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A Closer Scientific Look at Antibacterial Soap Unearths Some Problems
Do antibacterial soaps do more harm than good? originally appeared on Quora - the knowledge sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights.

Answer by Tirumalai Kamala, Immunologist, Ph.D., Mycobacteriology, on Quora:

Over the years, the consensus that the harm caused by antibacterial soaps outweighs the benefits has indeed coalesced. But to understand how antibacterial soaps could harm, we first need to understand how they differ from regular soaps. Also referred to as antimicrobial or antiseptic soaps, they contain chemicals that regular soaps don't.

Many liquid soaps labeled antibacterial contain triclosan, a synthetic compound, specifically a phenylether or chlorinated bisphenol. While the US FDA classifies it as a Class III drug, i.e., a compound with high solubility and low permeability, triclosan is also a pesticide. Triclocarban is another common chemical found in antibacterial soaps. Many of the concerns about triclosan also apply to triclocarban (1).

Since it appeared on the scene in 1972, triclosan has steadily permeated through the consumer landscape such that it's practically ubiquitous today (see lists below from 1 and 2).

"Screen

Triclosan is so ubiquitous it's even found embedded in medical devices such as catheters and sutures to prevent infections (3).

As for its beneficial effects, a 2015 study compared the bactericidal effects of plain versus triclosan-containing soaps in conditions that mimic hand washing, and found no difference in their ability to reduce bacterial numbers during a 20-second exposure (4). In other words, dubious benefit when used for routine hand washing under normal circumstances, i.e., only washing hands for a few seconds. After all, most of us don't scrub as though preparing to do surgery every time we wash our hands.

How Triclosan Inhibits/Kills Microbes

In vitro studies show triclosan can stop bacteria growing at low concentrations (bacteriostatic), and kill them at high concentrations (bactericidal). It also has some activity against some fungi (5) and even parasites such as those that cause malaria, Plasmodium falciparum, and toxoplasmosis, Toxoplasma gondii (6).

Triclosan is able to target many different types of bacteria by blocking the active site for an enzyme essential for bacterial fatty acid biosynthesis (7, 8). Blocking the enzyme enoyl-acyl carrier protein reductase, triclosan prevents bacteria from synthesizing fatty acids, which they need for their cell membranes and for reproduction.

Problems With Triclosan

I. Triclosan selects for antibiotic resistance

As widespread triclosan use increased, labs increasingly started finding cross-resistance to antibiotics. Under selection pressure from triclosan, bacteria mutate to develop resistance mechanisms to it, which end up bestowing antibiotic resistance as well. In other words, studies show triclosan selects for antibiotic resistance (see table below from 9).

"Screen

II. Discharged widely into the environment, triclosan can affect biomass such as algae and bacterial communities

Since it's widely used in such a diverse array of products, triclosan ends up in soil, ground water, and municipal wastewater treatment plants. Such plants require proper functioning of microbes to break down sewage. Triclosan can inhibit methane production in wastewater plant anaerobic digesters as well as select for multi-drug resistance in such bacterial communities (10). Triclosan's effects persist even beyond because it's discharged from wastewater treatment plants as effluent. Certain algae species in the vicinity of such plants have been found to be very sensitive to triclosan (11, 12). Triclosan also affects bacterial communities in rivers (13). Potential environmental risk of triclosan becomes even more relevant in areas of water scarcity where it doesn't get sufficiently diluted.

III. Triclosan can alter gut microbiota in fishes and rodents, potentially alter human microbiota, and even promote tumors in rodents

Triclosan could profoundly (14) and stably (12) alter fish gut microbiota as well as those of baby rats (15).
While so far triclosan doesn't appear to affect human gut microbiome, the data are far from conclusive, being based on just one study with 7 volunteers (16). On the other hand, a study on nasal secretions from 90 healthy adults found a positive correlation between presence of triclosan in nasal secretions and nasal colonization by Staphylococcus aureus (17). This suggests triclosan indeed has the potential to influence and even alter human microbiota.
One mouse model even found triclosan capable of promoting liver tumors (18).

IV. Triclosan can disrupt hormonal function

Triclosan was found to disrupt thyroid hormone-associated gene expression and altered the rate of frog metamorphosis (19). It could also disrupt thyroid (20, 21), estrogen (22), and testosterone (23) function in rats.

