Acid flashback: Psychiatric research into mental illness involving trials of LSD was once legitimate, says a McMaster doctoral student. Such work first appeared in a journal in 1943, and more than 1,000 research papers on LSD appeared over the next two decades; in 1966 the drug began getting bad press, and by 1968 LSD research had become illegal. The term “psychedelic,” she notes, is a Canadian coinage.
Stratosphere update (I): Researchers say they are no longer seeing significant thinning in the Earth’s ozone layer, which protects humans and ecosystems from the sun’s harmful UV rays. This is largely due to the 1987 Montreal Protocol, wherein 180 countries pledged to ban the ozone-destroying chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) that were then commonly used in air conditioners and refrigerators. But the ozone layer may never recover to its pre-1970s size, the scientists added.
Stratosphere update (II): The European Space Agency said Tuesday that the size of the hole in the ozone layer above Antarctica is currently the third-largest on record. The size of the hole ebbs and flows with the seasons, reaching its maximum size each September.
Shoe craze: Archaeological evidence suggests that humans began protecting their feet from the elements about 26,000-30,000 years ago. Supportive footwear reduces the amount of force exerted on the toes when walking, and research has shown that human toes have become both smaller and weaker in the intervening time.
