■ According to Harvard Medical School, belief in God helps improve psychiatric treatment outcomes. The study which looked at 159 patients over a one-year period, says patients with “no” or only “slight” belief in God were twice as likely not to respond to treatment than patients with more belief.
■ A study has found that by simply balling up the right hand and squeezing it tightly, one can memorise lists with ease. Recalling lists is also easy by clenching the left fist and squeezing it tightly. This movement is thought to stimulate the brain region in charge of memory.
■ Vladimir I. shCherbak of al-Farabi Kazakh National University of Kazakhstan, and Maxim A Makukov of the Fesenkov Astrophysical Institute say an intelligent signal embedded in our genetic code would be a mathematical and semantic message that cannot be accounted for by Darwinian evolution. In simple words, there may be proof of extra-terrestrial life in our genes. The presence of alien life may be decoded through the messages stored in the cells of our body called ‘biological SETI’. They argue that the scheme has much greater longevity and a chance of detecting ET, than a transient extraterrestrial radio transmission.
■ Scientists suggest that cell therapy may be the next ‘medicine’. Synthetic Biology and one of the article’s co-authors in his review outlined his find as the ‘third pillar of medicine’ and said drugs made from engineered proteins, antibodies and smaller chemicals make it clear that one day, treating patients with cells will become common. He also said continued advances in cellular engineering could provide a framework for the development of cellular therapies that are safe and act predictably.
■ A recent study points that being within 25 miles of an electrical storm can increase the occurrence of intense headaches by up to 28 per cent.