The Iceman and Scouting Bees

• The body of a small male was found frozen in the ice on the Italian Alps. Nicknamed the “Iceman,” he lived about 5,300 years ago and his body and clothing were extraordinarily well preserved. The Iceman has been carefully studied by scientists, and this is what they have discovered. He was five feet three inches in height, weighed 110 pounds, and was about 46 years old. He had brown hair and brown eyes. Analysis of his gut contents revealed that he ate wild cereals, wild goat, some flowering plants, and red deer. He had hardened arteries, gallstones, arthritic knees, evidence of Lyme disease, fleas, and intestinal parasites called whipworms. His genetic make-up indicated that he was related to people of southern Corsica and northern Sardinia. He died in hand-to-hand combat and bled to death when shot in the back by an arrow. What he was doing high up in the Alps remains unknown. (Science News, Mar. 24, 2012)

• Why can we hold our breath for only so long before we gasp for air? Recent evidence suggests that the “break (gasp) point” is not due to carbon dioxide or oxygen sensors in the lungs or blood vessels, nor is it due to volume sensors in the lungs. Rather, the best evidence suggests that the diaphragm, the muscular floor that rhythmically moves to fill and expel air from the lungs, sends discomfort signals to the brain about how long it has been since it last contracted to fill the lungs with air. The brain then subconsciously processes this information and determines how much discomfort the person can handle. Training can extend breath holding, as can meditation, flooding the body with oxygen, or purging it of carbon dioxide. Extended breath holding can cause a person to pass out and even lead to brain injury. However, training can greatly extend how long a person can hold his or her breath. Consider the following breath holding records, keeping in mind that for the average person breath holding out of water is only about a minute.

In 2009, Stephane Mifsud, in France held her breath for 11 minutes, 35 seconds. In 2008, Tom Sietas, of Greece, held his breath for 10 minutes, 12 seconds. Herbert Nische, an Egyptian, managed 9 minutes of breath holding in 2006. An American, Martin Stepanek, held his breath for slightly over 8 minutes in 2001. (Scientific American, April, 2012)

• Researchers recently reported that a cancer drug with fairly benign side effects “…was able to rapidly clear from the brains of mice toxic amyloid-beta protein fragments that accompany Alzheimer’s. The compound is headed to human trials and, [if it works it] could perhaps be a prelude to a statin-like drug for dementia.” The amyloid fragments, called “plaques,” are abundant in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. Another protein, called “tau,” is also associated with the loss of neurons in the disease. Scientists are now targeting therapies that prevent the formation of plaques and tangles of tau, or reduce their numbers, and with Obama’s new commitment to fund more research on Alzheimer’s Disease, there is renewed hope that within five years or so we will have new tools to combat this terrible brain disorder. (Gary Stix in Scientific American, April, 2012)

• Groups of honeybees depend on some in their midst that specialize in scouting out new sources of food or nesting sites. New research shows that genes in the DNA of their tiny brains predisposes them to take on the dangerous, novelty-seeking task of scouting in behalf of their fellow bees. (Science, Mar. 9, 2012)