How to Beat Jetlag and Sleep Better on the Go

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AppId is over the quota

By Janene Mascarella

What is it about traveling that often has us tossing and turning under those crisp, white hotel sheets? Even in the most luxurious accommodations, it can be hard to get a restorative, restful night's sleep. To help you rise and shine on the road, we asked Ph.D nutritionist and author of How to Stay Healthy and Fit on the Road, Joanne Lichten, (known as Dr. Jo) to shed some light and share her secrets on how to catch some zzz's.

Dr. Jo: Just got back from Ireland where we succeeded in having no jet lag in either direction—and there's a science to it. It takes roughly one day for your body to adjust naturally to each hour of time change. So, if you're traveling across 5 time zones and staying 7 days, by the time your body adjusts it will almost be time to leave! To hasten the recovery:

1. Consider the zeitgebers. These are external cues that reset the body clock. The strongest zeitgebers are light and dark. A dark environment will help your body naturally produce melatonin which makes you feel sleepy. And daylight will help you feel alert (get at least 30 minutes of daylight upon arriving in the daytime hours). So, get out in the light before heading inside. And, please don't go right to sleep!

2. Pre-set your watch. Upon leaving your hometown set your watch to the new time zone and start living accordingly. For example, when boarding on an eastbound flight at 8pm local time (1am in your new location), put on an eye mask and neck pillow and try to get some sleep.

3. Use naps judiciously. If trying to adapt to the new time zone is proving to be dangerous, feel free to take a daytime nap of about 90 minutes (as long as it's before 3pm local time). A short nap may prove to be difficult because when you're sleep deprived (such as sleeping just a few hours on an overseas flight), you're much more likely to fall into a deep sleep stage immediately and trying to wake up in 15 minutes will make you feel lethargic.  Consider that our sleep cycles (light sleep to deep sleep and back to light sleep) takes about 90-100 minutes.

Dr. Jo: Yes! Go for the carbs! It's important to eat protein at breakfast and lunch because meals rich in protein help the body to produce dopamine which can help you feel alert. Meals rich in carbs increase the release of serotonin which make you feel relaxed. In addition, you should never go to bed on a full stomach–that will disturb your sleep. Alcohol, while it might make you feel sleepy can interfere with your sleep, while both caffeine and nicotine are stimulating.

Dr. Jo: Give yourself a stopping point. Caffeine has a half-life of four hours. That means if you drink a very large cup of coffee with 400mg, 200mg will still be floating around in your bloodstream four hours later. And, 100mg 8 hours after you drank it. Most people sleep better by limiting their caffeine after the lunch hour.

Dr. Jo: Make it dark. When it gets dark, the pineal gland at the base of our brain secretes melatonin which helps us feel sleepy. Help the process by establishing a night-time routine including dimming the lights, turning off stimuli like computers and TV, using an eye mask, covering the bright light of the alarm clock, laying a towel in front of the door, and clipping the drapes shut (inside tip: pack a few binder clips!).

Photo credits: Hotel Room via Shutterstock; Airplane via Shutterstock

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New Ivy Hotel Adds to Chicago's Boutique Scene

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AppId is over the quota

By Kristine Hansen

Chicago's boutique-hotel boom continues on the heels of PUBLIC Chicago, Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel, and Hotel Lincoln with The Ivy Hotel, which just opened this month. (Rates from $225/night.)

Tucked into Chicago's tony Near North neighborhood, The Ivy Hotel caters to the urban eco-chic crowd who yearn to be close to designer shops on Michigan Avenue (the hotel is a block east) but that also have a passion for practicing environmental conservation. Guests are shuttled around, at no cost, in the hotel's two Lexus hybrid cars (will be available after the fall) and paperless check-in is done on iPads. Inside the shell of a vacant building for close to a decade, and most recently an office building, the revamped décor is largely neutral tones and guests enter the lobby under a soft, orange-red, white, or blue (depending on the time of day) glow.

A rooftop lounge on the 16th floor serving cocktails and tapas will properly usher in summer weather at the sleek hotel. And in the lobby lounge a four-course lunch or dinner can be arranged, folding in organic produce from two local purveyors.

On each floor, guests will find just four or five rooms (for a total of 63), which helps cultivate a quiet haven after a day of sightseeing. In fact, each suite has a soaking tub complete with lavender sea salts to coax away stress. Also in the rooms are 19-inch LED television built into the bathroom mirrors; bamboo flooring; rugs spun from spisal; linens (bed sheets, towels, and robes) created from Fair Trade, organic cotton; and amenity bottles featuring post-consumer recycled content. Non-toxic cleaning products, eco-friendly water and energy conservation, and recycling programs are also in place.

For up-to-the-minute hotel and restaurant recommendations, as well as the best planning advice, check out our Chicago Travel Guide.

Photo credits: Courtesy of the Ivy Hotel

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Top Chef Comes to New York, Win a Ticket to Judge for Yourself

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AppId is over the quota

Have you ever had the feeling that Tom or Padma got it wrong? Ever feel like you'd make a better Top Chef judge? Well here's your chance to say it to their faces. On May 20, Top Chef: The Tour is making its way to New York City to the Gansevoort Plaza (at the intersection of Gansevoort St. and 9th Avenue) in the Meatpacking District, giving us the chance to get up close and personal with the show we all hold so dear. The best part is, Fodor's is going to be there loud and proud with a booth where we'll be giving away an Escape with Fodor's' prize pack, valued at over $300!

Come 3 pm, it will be time to gather round the Top Chef tent and cooking demo area for, what else, a Quickfire-style cook-off. And while not everyone gets to judge the food served by dueling alums Antonia Lofaso and Hung Huynh, I do. That's right, yours truly will be on hand to tell Antonia if her dish fell flat or if Hung overdid it with the salt. (Note: there are three other cook-offs throughout the day with other chefs and judges.)

So come by and say hello! It's free to walk around and check out the booths (there's a putting green, interactive booth, and, of course, the Fodor's tent) and meet the chefs, but you'll need tickets to see the cook-offs and demos. Don't worry if you haven't gotten yours yet, though, because we're giving some away!

Enter to win 2 tickets to the Top Chef VIP reserved cooking demo courtesy of Fodor's. Note: You must be in NYC on May 20th to be eligible. By entering the sweepstakes, you will be subscribed to the Fodor's newsletter. You may unsubscribe at anytime.

Photo credits: Courtesy of Bravo TV; Chef chopping via Shutterstock

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The Obama Cocktail Comes to Boston

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By Kristine Hansen

On the heels of President Barack Obama's statement last week in support of marriage equality, a Boston hotel rolled out a cocktail a few days later that's in honor of this celebratory moment for the gay community.

"The Obama," the Beacon Hill Hotel & Bistro signature libation, contains Lillet Blanc, gin, fresh blueberries, and tonic water (L for Lillet, G for gin, B for blueberries, T for tonic.). It will be served on the rocks, garnished with two blueberries, in the hotel's bar daily through June 10, which is when Boston's annual Gay Pride Week ends. Each drink costs $11.

The drink is appropriately timed with an influx of gay-friendly travelers arriving to Boston for Pride Week (including the 2012 parade, which is a march to promote equal rights for gay, lesbian, and transgender people nationwide). Yet it also pays tribute to 30 years of the Pride movement worldwide, and the International Association of Pride Organizers (founded in Boston in 1982).

With just 13 rooms, Beacon Hill Hotel & Bistro–in Boston's historic and chic Beacon Hill neighborhood near the Public Garden—fuses modern amenities (the cocktail's innovative mixology, just one example) with a quaint charm. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as weekend brunch, is served daily.

For up-to-the-minute hotel and restaurant recommendations, plus the best planning advice, check out our Boston Travel Guide.

