Once More DST Comes Back To 'Bite ' Our Circadian Rhythms - Inviting A Host Of Bad Health Outcomes

 

"It’s not one hour twice a year. It’s a misalignment of our biologic clocks for eight months of the year. When we talk about DST and the relationship to light we are talking about profound impacts on the biological clock, which is a structure rooted in the brain. It impacts brain functions such as sleep-wake patterns and daytime alertness,”-    Beth Ann Malow, MD, Burry Chair in Cognitive Childhood Development, and professor of Neurology and Pediatrics in the Sleep Disorders Division at Vanderbilt Univ. Medical Center

"'The 'Sunshine Protection Act' doesn't provide additional daylight. While we may associate Spring with more daylight, that's a result of the natural lengthening of days, not the changing of the clock. All the new law would do is move one hour of darkness from the evening to the morning. In Fargo, ND under year round DST, sunrise on Dec. 21 would be after 9 a.m. for example."  Lisa Lewis, LA Times

"We should be ending daylight saving time, not making it permanent. Mornings have been miserable for our family as we wake up in the darkness. I can’t imagine having to do this all winter. If we’re not going to move our clocks, then standard time makes more sense. Our clocks should read 12 p.m. as close to solar noon as possible.."  Letter writer in Denver Post, after permanent change to DST (in U.S. Senate)  was announced (March 8, 2022).

The idiotic seasonal time change misnamed "spring forward" in the form of "daylight saving time"  will occur this Sunday, March 8 – more than 1 week before the actual (astronomical) start of spring. Thus, at 2 a.m. all local times will suddenly become 3 a.m. and every manjack loses an hour of sleep. (Especially bad if one has to work Sunday, say at a supermarket or fast food restaurant.)

I've always felt DST or 'Daylight Saving Time' was a dumb notion. I mean you already have a natural clock cycle in standard time, based on actual Sun positions, so why mess with it? But since the U.S. labor sector and its corporate overseers generally demand a rigid work schedule, I could see at least some minimal benefit to family guys who couldn't get home from the office until nearly 6.30 or 7:00 p.m. and wanted some time to go out and play catch with the kids - or just take a walk.  This was generally an understandable and practical application. (At the same time, of course, workers will have to adjust to waking up an hour earlier for work by tomorrow - traced to increased frequency of heart attacks owing to the disruption of the circadian rhythm.)

But then a new meme struck which hailed the benefits of DST as an "energy saver" and my bull pocky  and PR radar instantly went off.  I smelled BS through and through and now, a new book, 'Spring Forward: The Annual Madness of  Daylight Saving Time'  ' (by Michael Downing) confirms my suspicion that there are no real energy savings and in fact more energy waste.

In one recent local news segment, the following hypothesis was offered by the (FOX) news anchor:

"The thinking is, with an extra hour of daylight, Americans will be outside more, in their homes left and therefore not using as much energy."

To which one skeptic responded in a subsequent Colorado Gazette observation:

"Well they got right the first half, that Daylight Saving pushes us out of our houses - but when Americans go the ball park or the Mall at the end of the day, we don't walk there.

Here's the dirty secret: Daylight Saving increases gasoline consumption and it's not a small matter. The National Association of Convenience Stores, who sell 80 percent of our gasoline, says that the one month of extra daylight we got recently in 2005 was worth one billion dollars to them".

That is a staggering amount of gasoline and oil consumed! Also a large amount of carbon (almost 0.2gT) added to the atmosphere, even as we are approaching a critical threshold (551gT) beyond which we will surpass the 2 deg. Celsius marker - leading to recurring violent weather, extended heat waves and droughts and new diseases entering temperate latitudes.

Who benefits then?

The writer expatiated:

"Golfers benefit because of course, golf courses are too large to illuminate. So the golf industry days every extra month of daylight savings is worth about four hundred million dollars in greens fees and equipment sales. Similarly, the barbecue industry profits. Everybody associated with outdoor recreational sports loves daylight savings."

