Category Archives: Human Longevity

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Ageism is one of the most unfair paradoxes in the labor market: People put in decades of hard work and then find themselves penalized for having done so.

And the problem is only worsening: Nearly 80% of older workers say they've seen or experienced age discrimination in the workplace, according to the most recent survey by AARP. That was the highest share since the group began asking the question in 2003.

Even as the economy bounces back from the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, older workers are having a challenging time getting re-hired. The percentage of jobseekers in February above the age of 55 who were "long-term unemployed," meaning they'd been looking for a job for 27 weeks or more, was more than 36%, compared to around 23% among those between the ages of 16 and 54. (Around a quarter of the workforce is older than 55.)

Here's a look at more stories for investors who are retired or are approaching retirement and are interested in a range of tools and strategies used to manage a fixed income portfolio.

"I get these heart-rending emails from people who are incredibly well-qualified, who send out hundreds and hundreds of emails and don't even get an answer," said Ashton Applewhite, author of This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism. "They are so demoralized."

Unsurprisingly, the discrimination has psychological consequences. Around 6.3 million cases of depression globally are thought to be attributed to ageism, according to the The World Health Organization.

Anyone feeling that they're paying a price for their age should know they're not alone, experts say. Here are some strategies to combat the problem.

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You may have your own frustration and sadness about getting older; that's understandable, Applewhite said: "We live in a culture that barrages us with negative messages about aging." And, as a result, she said, "older people are often the most ageist of all."

Yet these perceptions can have a powerful impact.

Research shows that older people exposed to subliminal negative age-stereotypes are more likely to perform poorly on cognitive and physical tasks, said Dr. Vnia de la Fuente-Nez, manager of the global campaign to combat ageism at The World Health Organization.

On the flip side, de la Fuente-Nez said, studies find that individuals with more positive self-perceptions of ageing experienced better functional health and greater longevity.

"Age stereotypes that we internalize can generate expectations that act as self-fulfilling prophecies," de la Fuente-Nez said.

It's not hard to imagine how these dynamics cold hurt you professionally. For example, if you believe that older people are less competent with technology, when you get up there in age you may assume that you can't learn and master certain digital skills and therefore not even attempt to.

To start to unwind some of this pessimism and its consequences, Applewhite recommends being skeptical of generalizations and getting more educated on the facts.

"The more we know about aging, the less fearful we become," she said. "Our anxieties are way out of proportion to the reality." (She said older people are often surprised to learn, for instance, that just 2.5% of Americans over the age of 65 live in nursing homes.)

And while some deterioration in memory and processing speed is common as we climb up the years, comprehension, reading and vocabulary are some of our abilities that remain stable or even get better with time, research shows.

"We talk about aging as if it's entirely loss, but there are gains," Applewhite said. "Find me an older person who actually wants to go back to their youth."

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Alison Chasteen, a professor at the University of Toronto who studies prejudice, has found in her research that some older adults fared better than others during the pandemic.

What was their secret? They focused on areas where they could still grow.

"We are referring to feeling that one is on a trajectory of improvement," Chasteen said.

Fortunately, there are more ways than ever for older workers to continue advancing, said John Tarnoff, a career transition coach.

He pointed to the seemingly endless amount of free content on YouTube, as well as the available classes on platforms like Coursera, Udemy, Skillshare and GetSetUp.io, a learning community targeted at people over the age of 50.

Find me an older person who actually wants to go back to their youth.

Another useful strategy, he said, can be for people to directly contact the tech or software provider they want to learn more about. "The company can likely provide information and training to get you started," Tarnoff said.

Many cities also offer employment services to seniors at little to no cost, including job placement and resume help.

At the same time, some older workers worry too much about a specific skill they lack say, a proficiency on Salesforce and lose sight of all they've learned over the course of their career, Tarnoff said. That wisdom can't be learned in a video.

"There's a lot we bring to the table that isn't on the page," he said. "If you don't know the strategic value and experience you bring to the marketplace from decades at work, you're selling yourself short."

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Because age discrimination is so common, experts say older workers should be prepared to address incidents of it, unfortunately.

If you're before a hiring manager and suspect that they're concerned about your age, Applewhite recommends responding to it head on. "Say, 'I know how to work this software,' or, 'I'm used to working with a younger team, and I don't care if my boss is 12.'"

Many older workers are asked by hiring managers if they're "overqualified" for a role, Tarnoff said.

Prompting that question can be a concern that you'll take a better job as soon as you're presented with one. To allay that fear in an interview, Tarnoff also suggests being direct, by saying something like, "This is not a stepping stone for me. At this point in my life, this is what I want to do."