V. Triclosan bans

Given the increasing litany of concerns about triclosan's deleterious effects on the physiology of a wide variety of species, which may also increasingly include humans, several governments are either considering banning it or have already done so.

In March 2010, the European Union banned triclosan from any products that may come into contact with food (2).
On 16 May, 2014, the US state of Minnesota banned the sale of triclosan-containing cleaning products (soaps), giving manufacturers time until early 2017 to phase them out (24).
As of 2015, Health Canada was considering banning triclosan. It's estimated that ~1730 products, including cosmetics, health, and personal care products containing triclosan were available in Canada in 2011 (1).
The US FDA is mulling its regulation (25), with a report due in September 2016.

Bibliography

1. Dhillon, Gurpreet Singh, et al. "Triclosan: current status, occurrence, environmental risks and bioaccumulation potential." International journal of environmental research and public health 12.5 (2015): 5657-5684. Triclosan: Current Status, Occurrence, Environmental Risks and Bioaccumulation Potential

2. Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics. "Triclosan." White Paper prepared by the Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics (APUA) (2011). http://emerald.tufts.edu/med/apu...

3. Stickler, David James, G. Ll Jones, and Allan Denver Russell. "Control of encrustation and blockage of Foley catheters." The Lancet 361.9367 (2003): 1435-1437. http://carambola.usc.edu/Biofilm...

4. Kim, S. A., et al. "Bactericidal effects of triclosan in soap both in vitro and in vivo." Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (2015): dkv275.

5. Vischer, W. A., and J. Regös. "Antimicrobial spectrum of Triclosan, a broad-spectrum antimicrobial agent for topical application." Zentralblatt für Bakteriologie, Parasitenkunde, Infektionskrankheiten und Hygiene. Erste Abteilung Originale. Reihe A: Medizinische Mikrobiologie und Parasitologie 226.3 (1974): 376.

6. McLeod, Rima, et al. "Triclosan inhibits the growth of Plasmodium falciparum and Toxoplasma gondii by inhibition of Apicomplexan Fab I." International journal for parasitology 31.2 (2001): 109-113. https://www.researchgate.net/pro...

7. McMurry, Laura M., Margret Oethinger, and Stuart B. Levy. "Triclosan targets lipid synthesis." Nature 394.6693 (1998): 531-532.

8. Levy, Colin W., et al. "Molecular basis of triclosan activity." Nature 398.6726 (1999): 383-384.

9. Schweizer, Herbert P. "Triclosan: a widely used biocide and its link to antibiotics." FEMS microbiology letters 202.1 (2001): 1-7. http://femsle.oxfordjournals.org...

10. McNamara, Patrick J., Timothy M. LaPara, and Paige J. Novak. "The impacts of triclosan on anaerobic community structures, function, and antimicrobial resistance." Environmental science & technology 48.13 (2014): 7393-7400. https://www.researchgate.net/pro...

11. Reiss, Richard, et al. "An ecological risk assessment for triclosan in lotic systems following discharge from wastewater treatment plants in the United States." Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 21.11 (2002): 2483-2492.

12. Lawrence, J. R., et al. "Resilience and recovery: The effect of triclosan exposure timing during development, on the structure and function of river biofilm communities." Aquatic Toxicology 161 (2015): 253-266. https://www.researchgate.net/pro...

13. Ricart, Marta, et al. "Triclosan persistence through wastewater treatment plants and its potential toxic effects on river biofilms." Aquatic Toxicology 100.4 (2010): http://www.clipmedia.net/galera/...

14. Narrowe, Adrienne B., et al. "Perturbation and restoration of the fathead minnow gut microbiome after low-level triclosan exposure." Microbiome 3.1 (2015): 1. Microbiome

15. Hu, Jianzhong, et al. "Effect of postnatal low-dose exposure to environmental chemicals on the gut microbiome in a rodent model." Microbiome 4.1 (2016): 1. Microbiome

16. Poole, Angela C., et al. "Crossover Control Study of the Effect of Personal Care Products Containing Triclosan on the Microbiome." mSphere 1.3 (2016): e00056-15. http://msphere.asm.org/content/m...

17. Syed, Adnan K., et al. "Triclosan promotes Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization." MBio 5.2 (2014): e01015-13. Triclosan Promotes Staphylococcus aureus Nasal Colonization

18. Yueh, Mei-Fei, et al. "The commonly used antimicrobial additive triclosan is a liver tumor promoter." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 111.48 (2014): 17200-17205. http://www.pnas.org/content/111/...