But leave out the energy aspect, DST is just a plain calamity for the nation's health - not to mention triggering drowsiness in drivers still not adapted because their circadian rhythms haven't yet adjusted. Indeed, a recent Stanford study, see link at the bottom, noted:

"Every spring, Americans dutifully adjust their clocks forward to daylight saving time, and every fall, back to standard time — but no one seems very happy about it. The biannual time shift is not only inconvenient, it’s also known to be acutely bad for our health. The collective loss of an hour of sleep on the second Sunday in March has been linked to more heart attacks and fatal traffic accidents in the ensuing days.  

Now, a study by Stanford researchers finds there are longer-term hazards and better alternatives. They compared three different time policies: permanent standard time, permanent daylight saving time and biannual shifting to see how these affected circadian rhythms and health across the country. (Circadian rhythm is the body's innate 24-hour cock which regulates physical processes). ....Indeed, by modeling light exposure, circadian impacts and health characteristics county by county, the researchers estimate that permanent standard time would prevent some 300,000 cases of stroke per year and result in 2.6 million fewer people having obesity

300, 000 strokes per year could be obviated by getting rid of DST?! Think of that.  Think of the impact on medical bill savings, preserving quality of life!  Think of 2.6 million fewer Americans with obesity!

Prof. Beth Ann Malow of Vanderbilt offered her own thesis (back in 2019)  that the year in and year out switching times is bad for the brain, e.g

https://news.vumc.org/2019/11/04/malow-daylight-saving-time-brain-impact-commentary/

She may have a point. There is also good evidence it significantly lowers productivity which the economists are always fretting over.  Thus, a survey conducted by the American Association of Sleep Medicine showed that  55 % of Americans reported feeling tired  after the transition to DST.  Further, "the group's health advisory says moving into and out of DST can adversely affect sleeping and waking patterns for 5- 7 days."

Well, think about it. Whereas before the DST switch you awakened at 7:15 a.m. to arrive at work by 8:00 a.m. that now becomes effectively a wake up time of 6:15 a.m. because the clock time is moved one hour ahead. Everything is shifted and you're trying to catch up to the change because of it, as well as having lost an hour of sleep - and also on successive days. 

Is there a practical compromise that ought to at least be possible?  My suggested compromise is to limit the time applicable to DST between the equinoxes, spring (Mar. 21) and fall(Sept. 22).  So, instead of commencing DST Sunday at 2 a.m. the powers-that -be would have waited until the nearest Sunday to the Spring equinox - which this year would be March 20th..  Similarly, DST would end at the Sunday nearest the Autumnal equinox. 

It would also stop the nonsensical early morning  burning of energy (because it's still dark outside), for workers and students, once the days get shorter - as they do for temperate climes near mid-October.  The net effect of these changes would knock off almost two months of DST at a significant energy savings- as well as sparing the planet from more carbon load in the atmosphere.

Don't look for our lawmakers to go along with it, though. They are more invested in putting more moola in the pockets of businesses that can exploit DST for their own ends.

See Also:

Daylight saving time increases drowsy driving risk, safety experts warn 

And:

Study suggests most Americans would be healthier without daylight saving time

And:

States Object to Changing the Clocks for Daylight Saving Time | Almanac.com

The Economic Reasons Why Nearly 3 Out Of 5 Americans Believe Trump Is Going Too Far In His Mass Deportations

 

Thirteen months into the reign of the First Felon President and Traitor, a growing majority of Americans have soured on his handling of immigration, with 58 percent saying he has gone too far deporting undocumented immigrants, a rise of eight points since last fall, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll. The survey finds that a slightly higher number, 62 percent, oppose the aggressive tactics of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a result that comes after federal immigration personnel shot and killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis last month. More than half the public is “upset” or “angry” about enforcement operations in that city, especially as they've been targeting peaceful immigrant workers doing jobs that contribute to the economy.

Which raises the question: What will happen when 100,000- 200,000 are interred at Trump's prison camps - if they are allowed to exist? A sober answer appeared in the past weekend's WSJ:  the economy will basically collapse.  As Sol Trujillo writes in his Feb 18 WSJ piece ('Mass Deportations Sabotage the Economy'):

"The U.S. economy has long been the world’s most powerful. America’s strength rests on sustained capital investment—but also on a growing supply of labor. More workers means more production, consumers and demand. The Trump administration’s mass deportations threaten to break that virtuous circle.