Of course, the discrimination occurs well beyond the hiring process. If you're experiencing the problem at work, you shouldn't ignore it, experts say.

There's a lot we bring to the table that isn't on the page.

John Tarnoff

career transition coach

But the way you confront the issue is key.

Chasteen, the professor who studies prejudice at the University of Toronto, has found in recent research that older people who respond to run-ins with ageism in a way that's not accusatory are more likely to get a positive reaction than, say, those who get heated.

As an example, she described a situation in which an older person is offered help doing a task that they're more than able to do on their own. Such acts can be considered benevolent ageism.

"We found that the moderate approach of saying, 'Thank you, but I can manage on my own,' resulted in fewer negative reactions to the older individual," Chasteen said.

"Such a response acknowledges that there was likely no ill intent on the part of the person who offered the unwanted help," she added. "But it also provides an opportunity for the older person to assert their competence in the situation."

It's important that people keep a record of repeated incidents of age discrimination they experience and then report them, said Jeff Vardaro, a civil rights attorney in Columbus, Ohio.

"It doesn't fix itself," Vardaro said. "Workers have to take these things into their own hands." You also probably don't want to sit on your complaints for too long, he added, since some states require age discrimination issues to be reported within a certain amount of time.

Your notes about your experience should be as detailed as possible, Vardaro said. For example, instead of writing that your boss said something mean about your age, you'll want to specify that on 24 different occasions he asked you when you planned to retire. "That stuff can be really useful when you go report it," he said.

Your company's human resources department should be your first stop, but don't be surprised if that conversation leads nowhere, he said. Unfortunately, the people in HR department can be be part of the ageist culture.

As long as we pretend we're younger than we are, we contribute to the discrimination.

"Sometimes human resources is in on it because they have some incentive to push older workers out and bring in younger, cheaper workers," Vardaro said. And, at the end of the day, he added, "their job is to protect the company, not the employees."

If you feel your complaints aren't being taken seriously internally, that's when you'll want to file a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

In many states, submitting a federal complaint automatically triggers a state complaint as well, Vardaro said. "But it really varies state by state," he added. "People should consult with an attorney before filing a charge."

It's illegal for your boss to penalize you for contacting the EEOC, Vardaro said, "but the reality is that retaliation still happens."

"I always advise that once an employee makes an internal complaint or files a charge, they stay on the lookout for any changes in the way they are treated," he added. "We often find it easier to hold employers accountable for retaliation than for the original discrimination."

Applewhite said one of the most powerful ways for older people to push back against ageism is to resist hiding who they are.

"If you feel like you're experiencing discrimination, I am really, really sorry," she said. "If you have to dye your hair, or fudge your resume, no judgment. Do whatever you need to do."

But, she said, "as long as we pretend we're younger than we are, we contribute to the discrimination that makes those behaviors necessary."

This article was written with the support of a journalism fellowship from The Gerontological Society of America, The Journalists Network on Generations and the Silver Century Foundation.

Read more:
How older workers can push back against the reality of ageism - CNBC

As thousands of Russian boots hit the ground in Ukraine and bombs started decimating cities, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy adorned his military fatigues and with them the respect and admiration of millions worldwide. In early January, when Kazakhstan faced its own crisis albeit one of a very different nature President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev responded by distancing himself from his people and cozying up to Vladimir Putin.

It is said that history rewards the modernizers. In the face of existential crisis, this truism is at its most stark.

During recent unrest in Kazakhstan, the embattled Tokayev issued a shoot-to-kill order that put his own citizens in grave danger, then invited Russian troops to restore order. Thousands of peaceful protesters and several high-profile political figures including former Prime Minister Karim Massimov were arbitrarily detained. There have since been widespread accounts of mistreatment and the authorities haveadmittedto multiple deaths in custody by torture.

Will President Tokayev venture deeper into Moscows orbit, or will he take heed of modernizing voices? Will he look at how the world is rallying behind the comedian-turned-political warrior and reassess his policies? His success, and ultimately his political longevity, will depend on his ability to escape Putins stranglehold and how seriously he treats civil liberties. Recent trends and the violent Moscow-endorsed crackdown which claimed hundreds of lives bode ill for Kazakhstan.

There is now a veneer of stability: order has been restored, at least temporarily, and the Russian troops have come and gone. A charm offensive, led by the Kazakh foreign minister, was intended to show the government is tackling the root causes of the protests by beefing up employment opportunities for Kazakhstans restless youth.

Tokayev will need to go beyond stop-gap measures however to restore trust at home and abroad. In particular, he will need to demonstrate in tangible terms that he is sincere about respecting basic human rights and civil liberties, and is making decisions with independence from the Kremlin. A major speech on reform this week was expected to contain concrete action, but ultimately felt like little more than President Tokayev asking for more time and more trust from a population short on both.

