Billions of people around the world regularly fast to lose weight or for religious reasons‚ yet until now the full biological implications of prolonged calorie restriction have remained poorly understood. Hungry for some proper data to get their teeth into‚ researchers have now analyzed the systemic changes that occur across multiple organs during long periods without food‚ revealing both positive and negative impacts on health.The study authors recruited 12 healthy volunteers to take part in a seven-day fast‚ during which time they were allowed to drink water but could not consume any food. Participants were closely monitored throughout this period‚ with researchers measuring changes in around 3‚000 different blood proteins on a daily basis.Digesting their findings‚ the study authors report that volunteers’ bodies switched their energy sources within the first few days of the fast‚ and began burning stored fat rather than glucose. As a result‚ participants lost an average of 5.7 kilograms (12.6 pounds) across the week‚ and kept this weight off even after they began eating food again.Surprisingly‚ however‚ the researchers noted no major alterations in blood protein levels for the first few days of the fast. This situation then changed dramatically after the third day‚ as hundreds of compounds with massive impacts on health began to fluctuate wildly.By cross-referencing their findings with genetic studies linking these various proteins to different diseases‚ the study authors were able to estimate the health consequences for 212 plasma compounds that changed during fasting. For example‚ they found that abstaining from food for more than three days led to a decrease in plasma levels of switch-associated protein 70 (SWAP70). Since lower levels of this marker have been linked with a reduced risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA)‚ the researchers speculate that this finding “might provide at least a partial explanation for the pain relief of patients with RA during prolonged fasting.”Also on the menu was a protein called hypoxia up-regulated 1 (HYOU1)‚ which is associated with coronary artery disease. Over the course of the fast‚ levels of this compound were seen to drop‚ suggesting that sustained periods without food may have a beneficial impact on heart health.At the same time‚ the researchers identified several negative health outcomes associated with fasting. For instance‚ they observed an increase in coagulation factor XI‚ thus potentially heightening the risk of thrombosis events. “For the first time‚ we’re able to see what’s happening on a molecular level across the body when we fast‚” said study author Claudia Langenberg in a statement. “Our results provide evidence for the health benefits of fasting beyond weight loss‚ but these were only visible after three days of total caloric restriction – later than we previously thought.”Summarizing the implications of this research‚ co-author Maik Pietzner adds that “while fasting may be beneficial for treating some conditions‚ often times‚ fasting won’t be an option to patients suffering from ill health.”The study has been published in the journal Nature Metabolism.The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice‚ diagnosis‚ or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.    

Mighty mountain ranges can be found on every continent‚ yet the longest continuous chain of peaks is not located on any of these seven landmasses. Instead‚ the world’s most extensive range lies at the bottom of the sea.Known as the mid-ocean range‚ this absurdly lengthy mountain chain traces the outline of the Earth’s tectonic plates and spreads around the globe in a pattern that is often likened to the seams on a baseball. With a total continuous length of around 65‚000 kilometers (40‚390 miles)‚ the mid-ocean range laughs at the puny shortcomings of the world’s longest continental range‚ which happens to be the Andes and its 7‚600-kilometer (4‚700-mile) span. Pathetic.In truth‚ though‚ the mid-ocean range has an unfair advantage as it is actually made up of several separate underwater ridge systems that exist on the boundaries of the various tectonic plates. It’s at these frontiers that the plates push apart‚ allowing magma to surge up and fill the gaps.The Mid-ocean range system is a series of connected underwater mountain chains that criss-cross the planet. Image credit: NOAA via Wikimedia CommonsThe result is a line of mountains and valleys that scars the seafloor. On average‚ the peaks of these various submarine ridges lie some 2‚500 meters (8‚200 feet) beneath the surface of the ocean. Among the most famous of these is the Mid-Atlantic Ridge‚ which runs right down the center of the Atlantic Ocean‚ reaching from the Arctic to the Antarctic.Of course‚ because the world’s plate tectonics are in contact with one another‚ the ridges that form between them are all connected‚ forming an unbroken series of underwater ranges that collectively make up the mid-ocean range.All “explainer” articles are confirmed by fact checkers to be correct at time of publishing. Text‚ images‚ and links may be edited‚ removed‚ or added to at a later date to keep information current.  