The U.S. was already slowly approaching zero labor-force growth as fertility fell and the population aged. What kept the country from a demographic disaster was immigration. The 3,000-person-a-day arrest quota for immigration enforcement looks like an act of economic self-sabotage."

Trujillo then goes on to cite a Cato Institute report - using Dept. of Homeland Security data -  showing that 73% of those detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement between Oct. 1 and Nov.15  had no criminal convictions.  What this means is that Trump para-Nazi acolyte Stephen Miller's yen to round up "one million" to deport (or incarcerate) has already had to go to the 'low hanging fruit' since most real criminals have already been locked up or dispatched.

As Trujillo goes on to back this up:

"Research from the Center for Migration Studies finds that the undocumented workforce in the U.S. is large and overwhelmingly employed across key sectors of the economy.  Many of the 675,000 immigrants deported last year were working to build data centers, manufacturing plants, energy infrastructure and housing. Who will take their place when the U.S. has 6 million unfilled jobs?"

Good question. But an even more trenchant point made is that these insane deportations will exact a cost on citizens too. To support this, Trujillo cites data from The Peterson Institute for International Economics which projected (in a 2024 report) that deporting 1.3 million workers would raise consumer prices 1.5% within 3 years as labor shortages worsen.

This isn't Einsteinian relativity. With a much smaller labor pool employers in those critical areas (like manufacturing, home construction, agriculture) will have to cough up more $$$ to get American workers. That higher pay translates into higher prices for American consumers, and that in turn translates into inflation.  But that cannot go on for too long without businesses losing profits. As Trujillo observes:

"As the lack of workforce tamps down business growth, fewer U.S. born workers get hired as a result so consumption also declines. The Brookings Institute the U.S. lost between $40 billion and $60 billion in consumer spending in 2025 because of deportations.... Add to this lost tax revenue from immigrants themselves. (A 2024 American Immigration Council Report found that immigrants paid more than $70 billion in federal, state and  local taxes."

In other words, this mindless assault on immigrant workers, done merely for spectacle and intimidation, is basically cutting our own economic throats.  Hell, even perpetual Trump cheerleader Barton Swaim - weighing in on a mix of comments in the weekend Journal- begged for the DHS to stop going after hard working immigrants. He basically said: "They're doing righteous hard work and helping their families and businesses, leave them alone!"

Good idea!

See Also:Tru

Trump's immigration crackdown is hurting the construction industry : NPR

And:

A Chilling Effect: Increased Immigration Enforcement Jeopardizes Child Care and Mothers’ Employment

And:

How the current immigration crackdown is impacting food and farmworkers - FoodPrintmp Administration

And:

Immigration

Trump’s Assault on Immigrants Hurts U.S.-Born Workers, Too

by Sarah Lazare | February 5, 2026 - 5:43am | permalink

— from OtherWords

In late 2025, federal immigration authorities detained a non-union janitor who’d accused contractors for Minnesota’s Ramsey County of wage theft.

The worker is now in deportation proceedings. But his courage helped win policy changes in Ramsey County, and his fierce advocacy in a similar wage theft case in nearby Hennepin County also paid off: more than 70 subcontracted workers for Hennepin County received nearly $400,000 in back pay in December 2025.

When someone who fights for workers is detained, “it sends a chill,” Greg Nammacher, president of SEIU Local 26, told me. “When the workers who are stepping up to try and reveal violations are silenced, the standard comes down for the whole industry.”

The Trump administration claims that its assault on immigrants will protect American workers. But its masked, armed federal agents are creating hostile environments for all workers, not just immigrants.

» article continues...

Trump’s Concentration Camp Buildout for ICE Must Be Stopped

by Sarah van Gelder | February 21, 2026 - 6:10am | permalink

When ICE agents injure and abuse people on city streets, they often do so in full public view, with witnesses recording their actions. Behind the high walls of ICE detention facilities, though, elected officials, attorneys, and detainees describe unchecked abuse.

