Life Is Short, Take Pictures!

Life is short, if sweet.

Insulin is essential for glucose homeostasis, but reducing its activity delays the aging process in model organisms. In this issue of Cell Metabolism, Lee et al. (2009) show how these effects of insulin signaling intersect when glucose is fed to C. elegans.

Short-term conceptual memory for pictures.

Three converving procedures were used to determine whether pictures presented in a rapid sequence at rates comparable to eye fixations are understood and then quickly forgotten. In two experiments, sequences of 16 color photographs were presented at rates of 113, 167, or 333 msec per picture. In one group, subjects were given an immediate test of recognition memory for the pictures and in other...

Trematode life cycles: short is sweet?

Complex life cycles are a hallmark of parasitic trematodes. In several trematode taxa, however, the life cycle is truncated: fewer hosts are used than in a typical three-host cycle, with fewer transmission events. Eliminating one host from the life cycle can be achieved in at least three different ways. Some trematodes show even more extreme forms of life cycle abbreviations, using only a mollu...

VideoProbe: Sharing Pictures of Everyday Life

VideoProbe is an example of a technology probe, which combines the goals of gathering data about daily family life, inspiring ideas for new communication technologies and testing them in real-world settings. Family members living in remote households can share pictures and personal information with each other via a closed, secure network. This paper reports our experiences installing videoProbe...

Surgeons Take on End-of-Life Care.