They just don’t get it. The leftist media really have no clue about the founding principles that made America great. There’s probably no better example of that than when Politico’s Heidi Przybla was absolutely baffled that Republican voters actually believe that Americans’ “rights” “come from God” and not the Supreme Court or Congress. This past month also saw network hosts like CBS’s Gayle King and cable pontificators like MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough exploit the Kansas City shooting as they urged their viewers to vote away their own right to self-defense. The Hamas apologists were still out in force this month. CNN’s Abby Phillip hit Democratic Congresswoman Barbara Lee from the left when she pushed: “Do you consider what Israel is doing in Gaza to be genocide?” Phillip asked the same question to film director Michael Moore who agreed it was “genocide.”  Speaking of the Hollywood Left‚ late night talk show hosts CBS’s Stephen Colbert and HBO’s John Oliver spent the last month hoping Donald Trump would get sent to “prison” and Justice Clarence Thomas would “get the f*** off the Supreme Court.”  The following are the worst media outbursts from the month of February:  Tell Us You Failed Civics Class‚ Without Telling Us You Failed Civics Class     “The thing that unites them [Donald Trump supporters] as Christian nationalists‚ not Christians‚ by the way — because Christian nationalists is very different — is that they believe that our rights as Americans and as all human beings do not come from any earthly authority. They don’t come from Congress‚ they don’t come from the Supreme Court‚ they come from God.”— Politico’s democracy investigator Heidi Przybyla on MSNBC’s All In‚ February 22.    Attacking From the Left: Are U.S. and Israel Committing “Genocide?”     “Two questions for you: Do you consider what Israel is doing in Gaza to be a genocide? And do you consider the President‚ as a result of that‚ to be complicit in a genocide?”— Host Abby Phillip to Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee on CNN’s NewsNight‚ February 26.   Conservative Justices Have “Waged a Full Frontal Assault on Modern Society”     “The conservative majority on the court led by Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas have already waged a full frontal assault on modern society. Including repealing the Civil Rights era‚ abortion access and affirmative action‚ and they are currently gunning for contraceptive access‚ and maybe even gay marriage. And that is because justices like Alito and Thomas share the religious far-right’s grievances about society’s evolution.”— Host Joy Reid on MSNBC’s The ReidOut‚ February 20.   CNNer Finds the Real Killer of Navalny     “Mr. President‚ would you go so far as to say that [Russian dissident] Alexei Navalny’s blood is on the hands of House Republicans right now?”— CNN White House correspondent M.J. Lee to President Joe Biden during live coverage on White House South Lawn‚ February 19.   If You Want “Progress” You Can’t Vote GOP     Co-host Joe Scarborough: “They want the proliferation of these guns all over the place‚ and it’s led to a far more deadly — deadly situation in places like Kansas City….We have to have a return to some sane gun safety laws that the overwhelming majority of Americans support.”...Co-host Mika Brzezinski: “This will be one of the key election issues — this along with abortion along with immigration‚ which are issues now Democrats own. They own over the Republicans….If you want progress on these three issues‚ you can’t vote Republican in any election.”— MSNBC’s Morning Joe‚ February 15.  Co-host Tony Dokoupil: “The shooting at the Kansas City Super Bowl parade is helping renew the conversation about how to curb gun violence in America‚ including how to limit easy access to military-style rifles.”...Co-host Gayle King: “We have to remind people‚ and nothing changes.”