ICE now detains more people than at any point in its history. Three out of four have no criminal conviction; only one in 20 been convicted of a violent crime, according to an analysis by the Cato Institute. Yet the 73,000 currently detained is not enough for the agenda of Stephen Miller and Kristi Noem. With billions in new federal funding, ICE is working to expand its detention network to a scale that will dwarf the federal prison system.

“I think every American should be alarmed,” said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. “They are building and have built a black box system that disappears people, both immigrants and U.S. citizens alike.”

» article continues...

Sharing Some Photos of My Peace Corps Service For Peace Corp's 65th Anniversary- And 'Peace Corps Week'

Message in email from Peacecorps.gov:

Happy Peace Corps Week, Returned Volunteers!

 

This week kicks off the 65^th anniversary year of the Peace Corps, and we’re celebrating the incredible impact Volunteers have made around the world and back home in the U.S.

 

You are an integral part of the Peace Corps’ legacy as one of close to 250,000 RPCVs who have served in 144 countries. Since 1961, Volunteers have been building relationships, advancing locally prioritized projects, and modeling values of partnership and respect. Your service, from strengthening food security and leading health campaigns to teaching English and supporting entrepreneurs, has left a lasting impact both abroad and at home.

 

Currently, around 3,000 Volunteers are serving in 60+ countries. Meet currently serving Volunteers and learn more about their work:

-------------------------

As per the above email, Peace Corps this week celebrates its 65th anniversary, e.g. 

Peace Corps - Peace Corps celebrates 65th Anniversary with launch of new nostalgia-themed recruitment campaign

 For those of us who served in the Eastern Caribbean it is a similar special week for our own service.  My own service in Barbados was briefly described originally in a Dec. 7, 2010 post wherein I outlined my reasons for joining. 

The four years spent mainly on the island nation were varied in terms of contributions, experiences and challenges - and also included training new PCVs on the nearby island of St. Lucia.  What follows below are photos gathered through the years starting with the PC training in Philadelphia and Lincoln Univ. in Amish country, then on to Barbados. 

                                                   July 2, 1971 - In Philly for PC training

                                                   Side visit to Liberty Bell on July 4th

                                       Barbados display in Sylvania Hotel lobby

 Lining up for 1st barrage of vaccines

This was at Lincoln University where we had the most intense PC training. Shots included those for tetanus, typhoid, diphtheria, Yellow fever, Immuno-globulin, Hepatitis A, B.

        Soon after arrival in Barbados, a Rhode Island volunteer and me in Bridgetown for supplies.

                        Broad Street, Bridgetown from Pelican Restaurant.

                                          Bridgetown Careenage - where supply ships dock

Woman carries sack of rice down a Bridgetown street.

Poorer homes in the neighborhood I lived

My aunt & cousin visit me in May, 1972 - stay at my place

St Lucy Secondary where I taught 1st 3 yrs.

Teaching a class in General Science

Original Hilton Hotel and Pebble Beach - where we chilled out

Me at Pebble Beach - 3 days after arrival in Bim

Independence Day parade down Dalkeith Rd.

Castries, St. Lucia - where I helped train new PCVs

The majestic Pitons in St. Lucia - 5 hrs. from Castries

Me, with rainforest waterfall on way to Pitons

Woman washes clothes in river near Pitons

Visit to Soufriere Volcano in St. Lucia

Hot steam escaping from volcano fumarole.

See Also:

Brane Space: The Peace Corps 'Cuts and Runs'? Total Disinformational Codswallop

Kudos To Ali Velshi For Advancing The Most Coherent Explanation For Why U.S. And Iran Can Never Be At Peace

 

Ali Velshi - tells it like it is on MSNOW Saturday

                                      U.S. jet downed by friendly fire from Kuwait.

Ali Velshi on Saturday posited that the current conflict between the U.S. and Iran is driven by "incompatible origins of war"— which I suspect is one hundred percent spot on. According to Velshi, the U.S. and Iran hold deeply incompatible, historically rooted views on the origins of their conflict, making it difficult to reach a resolution. The core issue is that both sides remember and interpret the same history in vastly different ways. 

