Truly Personalized Cellular Service

The phenomenon known as cellular memory was developed by academics to explain characteristic and behavioral changes in organ transplant recipients.

Proponents believe that each human cell has a soul or spirit that has a memory. In a transplant, doctors take care of the mechanical side of the organ and the donor's cells' "memories" survive in the recipient.

There are several cases of cellular memory. A seven-year-old girl had vivid nightmares about a child's murder after being given the heart of the murder victim. The specific details of the nightmares helped to convict the murderer (so the story goes). A woman craved beer and KFC after her lung/heart transplant - the favorite foods of her donor. A man became an accomplished artist after receiving the heart of a scenic artist. The stories (more here) are compelling, but is it valid?

The only case recognized by the scientific community is a 15-year-old Australian girl, whose blood type changed following a liver transplant.

Can consciousness survive a physical death? Are there memories in the organs?

We'll know if the person who receives my donated heart finds my keys.

Tags: [Cellular Memory]  [Organ Transplant]
[Paul Pearsall]  [Claire Sylvia]  [Leslie A. Takeuchi]

WTF - World Takes Flak - For Obesity

Professor Philip James, chairman of the International Obesity Task Force, a London-based think tank, called for a revolution in urban planning to encourage people to use cars less and public transport more.

At the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science , Professor James presented at the Town Hall Understanding Obesity workshop. He said that it is "naive to expect people to lose weight by making better choices about diet and exercise when their surroundings encourage inactivity.

Professor James blamed the world in which we live for the behavior-based obesity epidemic. (read more...). To recap his presentation: Urban developers created an obesogenic environment by planning public spaces around the car. Business improvements that have increased desk work and reduced physical labor, and product engineering improvements in everyday items, including electric toothbrushes and can openers reinforce a more sedentary lifestyle.

'Blaming individuals for their personal vulnerability to weight gain is no longer acceptable in a world where the majority is already overweight and obesity is rising everywhere,' said Professor James...The environment in which we live is the overwhelming factor amplifying the epidemic.

If you're not at your ideal weight, don't worry...it's not your fault! The remote control is to blame!
What a relief! For a moment, I was worried that individuals would be assessed some degree of accountability.


The AAAS symposium wraps up today.

Tags:
[Obesity]  [Philip James]
[American Assoc. for Advancement of Science]
[Oscar Wilde]