Discovered: An HIV vaccine, LSD as a treatment for alcoholism, what your heartbeat says about your personality and kids need exercise.
- A vaccine for HIV. Rather, for HIV-1, just one strand of the virus. Even so, this sounds like a monumental discovery to us. Doctors have found a way to eliminate what the research write up calls a "notoriously persistent form of the virus that does not respond to current therapies." This is a good step toward eliminating the virus altogether, continues the report. It just sounds good all around. [Immunity]
- LSD might be a good treatment for alcoholism. This isn't exactly a new idea, but scientists have started to look at the psychedelic as a way to get the addicted to stop drinking. "It was rather common for patients to claim significant insights into their problems, to feel that they had been given a new lease on life, and to make a strong resolution to discontinue their drinking," explained researchers. "It was not unusual for patients following their LSD experience to become much more self-accepting, to show greater openness and accessibility, and to adopt a more positive, optimistic view of their capacities to face future problems," said another group of experimenters. Sounds like LSD might be a useful treatment for more than just alcoholism. [Journal of Psychopharmacology]
- What your heartbeat says about you. Heartbeats correlate to personalities, science has found. Neurotics have a certain type of beat, romantics another type, compassionate and optimistic people another type. "We hope that with this method, we have found something that is perhaps more accurate, and more relatable, than many other measures of personality," said study researcher Stefan Koelsch. Basically, the next time you meet a future someone, ask to hear their heart beat. [MSNBC]
- Another reason kids should exercise. Beyond all the usual stuff, like heart health and ADHD control, exercise helps children perform better on exams because exercise increases oxygen flow to the brain. "Children must spend at least an hour a day doing some form of moderate to vigorous physical activity," said Dr. Sigman. "Vigorous is much better than moderate. We needn’t be concerned that this will reduce grades by displacing learning time," he wrote. Sorry indoor kids, time to get outside and play. [The Telegraph]
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