaccharomyces and Meyerozyma were also identified." And here is a different take: The microbial diversity of water kefir "The microbial diversity of water kefir, made from a mixture of water, dried figs, a slice of lemon and sucrose was studied. The microbial consortia residing in the granules of three water kefirs of different origins were analyzed. A collection of 453 bacterial isolates was obtained on different selective/differential media. Bacterial isolates were grouped with randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD)-PCR analyses. One representative of each RAPD genotype was identified by comparative 16S rDNA gene sequencing. The predominant genus in water kefirs I and II was Lactobacillus, which accounted for 82.1% in water kefir I and 72.1% in water kefir II of the bacterial isolates. The most abundant species in water kefirs I and II were Lactobacillus hordei and Lb. nagelii followed by considerably lower numbers of Lb. casei. Other lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were identified as Leuconostoc mesenteroides and Lc. citreum in all three water kefirs. The most abundant species in water kefir III was Lc. mesenteroides (28%) and Lc. citreum (24.3%). A total of 57 LAB belonging to the species of Lb. casei, Lb. hordei, Lb. nagelii, Lb. hilgardii and Lc. mesenteroides were able to produce exopolysacchrides from sucrose. Non LABs were identified as Acetobacter fabarum and Ac. orientalis. The Acetobacter species were more prevalent in consortium III. Cluster analyses of RAPD-PCR patterns revealed an interspecies diversity among the Lactobacillus and Acetobacter strains. Aditionally, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Lachancea fermentati, Hanseniaospora valbyensis and Zygotorulaspora florentina were isolated and identified by comparison of partial 26S rDNA sequences and FTIR spectroscopy."

The Effects of Vegetarian and Vegan Diets on Gut Microbiota "Vegetarians have a different gut microbiota composition than omnivores with a diminished capacity to produce trimethylamine (TMA), the precursor to TMAO. The plasma concentrations of TMAO appear to be similar in vegans and lacto-ovo-vegetarians (99, 100). Lowering TMAO levels may be achieved through greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet, particularly a vegetarian one rich in fruits and vegetables (77, 100). Increased vegetable consumption reduces TMAO levels by reducing the enzymes responsible for converting TMA to TMAO and by remodeling the gut microbiota. The studies have shown TMAO production to decrease in vegetarians, which decreases their cardiovascular risk. To be objective, we have to mention a recent study, leaving a room for further analyses. Vegan fecal microbiota transplantation in metabolic syndrome patients resulted in significant changes in intestinal microbiota composition but failed to show changes in TMAO production. Authors explained that the 2-week follow-up was not a sufficient length of time to observe changes in TMAO production (101). On average, twenty five percent of plasma metabolites are different between omnivores and vegans, suggesting a significant direct effect of diet on the host metabolome. No unique bacterial taxa have been significantly associated with individual metabolite levels after adjustment for multiple comparisons (102). These findings suggest that while inter-individual variability exists, dietary patterns significantly influence the microbial composition."

Water kefir seems to have a higher bacterial load than yoghurt or kombucha, for example. So it's pretty potent, even if milk kefir is even more so. For me, water kefir is tasty (particlularly with the date powder) and given that it has much less calories than milk kefir, I am happy drinking about a liter, sometimes a liter and a half a day :) Here is one mention of bacteria and yeasts found in water kefir: COMPOSITION OF WATER KEFIR GRAINS: BACTERIA & YEASTS

This is a summary which largely agrees what I have been reading about coffee and intermittent fasting: Does Coffee Stop Autophagy – Autophagy and Coffee

I just came across an excellent lecture by Prof. von Sivers on the origins of Islam, which also touches rather extensively on Christian history around the middle of the first millenium CE.

