Showing posts with label research. Show all posts
Showing posts with label research. Show all posts

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Retro Drugs As Modern Medicine?

Psychedelic Therapy
Retro Drugs As Modern Medicine?

(Source TrendHunter)
Baby boomers that experimented with LSD and magic mushrooms in the 60’s and 70’s are now senior scientists nearing retirement in the FDA and other institutions, and are no longer afraid to assert their belief that psychedelics have a place in modern medical therapy.

After a break of 20 years research quietly began again in the early 90’s and has been gaining credibility, current studies involve the treatment of cluster headaches, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), severe anxiety in terminal cancer patients, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), alcoholism and opiate addiction and the FDA has approved clinical trials in the U.S., Switzerland, Israel and Spain.
Mind-altering psychedelics are back—but this time they are being explored in labs for their therapeutic applications rather than being used illegally. The past 15 years have seen a quiet resurgence of psychedelic drug research as scientists have come to recognize the long-underappreciated potential of these drugs. In the past few years, a growing number of studies using human volunteers have begun to explore the possible therapeutic benefits of drugs such as LSD, psilocybin, DMT, MDMA, ibogaine and ketamine. Much remains unclear about the precise neural mechanisms governing how these drugs produce their mind-bending results, but they often produce somewhat similar psychoactive effects that make them potential therapeutic tools. Though still in their preliminary stages, studies in humans suggest that the day when people can schedule a psychedelic session with their therapist to overcome a serious psychiatric problem may not be that far off. (sciam)


Saturday, January 10, 2009

Cars of the Future

Nova TV (PBS.org) has a very good research item about The Car of the Future. Check out this site!

Model of Efficiency

Two decades ago, physicist and energy expert Amory Lovins came up with a notion he called "Hypercar," a general class of vehicles so fuel-efficient it might, Lovins hoped, radically reduce oil consumption in the U.S. and worldwide. A tailpipe dream? Perhaps not. While the Hypercar SUV that Lovins and colleagues designed in 2000 remains a one-of-a-kind concept vehicle, many automakers are beginning to embrace the underlying principles of Hypercar. In this audio slideshow, Lovins describes the key characteristics that any Hypercar would have, and he offers a glimpse of a Hypercar-like Toyota vehicle that may soon be driving through your neighborhood.—Susan K. Lewis

Beyond Technology

Plug-in hybrids, carbon-fiber composites, hydrogen fuel cells—a wide range of innovative technologies may make our future vehicles more efficient and less reliant on oil. But as David Greene of the National Transportation Research Center at Oak Ridge National Laboratory* explains in this interview, technology alone will not solve the looming crisis we face with our petroleum-powered fleet. We also need smart government policies.

NOVA Open Content: Car of the Future on YouTube


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