19. Veldhoen, Nik, et al. "The bactericidal agent triclosan modulates thyroid hormone-associated gene expression and disrupts postembryonic anuran development." Aquatic Toxicology 80.3 (2006): 217-227. https://www.researchgate.net/pro...

20. Crofton, Kevin M., et al. "Short-term in vivo exposure to the water contaminant triclosan: evidence for disruption of thyroxine." Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology 24.2 (2007): 194-197. https://www.researchgate.net/pro...

21. Zorrilla, Leah M., et al. "The effects of triclosan on puberty and thyroid hormones in male Wistar rats." Toxicological Sciences 107.1 (2009): 56-64. The Effects of Triclosan on Puberty and Thyroid Hormones in Male Wistar Rats

22. Stoker, Tammy E., Emily K. Gibson, and Leah M. Zorrilla. "Triclosan exposure modulates estrogen-dependent responses in the female wistar rat." Toxicological Sciences (2010): kfq180. Triclosan exposure modulates estrogen-dependent responses in the female Wistar rat

23. Kumar, Vikas, et al. "Alteration of testicular steroidogenesis and histopathology of reproductive system in male rats treated with triclosan." Reproductive Toxicology 27.2 (2009): 177-185.

24. SF 2192 Status in the Senate for the 88th Legislature (2013

25. Kuehn, Bridget M. "FDA pushes makers of antimicrobial soap to prove safety and effectiveness." JAMA 311.3 (2014): 234-234.

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Why We Usually Have No Idea We're Getting a Sunburn
Why is it so hard to tell you're getting a sunburn? originally appeared on Quora - the knowledge sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights.

Answer by Joshua Engel on Quora:

The reddening of sunburn isn't caused by the sun itself, but by red blood rushing in to heal the damage. Blood vessels swell in response to the damage, a bit like a bruise. That extra blood causes the skin to appear red.

It also causes the skin to feel hot to the touch. Ordinarily, the skin is a few degrees cooler than your internal body temperature, because it's on the surface radiating heat, and evaporation from sweat cools the skin. The extra blood (heated to fully 37 degrees C in the core of the body) warms the skin up, making it feel hot.

Like a bruise, it doesn't appear immediately. The damage is done, but it takes the body's systems a while to react to it. Thus, you get redder over the course of hours or even a day.

Turning brown is another effect, as the melanocytes react to the damage by producing more melanin. This happens slowly, and takes a couple of days to produce noticeable browning. The red isn't really "fading to brown:" as the damage heals, the swelling shrinks, and the reddening decreases, around the same time as the melanin has accumulated to the point that you can see it.

You can't feel the damage as it's being done because it's very slow, and it doesn't trigger the pain nerves. The energy is being accumulated in the cells, but it's not making you all that much warmer. You will feel warm, but you'll just attribute it to the overall warmth of the day. (If you manage to be out on a glacier, you may well notice that your skin feels warmer than expected. That's a warning, one that I've ignored to my peril.)

The damage is the same as caused by a regular burn from a fire, but it happens over hours rather than seconds. You need to be aware of the sun (which can cause burns even when the temperature is cold) and not depend on your body to warn you.

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The Outrun saw off five other acclaimed examples of the boom genre including Common Ground by Rob Cowen, The Fish Ladder by Katharine Norbury, A Shepherd's Life by James Rebanks, Landmarks by Robert Macfarlane and The Moth Snowstorm by Michael McCarthy.

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Jacques Boucher de Perthes Scientist of the Day Jacques...

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Jacques Boucher de Perthes Scientist of the Day

Jacques Boucher de Crèvecoeur de Perthes, a French customs official and amateur antiquarian, died Aug. 5, 1868, at the age of 79.

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Politics, Propaganda, And Perspective: How Preventive Medicine Pertains

In any political campaign season, fidelity to facts is often sacrificed for the persuasiveness of propaganda. In this campaign season of roiling discontent, that is only all the more so. In particular, the identification of every act of terrorism or violence as a systemic failure of the current power structure is as specious as it is seductive. Preventive Medicine can lend some very relevant perspective.

As a board certified Preventive Medicine specialist, I know full well the major liability of my field. No one gets much credit for what doesn't happen.