In the first instance, he must address concerns raised in Brussels by the European Parliamentsresolution, which condemned the Kazakh leadership for stifling fundamental freedoms and failing to distinguish between peaceful protestors and violent provocateurs. These concerns have been echoed this week by Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, during the49thsession of the Human Rights Council. She pointed to urgent human rights questions that remain unanswered two months after the events. How many of the thousands of detainees have been mistreated or tortured? What are the grounds for their ongoing detention? Will they be granted their full due process rights?

Without convincing answers, the international community is left to fear the worst for modernizing forces such as Massimov, until recently the head of Kazakhstans National Security Committee, who was arrested in early January on trumped up charges of high treason. The two-time prime minister has been held in solitary confinement, denied access to his family and medical care despite suffering from serious health issues. In the pre-trial phase and under a spurious top secret classification, there is a legitimate fear of a decades-long sentence brought against Massimov, one of the key architects of the post-Soviet Kazakh state.

In government, Massimov pushed through reforms that propelled Kazakhstans growth as an innovative, middle-income country. He helped spur Kazakhstans digital transformation, subscribing to the freedoms created by the internet. Massimov and fellow modernizers understood that Kazakhstans future depends on its ability to build a knowledge economy that is in-sync with the worlds top performing countries. A vocal champion of the English language in Kazakh schools and universities, Massimov looked to Singapore as a model to emulate in the fields of healthcare and education, inspiring the creation of Nazarbayev University.

His continued detention and the deprivation of his rights to due process are a source of great pain for his family, friends, and colleagues. These various factors are why I decided to submit Karim Massimovs case to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention for investigation. Under the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, this body is empowered to review cases of arbitrary deprivation of liberty and ultimately adopt opinions.

For all its faults and contradictions, Kazakhstan was until recently on the right track, gradually edging closer to Western norms and standards. This hard-earned progress is now at risk as President Tokayev slides back into Russias orbit. International and frontier investors who bought into Kazakhstans modernization are reviewing their stakes and the prospect of a stark fall in FDI looms large. With or without Russian troops on Kazakh soil, Putins shadow looms large over the Central Asian state. Devoid of modernizers and bridge builders in the Massimov mould, Kazakhstans independence vis--vis Moscow is in jeopardy.

The future development of Kazakhstan will depend on President Tokayevs next steps. He has access to a strong instrument in his hands to clear his name and give a new start to the country: allowing an international, open, and transparent investigation or declaring an amnesty to all those arbitrarily detained in the January events. He will need the support of a big tent of negotiators who can leverage interests with China, Russia, and the West, while keeping the peace at home between Kazakhs and ethnic Russians. This will be no easy feat, but the alternative is a society torn at the seams, in constant conflict with itself and others.

David. A. Merkel has served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs and Director for South and Central Asian Affairs at the National Security Council in the White House. He is a founding pro-bono member of the Board of Trustees of Nazarbayev University in Nur-Sultan. He is an Associate Fellow at IISS.

The views expressed in this article are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect those of Geopoliticalmonitor.com

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Kazakhstan: History Will Reward the Modernizers - Geopoliticalmonitor.com

image:The ARDD Meeting 2022 will be hosted on August 29 - September 2, 2022 view more

Credit: Insilico Medicine Hong Kong Limited

March 16, 2022, the Scheibye-Knudsen Lab, University of Copenhagen and Deep Longevity are excited to reveal the speakers for the 9th Aging Research & Drug Discovery Meeting, the largest scientific academic, and industry conference that will transpire on August 29 - September 2, 2022 on-site at the Ceremonial Hall, University of Copenhagen, and online.

According to the United Nations, the proportion of people aged over 65 now outnumber children younger than 5. The enormous growth in the elderly population is posing a significant healthcare challenge to societies worldwide. New sweeping interventions for reducing age-associated morbidities and frailty will undoubtedly be a key to reduce the health- and socioeconomic challenges that come with an aging society. Again this year we have an incredibly exciting program with global thought-leaders sharing their latest insights into aging and how we target the aging process ensuring everyone lives a healthier and longer life.

Despite pandemics and the shocking conflict on the European continent, the ARDD 2022 conference will be held in person at the University of Copenhagen. We are extremely excited about the program and the possibility of meeting friends and colleagues outside of zoom. This year we are maintaining our focus on young scientists who will be the future of our field and we have a large number of speaker slots for these rising stars." said Morten Scheibye-Knudsen, MD, Ph.D., University of Copenhagen.

