HABITS ARE REAL BRAIN-CHANGERS
Romans 8:29
"For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren."
Ever wonder why habits are so hard to break? If you think it's just a matter of weak willpower or cravings that refuse to subside, scientists from Duke University have startling news for you. They have found that habits leave a lasting mark on specific circuits in the brain, priming you to keep engaging in the habitual activities.
While studying the behaviors of mice, including some mice who had developed a craving for sweets, the scientists found pathways in their basal ganglia which carry either a "go" or a "stop" signal. In mice who had developed a sweet tooth, both the "go" and the "stop" signals were more active than in the non-habit mice. In the non-habit mice, however, the "stop" signal actually preceded the "go" signal.
According to the researchers, these changes were so long-lasting and obvious, it "was possible for the group to predict which mice had formed a habit just by looking at isolated pieces of their brains in a petri dish."
Dr. Nicole Calakos, the study's senior investigator, said, "One day, we may be able to target these circuits in people to help promote habits that we want and kick out those that we don't want."
One day in the future? Well, Christians don't have to wait. Through the power of Christ who dwells within us, we can break old habits and establish new habits that make us more like Christ, our Savior.
Today's "Creation Moment" is one of almost 300 you'll find in "Letting God Create Your Day, Volume 8" - the biggest collection of scripts we've ever published.
Heavenly Father, I pray that You will break the power of habits that are not pleasing in Your sight and replace them with behaviors that conform me to the image of Christ. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
"Why are habits so hard to break?" ScienceDaily, 1/21/16. Duke University. Justin K. O'Hare, Kristen K. Ade, Tatyana Sukharnikova, Stephen D. Van Hooser, Mark L. Palmeri, Henry H. Yin, Nicole Calakos. "Pathway-Specific Striatal Substrates for Habitual Behavior." Neuron, 2016; DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2015.12.032. Illustration: Basal ganglia in the human brain. (PD)
Romans 8:29
"For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren."
Ever wonder why habits are so hard to break? If you think it's just a matter of weak willpower or cravings that refuse to subside, scientists from Duke University have startling news for you. They have found that habits leave a lasting mark on specific circuits in the brain, priming you to keep engaging in the habitual activities.
While studying the behaviors of mice, including some mice who had developed a craving for sweets, the scientists found pathways in their basal ganglia which carry either a "go" or a "stop" signal. In mice who had developed a sweet tooth, both the "go" and the "stop" signals were more active than in the non-habit mice. In the non-habit mice, however, the "stop" signal actually preceded the "go" signal.
According to the researchers, these changes were so long-lasting and obvious, it "was possible for the group to predict which mice had formed a habit just by looking at isolated pieces of their brains in a petri dish."
Dr. Nicole Calakos, the study's senior investigator, said, "One day, we may be able to target these circuits in people to help promote habits that we want and kick out those that we don't want."
One day in the future? Well, Christians don't have to wait. Through the power of Christ who dwells within us, we can break old habits and establish new habits that make us more like Christ, our Savior.
Today's "Creation Moment" is one of almost 300 you'll find in "Letting God Create Your Day, Volume 8" - the biggest collection of scripts we've ever published.
Heavenly Father, I pray that You will break the power of habits that are not pleasing in Your sight and replace them with behaviors that conform me to the image of Christ. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
"Why are habits so hard to break?" ScienceDaily, 1/21/16. Duke University. Justin K. O'Hare, Kristen K. Ade, Tatyana Sukharnikova, Stephen D. Van Hooser, Mark L. Palmeri, Henry H. Yin, Nicole Calakos. "Pathway-Specific Striatal Substrates for Habitual Behavior." Neuron, 2016; DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2015.12.032. Illustration: Basal ganglia in the human brain. (PD)
WARNING: SPACE TRAVEL MAY BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH
1 Peter 5:8
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour…"
From 1961 to 1972, the Apollo space program captured the world's attention with its 11 manned flights into space, its tragedies and its triumphs. Though the program is best remembered for the failed mission of Apollo 13, NASA succeeded beyond measure when it landed a man on the moon in 1969.
Now, after the passage of over four decades, it has been discovered that a high percentage of the Apollo astronauts who flew to the moon and back have died as a result of cardiovascular disease. Professor Michael Delp and his research team from Florida State University believe this was caused by being exposed to radiation during their time in space beyond Earth's orbit.