|Co-host Vladimir Duthiers: “The polling that shows that the majority of Americans want to see that kind of change….Why aren't lawmakers listening?Dokoupil: “It’s easier said than done‚ but it’s true that once you pull the trigger you can never un-pull it. And people are tired of it.”King: “And that’s why it’s important to vote for people who think the way you do.”— CBS Mornings‚ February 16.   “Poorest White People in the World” Are New Hampshire Trump Supporters  “I saw the people up in New Hampshire‚ the poorest white people in the world. I mean the rags on their books. They look like East Germans coming out of East Berlin back in the eighties. They were waiting for Trump for two hours and they believe everything he says. And they had this notion that the family‚ the flag‚ the country‚ this really primitive notion of what they care about. Religion. Everything. He’s tying into that. He’s saying ‘I’m your savior.’”— Former MSNBC’s Hardball host Chris Matthews on MSNBC’s Morning Joe‚ February 28.    Biden’s “Age” Has Been “Over-Covered” Say My Trusted Leftists Sources “Some media watchdogs argue President Biden’s age has been over-covered‚ overstated‚ and over-analyzed‚ particularly when compared to former President Trump’s.”— Correspondent Robert Costa on CBS News Sunday Morning‚ February 18 as the logos for ultra-left “media watchdogs” like Mother Jones are shown on-screen.     Angry at “Gratuitous” Shot at Biden’s Age     “Where he talked about the President’s age. I thought those reports were supposed to be just the facts. That was gratuitous….What Counsel [Robert] Hur has also done is given bed-wetting Democrats another reason to complain about the President’s age. Meanwhile‚ they’re not focused on the fact that the 82-year-old President of the United States has an incredible record in the three years he’s been president. I wish people would focus on that…. And the fact that he mixed up the president of Egypt with the president of Mexico‚ I did the same thing on — around this table when talking about the governor of Virginia.”— Jonathan Capehart on PBS’s NewsHour‚ February 9.    MSNBCers Fear: Are We Being Unfair To Biden‚ Just Like Hillary In 2016?     Host Andrea Mitchell: “76 percent of those polled in our recent poll are concerned about his [Joe Biden’s] age and far fewer concerned about Donald Trump’s age‚ who‚ when he’s not on teleprompter‚ you know‚ we’re not addressing that‚ the White House would point out.”...Correspondent Mike Memoli: “They [White House] feel that we‚ frankly‚ in the media‚ do not do enough job of holding up what the former President does and says on a regular basis in the same way that we are with President Biden. They’re trying to do it through the campaign and they want to see us do it more in our coverage of the race.” Mitchell: “I can understand the basic point of fairness‚ especially after what happened in 2016 when there was a real argument that is exactly what happened to Hillary Clinton.”— MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell Reports‚ February 9.    CNN Falls for Hunter’s Story: He’s Staying Sober to Save Democracy       Host Dana Bash: “Part of what he [Hunter Biden] is trying to do….is stay clean...for himself‚ for his family‚ for his father‚ and he believes for politics‚ which is democracy.”...CNN Justice Correspondent Evan Perez: “[Hunter Biden is] saying….‘They’re going after me because they’re trying to make me use [drugs] so that they could hurt my father’ and that is a crazy thing to have to hear in 2024 politics.”— CNN’s Inside Politics‚ February 28.    Republicans Going To Make It So “You Can’t Be Black” and “In a Classroom”     “GOP governor Ron DeSantis leading the way here in Florida with the most aggressive legislation with teachers facing jail time for simply teaching the truth. One Florida teacher telling Axios that they’re approaching teaching black history‚ quote‚ ‘carefully‚’ because‚ quote‚ ‘no one wants to be fired.’...It sounds like it’s going to get to the point where you can’t be black and actually physically be in a classroom at this rate.”— Host Katie Phang on MSNBC’s The Beat‚ February 1.   