Thus, the U.S. is convinced the prolonged conflict began with the hostage crisis in 1979 when American hostages suffered 444 days of confinement by radical Islamists under the Ayatollah Khomeini. However,  as Velshi observed Iran points back to the 1953 CIA-backed coup that overthrew the democratically- elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh.  Since then, Iran has justifiably seen the U.S. as an "oppressive exploiter”   Especially of its oil, given the CIA was given the go-ahead after Mossadegh nationalized the country’s oil reserves.

Confirming the worst fears of many Iranians that the U.S. is the aggressor, on July 3, 1988, the U.S. Navy guided-missile cruiser USS Vincennes shot down Iran Air Flight 655, a civilian Airbus A300, over the Persian Gulf. The incident resulted in the deaths of all 290 people on board, including 66 children.  The U.S. called it a “mistake”, Iran wasn’t buying.

Just as many of us in the U.S. now aren’t biting Trump’s bollocks that these attacks on Iran were warranted. Oh no, they were not. Trump agreed to them under Israeli and Saudi pressure, as well as providing further distraction from the Epstein files. Especially since Trump was named by one survivor – in a 2019 FBI interview – as a perpetrator. Who sexually abused the woman when she was 13 and then struck her physically, see e.g.

DOJ removed, withheld Epstein files related to accusations about Trump : NPR

Velshi posits the idea that because the two nations cannot agree on how their animosity began, they cannot agree on how to end it.

Velshi lastly suggested that this war serves a "redemptive" purpose for the current administration, framing it more as an act of domestic consolidation and "power through spectacle" rather than a strategic necessity for national defense. He warns that while the U.S. can dismantle Iran’s conventional military capabilities, the internal political fracture within the U.S. remains the more consequential "battlefield

In summary, Velshi’s coherent proposal contains these key elements, regarding an ongoing U.S. -Iran conflict.

• Incompatible Origins: Velshi highlights that when nations cannot agree on how a conflict began, they cannot agree on how it ends.
• Iranian Perspective: Iran views the animosity as stemming from the "natural and unavoidable conflict" between its Islamic system and an "oppressive" United States, which it sees as a power seeking global dominance. This perspective is often framed around historical U.S. interventions, such as the 1953 coup, and continued economic/military pressure.
• U.S. Perspective: The U.S. has historically framed the conflict around Iranian aggression, such as the 1979 hostage crisis, regional proxy actions, and nuclear ambitions, which it deems a threat to allies.
• 2026 Context: Recent analysis by Velshi in February 2026 notes that this conflict has escalated into direct military actions (such as joint U.S.-Israel strikes on Iranian sites), fueled by a desire for "domestic consolidation" and "symbolic order" rather than traditional defense. 

Ultimately, Velshi suggests that this fundamental disagreement over the "starting point" of the war prevents a diplomatic solution, resulting in a persistent state of, or brink-of, war.

This could end IF the U.S. (certainly not under Trump) could finally admit it opened the path to permanent conflict by overturning a once vibrant democratic nation.  

 See Also:

A Nation Led By Warmongers- Will We Now Prove It (Again)After The Iran Missile 'Show' Attack?

And:

Donald Trump

Trump Hasn’t a Fucking Clue What He’s Doing

by Robert Reich | March 3, 2026 - 6:49am | permalink

— from Robert Reich's Substack

Trump said Monday that the United States would continue attacking Iran for “whatever it takes.”

But what’s the “it” in that sentence?

He also said: “We’re destroying Iran’s missile capability” and “annihilating their navy” and ensuring that “this sick and sinister regime” in Iran “can never obtain a nuclear weapon.”

But how will we know when we’ve achieved any of this?

American intelligence officials say Iran has not tried to rebuild its main nuclear sites since the U.S. attack in June. Iran’s stockpiles of enriched uranium are still buried deep under rubble. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency says his agency has found no evidence that Iran resumed enriching uranium since June.

» article continues...