Many credible biopharmaceutical companies are now prioritized aging research for early-stage discovery or therapeutic pipeline development. It is only logical to prioritize therapeutic targets that are important in both aging and age-associated diseases. The patient benefits either way. The best place to learn about these targets is ARDD, which we organize for nine years in a row. This conference is now the largest in the field and is not to be missed, said Alex Zhavoronkov, Ph.D., founder and CEO of Insilico Medicine and Deep Longevity.

Aging research is growing faster than ever on both academia and industry fronts. The ARDD meeting unites experts from different fields and backgrounds, sharing with us their latest groundbreaking research and developments. Our last ARDD meeting took place as a hybrid meeting and was a great success and we will repeat this model for ARDD 2022. said Daniela Bakula, Ph.D., University of Copenhagen

For further information, images or interviews, please contact:

ardd@insilico.com

About Scheibye-Knudsen Lab

In the Scheibye-Knudsen lab we use in silico, in vitro and in vivo models to understand the cellular and organismal consequences of DNA damage with the aim of developing interventions. We have discovered that DNA damage leads to changes in certain metabolites and that replenishment of these molecules may alter the rate of aging in model organisms. These findings suggest that normal aging and age-associated diseases may be malleable to similar interventions. The hope is to develop interventions that will allow everyone to live healthier, happier and more productive lives.

About Deep Longevity

Deep Longevity has been acquired by Edurance RP (SEHK:0575.HK), a publicly-traded company. Deep Longevity is developing explainable artificial intelligence systems to track the rate of aging at the molecular, cellular, tissue, organ, system, physiological, and psychological levels. It is also developing systems for the emerging field of longevity medicine enabling physicians to make better decisions on the interventions that may slow down, or reverse the aging processes. Deep Longevity developed Longevity as a Service (LaaS) solution to integrate multiple deep biomarkers of aging dubbed "deep aging clocks" to provide a universal multifactorial measure of human biological age. Originally incubated by Insilico Medicine, Deep Longevity started its independent journey in 2020 after securing a round of funding from the most credible venture capitalists specializing in biotechnology, longevity, and artificial intelligence. ETP Ventures, Human Longevity and Performance Impact Venture Fund, BOLD Capital Partners, Longevity Vision Fund, LongeVC, co-founder of Oculus, Michael Antonov, and other expert AI and biotechnology investors supported the company. Deep Longevity established a research partnership with one of the most prominent longevity organizations, Human Longevity, Inc. to provide a range of aging clocks to the network of advanced physicians and researchers. https://longevity.ai/

About Endurance RP (SEHK:0575.HK)

Endurance RP is a diversified investment group based in Hong Kong currently holding various corporate and strategic investments focusing on the healthcare, wellness and life sciences sectors. The Group has a strong track record of investments and has returned approximately US$298 million to shareholders in the 21 years of financial reporting since its initial public offering. https://www.endurancerp.com/

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.

Continued here:
Over 70 Leaders in aging and longevity to present their latest research at the 9th ARDD - EurekAlert

Participants wore a research-grade accelerometer for up to seven days to get accurate measures of how much time they spent moving and, importantly, the types of common daily life behaviours that result in movement and are not often included in prior studies of light and moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity.

Those prior studies typically focused on intensity and duration of activities like running and brisk walking while the current study measured smaller movements at varying intensity during activities like cooking.

During this study, 616 women were diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, 268 with coronary heart disease, 253 had a stroke, and 331 died of cardiovascular disease.

"Much of the movement engaged in by older adults is associated with daily life tasks, but it may not be considered physical activity. Understanding the benefits of daily life movement and adding this to physical activity guidelines may encourage more movement," said senior author Andrea LaCroix, Ph.D., M.P.H., Distinguished Professor and chief of the Division of Epidemiology at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health.

Visit link:
'Daily life tasks' shown to slash your risk of heart disease and stroke by up to 50% - Express

Joe Biden correctly argues that the struggle between democracy and autocracy is the defining conflict of our time. So which system performs better under stress?

For the past several years, the autocracies seemed to have the upper hand. In autocracy, power is centralized. Leaders can respond to challenges quickly, shift resources decisively. China showed that autocracies can produce mass prosperity. Autocracy has made global gains and democracy continues to decline.

In democracies, on the other hand, power is decentralized, often polarized and paralytic. The American political system has become distrusted and dysfunctional. A homegrown would-be autocrat won the White House. Academics have written popular books with titles like How Democracies Die.

Yet the past few weeks have been revelatory. Its become clear that when it comes to the most important functions of government, autocracy has severe weaknesses. This is not an occasion for democratic triumphalism; its an occasion for a realistic assessment of authoritarian ineptitude and perhaps instability. What are those weaknesses?

