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Non-shivering thermogenesis is the process by which the body generates extra heat without shivering.  Shivering is a way for the body to use muscular contractions to generate heat, but non-shivering thermogenesis uses a completely different mechanism to accomplish the same goal: a specialized fat-burning tissue called brown fat .  Brown fat is brown rather than white because it's packed with mitochondria, the power plants of the cell.  Under cold conditions, these mitochondria are activated, using a specialized molecular mechanism called uncoupling* to generate heat. The mechanism of brown fat activation has been worked out fairly well in rodents, which rely heavily on non-shivering thermogenesis due to their small body size.  Specialized areas of the hypothalamus in the brain sense body temperature (through sensors in the brain and body), body energy status (by measuring leptin and satiety signals), stress level, and probably other factors, and integrate this information to set b...

As mentioned in my review of Flying Saucers from Outer Space (1953) by Donald E. Keyhoe, at a Pentagon press conference in 1952 General John Samford stated about UFOs ". . . there has been no pattern that reveals anything remotely like purpose or remotely like consistency that we can in any way associate with any menace to the United States."  I n previous blog articles about UFOlogy, I have mentioned details that show correlations among flying saucer cases.  These details involve what might be useful to call 'The Nine Pattern.' O n June 26, 1947 newspaper articles announced from Pendleton, Oregon that "Nine, bright, saucer-like objects flying at 'incredible' speed at 10,000 feet altitude" had been seen two days earlier by Idaho pilot Kenneth Arnold, "who said he could not hazard a guess as to what they were." K eyhoe commented, "Unfortunately Arnold described the discs as 'saucer-like,' and the ridiculous name was born....

One of my main gardening goals has been to harvest more of something than I can eat, despite my limited gardening space here in the Emerald City.  I want the feeling of abundance that comes with having to preserve and give away food because I can't eat it all. Enter zucchini.  My grandfather used to say that in New Jersey in summertime, you'd have to keep your car doors locked, otherwise the car would be full of zucchini the next time you got in!  In mid-May, I planted two starts from my local grocery store labeled "green zucchini", with no further information.  I put them in a bed that used to be a pile of composted horse manure, and that I had also cover cropped, mulched, fertilized, and loosened deeply with my broadfork.  They look pleased. Read more »

The third UFOlogy book by Major Donald E. Keyhoe (USMC Ret.) The Flying Saucer Conspiracy (1955) begins with a Foreword stating that since he wrote his previous book in 1953, sightings of the so-called Unidentified Flying Objects had multiplied throughout the world. Here in the United States, the official investigation has been greatly intensified.  Scores of prominent scientists and engineers are now working behind the scenes, helping to evaluate the facts . Most of the public is unaware of these developments, for since December, 1953, the Air Force has refused to release any official reports of flying-saucer encounters. He mentioned that in relation to the censorship, "Most of the officers and officials I have encountered are simply obeying orders."  He explained further: Nor do I attribute unpatriotic motives to the "silence group" members who originate these orders.  Undoubtedly they are actuated by a high motive —the need, as they see it, to protect the publi...

Genetics Loads the Gun, Environment Pulls the Trigger Thanks to a WHS reader* for reminding me of the above quote by Dr. Francis Collins, director of the US National Institutes of Health**.  This is a concept that helps reconcile the following two seemingly contradictory observations: Roughly 70 percent of obesity risk is genetically inherited, leaving only 30 percent of risk to environmental factors such as diet and lifestyle. Diet and lifestyle have a large impact on obesity risk.  The prevalence of obesity has tripled in the last 30 years, and the prevalence of extreme obesity has increased by almost 10-fold.  This is presumably not enough time for genetic changes to account for it. Read more »

For those who are interested in natural movement training, this summer my friend Rafe Kelley will be hosting an interesting three-day event near Bellingham, WA called "Return to the Source".  Rafe is skilled in a variety of movement disciplines and is the co-founder of the Seattle parkour gym Parkour Visions .  Parkour is a very fun sport that hones our natural ability to skillfully navigate physical obstacles, but it's usually done in an urban context. The camp will take place from August 23-25.  Here's a description from the Parkour Visions site: "This summer, return to the source of human movement with Parkour Visions as we explore the natural environment in and around Bellingham, WA. Rafe Kelley will introduce you to the benefits of training and playing in nature. You will learn how to adapt your technique and movement to moving effectively through woods, over rocks, and in trees during this unique, 3-day experience." Watch this video if you want to see...

In his second UFOlogy book, Flying Saucers from Outer Space (1953), Donald Keyhoe revealed: "Since July, 1952, in a new investigation of the saucers, I have been privileged to cooperate with the Air Force . . . Scores of impressive sighting reports by service pilots have been cleared for me, with the conclusions of Air Technical Intelligence—some so incredible they would have been ridiculed two or three years ago." 1952 was the year a veritable UFO 'sighting wave' occurred throughout the United States.  Keyhoe explained that in August that year "the Air Force had changed its Sphinx-like attitude.  In the last six months I'd seen the most baffling cases in the ATIC's secret files.  At first I'd been suspicious of this sudden cooperation.  But I thought I knew the reason now . . ." Keyhoe described his visits to the Pentagon, where Air Force press specialist Albert M. Chop provided him with Air Technical Intelligence Center reports.  On one occas...