Former Sportscaster Triggered by Trump “You have to be in the throes of some sort of toxic delusion in a toxic cult to believe that Trump has ever been‚ in any sense‚ emotionally‚ psychologically‚ intellectually‚ or ethically fit to be President of the United States.”— Former NBC Sports broadcaster and talk show host Bob Costas on CNN’s Smerconish‚ February 24.   Shamed for His Choice of Chicken Sandwich “On one of my first days at The New York Times‚ I went to an orientation with more than a dozen other new hires. We had to do an icebreaker: Pick a Starburst out of a jar and then answer a question. My Starburst was pink‚ I believe‚ and so I had to answer the pink prompt‚ which had me respond with my favorite sandwich….I blurted out‚ ‘The spicy chicken sandwich from Chick-fil-A‚’ and considered the ice broken. The HR representative leading the orientation chided me: ‘We don’t do that here. They hate gay people.’ People started snapping their fingers in acclamation. I hadn’t been thinking about the fact that Chick-fil-A was transgressive in liberal circles for its chairman’s opposition to gay marriage. ‘Not the politics‚ the chicken‚’ I quickly said‚ but it was too late. I sat down‚ ashamed.”— Former New York Times Opinion editor and ex-Weekly Standard writer Adam Rubeinstein in a February 26 article for The Atlantic “I Was a Heretic at The New York Times.”   Farewell to Mitch “Mass Shootings” McConnell  “This is the end of Mitch’s [McConnell] reign in the Senate. And in honor of all that he has done to stop mass shootings‚ there will be a 21-gun salute at an elementary school later this month.”— Host Michael Kosta on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show‚ February 28.    Israel Committing “Genocide”      Host Abby Phillip: “Would you describe Israel’s campaign in Gaza as a genocide?”Film director Michael Moore: “I would say that anytime you single out a group of people‚ and you have what’s called a mass guilt you impose on them simply because they are‚ in this case‚ Palestinian….When you indiscriminately bomb a group of people simply because of the color of their skin — because of their religion — because of their heritage or whatever. That is a form of genocide.”— CNN NewsNight‚ February 23.   John Oliver Bribes Clarence Thomas to “Get the F*** Off the Supreme Court”      “We know you’ve [to Justice Clarence Thomas] got a lot on your plate right now from stripping away women’s rights to hearing January 6th cases you definitely shouldn’t be hearing to potentially helping roll back decades of federal regulations‚ and you deserve a break….away from the ‘Meanness of Washington.’ So you can be surrounded by the ‘regular folks’ whose lives you’ve made demonstrably worse for decades now…We’re excited to offer you... this brand new‚ top-of-the-line Prevost Marathon Motor Coach….So that’s the offer. A million dollars a year‚ Clarence‚ and a brand new condo on wheels‚ and all you have to do in return is sign the contract and get the fuck off the Supreme Court.”— Host John Oliver on HBO’s Last Week Tonight‚ February 18.   So What If Joe is Old‚ At Least He’s Not a Dictator     “It must be very frustrating for Joe Biden having all these people doubting whether he is fit to be in office when he’s running against Hair Mussolini.”— Host Jimmy Kimmel on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!‚ February 21.   Angry That Georgia DA Might Have Botched a Chance to Send Trump to Prison     “It’s true Donald Trump and his associates are on trial in this‚ one of the most important cases in the history of our republic. So‚ and‚ I’ve just got one follow-up question here: Given that if you [Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis] are removed from the prosecution‚ it could delay this trial until after the election: How good was the sex? Good enough to risk democracy over? Because I’ve never had sex that good. You know what feels really good? Donald Trump going to prison. That — that‚ my friends — is what they call the real happy ending.”— Host Stephen Colbert on CBS’s The Late Show‚ February 15.