The wisdom of many is better than the wisdom of megalomaniacs. In any system, one essential trait is: How does information flow? In democracies, policymaking is usually done more or less in public, and there are thousands of experts offering facts and opinions. Many economists last year said inflation would not be a problem, but Larry Summers and others said it would, and they turned out to have been right. We still make mistakes, but the system learns.

Often in autocracies, decisions are made within a small, closed circle. Information flows are distorted by power. No one tells the top man what he doesnt want to hear. The Russian intelligence failure about Ukraine has been astounding. Vladimir Putin understood nothing about what the Ukrainian people wanted, how they would fight or how his own army had been ruined by corruption and kleptocrats.

People want their biggest life. Human beings these days want to have full, rich lives and make the most of their potential. The liberal ideal is that people should be left as free as possible to construct their own ideal. Autocracies restrict freedom for the sake of order. So many of the best and brightest are now fleeing Russia. The American ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel, points out that Hong Kong is suffering a devastating brain drain. Bloomberg reports, The effects of the brain drain in sectors such as education, health care and even finance will likely be felt by residents for years to come. American institutions now have nearly as many top-tier A.I. researchers from China as from the United States. Given the chance, talented people will go where fulfillment lies.

Organization man turns into gangster man. People rise through autocracies by ruthlessly serving the organization, the bureaucracy. That ruthlessness makes them aware others may be more ruthless and manipulative, so they become paranoid and despotic. They often personalize power, so they are the state, and the state is them. Any dissent is taken as a personal affront. They may practice what scholars call negative selection. They dont hire the smartest and best people. Such people might be threatening. They hire the dimmest and the most mediocre. You get a government of third-raters. (Witness the leaders of the Russian military.)

Ethnonationalism self-inebriates. Everybody worships something. In a liberal democracy, worship of the nation (which is particular) is balanced by the love of liberal ideals (which are universal). With the demise of communism, authoritarianism lost a major source of universal values. National glory is pursued with intoxicating fundamentalism.

I believe in passionarity, in the theory of passionarity, Putin declared last year. He continued: We have an infinite genetic code. Passionarity is a theory created by the Russian ethnologist Lev Gumilyov that holds that each nation has its own level of mental and ideological energy, its own expansionary spirit. Putin seems to believe Russia is exceptional on front after front and on the march. This kind of crackpot nationalism deludes people into pursuing ambitions far beyond their capacity.

Government against the people is a recipe for decline. Democratic leaders, at least in theory, serve their constituents. Autocratic leaders, in practice, serve their own regime and longevity, even if it means neglecting their people. Thomas J. Bollyky, Tara Templin and Simon Wigley illustrate how life expectancy improvements have slowed in countries that have recently transitioned to autocracies. A study of more than 400 dictators across 76 countries by Richard Jong-A-Pin and Jochen O. Mierau found that a one-year increase in a dictators age decreases his nations economic growth by 0.12 percentage points.

When the Soviet Union fell, we learned that the C.I.A. had overstated the Soviet economy and Soviet military might. Its just very hard to successfully run a big society through centralized power.

To me, the lesson is that even when were confronting so-far successful autocracies like China, we should learn to be patient and trust our liberal democratic system. When we are confronting imperial aggressors like Putin, we should trust the ways we are responding now. If we steadily, patiently and remorselessly ramp up the economic, technological and political pressure, the weaknesses inherent in the regime will grow and grow.

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Opinion | This Is Why Autocracies Fail - The New York Times

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We forget a lot of things as human beings. And with the passage of time, memory tends to fade and fade until it disappears all together. Its sad, but with the full spectrum of human history and emotion, its not surprising that some stories and ideas just disappear. But of course, there are some that remain. Perhaps not in their original form, but the essence of the story remains. And if were lucky, its original intent also remains. Some of the most lasting stories are not historical accounts of kings or queens or even empire-shaking wars, but rather fairytales.

Is it just Disney we have to thank for this? Or is there something more to fairytales that fuels their longevity?

Merriam Webster defines a fairytale as a story (as for children) involving fantastic forces and beings (such as fairies, wizards, and goblins). Sounds a little ridiculous, yes? But I hypothesize that unlike other types of stories, fairytales told to our children have a specific purpose that wont shed away with time. Many fairytales are meant to teach lessons, to instill a communitys values, and/or to impart cultural knowledge. My grandmother used to tell me all sorts of stories based on Hindu epics, which I used to listen to with rapt attention. Her retellings helped me form my identity as an Indian American and maintain a close relationship with the culture of the motherland. These stories also helped me connect with fellow Indians and Indian Americans because one had to be part of the community to understand just how real they were (and still are) to us. These epics gave all us a shared language that remained intact on a new continent.