And:

Donald Trump | Iran

Trump’s United States of Amnesia Blunders Into Iran

by Pierre Tristam | March 2, 2026 - 6:40am | permalink

— from Flagler Live

We are most of us in this city of plump and smug geezers not so old as to forget how in 1990, in 1999 and again in 2001, 2002 and 2003, every time our country wanted to rattle sabers and ejaculate buckets of brawn in Kuwait, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq, Congress and our streets were in convulsions of should-we, should-we-not. We debated, we shouted and shrilled, and eventually Congress would vote—wrongly most of the time, illegally some of the time, brazenly defying international law and facts on the ground almost all of the time. Remember Colin Powell lying like Bush’s bitch at the UN about those imaginary WMDs, and the weasel of mass destruction himself declaring Mission Accomplished aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln months later, before causing 300,000 deaths in the losing war he unleashed?

But at least we went through the motions. At least we debated. At least the president had to make his case, not just to the American people but to the world. At least Congress voted after going through the pretenses of deliberations, the way the Roman Senate pretended to an illusion of democracy even as Caesar and the moribund Republic he put out of its misery bled to death. At least we got a cool play and a few good quotes out of it.

» article continues...

And:

Iran

MAGA Isolationists Melt Down Over New Trump Move

by Alex Henderson | March 2, 2026 - 6:32am | permalink

— from Alternet

When former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) announced that she was resigning from Congress, she wasn't shy about expressing her disappointment with President Donald Trump — who, in her view, has betrayed his America First agenda with an aggressively interventionist foreign policy. Now, the MAGA Republican and former Trump ally is vehemently criticizing Trump's military strikes against Iran. And she isn't the only person in the MAGA movement who wants Trump to stay out of that country.

Washington Post reporters Emily Davies and Hannah Knowles, in an article published on March 1, explain, "President Donald Trump's major attack on Iran has rattled parts of the coalition that twice delivered him the White House, a fracture that could spell trouble for a divided GOP as the midterm elections approach. The strikes, which killed Iran's supreme leader, followed a visible buildup of U.S. forces in the Middle East. But Trump's decision to carry them out nonetheless surprised some of his supporters, who had expected the self-described anti-interventionist president to stop short of a direct attack."

» article continues...

And:

Donald Trump

How Will Trump’s Illegal, Unprovoked War on Iran End?

by Trita Parsi | March 2, 2026 - 6:22am | permalink

— from Responsible Statecraft

Now that President Trump has launched an illegal, unprovoked war of choice on Iran, the next question inevitably becomes: how does this end? Or, what are some off-ramps Trump can take to end it before the situation turns out of control?

There are three broad scenarios; the first and most likely is that Trump continues this until he gets some sort of regime implosion and then declares victory, while also washing his hands of whatever follows.

This has been very clear in internal conversations: no one wants to take responsibility for the aftermath. This is essentially the difference between regime change and regime collapse.

That’s why they didn’t want to do an Iraq War-style regime change where you are actively trying to install a new government. If you do that, its track record becomes your track record.

» article continues...

And:

Donald Trump

Thirteen Pillars of Trumpageddon

by Harvey Wasserman | March 2, 2026 - 5:45am | permalink

Trump’s latest attack on Iran primarily means to shred the last lines of American democracy and enthrone Trump as forever warlord/dictator.

Formally known as “Operation Epic Fury,” it’s really “Operation Epstein Desperation.”

Here are a baker’s dozen of its many pillars:

1. THE EPSTEIN BOMB: The Epstein/FBI files may definitively confirm that Trump has indeed abused underage women. At least one Trump victim may be set to testify. Bill Clinton’s appearance before Congress erased any alleged barrier against ex-Presidents testifying in a public hearing.

» article conti

Yes, I Am Now Convinced The Brain Ages In Stages

 

                Tracking how brain connections change using MRT imagery

The notion that our brains age in distinct stages is one I have seriously considered, especially over the past quarter century as I've found my own mental agility and processing rate diminish. (Of course, a lot of the recent decline can be attributed to having to start androgen deprivation therapy to try to contain metastatic prostate cancer.)  But even before commencing ADT with Firmagon I have noted brain changes over decades  - especially in the time since graduating with my M.Phil. in Physics. To wit, my most recent attendance at a scientific conference last year:

Looking Back On Last Week's Solar Dynamics Workshop - One Of The Best Meetings I've Ever Attended

Showed me clearly that the time for delivering scientific papers, far less attending conferences, is basically over. It was all I could do to basically keep up and absorb the material and research presented in the SDO 2025 workshop. (And there was no way in hell I was staying for the final day's Python coding workshop!)