There is something about the border crisis that has caused New York Times columnist David Brooks to remember that he is supposed to be the conservative half of PBS NewsHour’s Friday Brooks and Capehart weekly recap segment. After previously batting down the idea that President Biden needs to move left on the issue‚ he rebutted the idea that Biden is doing his best to solve the problem but is hampered by Donald Trump and obstructionist Republicans. Washington Post associate editor Jonathan Capehart was naturally a proponent of the idea that Biden wants to solve the problem while Donald Trump wants the border to be a mess because that benefits him politically. It was also an idea that resonated with host Geoff Bennett‚ “And part of what Jonathan just described was on full display at the border yesterday. President Biden invited President Trump to call on Republicans to support this bipartisan border deal. And then former President Trump accused Joe Biden of having what he called a Joe Biden invasion. That's the way he referred to the migrant crisis. I mean‚ it's fairly clear how they're trying to play the politics here.”     Brooks observed that “it's obviously Trump's strongest point. I mean‚ only 28 percent of Americans support Joe Biden's immigration policy. They prefer Trump's policy over Biden's policy by like infinite percent.” Taking a trip down Memory Lane‚ Brooks also recalled how “Democrats have been sort of out of touch on this issue. In 2016‚ you had large numbers of candidates in a Democratic primary raise their hand and say they were for decriminalizing the border. That was — compared to where America is‚ that's far off.” The only thing one could slightly criticize Brooks on there is that it was actually more recently than 2016. Still‚ returning to the present day‚ Brooks also claimed “the Biden policies just haven't worked. This — our asylum system was created after World War II to help those with extreme persecution. That was a long time ago. Right now‚ there are like 40 million people in the world who are facing that kind of persecution. We can't take all those people.” After referring to the current situation as “not necessarily immigration‚” but “chaos‚” Brooks had a policy suggestion for Biden‚ “so Biden has to do the thing which I think the British have done‚ which is to say‚ we're going to stop the asylum process until we can digest all the people who are already in the system. And that will at least try to impose some order‚ because‚ if there's just chaos‚ it's going to be just bad news for Biden.” It is good that‚ at least on this issue‚ Brooks has decided to bring some sense to the table as it helps counterbalance Capehart’s ramblings‚ such as later‚ when the trio were discussing Sen. Mitch McConnell’s decision to stand down as GOP leader and Capehart falsely accused him of having “stole a Supreme Court seat from President — from President Obama.” Here is a transcript for the March 1 show: PBS NewsHour 3/1/2024 7:31 PM ET GEOFF BENNETT: And part of what Jonathan just described was on full display at the border yesterday. President Biden invited President Trump to call on Republicans to support this bipartisan border deal. And then former President Trump accused Joe Biden of having what he called a Joe Biden invasion. That's the way he referred to the migrant crisis. I mean‚ it's fairly clear how they're trying to play the politics here. DAVID BROOKS: Well‚ it's obviously Trump's strongest point. I mean‚ only 28 percent of Americans support Joe Biden's immigration policy. They prefer Trump's policy over Biden's policy by like infinite percent. And so Trump has the country on his side when it comes to this border. And the simple fact is‚ the Democrats have been sort of out of touch on this issue. In 2016‚ you had large numbers of candidates in a Democratic primary raise their hand and say they were for decriminalizing the border. That was — compared to where America is‚ that's far off. Second‚ the Biden policies just haven't worked. This — our asylum system was created after World War II to help those with extreme persecution. That was a long time ago. Right now‚ there are like 40 million people in the world who are facing that kind of persecution. We can't take all those people. And we can't have a policy that prioritizes the people who are breaking law‚ rather than people who are applying through the asylum system according to law. So‚ to me‚ the issue right now is not necessarily immigration. It's chaos. And so Biden has to do the thing which I think the British have done‚ which is to say‚ we're going to stop the asylum process until we can digest all the people who are already in the system. And that will at least try to impose some order‚ because‚ if there's just chaos‚ it's going to be just bad news for Biden. … JONATHAN CAPEHART: Yeah‚ you know what? Let me give Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell his flowers. Let me just give him his flowers‚ because he is‚ you know‚ our version of the master of the Senate: wily‚ cunning. No one knows the Senate rules like Mitch McConnell. He's even — he even made up some rules‚ made up the rule that you can't — a sitting president cannot nominate someone to the Supreme Court with nine months to go before the election. The American people should choose the president who then chooses the justice. So he stole a Supreme Court seat from President — from President Obama. Fast-forward to the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg‚ a month before the election. Three days‚ three days before the election‚ he turned tail and said‚ no‚ we must — we must have a new justice. And Justice Amy Coney Barrett got onto the Supreme — onto the Supreme Court‚ sealing a conservative supermajority‚ 6-3 supermajority.