There are no tears of gratitude from family members because father or mother, sister or brother did not have a heart attack. There are no cards on your office wall expressing abiding thanks for the stroke that never occurred. No crayon drawings of adulation from children who grow up without type 2 diabetes because of some policy or program. There are no philanthropists eager to support you in any way you ask because you saved their life, or the life of someone they love. Perhaps you did just that, but if you did, they certainly don't know it happened, and you may not even know it yourself.

Such is the thanklessness of prevention, but it's a price well worth paying. The field of Preventive Medicine has brought us cancer screening programs that save thousands upon thousands of lives, and immunizations that save millions. Luminaries in this field are why we need no longer fear such one-time ubiquitous perils as smallpox, and polio. And, of course, in the modern era the relevant efforts continue to address immunization and infectious disease, cancer screening and interdiction, while shifting ever more to an emphasis on lifestyle as medicine in the prevention of cardiometabolic and other chronic, degenerative diseases.

There is a direct analogy between such efforts and their often-unrecognized utility, and the work of homeland security, with all of its reverberations into the current, noisome political campaigns.

Let's revisit immunization. You have surely heard the false contention that vaccines cause autism, and have likely been tempted to believe it. You have doubtless heard the true indictments of the 1976 swine flu vaccine, one tainted batch of which caused cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome. But can you say how many lives have been saved with the MMR vaccine, or the flu vaccine? Can you even hazard at a guess at the ratio of infections prevented, or lives saved, over a given recent decade, to unintended adverse effects?

I am guessing you can't, because I can't, and it's my purview. I could look up the figures, but I don't know them off hand. What I do know is that those ratios are enormously favorable. They are likely in the general domain of millions to one, and reliably well into the many tens-of-thousands to one.

And yet, it's the “one” that makes headlines, and grabs our attention. The number of cases of measles prevented by that vaccine does not make news. The discredited claim that the MMR vaccine causes autism makes news again, and again, and again.

Similarly, we are unlikely to have any idea about most threats of terrorism that never come to fruition. Every now and then we hear about such a threat, interdicted when near to full maturity. But given the nature of prevention, most such crises are surely averted at earlier stages, entirely unconducive to drama. There is no drama, there are no headlines, and we are none the wiser.

We are, of course, unlikely to live in a world where no acts of terrorism take place, now that there are sizable entities with considerable resources dedicated to the perpetration of just such acts. It might be possible to achieve perfect interdiction in a fully militarized state, but the loss of liberty would be far too high a price to pay.

Similarly, we are unlikely to live in a world where civil liberties and privacy are fully unfettered. There are real dangers to contend with here. Were we to renounce all security for the sake of unmitigated liberty for all, we would be taking our lives in our hands at every gathering we attend.

In health and security alike, we are seeking the sweet spot. We are aiming at a ratio of effective prevention to occasional lapse that rightly balances the advantages of interdiction with the costs, sacrifices, and inconveniences with which we are willing to purchase them.

But ratios and balance and realistic compromises are not the stuff of campaign bravado. Nor are they the stuff of headlines, and there are papers to sell and air time to fill every day. Failure of preventive efforts unfailingly gets the spotlight; success is consigned to the shadows.

Consequently, we will certainly know about every act of violence and terrorism that makes it through the existing filters, just as we will know about every screening test or vaccine gone awry. How easy, then, for anyone inclined to demagoguery to point an accusing finger at any evidence of current failure, blame it on those currently in charge, and promise us a world free of it- although invariably without any cogent explanation as to how.

In politics, this is how we tend to roll, and everyone seems to accept it. No doubt far too many are actually persuaded by the captivating combination of misdirected blame, and unsubstantiated promises.

But imagine for a moment if medicine worked this way. With every case of colon cancer, there would be an argument to abandon colon cancer screening altogether since, obviously, it had failed! The occurrence of breast cancer would propagate arguments to abandon mammography, rather than efforts to improve it. Opposing medical factions would blame bad outcomes on one another, and make vague promises about alternative approaches that would provide perfect results. We, the people, would favor first one group, then another, only to be disappointed by each in turn.

Whether in defense of the human body, or of our collective security, the best we can do is the best we can do. It involves tradeoffs between protection of life and limb, and protection of comfort, convenience, and civil liberties.