The researchers found that 43 percent of the now-deceased Apollo astronauts who flew beyond Earth's orbit died because of cardiovascular problems. This is four to five times higher than the non-flight astronauts and those who had traveled into low Earth orbit. To verify their findings, the researchers also exposed mice to the same type of radiation that astronauts experience in deep space and found that their arteries were damaged in the same way that would have led to cardiovascular disease in humans.
Let this be a reminder that Christians also have a dangerous enemy who cannot be seen but who would devour us if he could. But when we walk by faith in the risen Son of God, we need not fear our invisible enemy.
Today's "Creation Moment" is one of almost 300 you'll find in "Letting God Create Your Day, Volume 8" - the biggest collection of scripts we've ever published.
Heavenly Father, whenever the troubles of this world start to overtake me, remind me that I do not need to fear because greater is he who is in me than he who is in the world. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
"Apollo astronauts experiencing higher rates of cardiovascular-related deaths," ScienceDaily, 7/28/16. Kathleen Haughney, Florida State University. Image: Apollo space program insignia. (NASA-PD)
1 Peter 5:8
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour…"
From 1961 to 1972, the Apollo space program captured the world's attention with its 11 manned flights into space, its tragedies and its triumphs. Though the program is best remembered for the failed mission of Apollo 13, NASA succeeded beyond measure when it landed a man on the moon in 1969.
Now, after the passage of over four decades, it has been discovered that a high percentage of the Apollo astronauts who flew to the moon and back have died as a result of cardiovascular disease. Professor Michael Delp and his research team from Florida State University believe this was caused by being exposed to radiation during their time in space beyond Earth's orbit.
The researchers found that 43 percent of the now-deceased Apollo astronauts who flew beyond Earth's orbit died because of cardiovascular problems. This is four to five times higher than the non-flight astronauts and those who had traveled into low Earth orbit. To verify their findings, the researchers also exposed mice to the same type of radiation that astronauts experience in deep space and found that their arteries were damaged in the same way that would have led to cardiovascular disease in humans.
Let this be a reminder that Christians also have a dangerous enemy who cannot be seen but who would devour us if he could. But when we walk by faith in the risen Son of God, we need not fear our invisible enemy.
Today's "Creation Moment" is one of almost 300 you'll find in "Letting God Create Your Day, Volume 8" - the biggest collection of scripts we've ever published.
Heavenly Father, whenever the troubles of this world start to overtake me, remind me that I do not need to fear because greater is he who is in me than he who is in the world. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
"Apollo astronauts experiencing higher rates of cardiovascular-related deaths," ScienceDaily, 7/28/16. Kathleen Haughney, Florida State University. Image: Apollo space program insignia. (NASA-PD)
DOES THE FOSSIL RECORD SUPPORT EVOLUTION?
Luke 19:40
"And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out."
Ask evolutionists what they consider to be the single most important evidence for Darwinism, and you'll hear them give many different answers. But the one answer we hear most often is: "the fossil record."
Does the fossil record really support evolution? Creationists know that it actually supports biblical creation! In fact, the fossil record is a rock-solid testament in stone that billions of creatures all over the world drowned in the rising waters of the worldwide flood of Noah's time. And apparently, Charles Darwin himself realized he was unable to use the fossil record to support his theory.
On his Evolution: The Grand Experiment DVD, creationist Dr. Carl Werner interviewed Dr. Andrew Knoll, professor of biology at Harvard University. Here's what Dr. Knoll said about Darwin and the fossil record:
"Darwin devotes two chapters of The Origin [of Species] to the fossil record. And you might think that's because Darwin, like most of his intellectual descendants, would have seen the fossil record as the confirmation of his theory…. But, in fact, when you read The Origin [of Species], it turns out that Darwin's two chapters are a carefully worded apology in which he argues that natural selection is correct despite the fact that the fossils don't particularly support it."
While Darwin's intellectual descendants think that the fossil record is their friend, in reality, it is one of the most important evidences for biblical creation!
Today's "Creation Moment" is one of almost 300 you'll find in "Letting God Create Your Day, Volume 8" - the biggest collection of scripts we've ever published.
