My meager education in biology and evolution gave me the mistaken impression that evolution optimized everything. But it didn't. One example is the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN). It goes from behind your ear, loops down below your aorta, and then back up to the voice-box 1/2

The Senator Holden Bloodfeast meme, but it about disassembling Mercury

no salt. no spices. tossed these jawns directly on the pan. I have no God, no future, and I stand for nothing

Bodies on Mt. Everest

Everyone needs at least one megalomania project.

Gotta love this …

Doing magic mushrooms this Sunday. Protocol + dose: 5 grams + frequency: 1x/mo for 3 mo + objective: exploring longevity effects Measurement + 249 independent biomarkers + 29 vials of blood + brain scans + urine, stool, saliva, fertility + multi-omics profiling (DNA, epigenetics, metabolism, hormones, microbiome, proteins, cognition) Cardiovascular + LDL-C + HDL-C + Triglycerides + Total cholesterol + Apolipoprotein B + Apolipoprotein A-1 + Lipoprotein(a) + LDL-P + HDL-P + Small LDL-P + LDL size + Large VLDL-P + Large HDL-P + VLDL size + HDL size + LP-IR score + Oxidized LDL + Lp-PLA2 activity + Myeloperoxidase (MPO) + Homocysteine + VEGF Hematology + WBC + RBC + Hemoglobin + Hematocrit + MCV + MCH + MCHC + RDW + Platelets + Neutrophils + Lymphocytes + Monocytes + Eosinophils + Basophils + Immature granulocytes + Erythropoietin (EPO) + ABO/Rh typing Hormonal + Thyroid panel with TSH + Free T4 + Testosterone + Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) + 5α-DHT + Prolactin + Estradiol + LH + FSH + Estrone (E1) + Estriol (E3) + Androstenedione + Androsterone + 5β-Androstanediol + Etiocholanolone + Cortisol + Cortisone + DHEA + DHEA-S + Pregnenolone + IGF-1 + Melatonin (6-hydroxymelatonin sulfate) Metabolic + Glucose + Insulin + Hemoglobin A1c + α-Hydroxybutyrate + β-Hydroxybutyrate + Uric acid Kidney + BUN + Creatinine + eGFR + BUN/Creatinine ratio + Cystatin C + Urinalysis (specific gravity, pH, color, appearance, leukocyte esterase, protein, glucose, ketones, occult blood, bilirubin, urobilinogen, nitrite, WBC [hpf], RBC [hpf], epithelial cells, casts, bacteria) + Albumin/Creatinine ratio Pancreatic + Total protein + Albumin + Globulin + Total bilirubin + Alkaline phosphatase + AST + ALT + GGT + Amylase + Lipase Minerals + Sodium + Potassium + Chloride + CO₂ (bicarbonate) + Calcium + Magnesium + Iron + TIBC + UIBC + Iron saturation + Ferritin + Zinc Vitamins + Vitamin B12 + 25-hydroxy Vitamin D + Coenzyme Q10 + α-Tocopherol + β-Carotene + Glutathione + Total glutathione Amino Acids + Cysteine + Methionine + Taurine + Glycine + Serine + Threonine + Alanine + Valine + Leucine + Isoleucine + Phenylalanine + Tyrosine + Tryptophan Inflammation + Interleukin-6 (IL-6) + Interleukin-10 (IL-10) + Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α) + Rheumatoid factor (RF) + ANA by IFA + Calprotectin (GI inflammation), + Secretory IgA (mucosal immunity) Neurology + P-tau217 + Epinephrine metabolites (metanephrine, normetanephrine) + Homovanillate (HVA) + Vanilmandelate (VMA) + 5-Hydroxyindoleacetate (5-HIAA) Toxicology + Lead + Lithium Urology + PSA total Fertility + Total Motile Count + Sample Volume + Concentration + Motility + Morphology + Count Metabolomics + Citrate + cis-Aconitate + Isocitrate + α-Ketoglutarate + Succinate + Fumarate + Malate + Pyruvate + Lactate + 2-Hydroxyglutarate, + Hydroxymethylglutarate, + 3-Methylglutaconate, + 2-Methylsuccinate + Formiminoglutamate (FIGLU), + Methylmalonate (MMA), + Xanthurenate + Kynurenate, + Quinolinic acid + Glucarate, + 8-Hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), + Pyroglutamate + 3-Hydroxyphenylacetate, + 4-Hydroxyphenylacetate, + 2-Hydroxyphenylacetic acid + 4-Cresol, + p-Hydroxybenzoate, + Benzoate, + Hippurate/Hippuric acid + Phenylacetate/Phenylacetic acid, + Indoleacetate/Indoleacetic acid + Arabinose, + Citramalic acid, + α-Hydroxyisobutyric acid Microbiome + Bacteroides fragilis + Bacteroides vulgatus + Faecalibacterium prausnitzii + Akkermansia muciniphila + Roseburia spp. + Eubacterium rectale + Lactobacillus spp. + Bifidobacterium spp. + Escherichia coli + Clostridium difficile + Enterococcus faecalis + Candida albicans + Saccharomyces boulardii + Prevotella copri + Ruminococcus spp. + Methanobrevibacter smithii + Blautia spp. + Proteobacteria spp. + Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio + Beta-glucuronidase + Butyrate + Propionate + Acetate Aging & Epigenetics + Telomere length + Relative telomerase activity + DNA methylation age + DNA methylation levels at CpG sites associated with biological aging + Glucocorticoid receptor methylation (NR3C1) + SIRT1 methylation + MTOR methylation + Oxidative stress response genes (NFE2L2 promoter methylation) Cognitive + Brain age score + Functional connectivity strength + Global connectivity index + Hemodynamic response amplitude + Hemodynamic response latency + Resting-state oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO) concentration + Resting-state deoxygenated hemoglobin (HbR) concentration + Total hemoglobin (HbT) concentration + Oxygen saturation (O₂Sat) + Cerebral blood volume (CBV) + Cerebral blood flow (CBF) + Neurovascular coupling index + Prefrontal cortex oxygenation + Parietal cortex oxygenation + Temporal cortex oxygenation + Occipital cortex oxygenation + Task-evoked hemodynamic response (HbO/HbR) + Temporal autocorrelation of hemodynamics + Functional brain network modularity + Inter-regional coherence + Brain lateralization index + Oscillatory power (slow cortical fluctuations) + Phase synchronization index + Mean reaction time (during cognitive tasks) + Reaction time variability + Heart-rate variability (HRV) + Resting heart rate

It really feels like this sometimes.

There’s a way to end the government shutdown: In 1271, the papal conclave in Vitterbo, Italy had gone on for over 1000 days — the cardinals were basically on an extended vacation, and had no incentive to come to an agreement. Until the people of Vitterbo became so frustrated that they locked the cardinals inside the episcopal palace, restricted their food to bread and water, and even removed the roof to expose them to the elements. A decision was reached shortly thereafter, and the church even reformed to prevent extended conclaves. If we simply lock all of the US congress in the national sculpture garden — and give them the same rations we would have deployed with USAID, I believe we can end this shutdown within 48 hours.

The mines are beautiful this time of year