mccoy, my statement is based on what I know of early Christian history and the world within which the early Christian sects lived. Those are facts. The gospels are not facts. As to why scientific theories are fundamentally different from mythology constructs, here is a good, very brief explanation of the scientific method and a historical overview of key theories in physics: The Big Picture: From the Big Bang to the Meaning of Life - with Sean Carroll Saul may find this summary of archaeological evidence for the historicity of Moses interesting -- it's still rather mild, as it defers a bit more to biblical sources than many in the field: "Origins of Ancient Israel" - Carol Meyers For a summary of research relating to the historicity of Jesus, here is a debate which would summarize most of the common arguments for and against (I didn't listen to the whole thing, but it seemed like it was hitting the main points): DEBATE on the Historicity of Jesus - Dr. Richard Carrier vs Trent Horn Finally, this relates to the historicity of Muhammad: https://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/02/arts/scholars-are-quietly-offering-new-theories-of-the-koran.html And this is kind of funny (if it wasn't serious) -- it's delivered by a fervent follower of Jesus, who makes use of of actual historical facts to deny the historicity of Muhammad. The irony, eh? It nevertheless appears to hit the main points, which sort of follow the "Savior" model and point to a later day fictional prophet character. Again, I didn't see the whole thing (but will later), but saw enough for him to list some of the historical impossibilities. It seems like he goes off the deep end later in the video, so just focus on the historicity bits: Examining the Newest Historical Research on Islam and the Earliest Quranic Manuscripts - Jay Smith

Hi, Saul. I am somewhat familiar with the main references to "Yeshua" in the Talmud, although even most hardcore Christian apologists don't rely on those, as the arguments for such Yeshua being the Savior are chronologically inconsistent and flimsy, at best. I am also somewhat versed in early Christian history and I can tell you that there is definitely no "clear" evidence for the a historical Jesus. A historical Jesus, even as a "magician" performing miracle works, also doesn't make much sense in the historical setting -- the Savior was largely an ideal missionary model for early Christians (similarly to Muhammad a few centuries later). While we cannot absolutely refute the existence of a flesh and blood figure on which the mythical Savior is based, the preponderance of the historical evidence points to a "flesh and blood" Jesus developed in the 2nd century as factions within the rather disparate sect were looking for a direct point of authority. As to Moses, I don't think you'd find many "respectable" scholars who believe that Moses was a historical figure, or that the Exodus a specific historical event. While objections to the historicity of Jesus are not popular in American academia and considered by most to be a career-killer, in a country where close to 70% of the population consider themselves practicing Christians, there is a lot less hesitation to employ scientific rigor in discussing Moses (mostly in Israel and Europe). Such claims are largely inconsistent with archeological evidence. See, for example, the works of Finkelstein and Silberman I mentioned above. Of course, questioning the historicity of Muhammad is even harder and potentially dangerous religious zealousness dramatically limits the research being done. While I don't believe in mythology, it is one of my life's interests. I feel that I am knowledgeable enough to make my point without pretending to accept historically inaccurate beliefs. Cheers.

And thanks again to Tom for suggesting dates. I've made a couple of batches of water kefir using 2/3 unprocessed sugar and 1/3 powdered dates. First, my water kefir grains seem to love the mix, as they are growing like crazy (I have to eat them, so as not to waste them). Second, the resulting kefir is noticeably tastier (yeastier?) and milder. This will be my new recipe :) Does anyone have a source for the caloric/nutritional values of kefir grains?

True. But for my purpose (and for $45 :) it served well, to give me a baseline and to compare with the results from the Withings Cardio+ scale (relatively close). DEXA also gave me some comfort as to my bone density, even though I understand its limitations.