But how and why do these distinct brain 'ages' occur and is there any evidence for them? It turns out there is, now finally,  as neuroscientists have been able too use advanced imagery to track brain connections, development. (See top graphic).  Basically, this research has shown different ages at which the connections in our brains shift. The average ages turn out to be: 9, 32, 66 and 83, Well I am now 13 years past 66 and only 3 1/2 to 83 - and it shows. (Including in the much longer time to write a blog post)

According to a December, 2025 WSJ article, ('Your Brain Changes In Distinct Stages Research Shows): 

 "The adolescence phase lasts until age 32. The brain then enters a period of stability until early aging begins at age 66."

I can vouch for this as when I hit 66 was when I first confronted my mortality after being given a prostate cancer diagnosis,

Verdict Is: Prostate CANCER......So Now What?

And basically, for all intents, things haven't been the same since. This is given each succeeding year has resulted in more tests, more treatments, and sped up aging especially after the radiation in Sept., 2012. Add in the effects of the ADT and I feel I aged 25 years in the actually elapsed 13. (And each forthcoming PSA test is looked on with dread.)

But let's bear in mind the WSJ report is based healthy aging for brains, and first published in November, 2025 in the journal, Nature Communications. We find therein that the study researchers examined results from about 4,000 brain scans taken from people in the U.S. and UK.  These scans ranged from those of a newborn baby to a nonagenarian.

They basically showed how white matter -  a fatty substance insulating nerve fibers connecting different brain regions - enabled the researchers to see the changing connections over time. (Using an MRI).  Such mapping also enabled them to create an "average brain" for each year of life.  Machine learning then helped to pinpoint phases of significant change defined by the data.

For example, during the period from birth to age 9, the brain undergoes massive pruning of connections which aren't used - given the amount of excess wiring we're born with. But during the period from age 9 to 32  the brain does more with less wiring, hence becoming more efficient.

When does the brain finally become 'mature'?  Likely when it becomes most efficient in terms of the wiring, at age 32.  There is then the blessed period of 'consistency' and 'stability' (age 32 to 66) as opposed to endless emotional upheavals, convulsions and petty neuroses. (75% of mental health conditions begin in the early 20s we are informed).  This period between ages 32-66 also aligns with a plateau in our intelligence.

But the bad news begins at just past 65 when brain shrinkage occurs - increasing year by year.  This diminishes the integrity of white matter and also begins the decline in cognitive function. Past the age of 83 the brain must "rely on a small  number of highly used interregional pathways."

Bottom line: If you want to keep that brain functioning then once you're past 66 you better use it - or risk losing it. Forget the Tik Tok and other smart phone obsession - stick to chess and reading adult books, like Jean-Paul Sartre's Being and Nothingness - or at least Stephen Hawking's 'A Brief History of Time'.

See Also:

Topological turning points across the human lifespan | Nature Communications

Solutions To Algebra II Simple Machine Application Problems

1) Show, with reasons, that the pulley system shown in Fig. 3(b) has a mechanical advantage of 2. If the weight w is lifted 1m, how much distance must the force F cover?

Solution:

This is a single moveable pulley as with 3(a) but with just a small modification: adding another fixed pulley. Since M.A. = s/d = 2 then F = wd/ s and the machine moves a distance d while the applied force moves a distance s. Then: F = ½w. Then if the weight w is lifted 1m, the force must be applied a distance 2d = 2(1m) = 2m.

2) An inclined plane has an angle of Θ = π/6. The coefficient of static friction m_s = 0.3.How much force, parallel to the incline, is needed to push a 100 N object up the incline at constant speed?

Solution:

Note: Θ = π/6 = 30 degrees (e.g. 180 deg/ 6). We have w = mg = 100N and m _s  = 0.3. Then the force F' required is:  F' = mg(sin Θ + m_s cos Θ).

