Exposure to
sunlight may reduce the risk for nearsightedness, a new study reports.
Researchers recruited 371 men and women with nearsightedness, or myopia, and
2,797 without. Their average age was 72. They gave them eye examinations, took
blood samples and interviewed them about their health and behaviour over the
years, estimating exposure to ultraviolet B rays. The study, in JAMA
Ophthalmology, found that those with the highest UVB exposure, especially in
the teenage and young adult years, had about a 30% lower risk for myopia. They
also found that more schooling increased the risk of nearsightedness.Those in
the highest one-third in years of education had more than double the risk of
myopia compared to those in the lowest one-third. The reason for the effect,
which was independent of UVB exposure, remains unknown.
Magnetic brain
stimulation can bring back `lost' memories:
Scientists have
found that stimulating the brain with magnets can bring back forgotten
memories, an advance that may help people suffering from schizophrenia or
depression. “A lot of mental illness is associated with the inability to choose
what to think about,“ said Brad Postle, a professor at the University of
Wisconsin-Madison in the US. “What we're taking are first steps toward looking
at the mechanisms that give us control over what we think about,“ said Postle.
Researchers found that brains tuck less-important information away beyond the
reach of the tools that typically monitor brain activity, and then they snapped
that information back into active attention with magnets.
Source: Times of India-3rd-December-2016
http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31804&articlexml=SHORT-CUTS-03122016019001
