Eating walnuts may help you think faster, remember more
Eating walnuts may help you think faster, remember more
Eating walnuts may improve performance on cognitive function tests, including those for memory, concentration and information-processing speed, according to new research from the David Geffen School of Medicine at The University of California, Los Angeles. Cognitive function was consistently greater in adult participants who consumed walnuts, regardless of age, gender or ethnicity.
There are numerous possible active ingredients in walnuts that may be contributing factors in protecting cognitive functions. This includes the high antioxidant content of walnuts, the combination of numerous vitamins and minerals, and the fact that they are the only nut that contains a significant source of alpha-linolenic acid, a plant-based omega-3 fatty acid with heart and brain-health benefits.
“It isn’t every day that research results in such simple advice – eating a handful of walnuts daily as a snack, or as part of a meal, can help improve your cognitive health,” said Lenore Arab, who led the research team. Edelman Seattle
Smart keyboard IDs computer users, stores energy, stays clean
Scientists have developed a self-cleaning, self-powered smart keyboard that can identify computer users by the way they type. The device, reported in the journal ACS Nano, could help prevent unauthorized users from gaining direct access to computers.
High-profile stories about hacking and fraud have demonstrated passwords are vulnerable to theft. So a team led by Zhong Lin Wang of the Georgia Institute of Technology set out to find a more secure but still cost-effective and user-friendly approach to safeguarding what’s on computers.
The researchers developed a smart keyboard that can sense typing patterns – including the pressure applied to keys and speed – that can accurately distinguish one individual user from another. So even if someone knows your password, he or she cannot access your computer because that person types in a different way than you would. It also can harness the energy generated from typing to either power itself or another small device. And the special surface coating repels dirt and grime. The scientists conclude that the keyboard could provide an additional layer of protection to boost the security of our computer systems. acs.org
Greenland ice cap melting at bottom from trickle-down water
A team of scientists led by a UNC-Chapel Hill geologist who is also an atmospheric researcher at New York’s Cornell University is showing for the first time that meltwater from the surface of an ice cap in northeastern Greenland can make its way beneath the ice and become trapped, refilling a subglacial lake. This meltwater provides heat to the bottom of the ice sheet.
The paper, written by Michael Willis and published in the journal Nature, provides new information about atmospheric warming and its effect on the critical zone at the base of the ice. The warmth provided by the water could make the ice sheet move faster and alter how it responds to the changing climate.
Over the last few years, the number of lakes on the surface of the Greenland ice sheet has greatly increased. Surface lakes are also occurring much farther inland at higher altitudes than in the past. If this mechanism of transferring water and warmth from the surface lakes to the bottom of the ice sheet is common, the Greenland ice sheet – about 80 percent of the land mass of Greenland – is likely to respond more rapidly to climate change than is currently predicted. cornell.edu
This story was originally published January 25, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Eating walnuts may help you think faster, remember more."