Check How Well You Are Aging in 30 Seconds

There are plenty of ways to gauge how well you are aging. One test is how much difficulty you have getting to a standing position after sitting on the floor. Or whether you can put your pants on without sitting down. I was pretty proud to think that not many people my age can still wash their feet in the sink (one at a time, of course), but why would I brag about that? However, a new study from researchers at the Mayo Clinic suggests an even simpler test.  

How long can you stand on one leg and keep your balance? People under 50 can usually hold the “unipedal stance” for 30 seconds or more with no trouble. Just bend one leg up like a flamingo and hold your arms by your sides. The amount of time you can retain your balance indicates the health of your neuromuscular connections, and that time naturally decreases as we age. If you cannot hold your balance on one leg for ten seconds, it may be time to do something about it. There are ways to improve our strength and balance, which you can read about at ZME Science.

Of course, you can test your continuing sense of balance by riding a bike or using roller skates, but with age comes wisdom, and we who are wise don't want to take the risk. -via Real Clear Science

(Image credit: Deepak Sundar)


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The Matrix: It does bother me why the machines did not build space solar panels. But the point about Kuru is not fatal to the science. Maybe the machines were capable of pre-screening and/or genetically modifying human cells to prevent all forms of genetically transmitted disease. Or in making their special blend of soylent green, would filter out prions that cause kuru, mad cow, etc.

Humans are indeed inefficient energy producers, but who is to say that humans submerged in soylent goo, would not shut down or severely atrophy some of their organs (lungs for example) thus redirecting the energy wasted there for machine consumption. Perhaps the methane produced by the intestines (fart) could be harvested. Human bodies could be used to culture certain extremophiles that could produce other kinds of energy sources.

No, I am not Dr Mengele. But if the inevitable happens, I for one welcome our new machine overlords.
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Just need to watch The Animatrix and humans as a power source makes sense. The Second Renaissance Parts I & II tell the story of how robots evolve AI, humans continue to oppress, robots revolt, robots win the war and take revenge on humans by making them servants to the robots. It was never about efficiency.
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Evidently the original plan was to have the machines using the humans' brains to enhance computation power, which makes a lot more sense, but it got nixed by executive meddling.
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In the matrix, they combined human batteries with "a form of fusion". Human batteries would end up being a net loss for energy. Not sure if I agree with the space solar panels. Getting to space is a huge achievement, and how do you get the energy back to the surface? Nobody took this into consideration.
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