Photo credits: Courtesy of the Beacon Hill Hotel & Bistro

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Evolutionary Medicine Conference Tue May 8 at Stanford

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New Opportunities at the Intersection of Evolution and Medicine
A gathering of scientists and entrepreneurs

8:00 – 8:30 Coffee and Registration

8:30 – 8:50 Welcome
Charles Cho, MD, Associate Professor Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University
Introductory Remarks by Joon Yun, MD, Palo Alto Investors and David Sloan Wilson, Binghamton University

8:50 – 9:30 Keynote Address
Evolutionary Medicine: Envisioning the Opportunities
Keynote Address by Randolph M. Nesse, MD, University of Michigan

9:30 – 10:10 Session One: Infectious Disease
Evolution Proof Pharmaceuticals?
Andrew F. Read, Penn State

Panel discussion to follow moderated by David Sloan Wilson, Binghamton University
Panelists include James Holland Jones, Stanford University, and Nina Kjellson, Interwest

10:10 – 10:40 Break

10:40 – 11:45 Session Two: Cancer
Why Evolution Holds the Key to Curing and Preventing Cancer
Carlo C Maley, University of California at San Francisco

The Evolution and Ecology of Metastasis: Can we Control Cancer by Targeting Dispersal Evolution?
Athena Aktipis, Arizona State University, UCSF Center for Evolution and Cancer

Panel discussion to follow moderated by Randolph M. Nesse
Panelists include Daniel S. Fisher, Stanford University

11:45 – 12:30 Session Three: Application of a Specific Theory
Using Drugs to Induce Adaptation
Introduced and moderated by Joon Yun, MD, Palo Alto Investors

Panelists include Ray Onders, Synapse; Lorenzo DiCarlo, Proteus Biomedical; Richard A. Bond, University of Houston; Kari Nadeau, Stanford University

12:30 – 1:30 Lunch

1:30 – 2:15 Session Four: Behavior
Improving Health by Changing Behavior: Evolution Science Shows How
Steven C. Hayes, University of Nevada

Panel discussion to follow moderated by David Sloan Wilson
Panelists include William H. Durham, Stanford University, and Camille Samuels, Versant Ventures

2:15 – 3:00 Session Five: Genetics and Mental Disorders
Where Darwin meets Freud: Psychiatric Conditions and Therapies at the Dawn of Evolutionary Genomics.
Bernie Crespi, Simon Fraser University

Panel discussion to follow moderated by Randolph M. Nesse
Panelists include Charles Cho, MD, Associate Professor Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University

3:00 – 3:30 Break

3:30 – 4:15 Session Six: Diet
What did Humans Evolve to Eat? Evolutionary Perspectives on Human Nutritional Health
William R. Leonard, Northwestern University

Panel discussion to follow moderated by David Sloan Wilson
Panelists include Dr. John Morton, Stanford University, and Scott Wolf, Aerin Medical

4:15 – 5:00 Session Seven: Aging
Can we Have it All? What Evolutionary Biology Says about Medically Slowing Aging.
Steven Austad, University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio

Panel discussion to follow moderated by Joon Yun, MD, Palo Alto Investors
Panelists include Jim Glasheen, Technology Partner

5:00 – 5:15 Wrap

5:30 – 6:30 Cocktails & Networking

Full information available here

 

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Evolutionary Medicine Conference Tue May 8 at Stanford

AppId is over the quota AppId is over the quota

New Opportunities at the Intersection of Evolution and Medicine
A gathering of scientists and entrepreneurs

8:00 – 8:30 Coffee and Registration

8:30 – 8:50 Welcome
Charles Cho, MD, Associate Professor Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University
Introductory Remarks by Joon Yun, MD, Palo Alto Investors and David Sloan Wilson, Binghamton University

8:50 – 9:30 Keynote Address
Evolutionary Medicine: Envisioning the Opportunities
Keynote Address by Randolph M. Nesse, MD, University of Michigan

9:30 – 10:10 Session One: Infectious Disease
Evolution Proof Pharmaceuticals?
Andrew F. Read, Penn State

Panel discussion to follow moderated by David Sloan Wilson, Binghamton University
Panelists include James Holland Jones, Stanford University, and Nina Kjellson, Interwest

10:10 – 10:40 Break

10:40 – 11:45 Session Two: Cancer
Why Evolution Holds the Key to Curing and Preventing Cancer
Carlo C Maley, University of California at San Francisco

The Evolution and Ecology of Metastasis: Can we Control Cancer by Targeting Dispersal Evolution?
Athena Aktipis, Arizona State University, UCSF Center for Evolution and Cancer

Panel discussion to follow moderated by Randolph M. Nesse
Panelists include Daniel S. Fisher, Stanford University

11:45 – 12:30 Session Three: Application of a Specific Theory
Using Drugs to Induce Adaptation
Introduced and moderated by Joon Yun, MD, Palo Alto Investors

Panelists include Ray Onders, Synapse; Lorenzo DiCarlo, Proteus Biomedical; Richard A. Bond, University of Houston; Kari Nadeau, Stanford University

12:30 – 1:30 Lunch

1:30 – 2:15 Session Four: Behavior
Improving Health by Changing Behavior: Evolution Science Shows How
Steven C. Hayes, University of Nevada

Panel discussion to follow moderated by David Sloan Wilson
Panelists include William H. Durham, Stanford University, and Camille Samuels, Versant Ventures

2:15 – 3:00 Session Five: Genetics and Mental Disorders
Where Darwin meets Freud: Psychiatric Conditions and Therapies at the Dawn of Evolutionary Genomics.
Bernie Crespi, Simon Fraser University

Panel discussion to follow moderated by Randolph M. Nesse
Panelists include Charles Cho, MD, Associate Professor Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University

3:00 – 3:30 Break

3:30 – 4:15 Session Six: Diet
What did Humans Evolve to Eat? Evolutionary Perspectives on Human Nutritional Health
William R. Leonard, Northwestern University

Panel discussion to follow moderated by David Sloan Wilson
Panelists include Dr. John Morton, Stanford University, and Scott Wolf, Aerin Medical

4:15 – 5:00 Session Seven: Aging
Can we Have it All? What Evolutionary Biology Says about Medically Slowing Aging.
Steven Austad, University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio

Panel discussion to follow moderated by Joon Yun, MD, Palo Alto Investors
Panelists include Jim Glasheen, Technology Partner

5:00 – 5:15 Wrap

5:30 – 6:30 Cocktails & Networking

Full information available here

 

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Evolutionary Medicine Conference Tue May 8 at Stanford

AppId is over the quota AppId is over the quota

New Opportunities at the Intersection of Evolution and Medicine
A gathering of scientists and entrepreneurs

8:00 – 8:30 Coffee and Registration

8:30 – 8:50 Welcome
Charles Cho, MD, Associate Professor Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University
Introductory Remarks by Joon Yun, MD, Palo Alto Investors and David Sloan Wilson, Binghamton University

8:50 – 9:30 Keynote Address
Evolutionary Medicine: Envisioning the Opportunities
Keynote Address by Randolph M. Nesse, MD, University of Michigan

9:30 – 10:10 Session One: Infectious Disease
Evolution Proof Pharmaceuticals?
Andrew F. Read, Penn State

Panel discussion to follow moderated by David Sloan Wilson, Binghamton University
Panelists include James Holland Jones, Stanford University, and Nina Kjellson, Interwest

10:10 – 10:40 Break

10:40 – 11:45 Session Two: Cancer
Why Evolution Holds the Key to Curing and Preventing Cancer
Carlo C Maley, University of California at San Francisco

The Evolution and Ecology of Metastasis: Can we Control Cancer by Targeting Dispersal Evolution?
Athena Aktipis, Arizona State University, UCSF Center for Evolution and Cancer

Panel discussion to follow moderated by Randolph M. Nesse
Panelists include Daniel S. Fisher, Stanford University

11:45 – 12:30 Session Three: Application of a Specific Theory
Using Drugs to Induce Adaptation
Introduced and moderated by Joon Yun, MD, Palo Alto Investors

Panelists include Ray Onders, Synapse; Lorenzo DiCarlo, Proteus Biomedical; Richard A. Bond, University of Houston; Kari Nadeau, Stanford University

12:30 – 1:30 Lunch

1:30 – 2:15 Session Four: Behavior
Improving Health by Changing Behavior: Evolution Science Shows How
Steven C. Hayes, University of Nevada

Panel discussion to follow moderated by David Sloan Wilson
Panelists include William H. Durham, Stanford University, and Camille Samuels, Versant Ventures

2:15 – 3:00 Session Five: Genetics and Mental Disorders
Where Darwin meets Freud: Psychiatric Conditions and Therapies at the Dawn of Evolutionary Genomics.
Bernie Crespi, Simon Fraser University

Panel discussion to follow moderated by Randolph M. Nesse
Panelists include Charles Cho, MD, Associate Professor Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University

3:00 – 3:30 Break

3:30 – 4:15 Session Six: Diet
What did Humans Evolve to Eat? Evolutionary Perspectives on Human Nutritional Health
William R. Leonard, Northwestern University

Panel discussion to follow moderated by David Sloan Wilson
Panelists include Dr. John Morton, Stanford University, and Scott Wolf, Aerin Medical

4:15 – 5:00 Session Seven: Aging
Can we Have it All? What Evolutionary Biology Says about Medically Slowing Aging.
Steven Austad, University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio

Panel discussion to follow moderated by Joon Yun, MD, Palo Alto Investors
Panelists include Jim Glasheen, Technology Partner

5:00 – 5:15 Wrap

5:30 – 6:30 Cocktails & Networking

Full information available here

 

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Virgin Atlantic Offers Mobile Service in the Skies

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AppId is over the quota

By Deanna Cioppa

What goes through your head when the flight attendants announce that it's time to turn off phones and electronic devices? Is it "ah, finally, peace and quiet," "wait! I forgot to call [someone not that important]," or do you smile snidely and take no heed of their direction? Well, you're not going to hear that announcement for much longer, on Virgin Atlantic flights anyway.