I also remember my friends mom telling me the story of Rumpelstiltskin, which is still one of my favorite fairytales. Although I have no cultural tie to the story, knowing it gave me some important context because the story is referenced so much in the western canon. It helped me form my identity as a kid growing up in the west and understand certain cultural references with ease.

Because fairytales are commonly told to children, its not unusual for parents and guardians to adapt the stories a little. This penchant for adaptation and retelling has historically found its way to publishing. More recently, young adult (YA) novels of various fairytale retellings are published by the dozen each year.

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Take Little Red Riding Hood, a rather creepy and gruesome tale of a little girl just trying to be a good granddaughter. The story of Little Red Riding Hood dates back to pre17th century European folktales, and theres evidence to suggest that similar stories have been told in 10th century France and even North Africa. This means that the story popularized by the Brothers Grimm is more than likely much older and with some, possibly, complex and interconnected roots.

In the story, she ventures into the dark woods to bring food for her elderly grandmother. A place that was known to house dangerous creatures. But still, she went. Why on Earth is that a story parents and writers still tell to children and young adults alike? Does it come down to teaching children to never speak to strangers? Is it a warning to not go out after dark, even if a loved one needs us to? Or is it a warning that the world is a dark, dangerous place, so be prepared to live in it?

Ive noticed several YA and adult crossover books in particular that have retold the story of Little Red Riding Hood to some degree, such as Scarlet by Marissa Meyer, Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge, For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten, and Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce. Although each story is unique, I noticed something similar in all of them: Each one rests on the premise that a young girl needs to venture into a dangerous, dark, and unknown place to face a monster or some sort of evil/danger. There is a practical lesson here. We like to think that the modern world is safe for young girls, but reality would suggest otherwise. Crime statistics against women and children are still holding strong around the world. It is sad that an age-old fairytale is still holding true. That a young girl who needs to take care of an elderly family member faces danger in doing so. Although Little Red Riding Hood is still a horrific fairytale with immense entertainment value, its core lesson easily translates to these modern retellings, which provide a more modern context to the message and add to the cultural narrative.

To that end, Im convinced that each fairytale has a core lesson that remains intact, despite being told and retold over the centuries. I have to wonder if its these lessons, both explicit and implicit, that lend themselves to the longevity of fairytales. Retellings not only take advantage of the creative capital given to us by previous writers, but also serve as a way to continue a cultural narrative and instill certain lessons for the next generation.

When I was a girl, I honestly thought that Little Red Riding Hood was a horror story meant to scare me from the dark. But with the benefit of hindsight and having read several retellings/adaptations, I am now convinced that its a story that tells young girls that yes, the world is dark and dangerous. I mean, why on Earth did her grandmother live in those woods? But at the end of the day, its the world we live in, and we have to face it because unfortunately, we have people relying on us. Thats not to say that we shouldnt work to make the world safer, because we should. But fairytales like Little Red Riding Hood at least give us a dose of reality.

Read more:
What Adaptations of Little Red Riding Hood Tell Us About the Lasting Power of Fairytales - Book Riot

Some 300 years after Antonio Vivaldi captured the feeling of springtime with his Four Seasons, another composer is drawing from the same inspiration Rivers Cuomo of Weezer.

His band, never one to take much time off, is putting out a quartet of albums this year in much the same spirit as Vivaldi. Cuomo has titled the series SZNZ and is beginning, of course, with Spring. It's out this Sunday which happens to be the vernal equinox in the northern hemisphere.

Morning Edition's A Martinez spoke to Cuomo about the cathartic new release, written during lockdown, and maintaining relationships three decades into a band's life.

This interview has been edited and condensed. To hear the broadcast version of this story, you can use the audio player at the top of this page.

A Martinez, Morning Edition: So, Rivers Vivaldi might have gotten the jump on you here, having written The Four Seasons some 300 years ago. Was that work an inspiration at all for you on this?

Rivers Cuomo: Yeah, absolutely. In each of the four EPs [of SZNZ] at least one of the songs interpolate one of his riffs. So it was fun to take a bit of one of his ideas and set my own lyrics to it and try to make it sound like a modern rock song. But I think most people are going to hear like, for example: The first song on Spring is called "Opening Night." People are going to hear that and be like, "Wait a minute, what is that?" And then they're going to be like, "Oh my God, I know that from some commercial or some... I don't know, something. It's some classical thing." Yeah, it's from Vivaldi.

Tell us what your approaches to this project are what's your mission statement?

