Neuroscientists are exploring how brain and body make sense of our most ephemeral resource. In warp-speed modern America, time has become one of our most precious resources. We manage it, and we expend it carefully. ¶ Ironic, then, that a resource as precious as seconds, minutes and hours is so poorly understood and so routinely misestimated by modern humans -- by 15% to 25% in either direction, depending on the individual and the acuity of his or her time perception. But understanding our ability to perceive time -- and to use time to make sense of our world -- is one of the newest and most sweeping frontiers of neuroscience. ¶ Says UCLA neuroscientist Dean Buonomano: "In order to understand the nature of the human mind, we must unravel the mystery of how the brain tells time, in both normal and pathological states." ¶ Against that backdrop, the temporally challenged have become more scientifically relevant than ever. Neuroscientists have come to recognize that patients with devastating brain disorders such as Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases greatly underestimate the passage of time. Poor timing is a hallmark in several psychiatric conditions, including schizophrenia, autism and attention deficit disorder. Many of about 5,500 soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with traumatic brain injury will find that faulty timing is one of the invisible wounds that follow them into civilian life. And researchers have confirmed that as we reach senior status, our internal clock grows increasingly unreliable.
Obama To Reverse Limits On Stem Cell Research
President Barack Obama is expected to reverse Bush-era restrictions on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. Obama is expected to announce the move Monday, freeing up federal funds for research on those stem cell lines created after Aug. 9, 2001.
Taste this
The doner kebab is sometimes described as Turkish gyro, and that description is more or less accurate in theory.
Dr. Tim: Inside the White House Forum on Health Care
ABC News’ medical editor Dr. Tim Johnson reports: Thursday I attended the White House Forum on Health Care. Below are some of my observations on this interesting and important event.
1. As an "event," it was enormously successful, particularly in attracting the full range of special interest groups and politicians who will play key roles in the debate over health care reform. As President Obama said, it was the "hot ticket" in town, larger than even the financial summit.
2. For me, the most impressive segment was the last event, the unscripted Q and A session with the president. Since this is a subject I know fairly well, I was very impressed with the president's knowledge, with how quickly he connected the dots between questions, key information and ideas. I was even more impressed with his "emotional intelligence" in handling the various questioners, quickly understanding any hidden messages and speaking immediately to their concerns in a thoughtful way.
3. The president -- rightly in my view -- kept hammering at the cost-control issue. He is clearly determined to promote reform on the basis of the current financial crisis, which I think is a smart move strategically -- i.e., reaching out to people and politicians who might not be on the "moral bandwagon" but who will listen to economic arguments. He already has the support of the former but needs the support of the latter to get a bill passed.
4. One key moment was the exchange between Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and the president. Grassley brought up the sensitive subject of a "public option," i.e., the "Medicare-like" program that Obama promoted during his campaign. The president responded very diplomatically by saying he understood the concern and that the views of those opposed would be carefully considered, but he never said flatly they wouldn't propose it. This issue is the great fear of the private health insurance industry; it knows it can't compete against the government in overhead and administrative costs. One expert I talked with today said he thinks this will be a key bargaining chip for the administration, that they might be willing to give it up in exchange for other significant concessions by conservatives. But other liberal groups still insist it is a line in the sand that must not be crossed.
5. Everyone I have talked to this week believes now that there will be plans brought to the floors of the House and Senate before the August break. Whether anything can get passed is, of course, another question.
6. Finally, on a personal note, it was thrilling to see "Sir Edward" Kennedy enter the East Room with the president. He still speaks with authority on the subject, and I hope his voice will be heard during this coming debate.
Obama to lift ban on funding of embryonic stem cell research
President will sign executive order on Monday, senior administration official says President Barack Obama is expected to sign an executive order on Monday reversing restrictions on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research.
IRAQ: Medical Care At Last, At a Price
BAGHDAD, Mar 6 (IPS)Prompt medical care is at last on offer in Iraq, for those who can find the dollars for it.
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