With the official reveal of its Airbus 330-300 (flying between New York and London), the airline is offering in-flight cell phone usage for its flyers. According to a release, passengers on the new Airbus will be able to make calls, send and receive texts and emails, and have access to the web at 35,000 feet, via General Packet Radio Service (GPRS). By the end of the year, the airline says the service will be available for nearly 20 of its aircraft. The cost of the service is a bit steep—one British pound (or about $1.59) per minute, but can go up based on your network provider.

While the service is available throughout the plane, Virgin says it's mainly directed at business travelers who need to make a short call or send an email or two—"exceptional situations," as the airline puts it. To that end, only six users will be able to connect to the service at a time.

Despite that low number, some have been voicing concern over the potential for loud (or worse, boring) phone chit-chat in cabins. After Tuesday's announcement, the Associated Press wrote, "The British airline's new service could be a blessing for business travelers who want to stay connected during eight-hour flights across the ocean. It could also be a nightmare for the passenger sitting next to them."

Sarah McIntyre at Virgin's U.S. public relations office tried to assuage those worries. "This is more about people making a brief call to the car picking them up," she said in a phone interview, and not meant for passengers to be "chatting away." The feedback during the airline's trial period with the new service, she said, has been "very positive so far."

This development and the new Airbus is part a $160 million investment by Virgin Atlantic. Other digital goodies include a "technology hub" in the new airplane's Upper Class cabin with connections for smartphones, USB, and tablets, and a new in-flight entertainment system called Jam.

The service, dubbed AeroMobile, is initially available for customers using the O2 and Vodafone mobile networks. Service will still be unavailable during takeoff, landing, and within 250 miles of US airspace.

What do you think of Virgin Atlantic's new phone service? Weigh in in the comments below.

Photo credits: Courtesy of Virgin Atlantic

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Levels of Selection, Logical Schemes, Selfish Genes, and Misleading Memes

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AppId is over the quota

Both Nature and Science are currently celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of an icon of logic, computer science, and mathematical biology: Alan Turing.  In reading Andrew Hodges’s spectacular biography of Turing (1983) many years ago I came to appreciate that the subject of the book was both a deeply creative and extraordinarily rigorous thinker.  Although Turing is known for seminal achievements in mathematical logic and computer science, his most directly practical and immediately consequential contribution was his facilitation of the Allied cause in World War II through his guidance of the effort to break the Nazi military code.  This effort called primarily on his prodigious talents for far-reaching inference and it was in reading about this effort that I was prompted to consider a concept that might be called “maximum deduction.”  Turing and his able colleagues needed to make every possible deductive inference (or at least very close to every possible inference) supported by the available data on German military communications in order to solve a problem of immense and immediate impact (the saving of Allied ships from devastating German submarine attacks).

In reading Samir Okasha’s thorough and insightful guide to the theoretical debates about multi-level selection, Evolution and the Levels of Selection (2006), I am reminded of Turing’s logical rigor. Like Turing, Okasha possesses the ability to fully explore the implications of an intellectual position.  Of similar value, he makes key distinctions that elude or at least receive inadequate attention from others and fairly assesses alternative conceptual schemes or theoretical approaches.  For example, his examination of the relative merits of the Price equation versus what he refers to as the “contextual analysis” for assessing and partitioning selection in differing evolutionary scenarios reveals that each has important advantages as well as significant weaknesses.  Much to his credit, he does not seek a neat but oversimplified and misleading conclusion.  The figures are simple but effective and substantially aid the exposition.

I cannot attempt to summarize all of the arguments in the book of about 240 pages because Okasha’s arguments are of sufficient intricacy and subtlety that it would be nearly impossible to substantially compress them without causing serious distortions in the reasoning.  Therefore, I will just note the topics addressed and remark on a limited number of particularly interesting points.

Okasha begins the book by introducing and characterizing the levels-of-selection problem and explicating the essence of natural selection in abstract formal terms.  He then addresses the distinction between the synchronic and diachronic perspectives, where the former deals with the hierarchical organization of the living world (e.g. cells, multicellular organisms, communities of multicellular organisms) such as it is and the latter is concerned with how the hierarchy arose.  Next, the author introduces and explains the interpretation of the equation formulated by George Price forty years ago to describe in mathematical terms the evolution of a population from one generation to the next.  He also delves into the sometimes-consequential differences between statistical and causal decompositions of changes in organismal characters across generation.  This chapter ends with an interesting discussion of the connections between the Price equation and the formal conditions for evolution promulgated more than forty years ago by the eminent population geneticist, Richard Lewontin, which were initially described at the beginning of the chapter.

The second chapter explains the fundamentals of multi-level selection, including explorations of life cycles, relevant definitions of fitness, and the distinction between multi-level selection 1 (MLS1) and multi-level selection 2 (MLS2).  For MLS1, what Okasha calls the ‘focal’ level is concerned with the number of offspring, in the next generation, of the particles that constitute a collective or group and for MLS2 the ‘focal’ level is concerned with the number of offspring groups in the succeeding generation.  Another key distinction that Okasha addresses is that between aggregate and emergent properties of collectives.  Okasha then tackles heritability and how the concept differs for MLS1 and MLS2 and includes a discussion of how the Price equation can be applied for the two types of multi-level selection.

Chapter three focuses on notions of causality and deals with the fairly subtle notion of cross-level by-products in which apparent selection on one level can in fact result from selection at another level.  In this portion of the book, the author introduces contextual analysis, which relies on linear regression models, and compares it to the approach associated with the Price equation.

What the author describes as philosophical issues take up the fourth chapter.  The section sub-headings will give a sense of the subject matter being addressed: emergence and additivity, screening off and the levels of selection, realism versus pluralism about the levels of selection, and reductionism.

Chapter five is entitled “The Gene’s-Eye View and its Discontents.”  After tracing the gene-centered perspective back to R. A. Fisher and reviewing the contributions of individuals such as W. D. Hamilton, G. C. Williams, and Richard Dawkins, Okasha makes the critical distinction between a gene’s-eye view of evolution and genic selection.  In this context, Okasha notes what he believes to be a shift in position by Dawkins.  Next the author discusses outlaw genes or selfish genetic elements (SGEs).  These DNA sequences manage to be transmitted at increased frequencies into the gametes (the phenomenon of meiotic drive or segregation distortion) and, therefore, into the next generation thereby exhibiting increased fitnesses relative to non-SGEs.  Thus, I would suggest that selfishness is a quantitative not a qualitative trait.  The Price equation and contextual analysis are then compared as to how these two approaches account for the behavior of SGEs.  Okasha then demonstrates why the gene-centered perspective is not, as sometimes claimed, a completely general way to account for any evolutionary scenario, e.g., when dealing with non-genetic inheritance, plants that produce vegetative entities that are often genetically chimeric (i.e., ramets), and insect colonies founded by multiple queens or multiply-mated queens.  The genic perspective also is less obviously successful when non-additive interactions between genes are present, which is reasonably common.  An interesting point that Okasha makes is that whenever SGEs arise, there is likely to be selection on the unlinked ‘law abiding’ genetic elements to suppress the ‘cheaters’ since SGEs typically enhance their own fitnesses at the cost of diminishing the fitness of the organism with respect to which they may reasonably regarded as parasites of a sort.

The sixth chapter addresses the still active and evolving controversy or group selection as of 2006.  Okasha provides historical background, discusses the distinction between MLS1 and MLS2 in the context of the controversy, explores how ideas about kin selection, reciprocal altruism, and evolutionary game theory feature in the debates, and describes the roles of a number of other concepts in the key disagreements in the literature.

The final two chapters address macroevolutionary issues that may be less obviously relevant to those focused on the relevance of evolution to medicine.  Therefore, I will refrain from a detailed description of the content of these sections and just note an insight offered therein. Whenever there is a major evolutionary transition, as from individual genes to whole genomes or single-celled to multi-celled organisms, there must be selection against within-group conflict and selfishness of the ‘lower-level’ units and this selection must be effective for the more-complex level of the biological hierarchy to be successfully established.  Thus, one consequence of relentless competition is cooperation and all genes are not, as Dawkins suggested early in The Selfish Gene (1976, 1989), ruthlessly selfish unless ruthless selfishness embodies some measure of cooperativeness.

References

Hodges, A. Alan Turing: The Enigma. A Touchstone Book, Simon & Schuster, Inc., New York, 1983.

Okasha, Samir. Evolution and the Levels of Selection. Oxford University press, 2006.

Dawkins, R. The Selfish Gene. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1976, 1989 p. 2.