If inclined to think that someone else should be in charge because those who have been haven't prevented everything bad, ask yourself what you actually know about how much bad stuff has been prevented. The answer, inevitably for those of us without high-level security clearance, is: we don't know much. We might well be living in a world of six-sigma security, yet only know about the one failure in a million.

In my field, news not made by things that haven't happened tends to be what matters most of all. In a troubled, complicated world of terrorist organizations, much the same is apt to be true of our security.

Preventive Medicine invites us to consider the importance of what does not happen, along with that of what does. In so doing, it might help us see past the distortions of political propaganda and false promises of perfect success, to a balanced perspective about balancing priorities, and the best we can do with that reality.

-fin

David L. Katz

Director, Yale University Prevention Research Center; Griffin Hospital
President, American College of Lifestyle Medicine

Senior Medical Advisor, Verywell.com

Founder, The True Health Initiative

Follow at: LinkedIN; Twitter; Facebook
Read at: INfluencer Blog; Huffington Post; US News & World Report

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Sound, ships and science

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Andrew Barnard, an acoustics engineer from Michigan Tech, watched the sunset and listened to the deepest spot in Lake Superior as part of a chief scientist training with the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS). UNOLS is run by the National Science Foundation and the Office of Naval Research and maintains all of the US science ship fleet. The vessels are doing great science in far flung regions like the Antarctic. There's also a UNOLS vessel, R/V Blue Heron, operating on the Great Lakes out of University of Minnesota Duluth where Barnard did his chief scientist training.

Image credit: Dr. Andrew R, Barnard, Michigan Technological University

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Image credit: Ryan Sanders and the CANDELS team

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Greatness has no finish line..

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View of St. Paul Cathedral from Millennium Bridge at sunset

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The opening ceremony of the XXXI Olympiad will take place...

The opening ceremony of the XXXI Olympiad will take place tonight in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The city's newly constructed Olympic Tennis Center and Maria Esther Bueno Court are seen in this shot from aerial photographer @gilesinfo. This particular photo is taken from Morar Olimpíadas, his new book that examines the physical transformation of Rio de Janeiro in the run up to the event. Let the games begin! (at Rio 2016 Summer Olympics)

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Rising Sun and Cranes 5 Aug 2016

Sculptor Lil posted a photo:

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Love Through the Ages by Алексей Романовский

Love Through the Ages by Алексей Романовский

Алексей Романовский: Photos

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Golden Hour A380.

spencer.wilmot posted a photo:

Ready to push at Terminal 4.

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Front by Wesley Wilquin aka belk

Front by Wesley Wilquin aka belk

Sunset

Wesley Wilquin aka belk: Photos

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Evening Pushback At Heathrow.

spencer.wilmot posted a photo:

China Southern 787 at Terminal 4.

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Sunset Over Westminster

The Narratographer posted a photo:

Well, I decided to process a lot of the images from my trips across Europe over the last few years. Recently, I haven't done many landscapes and cityscapes, so Ive decided to get back into them.
The main reason for this, is the fact that my best friend, Anthony, has decided to move across the pond to Canada. Best friends since we were 11, he was my travel companion, my ally and my source of inspiration. We spent most of our adult life travelling across the UK, and across Europe, having fun and taking photos. For all those years, we were inseparable, the closest two friends can ever be.
Like I say, a year ago, he decided to move to Canada, to be with a girl he met on Facebook. Now, they have a child and are married...and I haven't seen him since. So all of these images are dedicated to my distant friend. He was with me when I took all of them, and without him, Id have never have taken them. So I just thought that I would post these images, as lately Ive been feeling very nostalgic and sad that we don't get the chance to do these sorts of things anymore. so thanks Ant, for being the best friend anyone could ever wish for. I miss you.
Anyway, I hope you like the images.

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r0B0t: Project Murphy Is Microsoft's Latest Artificial Intelligence Robot, And It Wants To Photoshop Pictures For You

Microsoft's recent Artificial Intelligence robot Tay didn't exactly make headlines for the right reasons, after Twitter users somehow managed to trick it into becoming a Nazi. But the computer giant is probably hoping their latest venture will steer clear of any controversy.

Project Murphy is described as a “robot with imagination” - you can talk to it through your Facebook Messenger app and ask it to dream up funny pictures for you.

For example, you could ask Murphy “What if Donald Trump was a fish?” and it would automatically edit the presidential candidate's head onto a sea creature.

Naturally, people are devoting a lot of time to finding the funniest possible combinations.

