Seeking to replace Warfarin as a blood thinner, Duke Clinical Research Institute ran a trial that ended with approval of the drug Xarelto. However, later the blood testing device malfunctioned. Duke did further tests and published a letter in the New England Journal of Medicine saying that the problems with the machine did not affect …
Continue reading ‘Drugs, part 1: can we trust Big Pharma?’ »
This last Sunday marked the centenary of the Battle of Passchendaele – one of the bloodiest of World War One. Officially known as the Third Battle of Ypres, Passchendaele was fought between 31 July and 6 November 1917 in the West Flanders region of northern Belgium. About 275,000 Allied troops and 220,000 Germans died. …
Continue reading ‘The lessons of history – known and learned, or cast aside?’ »
Epicureanism was never meant to be a dry academic philosophy. In fact, it is best kept away from academia, where, as usual with philosophy, long words render it dull, if not incomprehensible. Rather, it is a vital way of living that seeks to free men and women from a life of unhappiness, fear and anxiety. …
This from the New Scientist: “Why does our species, especially the religious section of the species, seem to ignore scientific warnings about Earth’s future? “I think primarily it’s our tribal structure. All the ideologies and religions have their own answers for the big questions, but these are usually bound as a dogma to some kind …
Continue reading ‘E. O. Wilson: Religious faith is tribal and is dragging us down’ »
The Pew Research Center surveyed more than 40,000 people in 37 countries this year, examining global attitudes to the US and the president since Barack Obama left office. The numbers are grim reading for anyone but Vladimir Putin. Confidence in the US president has collapsed 42 points to just 22%, while favorable views of the …