Tags: additive characters, Alan Turing, causal decomposition, cells, computer science, contextual analysis, cooperation, cross-level by-products, diachronic, emergent characters, evolution, evolutionary game theory, focal level, G. C. Williams, gametes, genes, gene’s-eye perspective, genic selection, George Price, hierarchical organization, kin selection, levels-of-selection controversy, logic, macroevolution, mathematics, maximum deduction, meiotic drive, military code, multi-cellular organisms, multi-level selection 1, multi-level selection 2, pluralism, Price equation, R. A. Fisher, realism, reciprocal altruism, reductionism, Richard Dawkins, Richard Lewontin, selfish genetic element, statistical decomposition, synchronic, W. D. Hamilton

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Levels of Selection, Logical Schemes, Selfish Genes, and Misleading Memes

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

Both Nature and Science are currently celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of an icon of logic, computer science, and mathematical biology: Alan Turing.  In reading Andrew Hodges’s spectacular biography of Turing (1983) many years ago I came to appreciate that the subject of the book was both a deeply creative and extraordinarily rigorous thinker.  Although Turing is known for seminal achievements in mathematical logic and computer science, his most directly practical and immediately consequential contribution was his facilitation of the Allied cause in World War II through his guidance of the effort to break the Nazi military code.  This effort called primarily on his prodigious talents for far-reaching inference and it was in reading about this effort that I was prompted to consider a concept that might be called “maximum deduction.”  Turing and his able colleagues needed to make every possible deductive inference (or at least very close to every possible inference) supported by the available data on German military communications in order to solve a problem of immense and immediate impact (the saving of Allied ships from devastating German submarine attacks).

In reading Samir Okasha’s thorough and insightful guide to the theoretical debates about multi-level selection, Evolution and the Levels of Selection (2006), I am reminded of Turing’s logical rigor. Like Turing, Okasha possesses the ability to fully explore the implications of an intellectual position.  Of similar value, he makes key distinctions that elude or at least receive inadequate attention from others and fairly assesses alternative conceptual schemes or theoretical approaches.  For example, his examination of the relative merits of the Price equation versus what he refers to as the “contextual analysis” for assessing and partitioning selection in differing evolutionary scenarios reveals that each has important advantages as well as significant weaknesses.  Much to his credit, he does not seek a neat but oversimplified and misleading conclusion.  The figures are simple but effective and substantially aid the exposition.

I cannot attempt to summarize all of the arguments in the book of about 240 pages because Okasha’s arguments are of sufficient intricacy and subtlety that it would be nearly impossible to substantially compress them without causing serious distortions in the reasoning.  Therefore, I will just note the topics addressed and remark on a limited number of particularly interesting points.

Okasha begins the book by introducing and characterizing the levels-of-selection problem and explicating the essence of natural selection in abstract formal terms.  He then addresses the distinction between the synchronic and diachronic perspectives, where the former deals with the hierarchical organization of the living world (e.g. cells, multicellular organisms, communities of multicellular organisms) such as it is and the latter is concerned with how the hierarchy arose.  Next, the author introduces and explains the interpretation of the equation formulated by George Price forty years ago to describe in mathematical terms the evolution of a population from one generation to the next.  He also delves into the sometimes-consequential differences between statistical and causal decompositions of changes in organismal characters across generation.  This chapter ends with an interesting discussion of the connections between the Price equation and the formal conditions for evolution promulgated more than forty years ago by the eminent population geneticist, Richard Lewontin, which were initially described at the beginning of the chapter.

The second chapter explains the fundamentals of multi-level selection, including explorations of life cycles, relevant definitions of fitness, and the distinction between multi-level selection 1 (MLS1) and multi-level selection 2 (MLS2).  For MLS1, what Okasha calls the ‘focal’ level is concerned with the number of offspring, in the next generation, of the particles that constitute a collective or group and for MLS2 the ‘focal’ level is concerned with the number of offspring groups in the succeeding generation.  Another key distinction that Okasha addresses is that between aggregate and emergent properties of collectives.  Okasha then tackles heritability and how the concept differs for MLS1 and MLS2 and includes a discussion of how the Price equation can be applied for the two types of multi-level selection.

Chapter three focuses on notions of causality and deals with the fairly subtle notion of cross-level by-products in which apparent selection on one level can in fact result from selection at another level.  In this portion of the book, the author introduces contextual analysis, which relies on linear regression models, and compares it to the approach associated with the Price equation.

What the author describes as philosophical issues take up the fourth chapter.  The section sub-headings will give a sense of the subject matter being addressed: emergence and additivity, screening off and the levels of selection, realism versus pluralism about the levels of selection, and reductionism.

Chapter five is entitled “The Gene’s-Eye View and its Discontents.”  After tracing the gene-centered perspective back to R. A. Fisher and reviewing the contributions of individuals such as W. D. Hamilton, G. C. Williams, and Richard Dawkins, Okasha makes the critical distinction between a gene’s-eye view of evolution and genic selection.  In this context, Okasha notes what he believes to be a shift in position by Dawkins.  Next the author discusses outlaw genes or selfish genetic elements (SGEs).  These DNA sequences manage to be transmitted at increased frequencies into the gametes (the phenomenon of meiotic drive or segregation distortion) and, therefore, into the next generation thereby exhibiting increased fitnesses relative to non-SGEs.  Thus, I would suggest that selfishness is a quantitative not a qualitative trait.  The Price equation and contextual analysis are then compared as to how these two approaches account for the behavior of SGEs.  Okasha then demonstrates why the gene-centered perspective is not, as sometimes claimed, a completely general way to account for any evolutionary scenario, e.g., when dealing with non-genetic inheritance, plants that produce vegetative entities that are often genetically chimeric (i.e., ramets), and insect colonies founded by multiple queens or multiply-mated queens.  The genic perspective also is less obviously successful when non-additive interactions between genes are present, which is reasonably common.  An interesting point that Okasha makes is that whenever SGEs arise, there is likely to be selection on the unlinked ‘law abiding’ genetic elements to suppress the ‘cheaters’ since SGEs typically enhance their own fitnesses at the cost of diminishing the fitness of the organism with respect to which they may reasonably regarded as parasites of a sort.

The sixth chapter addresses the still active and evolving controversy or group selection as of 2006.  Okasha provides historical background, discusses the distinction between MLS1 and MLS2 in the context of the controversy, explores how ideas about kin selection, reciprocal altruism, and evolutionary game theory feature in the debates, and describes the roles of a number of other concepts in the key disagreements in the literature.

The final two chapters address macroevolutionary issues that may be less obviously relevant to those focused on the relevance of evolution to medicine.  Therefore, I will refrain from a detailed description of the content of these sections and just note an insight offered therein. Whenever there is a major evolutionary transition, as from individual genes to whole genomes or single-celled to multi-celled organisms, there must be selection against within-group conflict and selfishness of the ‘lower-level’ units and this selection must be effective for the more-complex level of the biological hierarchy to be successfully established.  Thus, one consequence of relentless competition is cooperation and all genes are not, as Dawkins suggested early in The Selfish Gene (1976, 1989), ruthlessly selfish unless ruthless selfishness embodies some measure of cooperativeness.

References

Hodges, A. Alan Turing: The Enigma. A Touchstone Book, Simon & Schuster, Inc., New York, 1983.

Okasha, Samir. Evolution and the Levels of Selection. Oxford University press, 2006.

Dawkins, R. The Selfish Gene. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1976, 1989 p. 2.

Tags: additive characters, Alan Turing, causal decomposition, cells, computer science, contextual analysis, cooperation, cross-level by-products, diachronic, emergent characters, evolution, evolutionary game theory, focal level, G. C. Williams, gametes, genes, gene’s-eye perspective, genic selection, George Price, hierarchical organization, kin selection, levels-of-selection controversy, logic, macroevolution, mathematics, maximum deduction, meiotic drive, military code, multi-cellular organisms, multi-level selection 1, multi-level selection 2, pluralism, Price equation, R. A. Fisher, realism, reciprocal altruism, reductionism, Richard Dawkins, Richard Lewontin, selfish genetic element, statistical decomposition, synchronic, W. D. Hamilton

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Levels of Selection, Logical Schemes, Selfish Genes, and Misleading Memes

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AppId is over the quota

Both Nature and Science are currently celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of an icon of logic, computer science, and mathematical biology: Alan Turing.  In reading Andrew Hodges’s spectacular biography of Turing (1983) many years ago I came to appreciate that the subject of the book was both a deeply creative and extraordinarily rigorous thinker.  Although Turing is known for seminal achievements in mathematical logic and computer science, his most directly practical and immediately consequential contribution was his facilitation of the Allied cause in World War II through his guidance of the effort to break the Nazi military code.  This effort called primarily on his prodigious talents for far-reaching inference and it was in reading about this effort that I was prompted to consider a concept that might be called “maximum deduction.”  Turing and his able colleagues needed to make every possible deductive inference (or at least very close to every possible inference) supported by the available data on German military communications in order to solve a problem of immense and immediate impact (the saving of Allied ships from devastating German submarine attacks).

In reading Samir Okasha’s thorough and insightful guide to the theoretical debates about multi-level selection, Evolution and the Levels of Selection (2006), I am reminded of Turing’s logical rigor. Like Turing, Okasha possesses the ability to fully explore the implications of an intellectual position.  Of similar value, he makes key distinctions that elude or at least receive inadequate attention from others and fairly assesses alternative conceptual schemes or theoretical approaches.  For example, his examination of the relative merits of the Price equation versus what he refers to as the “contextual analysis” for assessing and partitioning selection in differing evolutionary scenarios reveals that each has important advantages as well as significant weaknesses.  Much to his credit, he does not seek a neat but oversimplified and misleading conclusion.  The figures are simple but effective and substantially aid the exposition.