Heavenly Father, all the evidences in the world won't get a person to stop believing in evolution or put their trust in Your Son for salvation. Only Your Holy Spirit can do that. My job is simply to tell them what I know to be true. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Evolution: The Grand Experiment DVD, produced by Dr. Carl Werner, 2009 (New Leaf Publishing Group). Photo: Evolution: The Grand Experiment DVD.
Luke 19:40
"And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out."
Ask evolutionists what they consider to be the single most important evidence for Darwinism, and you'll hear them give many different answers. But the one answer we hear most often is: "the fossil record."
Does the fossil record really support evolution? Creationists know that it actually supports biblical creation! In fact, the fossil record is a rock-solid testament in stone that billions of creatures all over the world drowned in the rising waters of the worldwide flood of Noah's time. And apparently, Charles Darwin himself realized he was unable to use the fossil record to support his theory.
On his Evolution: The Grand Experiment DVD, creationist Dr. Carl Werner interviewed Dr. Andrew Knoll, professor of biology at Harvard University. Here's what Dr. Knoll said about Darwin and the fossil record:
"Darwin devotes two chapters of The Origin [of Species] to the fossil record. And you might think that's because Darwin, like most of his intellectual descendants, would have seen the fossil record as the confirmation of his theory…. But, in fact, when you read The Origin [of Species], it turns out that Darwin's two chapters are a carefully worded apology in which he argues that natural selection is correct despite the fact that the fossils don't particularly support it."
While Darwin's intellectual descendants think that the fossil record is their friend, in reality, it is one of the most important evidences for biblical creation!
Today's "Creation Moment" is one of almost 300 you'll find in "Letting God Create Your Day, Volume 8" - the biggest collection of scripts we've ever published.
Heavenly Father, all the evidences in the world won't get a person to stop believing in evolution or put their trust in Your Son for salvation. Only Your Holy Spirit can do that. My job is simply to tell them what I know to be true. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Evolution: The Grand Experiment DVD, produced by Dr. Carl Werner, 2009 (New Leaf Publishing Group). Photo: Evolution: The Grand Experiment DVD.
BRAIN FOOD
Song of Solomon 4:14
"Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices:"
On our previous Creation Moments broadcast, we had good news for coffee drinkers – specifically, that the caffeine in coffee does not make a person dehydrated. The long-held myth that coffee is a diuretic was the product of 90-years-old bad science. Well, today we've got even more good news about something you might already be consuming at breakfast. Once you hear how feeding it to laboratory mice improved their learning ability, you might want to make it a regular part of your family's breakfast.
I'm talking about cinnamon. Kalipada Pahan from Rush University Medical Center said that consuming cinnamon "would be one of the safest and the easiest approaches to convert poor learners to good learners."
He reached this conclusion after his research team discovered that feeding cinnamon to laboratory mice increased the levels of a protein called CREB in the brain's hippocampus. This is the part of the brain that is known to be the key to learning.
Pahan reported, "We have successfully used cinnamon to reverse biochemical, cellular and anatomical changes that occur in the brains of mice with poor learning." With this in mind, the research team is now investigating to see if cinnamon might be useful in the treatment of people with Parkinson's disease.
Wasn't it good of our Creator to give us so many foods and spices that are not only a joy to eat but healthful to our bodies?
Today's "Creation Moment" is one of almost 300 you'll find in "Letting God Create Your Day, Volume 8" - the biggest collection of scripts we've ever published.
Oh Lord, You filled the Earth with an abundance of foods and spices that are delightful and healthful. This is a gift You have given to everyone, so let everyone praise You for creating them! Amen.
"Cinnamon may aid learning ability: Spice consumption made mice better learners," ScienceDaily, 7/12/16. Deb Song, Rush University Medical Center press release. Photo: Pixabay.
Song of Solomon 4:14
"Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices:"
On our previous Creation Moments broadcast, we had good news for coffee drinkers – specifically, that the caffeine in coffee does not make a person dehydrated. The long-held myth that coffee is a diuretic was the product of 90-years-old bad science. Well, today we've got even more good news about something you might already be consuming at breakfast. Once you hear how feeding it to laboratory mice improved their learning ability, you might want to make it a regular part of your family's breakfast.
I'm talking about cinnamon. Kalipada Pahan from Rush University Medical Center said that consuming cinnamon "would be one of the safest and the easiest approaches to convert poor learners to good learners."