mccoy, the answer to your second question (about a very precise measurement of the gravitational field) was provided in my post above: "String Theory makes predictions for ... a weak force, in addition to gravity, which would affect objects made of different materials (with different electromagnetic energy)." At a very basic level, the String Theory concept is really not hard to grasp, even for me. I just did a quick search and this is the most easily digestible source I found: String theory: From Newton to Einstein and beyond Kaluza, Klein and their story of a fifth dimension The ten dimensions of string theory I hope it helps. No magic and some discussion of how aspects of the theory can be tested. :) As to contemporaneous records, no, you most certainly cannot say the same about the historical figures you mention. I believe you may be basing your question on a really old Christian apologetics argument, recently revived by a rather nonsensical piece floating around by a guy named Bock, which pops up occasionally as "proof" that we should believe the bootstrapping of the gospels about the historicity of Jesus. The reality is that for someone like Caesar, we have numerous third party contemporaneous eyewitness accounts, from Cicero, to Livy and Ovid. We have archaeological evidence, coinage, we have contemporaneous histories, we have letters which don't have the enormous authenticity and dating problems of the Pauline Letters or the canonical gospels. I guess you can say that knowledge of history is based on preponderance of the evidence, and we have it for someone like Caesar, but we don't for Jesus. The reason I don't believe that Moses, Jesus or Muhammad are historical figures are many and volumes can be written on the subject. But here is a brief summary, based on what I know and remember. For the origins of the Abramic mythology, I still like Bible Unearthed by Finkelstein and Silberman, two Israeli archeologists. The book is a great summary on archeological evidence found over the last few decades and how it jives, or (in most cases) how it does not, with some of the "historical" biblical claims. The more one learns about the emergence of Christianity, the more one comes to realize that a "flesh and blood" Savior was not only not needed, but was contrary to the revelatory "Son of Man" beliefs of the sects such as the gnostics and likely the essenes, which split from the relatively newly firmed up Judaism and ultimately gave us Christianity. It is notable that early Christian writings, such as what Pauline Letters, do not mention any of the "flesh and blood" attributes of later "biographies" of Jesus (including the resurrection), and among the gospels, the later one was compiled, the more "detail" it presents about the "life of Jesus." The bottom line is, we do not have any contemporaneous accounts of Jesus the Savior, even though one would be right to assume that someone who "gathered multitudes" and performed miracles would be mentioned by his contemporaries. I won't list the well-known Christian claims for support from the likes of Josephus or Tacitus, except to point out that even if we ignore the rather compelling claims that these are later Christian interpolations, (1) the passages are not contemporaneous, and (2) Josephus writes at considerable length about numerous characters named "Jesus," virtually all historically inconsequential, yet "writes" only two minor paragraphs on Jesus the Christ (and those are packed with anachronisms).... I have to also disagree with Pete533 on the historicity of Muhammad: I am not well versed in the history of Islam, but from what I know, it mirrors fairly closely the development of Christianity, with the Koran being a compilation of likely poorly translated Christian (Nestorian?) and Talmudic texts, which badly need the Hadith (which did not firm up until the 10th century) to make sense. The first historical mentions of Muhammad do not appear until decades after his supposed death (just like with Jesus), although some argue that the Umar inscription is sort of a "proof" for the historicity of Muhammad. Phew! Hm, respectfully, I think you do miss the point of distinction between the scientific method and mythical beliefs.

Why stop at 120...?

Hmmmm.... It walks like a duck, it quacks like a duck....

Of course, not all fat mass is created equal (and mice and men are somewhat different). Here is an example of what fat mass may matter: Visceral adipose tissue modulates mammalian longevity "Our data clearly demonstrate that in mammals, VF removal and CR are associated with an increase in mean and maximum lifespan. The observation of lifespan extension with removal of VF is especially interesting as VF is a potent modulator of insulin action (Barzilai et al., 1999; Gabriely et al., 2002) and a source of harmful peptides such as resistin, Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and angiotensinogen (Einstein et al., 2005). Indeed, we have previously shown that surgical removal of VF improved insulin sensitivity in Sprague-Dawley rats (Barzilai et al., 1999) and delayed the onset of diabetes in Zucker Diabetic Fatty rats (Gabriely et al., 2002). Furthermore, VF responded to an increase in nutrient flux with a greater expression of harmful genes such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha and PAI-1 than subcutaneous fat (Einstein et al., 2005). Therefore, in addition to improving insulin action, the benefits of VF removal may include a significant decrease in secretion of potentially harmful fat-derived peptides (Gabriely et al., 2002). While VF content was substantially lower in VF-removed rats as compared to AL-fed rats, total fat mass was not significantly different. This may be due to the fact that the amount of fat removed accounted for less than 10% of total fat, and some expansion of the subcutaneous fat depot may have occurred to compensate for lesser amounts of VF. However, we and other The mean and maximum lifespan of CR rats was greater than that seen in VF-removed animals, suggesting that the life-prolonging benefit of CR is mediated in part by pathways other than those modulated by an attenuation of VF. By comparing median lifespans, we estimate that the contribution of CR to longevity in this model was 47 weeks, whereas VF removal was 9.5 weeks, as compared to AL-fed rats, suggesting that VF reduction offered approximately 20% of the effect of CR on longevity. Taken together, this preclinical study supports the notion that limiting VF accumulation in humans might have favorable effects on health span and, potentially, longevity." A couple of points: Losing 30% of your weight in a year doesn't sound healthy to me -- talk to your doctor before you do this. Living to over 100 is subject to genetics, chance and lifestyle, among other things. I'd focul on eating right, exercising sufficiently and maintaining an overall healthy lifestyle. Which may increase the odds of a healthier, and perhaps longer, lifespan. Since most of us have a rather inaccurate sense of our caloric intake, methinks it's of great importance to get Cronometer and track your food intake religiously, adjusting nutrient intake as needed. Make it a routine, and do the same with exercise.