I cannot attempt to summarize all of the arguments in the book of about 240 pages because Okasha’s arguments are of sufficient intricacy and subtlety that it would be nearly impossible to substantially compress them without causing serious distortions in the reasoning.  Therefore, I will just note the topics addressed and remark on a limited number of particularly interesting points.

Okasha begins the book by introducing and characterizing the levels-of-selection problem and explicating the essence of natural selection in abstract formal terms.  He then addresses the distinction between the synchronic and diachronic perspectives, where the former deals with the hierarchical organization of the living world (e.g. cells, multicellular organisms, communities of multicellular organisms) such as it is and the latter is concerned with how the hierarchy arose.  Next, the author introduces and explains the interpretation of the equation formulated by George Price forty years ago to describe in mathematical terms the evolution of a population from one generation to the next.  He also delves into the sometimes-consequential differences between statistical and causal decompositions of changes in organismal characters across generation.  This chapter ends with an interesting discussion of the connections between the Price equation and the formal conditions for evolution promulgated more than forty years ago by the eminent population geneticist, Richard Lewontin, which were initially described at the beginning of the chapter.

The second chapter explains the fundamentals of multi-level selection, including explorations of life cycles, relevant definitions of fitness, and the distinction between multi-level selection 1 (MLS1) and multi-level selection 2 (MLS2).  For MLS1, what Okasha calls the ‘focal’ level is concerned with the number of offspring, in the next generation, of the particles that constitute a collective or group and for MLS2 the ‘focal’ level is concerned with the number of offspring groups in the succeeding generation.  Another key distinction that Okasha addresses is that between aggregate and emergent properties of collectives.  Okasha then tackles heritability and how the concept differs for MLS1 and MLS2 and includes a discussion of how the Price equation can be applied for the two types of multi-level selection.

Chapter three focuses on notions of causality and deals with the fairly subtle notion of cross-level by-products in which apparent selection on one level can in fact result from selection at another level.  In this portion of the book, the author introduces contextual analysis, which relies on linear regression models, and compares it to the approach associated with the Price equation.

What the author describes as philosophical issues take up the fourth chapter.  The section sub-headings will give a sense of the subject matter being addressed: emergence and additivity, screening off and the levels of selection, realism versus pluralism about the levels of selection, and reductionism.

Chapter five is entitled “The Gene’s-Eye View and its Discontents.”  After tracing the gene-centered perspective back to R. A. Fisher and reviewing the contributions of individuals such as W. D. Hamilton, G. C. Williams, and Richard Dawkins, Okasha makes the critical distinction between a gene’s-eye view of evolution and genic selection.  In this context, Okasha notes what he believes to be a shift in position by Dawkins.  Next the author discusses outlaw genes or selfish genetic elements (SGEs).  These DNA sequences manage to be transmitted at increased frequencies into the gametes (the phenomenon of meiotic drive or segregation distortion) and, therefore, into the next generation thereby exhibiting increased fitnesses relative to non-SGEs.  Thus, I would suggest that selfishness is a quantitative not a qualitative trait.  The Price equation and contextual analysis are then compared as to how these two approaches account for the behavior of SGEs.  Okasha then demonstrates why the gene-centered perspective is not, as sometimes claimed, a completely general way to account for any evolutionary scenario, e.g., when dealing with non-genetic inheritance, plants that produce vegetative entities that are often genetically chimeric (i.e., ramets), and insect colonies founded by multiple queens or multiply-mated queens.  The genic perspective also is less obviously successful when non-additive interactions between genes are present, which is reasonably common.  An interesting point that Okasha makes is that whenever SGEs arise, there is likely to be selection on the unlinked ‘law abiding’ genetic elements to suppress the ‘cheaters’ since SGEs typically enhance their own fitnesses at the cost of diminishing the fitness of the organism with respect to which they may reasonably regarded as parasites of a sort.

The sixth chapter addresses the still active and evolving controversy or group selection as of 2006.  Okasha provides historical background, discusses the distinction between MLS1 and MLS2 in the context of the controversy, explores how ideas about kin selection, reciprocal altruism, and evolutionary game theory feature in the debates, and describes the roles of a number of other concepts in the key disagreements in the literature.

The final two chapters address macroevolutionary issues that may be less obviously relevant to those focused on the relevance of evolution to medicine.  Therefore, I will refrain from a detailed description of the content of these sections and just note an insight offered therein. Whenever there is a major evolutionary transition, as from individual genes to whole genomes or single-celled to multi-celled organisms, there must be selection against within-group conflict and selfishness of the ‘lower-level’ units and this selection must be effective for the more-complex level of the biological hierarchy to be successfully established.  Thus, one consequence of relentless competition is cooperation and all genes are not, as Dawkins suggested early in The Selfish Gene (1976, 1989), ruthlessly selfish unless ruthless selfishness embodies some measure of cooperativeness.

References

Hodges, A. Alan Turing: The Enigma. A Touchstone Book, Simon & Schuster, Inc., New York, 1983.

Okasha, Samir. Evolution and the Levels of Selection. Oxford University press, 2006.

Dawkins, R. The Selfish Gene. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1976, 1989 p. 2.

Tags: additive characters, Alan Turing, causal decomposition, cells, computer science, contextual analysis, cooperation, cross-level by-products, diachronic, emergent characters, evolution, evolutionary game theory, focal level, G. C. Williams, gametes, genes, gene’s-eye perspective, genic selection, George Price, hierarchical organization, kin selection, levels-of-selection controversy, logic, macroevolution, mathematics, maximum deduction, meiotic drive, military code, multi-cellular organisms, multi-level selection 1, multi-level selection 2, pluralism, Price equation, R. A. Fisher, realism, reciprocal altruism, reductionism, Richard Dawkins, Richard Lewontin, selfish genetic element, statistical decomposition, synchronic, W. D. Hamilton

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What (Not) to Wear in Europe: Men's Edition

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By Rachel Felder

Gearing up for a summer getaway is certainly exciting; figuring out what's appropriate to wear on your trip, well, not so much. Whether you're heading to a vibrant European capital or an ultra-relaxing beach resort, knowing what to pack can be a daunting task. For men, the safest plan, regardless of destination, is to keep things simple, packing versatile basics in neutral shades of navy, gray, khaki, black, and white.

"I would definitely bring an unlined blazer that's comfortable and more casual but still gives you the look of a tailored jacket," suggests Matt Marden, Fashion Market Director at DETAILS magazine. "Something like a navy suit or a gray suit is also great to bring because you can break up the pieces and dress them up or down with a white button down or a navy blue t-shirt."

Marden also suggests bringing jeans in dark denim (since it's more polished than lighter washes), a pair of comfortable dress shoes, and a pair of classic white sneakers, which can be worn with a suit (to give it a more casual feel) as well as shorts and a simple tee.

Of course, some of what needs to be packed depends on where you're going. Here are Marden's tips for the most popular types of summer destinations:

"If you're going to be in a city in the summer, it's great to get key items in fabrics like cotton and linen," Marden advises. "They have an effortless feel to them and look chic even if they get wrinkly." What not to pack? "I would not bring anything like a flip-flop, any sort of gym shorts unless you're going to run in them, or graphic t-shirts or destination t-shirts. Most quote unquote 'tacky tourists' wear a lot of logos, so I would avoid logos at all costs, even on your luggage."

For this type of trip, the goal is to look relaxed and lowkey "I love wearing a pair of shorts—more of a tailored short, nothing 'cargoey' with tons of pockets—with a dress shoe if you're going to a small town," Marden says "Another great thing is bringing a grey sweatshirt, because that looks good with khakis and it's super comfortable, easy, and breathable if you're running all around. If you're sightseeing in the morning and it's cool you can wear it, then wrap it around your waist or shoulders as it gets warmer later in the day."

"Unless you're a male model or an Olympian—or have the body of either—you don't want to be rocking a Speedo on the beach," Marden laughs, suggesting that swim trunks should fall between mid-thigh and just above the knee. "Grown men should not be wearing any sort of board shorts because that gets to be a little goofy."

For the journey to and from your destination, Marden says the priority is ease. "I love a chino on the airplane, or a dress pant, because they're comfortable," he says. "Jeans get to be too heavy sometimes. A slim fitting cargo pant also would work." He also suggests wearing a cardigan sweater, since planes can get drafty.

For up-to-the-minute hotel and restaurant recommendations, as well as the best planning advice, check out our Europe Travel Guide.

But although it's important to be comfortable, particularly for long haul flights, Marden says not to take that goal too far. "I would never wear sweatpants," he says.