F' = (100 N) [sin 30 + 0.3 cos 30] = 100N[½ + 0.3(0.866)]

F' = 100N(0.50 + 0.25)= 100N (0.75) = 75N

3) The work done in sliding a 50 kg mass up an incline 1 m high and 5m long is 640 Joules. What is the frictional force in N? Compare the ideal and the actual mechanical advantage. (Take g = 10 N/kg)

Solution:

 W= mg = 50 kg (10 N/kg) =    500 N

Work done against gravity (Useful work) = mgh =    500 N (1 m) = 500 J

The total work done is: W_T   = 640 J

Work done against friction is the difference: 

W_T -  W_u   =  640 J - 500 J=  140 J

Work done by friction =  WF  = 140 J = frictional force x distance (5m)

So frictional force = F   =  140 N-m/ 5m = 28 N    (Rem: 1J = 1 N-m)

Ideal M.A. = L/h =  5m/ 1m = 5

Actual M.A. =  load/ effort =  total work output/ work input 

work in =  W_T  / s =    640 N-m/ 5m  =   128 N

work out =  mg = 500 N-m/1m =500 N

Actual M.A. = 500 N/ 128 N = 3.9

4) In the wheel and axle device (Fig. 4 (A)) the radius r = 1 cm and R = 23 cm. Find the mechanical advantage and the applied force needed to lift a load of 80 N.

Solution:

We have r = 1 cm and R = 23 cm for the wheel and axle (Fig. 4A). The distance the load (w= mg) will move is just d = 2πr. The distance the force moves will be s = 2πR. If we take the mechanical advantage:

M.A. = s/d = (2πR)/ (2πr) = R/r = 23 cm/ 1 cm = 23

mg/ F = w/F = R/r and so: F = (r/R)w

Now, if w = 80N then F = (1/23) 80N = 3.4 N

5) In the grouped pulley system depicted in Fig. 4 (C) the force applied F will move 6 times as far as the load w. If the load has a mass of 40 kg, and assuming g = 9.80 m/s^2, find the applied force. Thence or otherwise, obtain the mechanical advantage of the system. If the force F is applied through 10 m what is the work done?

Solution:

If F will move 6 times as far as the load w, then the M.A. = 6. So: F = w/6. And w = 40 kg(9.8 m/s^2) = 39.2 N. Then: F = 39.2N/6 = 6.5 N.

The work done is: W = F s = (6.5N) (10m) = 65 N-m = 65J.

6)A man raises a uniform plank 12' long and of weight 40 lbs. until it is horizontal. His left hand is on one end of the plank and his right hand is 3' from the same end. Assuming both hands exert vertical forces, find the forces exerted by each hand to support the plank.

Solution:

The diagram for Problem. #6. is shown above..

For #6 we see where the man's right and left arms are. The point is that the combined vertical forces must balance a total clockwise torque or moment of 40 lbs. x 6 ft. = 240 lbs.-ft. (By the law of levers) The right arm exerts a counterclockwise torque at its position of 3' x F1 = 240 ft-lb. So that: F1 = (240 ft.-lbs.)/ 3 ft. = 80 lbs.

The left arm exerts a second counterclockwise moment at its position (6' from the load, at the center of gravity of the plank- since it's uniform) of 6' x F2. Therefore: F2 = (240 ft.-lbs.)/(6 ft.) = 40 lbs. is the upward force exerted by his left hand.

7) In the sample lever problem it is feasible to reduce the work done to only 125 J by re-arranging the lever distances (effort and load distance). Using a sketch show how could this could be done and give the new applied force in this scenario.

Solution:

The diagram for Problem. #7. is shown above.

This is done by lengthening the effort distance to 4 m (from 3.5 m) and shortening the load distance to 1 m (from 1.5m). Then the new force exerted needed to lift the block is found from the law of levers: F x 4m = 500N x (1m) = 500 N-m.

Or: F = 500 N-m/ 4m = 125 N. (Compared to the original force exerted of 214 N). The new work done is: Fs = (1/4) 500N x 1.0 m = 125 J.