Well, we actually had a mission statement, so I'm glad you asked. It was to pick up where we left off with our last album, OK Human. It was Weezer with an orchestra; setting aside all commercial concerns and just really delving into my love for classical music and opera music and writing on the piano instead of an electric guitar, and just trying to go all-out with the crazy composition and the melodies. And so that's what we did... and I think we pretty much hit the nail on the head.

I think there is a lot to be said for a group that can stay together as long as you have. I think of Pearl Jam that group has stayed pretty much the same for a long, long time. What do you think accounts for that longevity, that ability to stay together and not get on each other's nerves to the point where you just want to never be near each other again?

I feel like we all benefited a lot from getting married not to each other and going through couples therapy and learning how to communicate and compromise. We didn't have any of those skills when we started and there were definitely some rough patches, but everyone's so chill now. It's great.

I think it's really reassuring to know that things can last even through some rough spots.

I'd be glad if people get that sort of reassurance from our story because we all come from broken homes. And I know for me it was super important.

Back to SZNZ. When you're thinking about spring songs, what kind of ideas and concepts come to mind?

Well, it's definitely thinking a lot about, you know, the typical things you think about coming back to life, rebirth, coming out of a long, cold hibernation. In terms of spirituality like, living more in the moment and not being too hung up on self-denial, enjoying life. Those sorts of themes.

And that is exactly what I heard in the song "All This Love." It seems to almost be a nod to the pandemic and that we're all kind of coming out of it. It feels like we're entering a better stage, or maybe a more-free stage. Tell us about that song.

That song is all about just this incredible feeling of pent-up energy and wanting to express yourself and go out and be social and share your love. The chorus is really explosive and says, "I got all this love, I've been saving it, saving up, let me let it out." And it's just a really, really explosive feeling. In contrast, the first verse is [paraphrasing] "I've been stuck inside and I got this mask on my mouth, I forgot how to sing, I forgot how to love and live."

And on another level, thinking of how I've, at times, had this tendency to be too intellectual and not instinctual enough about art. There's a very obscure nod to the scientific way of creativity, a reference to Benjamin Franklin [in] the opening line, with "the key and a kite, waiting for lightning to strike camping out in the field by my house." So that's me thinking too hard about how to go about my creativity instead of just letting it flow.

Were you always more intellectual instead of instinctual when it comes to your art?

I've had that instinct since before Weezer even existed. I mean, I remember being a teenager and being so curious about music theory and at the same time, thinking, "Wait a minute, that's not cool. You're not supposed to study music theory if you're a rock musician." So there was always a struggle for me.

But I'd say in recent years, I've really found a great balance and am feeling more instinctual than ever at the same time, I have tons of spreadsheets and computer programs that I've written to help me along. I'm firing on all cylinders, for sure.

Now, have you started thinking about SZNZ: Summer yet?

Yeah, I'd say like everything is 90% written as of last year this is what I did during the lockdown. So I have these folders, four folders of really well-written-out songs. I'm working with another producer now on the summer songs and we hope to have fall done before we leave for Europe at the end of May, and then finish winter in August.

Is that a normal pace for you? I don't know I'm not a musician, it just sounds like a lot.

I mean, a lot of the songs are short... It's a lot. It's definitely a lot. And you know, we've announced it. We've committed to doing it... and yet we haven't actually done it yet. So it's uh, it'll be a challenge. But everyone knows what we're in for and we're all into it and we want to do it. And hopefully we don't drive our managers too crazy, because it's going to be a ton of work.

Do you work better that way? You know, announcing something, committing to do it even though you haven't done it yet?

Oh no, I don't. I don't think it really affects me either way. Like, I am very, very excited to work every day just for the sake of creating something, and I don't necessarily need the motivation of having a deadline.

Speaking from a journalist's point of view: if there is no deadline on me, I don't know if I'll ever turn anything in, ever. [Laughs] So I wonder if you work that way too as an artist?

No, I don't. I just love building stuff, and every morning I wake up and come down to my studio and build stuff, and then we have to figure out what to do with it.

What kind of reaction have you gotten from fans of yours? Sometimes, I think fans get a little too in love with what they liked about you when you started, and maybe don't like it when an artist tries to do new things.

We definitely went through that phase, like in the beginning of the 2000s. It was real tough. But it seems like we're surrounded by fans who are super excited about new music and they themselves are actually frustrated when they encounter other people who have closed minds [towards] the new stuff. So it feels like we've got a great, great little neighborhood around us.

And that being said, one of our concerns was like, "We don't want to burn the audience out," because we've been putting out a lot of music. We did two records last year and this will be another 28 songs this year.