Editor's note: We're facing an unprecedented moment in American history. Our government and multinational tech monopolies are making it clear that we‚ the people‚ are the target of the monstrous surveillance state they've constructed. The deep state is attempting to jail people who share memes‚ Blaze Media journalists‚ and even the leading presidential candidate. It's time we take back control over our privacy and digital communications‚ and this guide will provide you with the tools to do that. This is an excerpt from a larger guide.Secure your mobile devicesSince most of us use phones or tablets as much as or more than we use computers‚ securing your mobile devices is an essential part of guarding your privacy and protecting yourself from surveillance and behavior modification.We’ve already discussed the importance of using a secure text messaging service like Signal. Many of the steps for your computer apply to your phone:Always use a passcode.Keep your phone up to date.Use Proton Mail or a paid service that respects your privacy.Proton has an app for mobile devices.Use a VPN.Proton‚ Express‚ and other VPN services work on your phone and are included in your subscription.Use the Brave browser.Use DuckDuckgo or Swisscows for search — Swisscows has a mobile app.Don’t store private information on your phone unless it is essential.Keep your Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned off unless you are using it.Use two-factor authentication.Manage permissions for each appDon’t give the company more information than necessary.Turn off location services unless essential.Use Apple’s Screen Time to pre-decide how and when you will use your phone.Be careful about your biometric data and health information.Be careful with the apps you install — only use what is necessary.If you have an iPhone‚ use the “ask app not to track” function to keep your data more secure.Try to delete your social media apps from your phone and instead use it to read and listen to books or podcasts.In general‚ be as careful with your phone as you would be with your computer. The reality is that our phones are the place where a lot of our time is wasted‚ where our data is collected‚ and where behavior modification happens. Don’t just secure your computer. Secure your phone.

If you've queued up for any League of Legends solo queue in the last two months‚ there's a good chance you've played with‚ or against‚ Maokai in nearly every single game. The twisted treant has been dominating the meta‚ particularly as a support pick‚ all of Season 14 thus far. Riot pushed nerfs for the tree in patch 14.3‚ and then again in 14.4‚ but to no avail. As Maokai continues to sprout free LP like tree saplings‚ Riot has revealed for a third straight patch they'll be trying to do some lumberjack work and toning down Maokai once and for all. Continue reading League of Legends plots third attempt to cut Maokai down to size MORE FROM PCGAMESN: League of Legends ranks explained‚ League of Legends patch 14.2‚ League of Legends tier list

Dune: Spice Wars has been scratching the itch for diehard Dune fans patiently waiting for the many times delayed release of the movie sequel Dune Part Two. The strategy game‚ which officially launched back in September 2023‚ allows players to take on many of the popular factions that battle for power on Arrakis‚ including the famous House Atreides and House Harkonnen. Now‚ developer Shiro Games has revealed the next playable faction in the 4X game‚ and they are looking quite powerful. Continue reading 2023 Dune RTS game reveals its new faction‚ House Vernius of Ix

After a year filled with smaller free updates‚ one of the best colony sim style survival games on PC is making a return to paid DLC. Oxygen Not Included‚ the space simulation game offering that perfect mix of Rimworld and Starfield from beloved indie game studio Klei Entertainment‚ makers of Don’t Starve‚ has revealed its 2024 plans‚ and they include a return to “content-focused” paid DLC for the 96%-rated Steam sensation. Continue reading 10/10 colony sim Oxygen Not Included is making a return to paid DLC

Climate Change Activist Calls Sen. Joe Manchin a 'Sick F**k‚' Gets Shown the Door (and Floor)

In recent weeks‚ titles such as Palworld and Helldivers 2 have found monumental success on Steam. The result of this has led to fake versions of both games appearing on the platform in an attempt to scam users out of their money. Whether it's through a hefty discounted price‚ or just hoping that players won't look too deep into the listing‚ scammers are making Valve look like amateurs.