Photo Credits: Chic European City: TommL/iStockphoto.com; Small Town:

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Disease Tolerance as a Defense Strategy

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Abstract
The immune system protects from infections primarily by detecting and eliminating the invading pathogens; however, the host organism can also protect itself from infectious diseases by reducing the negative impact of infections on host fitness. This ability to tolerate a pathogen’s presence is a distinct host defense strategy, which has been largely overlooked in animal and human studies. Introduction of the notion of “disease tolerance” into the conceptual tool kit of immunology will expand our understanding of infectious diseases and host pathogen interactions. Analysis of disease tolerance mechanisms should provide new approaches for the treatment of infections and other diseases.

Posted in Autoimmune disease, evolutionary medicine

 

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Disease Tolerance as a Defense Strategy

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Abstract
The immune system protects from infections primarily by detecting and eliminating the invading pathogens; however, the host organism can also protect itself from infectious diseases by reducing the negative impact of infections on host fitness. This ability to tolerate a pathogen’s presence is a distinct host defense strategy, which has been largely overlooked in animal and human studies. Introduction of the notion of “disease tolerance” into the conceptual tool kit of immunology will expand our understanding of infectious diseases and host pathogen interactions. Analysis of disease tolerance mechanisms should provide new approaches for the treatment of infections and other diseases.

Posted in Autoimmune disease, evolutionary medicine

 

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Disease Tolerance as a Defense Strategy

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Abstract
The immune system protects from infections primarily by detecting and eliminating the invading pathogens; however, the host organism can also protect itself from infectious diseases by reducing the negative impact of infections on host fitness. This ability to tolerate a pathogen’s presence is a distinct host defense strategy, which has been largely overlooked in animal and human studies. Introduction of the notion of “disease tolerance” into the conceptual tool kit of immunology will expand our understanding of infectious diseases and host pathogen interactions. Analysis of disease tolerance mechanisms should provide new approaches for the treatment of infections and other diseases.

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What to Do This Summer in Paris, NYC, Rome, Las Vegas, London, and DC

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By Adam Erace

It is that time of year, when the sun (and birds and trees and relaxed smiles from otherwise serious city dwellers) comes out in full force, inviting us out of our cloistered apartments and into the world. There are some places that draw us in over and over again for both their storied sights and endlessly cool vibes. So we took stock of six of the most popular summertime destinations—Paris, NYC, Rome, Las Vegas, London, and Washington DC—to see what's new for this year. And, as expected, we found ample new restaurants and buzz-worthy cafes, exciting exhibits and enticing festivals, and a string of new hotels offering everything a summer traveler could want.

Why Go Now: Even the most severely stylish Parisian lets her hair down in the summer. Find locals grooving at la Fete de la Musique (June 21), when thousands of musicians turn the city into a giant concert hall; sunbathing at the Seine-side pop-up pools and beaches of the Paris Plages project (July 20-Aug. 20); and attending free screenings of at the Parc de la Villette's Cinema en Plein Air (July 25-Aug. 26). The film schedule isn't set yet, but if 2011's lineup is any indication, expect anything from Taxi Driver to La Haine.

Where to Stay: Like a dainty pastel macaron, Paris hotels are never big enough. Avoid cramped quarters by taking shelter at My Boutique Home (rates from $899/week) on the fringe of the aristocratic Marais. Fully renovated last year, the two apartments—book them together to really stretch those weary legs—have floating fireplaces, wrought-iron spiral stairs, and gourmet kitchens to make the most of the nearby Marché des Enfants Rouges.

Where to Eat: Anglofied steakhouse fare (dry-aged chops, bespoke burgers) is Paris's hot ticket at the moody, subway-tiled Beef Club. Courtesy of the crew behind Experimental Cocktail Club, Curio Parlor, and Prescription, this two-month-old former butcher shop also houses an underground speakeasy, Le Ballroom du Beef Club, where locals sip summery, bitters-kissed coolers late into the evening.

Start Planning: For up-to-the-minute hotel, restaurant, and shopping reviews, as well as the best planning advice, check out our Paris Travel Guide.

Why Go Now: Manhattan's elite have absconded to their summer manses, leaving young New Yorkers to retake the city. While it might not boast an ocean, there's a bevy of outdoor pursuits in swing, the coolest of which take place on Governor's Island, according to The London Hotel's concierge Nick Cejas. Think jazz-age lawn party (June 16-17), burger cook-off and kimchi-eating contest (July 6-7) and the third annual Pig Island (Sept. 10), a food extravaganza celebrating local pork and craft beer.

Where to Stay: The London Hotel (rates from $299/night) is where you'll not only find Cejas, but also many a passing-through celeb. Sophisticated suites (Italian linens, Waterworks bathrooms) start at 500-square feet, nothing to wag a finger at in New York.

Where to Eat: Back outside on the Williamsburg waterfront, Smorgasburg (an edible offshoot of Brooklyn Flea) is the delectable Mecca of what New York magazine recently dubbed "Ye Olde Artisanal Brooklyn." Over 60 food entrepreneurs gather here every Saturday to sell everything from kimchi-topped franks at Asia Dog and cardamom marshmallows at Whimsy & Spice to gingered horseradish at ISH and fried anchovies at Bon Chovie. It's particularly pleasant in early summer, when the weather isn't yet warm enough to melt the mayo in your Red Hook Lobster Pound lobster roll. (Bonus tip: the year-old East River Ferry stops just feet from the entrance to Smorgasburg at the North Williamsburg stop.)

Start Planning: For up-to-the-minute hotel, restaurant, and shopping reviews, as well as the best planning advice, check out our New York City Travel Guide.

Why Go Now: This is the summer of anniversaries: Charles Dickens's 200th, Titanic's 100th, Queen Elizabeth's 60th on the throne, marked by a Diamond Jubilee celebration (June 6) with floating pageant on the Thames. The royal event aligns with new unparalleled access to Kensington Palace (fresh exhibits on Diana and Victoria) and the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London. There's also this little thing you may have heard of called the Summer Olympics (July 27-Aug. 12).

Where to Stay: ME, Melia's sexy younger sister, opens its 173-room Covent Garden property on July 15th (rates from $399). Cool gray-on-white suites on the coveted Level feature balconies with Thames views, integrated media centers, and dedicated Aura Experience Managers, otherwise known as butlers.

Where to Eat: Wide-plank floors, lazy ceiling fans and turquoise accents give Soho's new Ceviche the aura of well-groomed Peruvian fishing shack. Six styles of marinated fish make use of salmon, octopus, sea bass, South American chilies, and assorted citrus juices, ideal for cooling down when London heats up.

Start Planning: For up-to-the-minute hotel, restaurant, and shopping reviews, as well as the best planning advice, check out our London Travel Guide.

Why Go Now: You've heard it before, but it's never been truer than this summer: There's so much more to do in Vegas than gamble. The World Series of Poker comes to the Rio (July 1), while Idina Menzel (June 10), Diana Krall (Aug. 13), Steve Martin (Aug. 22), and more come to the Smith Center for the Performing Arts. Museums (blessedly air conditioned) abound, specializing in everything from the mafia (Mob Museum) to vintage pinball machines (Pinball Hall of Fame). With its "boneyard" of salvaged signs from the Strip, the Neon Museum proves one man's trash is Vegas's treasure.

Where to Stay: With more than a dozen restaurants (including Jaleo by Jose Andres and Comme Ca by David Myers) three pools, and a nightclub from the Tao crew, the glittering Cosmopolitan (rates from $140/night) isn't short on amenities. But here's why we're booking there this summer: balconies. All the subtly luxurious condo-style Terrace rooms have them, a true rarity in Vegas. Reserve a Fountain View (rates from $230/night) for a drop-dead panorama of the Strip and Bellagio's dancing waters.

Where to Eat: Two words: Japanese food. Vegas has the highest caliber concentration of Japanese cuisine this side of Tokyo, both on the Strip (Masa Takayama's airy BARMASA at Aria, the Cosmopolitan's outpost of New York's Blue Ribbon) and off (Aburiya Raku, Kabuto).

Start Planning: For up-to-the-minute hotel, restaurant, and shopping reviews, as well as the best planning advice, check out our Las Vegas Travel Guide.

Why Go Now: There's no getting around it: Roman summers are muggy and crowded (except in August, when the Eternal City becomes a latter-day Roanoke Island), but on the bright side: Trastevere's secret Orto Botanico, a shady oasis with its own Japanese garden, is in bloom, and there's hardly a better time to paddelboat to Tempietto di Asclepio island in the Villa Borghese's stunning gardens. Rome Festival, which brings together international performance artists from all over the world, is really kicking this time of year, too; in June and July, catching a performance of Carmen or Falstaff is as common as licking a cone of gelato.

Where to Stay: After a long day sightseeing, repair to the chic Villa Magnolia Relais (rates from $240/night), a high-altitude retreat on the slope of Janiculum, Rome's second tallest hill. The airy suites boast soothing cream, caramel, gray, and olive tones, complimentary WiFi, and views of and direct access to the villa's exuberant garden. You'll feel a world away from the city's hot summer snarl, but the Vatican and the Coliseum are still only 20 minutes on foot, and at the bottom of the hill are the famed trattorias of Trastevere, of which Magnolia's proprietors, Sante and Rafaella Quaglieri, unwaveringly recommend Da Augusto (15 Piazza de Renzi).

