Hits & Misses – 2009/10/1
Can evolution run in reverse? No.
Can aging be reversed? Maybe.
Rise in melanoma explained: Doctors are misdiagnosing benign lesions as early-stage malignant cancers.
The average emergency room doctor is interrupted 10 times an hour. In aeronautics, interruptions and distractions are the most common cause of pilot error.
What are probiotics (found, e.g., in Dannon yogurt) good for? Reducing diarrhea: yes. Lowering cholesterol and blood pressure, preventing cavities, reducing cancer risks and the duration of colds: unclear.
For baby delivery, does it matter where a doctor was trained? Yes.
Most common cause of injury requiring medical attention? Falling down.
First-born siblings tend to be more risk-averse: last-born siblings tend to be bigger risk takers.
If aging is reversed…..is evolution then reversed or furthered?
The rise in Melanoma diagnosis makes sense given the incentives for doctors to play it safe under the current tort environment.
I don’t see why evolution can’t be reversed. Is there some principle in physics that makes it impossible?
The additional five mutations, which had no effect on the new gene function but which prevented reversion to the old form, could be considered a manifestation of entropy. So it makes sense that things would tend to go in only one direction.
OK Bart, I hope the same principle doesn’t prevent reversal of aging.