He reached this conclusion after his research team discovered that feeding cinnamon to laboratory mice increased the levels of a protein called CREB in the brain's hippocampus. This is the part of the brain that is known to be the key to learning.
Pahan reported, "We have successfully used cinnamon to reverse biochemical, cellular and anatomical changes that occur in the brains of mice with poor learning." With this in mind, the research team is now investigating to see if cinnamon might be useful in the treatment of people with Parkinson's disease.
Wasn't it good of our Creator to give us so many foods and spices that are not only a joy to eat but healthful to our bodies?
Today's "Creation Moment" is one of almost 300 you'll find in "Letting God Create Your Day, Volume 8" - the biggest collection of scripts we've ever published.
Oh Lord, You filled the Earth with an abundance of foods and spices that are delightful and healthful. This is a gift You have given to everyone, so let everyone praise You for creating them! Amen.
"Cinnamon may aid learning ability: Spice consumption made mice better learners," ScienceDaily, 7/12/16. Deb Song, Rush University Medical Center press release. Photo: Pixabay.
MORE GOOD NEWS ABOUT COFFEE
2 Timothy 3:16
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:"
One of the most popular broadcasts Creation Moments has ever done was the one about the health benefits of coffee. That's not surprising when you consider all the coffee drinkers out there. However, some people did write to tell us that we should have mentioned that the caffeine in coffee is a diuretic and that coffee drinking can lead to dehydration.
But this just isn't so, according to Lawrence Armstrong, a professor at the University of Connecticut. He told Live Science that the idea of caffeine causing dehydration comes from a study conducted in 1928 showing that people who drank a lot of caffeinated beverages tended to go to the bathroom more often.
"The truth of the matter," he said, is that "a small increase in urine output has little to do with dehydrating the body." He added that any increase in fluid input will lead to an increase in urine output. "If you drink a liter of water, [urination] will increase," he said, but it "doesn't mean you shouldn't drink water."
Armstrong did note, however, that it is possible to consume an unhealthy amount of caffeine. But to get a lethal dose of caffeine, you would have to drink 100 cups in a day! Now, Creation Moments is not saying that caffeine is perfectly fine for everyone. However, as I'm sure many of you will agree, we can certainly thank our Creator for creating such things as the coffee bean!
Today's "Creation Moment" is one of almost 300 you'll find in "Letting God Create Your Day, Volume 8" - the biggest collection of scripts we've ever published.
Heavenly Father, let this remind me that many things I think are true may, in fact, be incorrect. But I know for sure that every word in the Bible is true and is profitable to me in so many ways! In Jesus' Name. Amen.
"Does Caffeine Really Dehydrate You?" Live Science, 7/21/16. Photo: Pixabay.
2 Timothy 3:16
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:"
One of the most popular broadcasts Creation Moments has ever done was the one about the health benefits of coffee. That's not surprising when you consider all the coffee drinkers out there. However, some people did write to tell us that we should have mentioned that the caffeine in coffee is a diuretic and that coffee drinking can lead to dehydration.
But this just isn't so, according to Lawrence Armstrong, a professor at the University of Connecticut. He told Live Science that the idea of caffeine causing dehydration comes from a study conducted in 1928 showing that people who drank a lot of caffeinated beverages tended to go to the bathroom more often.
"The truth of the matter," he said, is that "a small increase in urine output has little to do with dehydrating the body." He added that any increase in fluid input will lead to an increase in urine output. "If you drink a liter of water, [urination] will increase," he said, but it "doesn't mean you shouldn't drink water."
Armstrong did note, however, that it is possible to consume an unhealthy amount of caffeine. But to get a lethal dose of caffeine, you would have to drink 100 cups in a day! Now, Creation Moments is not saying that caffeine is perfectly fine for everyone. However, as I'm sure many of you will agree, we can certainly thank our Creator for creating such things as the coffee bean!
Today's "Creation Moment" is one of almost 300 you'll find in "Letting God Create Your Day, Volume 8" - the biggest collection of scripts we've ever published.
Heavenly Father, let this remind me that many things I think are true may, in fact, be incorrect. But I know for sure that every word in the Bible is true and is profitable to me in so many ways! In Jesus' Name. Amen.
"Does Caffeine Really Dehydrate You?" Live Science, 7/21/16. Photo: Pixabay.
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