In this week’s post we will not be reporting on any new research, only the potential for some fascinating research that may happen in the future. The University of Oklahoma recently established the Institute for the Study of Human Flourishing. The ISHF aims to study how humans develop their fullest potential as rational and moral creatures living in…
A person’s blood pressure, body temperature, pulse rate, cholesterol level and more can all be measured objectively in our bodies. But how does one measure a person’s pain level? And what if the person is a child, not an adult? Simply put, it can’t be measured objectively, but doctors and nurses do need to have a…
University of North Dakota researchers have received a major grant to help them search for treasure in western North Dakota – and it’s not oil, coal or natural gas. What they are searching for are Rare Earth Elements. Rare Earth Elements with names like Scandium metal and Terbium oxide can be worth hundreds of dollars…
We know what happened to his body; he was buried in a borrowed tomb provided by a secret admirer, Joseph of Arimathea. We know what happened to his clothes; they were divided up by the soldiers who crucified him. But what happened to the crown of thorns that was cruelly, mockingly placed on Jesus’ head?…
Since I suffered a pretty substantial knee injury playing football in High School I still cringe when I’m watching a sporting event and a player hurts their knee. If they show a replay of the injury I turn my head away. It’s too hard to watch. Head injuries are probably second on my list of cringe-worthy injuries and…
One of the most memorable Thanksgiving sermons that I have ever written was entitled, “I’m Thankful For the Things I Don’t Know.” In the sermon I talked about how sometimes not knowing is better than knowing. For example, I am pretty sure that I would actually feel sicker just knowing about all the germs and…
This week I am reporting on the results of some interesting sleep research funded by the Latin American and Iberian Institute at the University of New Mexico. I think most of us would assume that people who live in hunter-gatherer, pre-industrial societies would get more sleep on average than those of us who live in the fast-paced world. This research…
Last month I took an afternoon to go visit a group of shut-ins who live out of town. I started with a visit to a 101 year old woman, followed by a visit to a 94 year old man and his wife, then it was off to see a 99 year old man. And I…
An remarkable collection of forty samovars is on display at The Museum of Russian Art in Minneapolis now through January 24, 2016. A samovar or “self-boiler” is a metal urn with a spigot used to boil water for making tea. The water is boiled by kindling a fire in a metal tube that fits inside the urn. Although…
Mirror Neurons 