Here are a few of our favourites:

My best masterpiece so far with #ProjectMurphy. pic.twitter.com/G53KFmaWbE
— Jeremy Nielsen (@Jnn575) July 12, 2016

Идеально #projectmurphy pic.twitter.com/BoB753SQ5z
— Maxim Vakulich (@vma392) July 8, 2016

Having way too much fun with #projectmurphy @ThePoke pic.twitter.com/hpgAjF2fC9
— Tom Nightingale (@Tomn_1986) August 5, 2016

What if Davey Cameron is a pie? #ProjectMurphy pic.twitter.com/ySfvvewwLK
— Ryan Barrell (@RyanBarrell) August 5, 2016

Oh dear. #ProjectMurphy pic.twitter.com/O1pNGzwpTc
— Jason Wilson (@WhizzoUK) August 5, 2016

#ProjectMurphy is easily the best thing Microsoft has done in recent memory. pic.twitter.com/qVR9uBEeMd
— Matt Kremske (@Kremdog28) July 10, 2016

Rather happy with my first question to #ProjectMurphy pic.twitter.com/5s1iHbaOQu
— Jason Wilson (@WhizzoUK) August 5, 2016

#projectmurphy pic.twitter.com/vsNhYGbqEy
— Chris Dyson (@ChrisLDyson) August 5, 2016

"Do you ever sit back and ask yourself what you're doing with your life?" - Saru, 2k16 #ProjectMurphy pic.twitter.com/jGj1mGnmRX
— Animus (@cinderskull) July 25, 2016

#projectmurphy what if Donald Trump was Miley Cyrus? pic.twitter.com/OEPoQULMeb
— Jack (@JackMeeOff) July 22, 2016

#ProjectMurphy is amazing pic.twitter.com/OyTsMcPKHt
— Jeremy Nielsen (@Jnn575) July 12, 2016

Although they don't always work out:

#projectmurphy What if Sunderland had an airport - I'm genuinely not sure how to respond to this pic.twitter.com/rt3jGO3EWn
— Chris Swinton (@Keawyeds) August 5, 2016

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Big unknowns: what is consciousness? - podcast

What does it mean to be you? And how can science unpick the age-old debates around conscious experience? Join us for a journey into the unknown

Ever since Descartes famously split the world into “mind” and “‘matter”, the debate amongst philosophers and thinkers about conscious experience has raged. And with recent advances in brain imaging technologies, scientists now offer a new and exciting viewpoint on this quintessential human phenomenon. But are we any closer to revealing the mechanisms behind it? And can science offer anything other than objective measures? Under the watchful gaze of the cognitive neuroscientist Professor Anil Seth, Ian and Nicola delve into the murky world of consciousness in an attempt to unravel its mysteries. Along the way we meet UCL's Dr Steve Fleming and Professor Christof Koch from the Allen Institute for Brain Science, to hear how experimental practice and theory are tackling this problem head on.

Continue reading...
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Book Readers Live Longer Lives, According to New Study from Yale University

"Urval

Image by Johannes Jansson, via Wikimedia Commons

What are the keys to longevity? If you ask Dan Buettner, the author of The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest, he'd list nine key factors. They range from slow down and don't stress out, to have a clear purpose in life, to eat mainly plant based foods and put family first. Nowhere on his list, however, does he suggest sitting down and reading good books.

And yet a new study by researchers at Yale University's School of Public Health indicates that people who read books (but not so much magazines and newspapers) live two years longer, on average, than those who don't read at all. Becca R. Levy, a professor of epidemiology at Yale, is quoted in The New York Times as saying, “People who report as little as a half-hour a day of book reading had a significant survival advantage over those who did not read.” “And the survival advantage remained after adjusting for wealth, education, cognitive ability and many other variables.” Precisely how book reading contributes to increased longevity is not spelled out. You can read the abstract for the new study here.

via NYTimes

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Study Finds That Reading Tolstoy & Other Great Novelists Can Increase Your Emotional Intelligence

New Study: Immersing Yourself in Art, Music & Nature Might Reduce Inflammation & Increase Life Expectancy

Book Readers Live Longer Lives, According to New Study from Yale University is a post from: Open Culture. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus, or get our Daily Email. And don't miss our big collections of Free Online Courses, Free Online Movies, Free eBooks, Free Audio Books, Free Foreign Language Lessons, and MOOCs.

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