I might be wrong on this, but it feels in what I've heard that you're using a lot more acoustic instruments for the spring collection. Was that by design?

Oh, absolutely. Spring is chock full of acoustic and ancient-sounding instruments. Recorder, acoustic Guitar, mandolin, 12-string. So yeah, it's a very natural, woody type of sound.

The whole time I was writing and recording. I was imagining myself in the movie production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, when they wake up in the forest. It's just such a beautiful, magical scene ... all these woodland creatures and fairies. But that's just spring.

Summer is going to move into a completely different emotional and sonic terrain where it's going to be much more aggressive and angry and you won't hear those woody sounds anymore. And then fall is going to be a much more like, technological element and dance rock. And then with winter, we return to a more acoustic, mournful tone.

I just realized, Rivers, that this is a strictly northern hemisphere kind of record are our fans in Australia, New Zealand going to be upset?

I'll tell you, we did make one concession already we changed "fall" to "autumn." Apparently no one uses the word fall except for Americans.

Weezer's new EP, SZNZ: Spring, is out Mar. 20.

The rest is here:
The four 'SZNZ' of Weezer - NPR

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Originally posted here:
Precision Medicine Software Market Future Challenges, Growth Statistics and Forecast to 2028 The Bollywood Ticket - The Bollywood Ticket

DURHAM Durham quantum computing biotechnology startup Polarisqb has inked a collaboration agreement with Allosteric Bioscience, a newly formed company, to develop novel pharmaceuticals.

The companies announced the deal in a statement.

The purpose: Improving human aging and longevity.

Improved Aging, Longevity and Aging related diseases is a lead program at Allosteric Bioscience and the focus of this agreement, supported by an investment in Polarisqb, the statement reads.

The joint program will use quantum computing and artificial intelligence to create an inhibitor of a key protein involved in Aging that could have benefits for health representing a multibillion-dollar market, the companies said.

Quantum Computing technology is coming of age, allowing us to revolutionize drug discovery timelines, while improving the overall profile of the designed drugs, said Dr. Shahar Keinan, CEO of Polarisqb. The application of Quantum Computers to solving these complex questions is extraordinary.

Polarisqb raised funds in 2020, according to SEC filings.

Durham quantum-computing startup launches drug discovery platform it says is much faster

Durham startup with quantum-based drug platform raises more cash

Go here to see the original:
Durham quantum computing startup Polarisqb inks deal to ...

JMIR Res Protoc. 2022 Mar 14;11(3):e32352. doi: 10.2196/32352.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Previous research revealed several biological and environmental factors modulating cognitive functioning over a humans lifespan. However, the relationships and interactions between biological factors (eg, genetic polymorphisms, immunological parameters, metabolic products, or infectious diseases) and environmental factors (eg, lifestyle, physical activity, nutrition, and work type or stress at work) as well as their impact on cognitive functions across the lifespan are still poorly understood with respect to their complexity.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of the Dortmund Vital Study is to validate previous hypotheses as well as generate and validate new hypotheses about the relationships among aging, working conditions, genetic makeup, stress, metabolic functions, the cardiovascular system, the immune system, and mental performance over the human lifespan with a focus on healthy working adults. The Dortmund Vital Study is a multidisciplinary study involving the Departments of Ergonomics, Immunology, Psychology and Neurosciences, and Toxicology at the Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors at the Technical University of Dortmund (IfADo) in Germany, as well as several national and international partners.

METHODS: The Dortmund Vital Study is designed as a combined cross-sectional and longitudinal study. Approximately 600 healthy subjects aged between 20 and 70 years will participate. A wide range of demographic, psychological, behavioral, sensory, cardiovascular, immunological, and biochemical data, a comprehensive electroencephalography (EEG)-based cognitive test battery as well as structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have been included in the study.

RESULTS: The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of IfADo in October 2015. The baseline testing was conducted between 2016 and 2021 and will be repeated every 5 years (3 follow-up measures until 2035). As of March 2020 (until the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic), 593 participants have been enrolled. Some results from the cross-sectional part of the study were already published, further results will be published soon. Longitudinal data will be analyzed and published by 2025.

CONCLUSIONS: We anticipate that the study will shed light on sources of interindividual differences in the alterations of cognitive functioning with increasing age and reveal biological and lifestyle markers contributing to work ability, longevity, and healthy aging on the one hand, and to risk factors for cognitive decline, mild cognitive impairment, or even dementia on the other hand.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05155397; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05155397.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/32352.

PMID:35285810 | DOI:10.2196/32352

Link:
Impact of Biological and Lifestyle Factors on Cognitive Aging and Work Ability in the Dortmund Vital Study: Protocol of an Interdisciplinary,...