Science points to a minimum effective dose of meditation
A recent EEG study found that the brain’s strongest meditative shift reliably peaks around seven minutes, even for beginners.
Brain
The study of scent can improve brain function, support overall well-being, and enhance nesting instincts.
Japan has a term for nuisance or overwhelming smells—sumehara, or “smell harassment”.
Science
Natural selection may prefer higher cognitive ('thinking' or 'mental') performance
Using an unprecedented amount of genome data, scientists were able to develop a method for detecting directional (natural) selection in ancient DNA. Evolution may prefer higher cognitive ('thinking' or 'mental') performance.
Technology
An app using crowdsourced real-time data to deliver local gas prices
GasBuddy is a technology company and mobile app/website that helps drivers find the least expensive gas stations in the U.S. and Canada using crowdsourced, real-time data. See 'Gas tools' > 'Gas Price Map' at GasBuddy. Users can search without joining the platform.
Retraining the Depressed Algorithm (Family Edition)
“The only winning move is not to play.” — WarGames (1983), spoken by the WOPR/Joshua supercomputer
Politics
FISA reference guide
Trending news. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) will lapse on April 20 without Congressional action. Its core controversy centers on Section 702, which allows the U.S. government to collect foreign communications but can also sweep in the communications of U.S. citizens.
Ethics
Jesus’s emissary summoned to the Pentagon: Moral clarity in the modern era
To borrow from Mr. Crowe's 1989 'Say Anything', Jesus does not sell war, buy war, or process war as a career.
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