Where to Eat: After carbonara coma kicks in, take a refresher at Monti's newish Aromaticus. Tucked inside an urban gardening oasis of the same name, the café serves cool and light carpaccio, organic salads, and beef tartare. Meanwhile at modern Metamorfosi in Parioli, chef Roy Caceres gives classics like maccheroni and sausage a playful, 21st-century spin. Try the 90 euro Assaporando option, a spontaneous, eight-course menu that Caceres and his crew invent on the spot.

Start Planning: For up-to-the-minute hotel, restaurant, and shopping reviews, as well as the best planning advice, check out our Rome Travel Guide.

Why Go Now: Tourism is climbing in the nation's capital, and there are few better times to see why than summer, when hotel rates drop and maddeningly popular restaurants exhale. Gastronomes, book passes to the Fancy Food Show (June 17-19), North America's largest. Gamers, "The Art of Video Games," a Smithsonian exhibit (through Sept.) examining the evolution of gaming from Atari to Playstation should be on your radar. Epic destruction is on the menu for 2012's NoMa Summer Screen, a free outdoor film series in Loree Grand Field; they'll be showing Independence Day, Ghostbusters, Jurassic Park, and more through Aug. 8.

Where to Stay: Staying a mere mile outside DC can translate to big savings for both wallet and carbon footprint. Just across the Potomac, the Renaissance Arlington Capital View (rates from $149/night) opened this spring with a LEED Gold certification, only the third hotel to do so in Virginia.

Where to Eat: Summer is your best chance for snagging a four-top—larger parties strictly prohibited—at the subterranean Little Serrow off Dupont Circle. Served on a $45 pre-fixe menu that changes weekly, chef Johnny Monis's razor-sharp interpretations of Thai recipes like naam phrik num will get you hot and bothered in the good way.

Start Planning: For up-to-the-minute hotel, restaurant, and shopping reviews, as well as the best planning advice, check out our Washington DC Travel Guide.

Photo Credits: Paris: via Shutterstock.com; Rome: Getty Images/iStockphoto; London: via Shutterstock.com; Vegas: Brandon Collup/iStockphoto.com; Washington D.C.: Medioimages/Photodisc; New York City: Pawel Gaul/iStockphoto.com

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Emergence and evolution of the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system

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The renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS) is not the sole, but perhaps the most important volume regulator in vertebrates. To gain insights into the function and evolution of its components, we conducted a phylogenetic analysis of its main related genes. We found that important parts of the system began to appear with primitive chordates and tunicates and that all major components were present at the divergence of bony fish, with the exception of the Mas receptor. The Mas receptor first appears after the bony-fish/tetrapod divergence. This phase of evolutionary innovation happened about 400 million years ago. We found solid evidence that angiotensinogen made its appearance in cartilage fish. The presence of several RAAS genes in organisms that lack all the components shows that these genes have had other ancestral functions outside of their current role. Our analysis underscores the utility of sequence comparisons in the study of evolution. Such analyses may provide new hypotheses as to how and why in today’s population an increased activity of the RAAS frequently leads to faulty salt and volume regulation, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases, opening up new and clinically important research areas for evolutionary medicine.

Posted in evolutionary medicine

 

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Emergence and evolution of the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system

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The renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS) is not the sole, but perhaps the most important volume regulator in vertebrates. To gain insights into the function and evolution of its components, we conducted a phylogenetic analysis of its main related genes. We found that important parts of the system began to appear with primitive chordates and tunicates and that all major components were present at the divergence of bony fish, with the exception of the Mas receptor. The Mas receptor first appears after the bony-fish/tetrapod divergence. This phase of evolutionary innovation happened about 400 million years ago. We found solid evidence that angiotensinogen made its appearance in cartilage fish. The presence of several RAAS genes in organisms that lack all the components shows that these genes have had other ancestral functions outside of their current role. Our analysis underscores the utility of sequence comparisons in the study of evolution. Such analyses may provide new hypotheses as to how and why in today’s population an increased activity of the RAAS frequently leads to faulty salt and volume regulation, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases, opening up new and clinically important research areas for evolutionary medicine.

Posted in evolutionary medicine

 

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Emergence and evolution of the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system

AppId is over the quota AppId is over the quota

The renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS) is not the sole, but perhaps the most important volume regulator in vertebrates. To gain insights into the function and evolution of its components, we conducted a phylogenetic analysis of its main related genes. We found that important parts of the system began to appear with primitive chordates and tunicates and that all major components were present at the divergence of bony fish, with the exception of the Mas receptor. The Mas receptor first appears after the bony-fish/tetrapod divergence. This phase of evolutionary innovation happened about 400 million years ago. We found solid evidence that angiotensinogen made its appearance in cartilage fish. The presence of several RAAS genes in organisms that lack all the components shows that these genes have had other ancestral functions outside of their current role. Our analysis underscores the utility of sequence comparisons in the study of evolution. Such analyses may provide new hypotheses as to how and why in today’s population an increased activity of the RAAS frequently leads to faulty salt and volume regulation, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases, opening up new and clinically important research areas for evolutionary medicine.

Posted in evolutionary medicine

 

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Vigorous Exercise Might Protect Against Psoriasis

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Women who engage in vigorous activities like running or aerobic exercise may have reduced risk of psoriasis


May 23, 2012 -- Here's yet another reason to exercise: A new study suggests that vigorous physical activity could reduce the risk of psoriasis.
The findings come out of the long-running Nurses' Health Study, which includes only women, but previous research suggests that exercise may also protect men against the chronic skin condition, characterized mostly by inflamed, scaly patches.
As many as 7.5 million Americans have psoriasis, according to the National Psoriasis Foundation, which says it's the most common autoimmune disease. Men and women are equally affected. Previous research has linked higher body mass index, or BMI, family history of psoriasis, alcohol use, and smoking to the risk of psoriasis.
In the new study, scientists followed nearly 87,000 female nurses for 14 years. None of them had been diagnosed with psoriasis at the beginning of the study. Over the course of the study, the nurses completed three detailed questionnaires about physical activity and were asked to report whether they were ever diagnosed with psoriasis. A total of 1,026 women said they were diagnosed during the study period and provided survey information about their physical activity.

Compared with no vigorous physical activity, vigorous exercise -- the equivalent of 105 minutes of running at a 6-mile-per-hour pace every week -- was associated with a 25% to 30% lower risk of psoriasis. The association remained significant after accounting for BMI, age, smoking, and alcohol use. The researchers say theirs is the first study to investigate the independent association between physical activity and psoriasis.
"The intensity of the exercise is the key," says researcher Abrar Qureshi, MD, MPH, vice chair of dermatology at Brigham and Women's Hospital and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School.
Only running and performing aerobic exercise or calisthenics were associated with a reduced risk of psoriasis. Other vigorous activities, such as jogging, playing tennis, swimming, and bicycling, were not. The researchers speculate that the highly variable intensity of the latter group of activities might account for the lack of an association with a lower psoriasis risk.
More than a decade ago, Siba Raychaudhuri, MD, reported that male and female psoriasis patients who exercised were likely to have less severe disease. "Walking was protective also," says Raychaudhuri, a rheumatologist at the University of California, Davis. He says he was "a little bit surprised" that Qureshi did not find that to be the case but added that "this study is more elegant than ours" because it collected more detailed information about exercise intensity.
Qureshi's team speculates that the lower risk of psoriasis in women who exercised vigorously might be due to a reduction in system-wide inflammation. Vigorous exercise also might be protective against psoriasis because it decreases anxiety and stress, which are tied to new cases and exacerbations of the disease, the researchers say.
"A good amount of data show that emotional stress reduction is good for psoriasis reduction," Raychaudhuri says.
Exposure to ultraviolet light is a psoriasis treatment, so time spent outdoors exercising, and not the exercise itself, might have explained the lowered risk of the disease, Qureshi says. But his study found that women who ran for only an hour a week had a significantly reduced risk of developing psoriasis than women who spent at least four hours walking outside at an average pace.
Chris Ritchlin, MD, MPH, a University of Rochester rheumatologist, calls Qureshi's findings "very interesting." Still, Ritchlin says, while exercise is known to be associated with reduced inflammation, "is there something about people who are really athletically inclined that we're not thinking about that would prevent them from getting psoriasis?"
Qureshi says that could be the case, which is why his study needs to be replicated. "You have to interpret the results cautiously because it is a single study," he says. "It is certainly possible that the women who exercise more are just more health-conscious. There could be other factors that could protect them from developing psoriasis."
Qureshi's study appears online in the Archives of Dermatology.
SOURCES: Qureshi, A. Archives of Dermatology, published online May 2012.Abrar Qureshi, MD, MPH, vice chair of dermatology at Brigham and Women's Hospital; assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, Boston.Siba Raychaudhuri, MD, University of California, Davis.Chris Ritchlin, MD, MPH, University of Rochester, New York.

