Friday Delights #12
Psilocybin, mRNA Vaccine, Sex Robots, Genocide, Physics
Psilocybin Against Depression
A new study has come out suggesting that psilocybin might be effective in treating Major Depressive Disorder. The study, carried out by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers, builds on the success of another study in 2016 which showed that psilocybin can be used to alleviate depression and anxiety in people with terminal cancer. This time around the research is focused on treating MDD in the general population. Here is a link to the paper itself. The sample size is small (24) and the follow-up period is short, but the results sure are promising:
“The magnitude of the effect we saw was about four times larger than what clinical trials have shown for traditional antidepressants on the market”
On top of this, Oregon has become the first state in the USA to legalize psilocybin. This will surely result in much more data coming in the next year and help us get a clearer picture of some of the long-term effects of psilocybin.
Story of the mRNA Vaccine
There has been, unsurprisingly, a lot of talk about vaccines lately. With Pfizer’s announcement of a 90% success rate, one type of vaccine, in particular, took the spotlight — mRNA. What is an mRNA vaccine and how does it work? How did the science get to a point where we can synthetically create a specific part of a virus and tell our cells to create it in order to train our immune system — a much faster and cheaper way than the older method of injecting ourselves with dead or weakened viruses? This piece talks about the science and the politics of vaccine creation.
Sex Robots and the Sexual Marketplace
Sex robots are becoming more popular. They are also becoming better at imitating humans. Once again, the porn (or sex-on-demand?) industry is driving the development of new technology. But what does that technology mean for society, for men, and for women? Is easy access to sex make men less interested in long term commitments, pushing women to lower the barrier for having sex with someone? Is it going to make everyone more peaceful if they have a beautiful robot at home, always ready to have sex, and help them relieve tension? Here is an exploration of these and other questions on the matter.
The Bosnian Genocide
Many people forget that merely 30 years ago a genocide was taking place in the Balkans. In the town of Višegrad, hundreds if not thousands of Bosnian Muslims were hunted, tortured, and murdered by Serbian paramilitary groups. The terror went on for years until the USA and NATO decided to step in and bomb everything, effectively forcing peace talks. This is an amazing story by Jack Hitt about the city and its history, about how the authorities are doing everything they can to hide the atrocities of the past and to rewrite history. Absolutely worth the read.
Do You Expand Together with the Universe?
It seems to be almost common knowledge now that the Universe we live in is not static — it is constantly expanding. But what is it expanding into? Where is the point out of which our whole world came? These simple questions have perplexing answers, to say the least.
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Today’s bonus video is Apolo Ohno, an 8-times Olympic medalist, talking about how all major battles in life are internal ones.
