How the Blind "See" Race

"'The visual process of assigning race is instantaneous, and it's an example of automatic thinking -- it happens below the level of awareness,' [Asia] Friedman [,assistant professor at the University of Delaware,] said. 'With blind people, the process is much slower as they piece together information about a person over time. Their thinking is deliberative rather than automatic, and even after they've categorized someone by race, they're often not certain that they're correct.'" That's from a post on Medical News Today. Read more.

Two Deficient Genes Might Be the Primary Cause of Cataracts

"When cataracts encroach on the eyes, the only effective remedy is to surgically replace the eyes' lenses with synthetic substitutes. But what if scientists found a way to delay or prevent cataracts from forming in the first place?" That's the question Medical News Today asked recently. Here's why: "Researchers at the University of Delaware may have found such an opportunity by identifying the prime suspects in the formation of cataracts - deficiency of two genes that encode regulatory proteins. When those two genes are unable to do their work, the lenses of the eyes become cloudy and develop cataracts, no aging process or damaging exposure to radiation required. Cataracts, the leading cause of blindness, can have a genetic basis. The discoveries emerged in the laboratory of UD biologist Salil Lachke, assistant professor of biological sciences and a Pew Scholar in biomedical sciences." Read more.