Good Morning! 🌞 

Did you know that the moon’s gravitational pull stabilizes Earth’s axial tilt, which is crucial for maintaining a stable climate?

Without the moon, Earth’s tilt could vary wildly, leading to extreme weather and climate changes. This stability allows for consistent seasonal cycles and moderate temperatures, creating the stable environment necessary for life to thrive.

Innovation

Key to Alzheimer’s Disease in Simple Amino Acid?

For over a decade, big pharmaceutical companies have invested billions in Alzheimer's disease drug trials without making significant progress.

However, a potential neuroprotective compound with promising early-stage results might be found in our everyday diet.

Dr. Paul Cox may have discovered this after investigating high rates of ALS and Alzheimer's-like symptoms in Guam during the 1990s. He found that cyanobacteria, which produce a toxin called BMAA, were contaminating trees on the island. The trees' seeds, eaten by flying fox bats, became a source of BMAA for the local population, who hunted the bats for food. This toxin was linked to widespread neurodegenerative diseases among the locals.

In 2003, Dr. Cox revealed that cyanobacteria could be a risk factor for these diseases, though not necessarily the cause of Alzheimer's. To study BMAA's toxicology, he conducted trials at the Brain Chemistry Labs at the Institute for Ethnomedicine in Jackson. His research showed that the neurotoxic effects of BMAA were reduced by 85% when combined with the amino acid L-serine.

L-serine, found in eggs, meat, edamame, tofu, seaweed, and sweet potatoes, is a non-essential amino acid in our diet. The protective effects observed in monkeys prompted Dr. Cox to initiate clinical trials with the FDA to explore L-serine as a potential Alzheimer's treatment.

Interestingly, Dr. Cox is an ethnobotanist, not a neurologist. His research in Okinawa, a region known for its longevity, revealed that residents of Ogimi Village consumed about 400% more L-serine than the average American. This, combined with his lab data, gives Dr. Cox confidence that his clinical trials with Alzheimer's patients supplementing with L-serine could yield effective results, potentially leading to a simple dietary treatment for the disease.

U.S News

The World’s ‘Quietest’ Room

The quietest place on Earth isn't where you might expect. It's tucked away in Orfield Laboratory, Minnesota, within their Anechoic Chamber. This chamber is engineered to absorb sound, creating an environment where even the slightest noise can feel overwhelming.

Inside, the ambient noise level measures at an unprecedented negative decibel of minus-24.9 dBA, making it below the threshold of human hearing. Visitors often report hearing the faint sounds of their own bodily functions due to the complete absence of external noise.

Steven Orfield, the lab's founder, explains that extended exposure to such silence can disrupt one's sense of balance and coordination, as the usual auditory cues are absent.

The chamber itself is constructed with a steel box suspended within another steel enclosure, lined with fiberglass ridges to neutralize soundwaves.

Beyond its scientific utility, the chamber has also attracted commercial interest, being used by companies like Harley Davidson to test noise reduction and by NASA to prepare astronauts for the silence of space.

For those curious about this unique experience, a visit to the Anechoic Chamber in Minneapolis comes at a cost. A one-hour session for up to four people is priced at $400, offering a rare opportunity to immerse oneself in absolute silence.

Entertainment

'Home Alone' House in Chicago Up for Sale

The home in the Chicago suburbs, known for its role in "Home Alone," is now on the market, listed on Zillow at 671 Lincoln Ave. in Winnetka.

The 9,000-square-foot house is priced at $5.25 million.

This marks the first sale since 2012, when it was purchased for $1.58 million, according to Zillow.

In 2021, the home was available on Airbnb for a one-night stay, allowing fans to relive the movie’s experience.

However, the interior differs from the movie. Filming took place at New Trier Township High School due to space constraints. The house underwent a full renovation and expansion in 2018, per Zillow.

The renovations preserved the architectural details of the home’s recognizable spaces, according to the listing.

The Georgian brick home includes five bedrooms, six bathrooms, two living rooms, a kitchen with two islands and double ovens, a three-car garage, and a screened-in porch with a fireplace.

Additionally, the property features a basketball court and a movie theater with "Home Alone" memorabilia.

Mind Stretchers

⁉️ 

What question can you never answer yes to?

Answers to yesterday’s Mind Stretchers:
1 and 4. They’re arranged in groups of two-digit numbers, all ending in 7 and ascending in both rows.

Gerry Moore got the correct answer first!

Be the first to send us the correct answer for today’s mind stretcher for a shout-out with the answer tomorrow. Just send us the answer and your name to [email protected] or reply to the email.

If you have any uplifting stories and experience you might want to share, send those over to [email protected] for the chance to be featured.