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Vigorous Exercise Might Protect Against Psoriasis

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Women who engage in vigorous activities like running or aerobic exercise may have reduced risk of psoriasis


May 23, 2012 -- Here's yet another reason to exercise: A new study suggests that vigorous physical activity could reduce the risk of psoriasis.
The findings come out of the long-running Nurses' Health Study, which includes only women, but previous research suggests that exercise may also protect men against the chronic skin condition, characterized mostly by inflamed, scaly patches.
As many as 7.5 million Americans have psoriasis, according to the National Psoriasis Foundation, which says it's the most common autoimmune disease. Men and women are equally affected. Previous research has linked higher body mass index, or BMI, family history of psoriasis, alcohol use, and smoking to the risk of psoriasis.
In the new study, scientists followed nearly 87,000 female nurses for 14 years. None of them had been diagnosed with psoriasis at the beginning of the study. Over the course of the study, the nurses completed three detailed questionnaires about physical activity and were asked to report whether they were ever diagnosed with psoriasis. A total of 1,026 women said they were diagnosed during the study period and provided survey information about their physical activity.

Compared with no vigorous physical activity, vigorous exercise -- the equivalent of 105 minutes of running at a 6-mile-per-hour pace every week -- was associated with a 25% to 30% lower risk of psoriasis. The association remained significant after accounting for BMI, age, smoking, and alcohol use. The researchers say theirs is the first study to investigate the independent association between physical activity and psoriasis.
"The intensity of the exercise is the key," says researcher Abrar Qureshi, MD, MPH, vice chair of dermatology at Brigham and Women's Hospital and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School.
Only running and performing aerobic exercise or calisthenics were associated with a reduced risk of psoriasis. Other vigorous activities, such as jogging, playing tennis, swimming, and bicycling, were not. The researchers speculate that the highly variable intensity of the latter group of activities might account for the lack of an association with a lower psoriasis risk.
More than a decade ago, Siba Raychaudhuri, MD, reported that male and female psoriasis patients who exercised were likely to have less severe disease. "Walking was protective also," says Raychaudhuri, a rheumatologist at the University of California, Davis. He says he was "a little bit surprised" that Qureshi did not find that to be the case but added that "this study is more elegant than ours" because it collected more detailed information about exercise intensity.
Qureshi's team speculates that the lower risk of psoriasis in women who exercised vigorously might be due to a reduction in system-wide inflammation. Vigorous exercise also might be protective against psoriasis because it decreases anxiety and stress, which are tied to new cases and exacerbations of the disease, the researchers say.
"A good amount of data show that emotional stress reduction is good for psoriasis reduction," Raychaudhuri says.
Exposure to ultraviolet light is a psoriasis treatment, so time spent outdoors exercising, and not the exercise itself, might have explained the lowered risk of the disease, Qureshi says. But his study found that women who ran for only an hour a week had a significantly reduced risk of developing psoriasis than women who spent at least four hours walking outside at an average pace.
Chris Ritchlin, MD, MPH, a University of Rochester rheumatologist, calls Qureshi's findings "very interesting." Still, Ritchlin says, while exercise is known to be associated with reduced inflammation, "is there something about people who are really athletically inclined that we're not thinking about that would prevent them from getting psoriasis?"
Qureshi says that could be the case, which is why his study needs to be replicated. "You have to interpret the results cautiously because it is a single study," he says. "It is certainly possible that the women who exercise more are just more health-conscious. There could be other factors that could protect them from developing psoriasis."
Qureshi's study appears online in the Archives of Dermatology.
SOURCES: Qureshi, A. Archives of Dermatology, published online May 2012.Abrar Qureshi, MD, MPH, vice chair of dermatology at Brigham and Women's Hospital; assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, Boston.Siba Raychaudhuri, MD, University of California, Davis.Chris Ritchlin, MD, MPH, University of Rochester, New York.

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Vigorous Exercise Might Protect Against Psoriasis

Click Here!
Women who engage in vigorous activities like running or aerobic exercise may have reduced risk of psoriasis


May 23, 2012 -- Here's yet another reason to exercise: A new study suggests that vigorous physical activity could reduce the risk of psoriasis.
The findings come out of the long-running Nurses' Health Study, which includes only women, but previous research suggests that exercise may also protect men against the chronic skin condition, characterized mostly by inflamed, scaly patches.
As many as 7.5 million Americans have psoriasis, according to the National Psoriasis Foundation, which says it's the most common autoimmune disease. Men and women are equally affected. Previous research has linked higher body mass index, or BMI, family history of psoriasis, alcohol use, and smoking to the risk of psoriasis.
In the new study, scientists followed nearly 87,000 female nurses for 14 years. None of them had been diagnosed with psoriasis at the beginning of the study. Over the course of the study, the nurses completed three detailed questionnaires about physical activity and were asked to report whether they were ever diagnosed with psoriasis. A total of 1,026 women said they were diagnosed during the study period and provided survey information about their physical activity.

Compared with no vigorous physical activity, vigorous exercise -- the equivalent of 105 minutes of running at a 6-mile-per-hour pace every week -- was associated with a 25% to 30% lower risk of psoriasis. The association remained significant after accounting for BMI, age, smoking, and alcohol use. The researchers say theirs is the first study to investigate the independent association between physical activity and psoriasis.
"The intensity of the exercise is the key," says researcher Abrar Qureshi, MD, MPH, vice chair of dermatology at Brigham and Women's Hospital and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School.
Only running and performing aerobic exercise or calisthenics were associated with a reduced risk of psoriasis. Other vigorous activities, such as jogging, playing tennis, swimming, and bicycling, were not. The researchers speculate that the highly variable intensity of the latter group of activities might account for the lack of an association with a lower psoriasis risk.
More than a decade ago, Siba Raychaudhuri, MD, reported that male and female psoriasis patients who exercised were likely to have less severe disease. "Walking was protective also," says Raychaudhuri, a rheumatologist at the University of California, Davis. He says he was "a little bit surprised" that Qureshi did not find that to be the case but added that "this study is more elegant than ours" because it collected more detailed information about exercise intensity.
Qureshi's team speculates that the lower risk of psoriasis in women who exercised vigorously might be due to a reduction in system-wide inflammation. Vigorous exercise also might be protective against psoriasis because it decreases anxiety and stress, which are tied to new cases and exacerbations of the disease, the researchers say.
"A good amount of data show that emotional stress reduction is good for psoriasis reduction," Raychaudhuri says.
Exposure to ultraviolet light is a psoriasis treatment, so time spent outdoors exercising, and not the exercise itself, might have explained the lowered risk of the disease, Qureshi says. But his study found that women who ran for only an hour a week had a significantly reduced risk of developing psoriasis than women who spent at least four hours walking outside at an average pace.
Chris Ritchlin, MD, MPH, a University of Rochester rheumatologist, calls Qureshi's findings "very interesting." Still, Ritchlin says, while exercise is known to be associated with reduced inflammation, "is there something about people who are really athletically inclined that we're not thinking about that would prevent them from getting psoriasis?"
Qureshi says that could be the case, which is why his study needs to be replicated. "You have to interpret the results cautiously because it is a single study," he says. "It is certainly possible that the women who exercise more are just more health-conscious. There could be other factors that could protect them from developing psoriasis."
Qureshi's study appears online in the Archives of Dermatology.
SOURCES: Qureshi, A. Archives of Dermatology, published online May 2012.Abrar Qureshi, MD, MPH, vice chair of dermatology at Brigham and Women's Hospital; assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, Boston.Siba Raychaudhuri, MD, University of California, Davis.Chris Ritchlin, MD, MPH, University of Rochester, New York.

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Work-Related Asthma a Significant Problem: CDC

Click Here!THURSDAY, May 24 (HealthDay News) -- About nine percent of all asthma cases in the United States are caused or made worse by work-related exposures, a new federal study says.
That means work-related asthma affects about 1.4 million adults annually, the researchers said.

State-by-state rates of workplace-related asthma ranged from 4.8 percent (Arizona) to just over 14 percent (Florida), according to the study by researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The analysis of 2006-09 data from 38 states and the District of Columbia also suggests that older workers and those in certain ethnic or minority groups are most at risk. For example, rates of employment-related asthma were 12.7 percent for people ages 45-64 vs. about 7 percent for people ages 18-44. Among racial groups rates of work-related asthma were 12.5 percent for blacks, 10.5 percent for Hispanics and 8.2 percent for whites, the report found.
The estimated proportion of adults with current asthma who had work-related asthma was similar for men and women, at about nine percent.
Asthma linked to on-the-job exposures is a preventable but under-recognized illness and the new findings highlight the need to expand workplace surveillance to better understand the risk factors and to better focus prevention efforts, the researchers said.
Better surveillance of the problem "would enhance our understanding of work-related asthma epidemiology and enable states, other government agencies, health professionals, employers, workers and worker representatives to better target intervention efforts to reduce the burden of work-related asthma," the researchers wrote in a summary.
The study appears in the May 25 issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

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