Interesting observations of vitamin D in familial longevity: Levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in familial longevity: the Leiden Longevity Study. "Abstract BACKGROUND: Low levels of 25(OH) vitamin D are associated with various age-related diseases and mortality, but causality has not been determined. We investigated vitamin D levels in the offspring of nonagenarians who had at least one nonagenarian sibling; these offspring have a lower prevalence of age-related diseases and a higher propensity to reach old age compared with their partners. METHODS: We assessed anthropometric characteristics, 25(OH) vitamin D levels, parathyroid hormone levels, dietary vitamin D intake and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with vitamin D levels. We included offspring (n = 1038) of nonagenarians who had at least one nonagenarian sibling, and the offsprings' partners (n = 461; controls) from the Leiden Longevity Study. We included age, sex, body mass index, month during which blood sampling was performed, dietary and supplemental vitamin D intake, and creatinine levels as possible confounding factors. RESULTS: The offspring had significantly lower levels of vitamin D (64.3 nmol/L) compared with controls (68.4 nmol/L; p = 0.002), independent of possible confounding factors. There was no difference in the levels of parathyroid hormone between groups. Compared with controls, the offspring had a lower frequency of a genetic variant in the CYP2R1 gene (rs2060793) (p = 0.04). The difference in vitamin D levels between offspring and controls persisted over the 2 most prevalent genotypes of this SNP. INTERPRETATION: Compared with controls, the offspring of nonagenarians who had at least one nonagenarian sibling had a reduced frequency of a common variant in the CYP2R1 gene, which predisposes people to high vitamin D levels; they also had lower levels of vitamin D that persisted over the 2 most prevalent genotypes. These results cast doubt on the causal nature of previously reported associations between low levels of vitamin D and age-related diseases and mortality."

Hah, I just checked my results for rs3751812 and I am T;T.... In fact, according to Promethease, I should be a rolling ball of lard, based on some of my other FTO genes: rs1421085(C;C) ~1.7x increased obesity risk rs1121980(T;T) Moderate increase (2.76x) in risk for obesity rs9939609(A;A) obesity risk and 1.6x risk for T2D rs8050136(A;A) 1.4x increased risk for T2D in some populations rs17817449(G;G) ~1.7x increased obesity risk Yet, I've been "naturally skinny" for most of my life. I am 6'1" (187cm) and have hit close to 180lbs (80kg) in my late 30s and early 40s, basically because my job was sedentary, intense and conducive to overeating at long meetings and "good" restaurants. But mostly I have hovered about 150-160lbs (70kg or so), currently at 147lbs. BMI never crossed 23. I do have a few FTO genes which would predispose me to be a bit skinnier, so maybe it's a matter of epigenetics.

Proceed by listening to your psychologist and your nutritionist. And join a gym.

Wow, mccoy! This is really impressive. I wonder if it may be useful to get a DEXA scan, to be able to target certain areas (with diet or exercise).

mccoy, you are equating faith with theory, but the two are fundamentally different. Ironically, you are also providing the answer for why faith and theory are fundamentally different, by stating that “many theories [are] commonly accepted but finally disproven.” Beliefs in the Tooth Fairy, or Yahweh, or Zeus, or Sky Woman, are not testable and not falsifiable. They are simply beliefs, generally the product of the locale where one is born, or the group to which one belongs. Scientific theories such as the String Theory you mention, are certainly not “a pure leap of faith,” “just like the existence of God,” but provide predictive descriptions, the elements of which can be falsified by experiments. Someone more knowledgeable, perhaps Saul, can likely provide a better argument, but my understanding of String Theory is that it began as an attempt to provide an alternative mathematical model to quantum electrodynamics to address the strong force, and ultimately provide a testable quantum/gravity connection. String Theory makes predictions for space dimensions and a weak force, in addition to gravity, which would affect objects made of different materials (with different electromagnetic energy). These predictions are testable, with sufficiently precise instruments — this is an example: https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/11/galileos-400-year-old-theory-free-falling-objects-passes-space-test To wrap up, you stated a false equivalency principle (pun intended). Mythology is not testable. Well, parts of it are, such as the historicity of figures such as Moses, Jesus or Muhammad (neither of whom is likely to have actually existed, based on available contemporaneous records), and based on the knowledge we gain from fields such as archeology, geology and biology. But, as I mentioned earlier, true believers will always find their gods in the gaps of knowledge.