Lichen, Hitler, and A Winters Night Dream
The Nazis hold a special place in the western psyche and not from
atrocity alone. The Khmer Rouge murdered nearly three million in the
nineteen seventies and in some ways the Cambodian genocide was more
brutal than the holocaust, yet few in the western world can identify
Pol Pot from a photograph. Everyone knows Hitler. The Nazis were
unabashed racists and the unrepentant murderers of women, babies, and
the disabled. The truly terrifying aspect that keeps goose-stepping
deep into our collective unconscious is their incorruptibility. The
Nazis were ideologues; no matter how twisted and sadistic their
actions, these people were doing what they believed was right. The
unfaltering faith the Nazis held towards their ideology doesn't
absolve or even mitigate.Rather, it illustrates the power of a
master orator to manipulate, be it a pastor, a teacher, or Hitler.
Of
course, the Nazi belief system can't be attributed to Hitler alone.
Although nearly everyone points a finger to our misunderstood
misogynist friend Nietzsche, he wasn't an antisemite and he shunned
nationalism. The most defining influences weren't philosophical, but
rather biological. The murdering of groups considered undesirable
wasn't anything new, but it had never previously been presented as a
reputable science. The Nazi ideology incorporated a hierarchic form
of “scientific” racism and a corresponding plan to better the
world through selective breeding and selective euthanasia. The man
behind all of this was the Marque De Sade of Kazan, Kostantin
Mereschkowsky.
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| Konstantin Mereschkowsky |
Konstantin
was a late
19th century Russian biologist who specialized in the study of
lichen. Most post-Darwinian biologists of the time emphasized
mutualism and sought a biological basis for human cooperation, but
Konstantin opposed this. He was amongst the earliest to broach ideas
of racial hygiene and present them as a science. Isolated, these
ideas aren't enough to condemn; particularly since prejudice was a
social norm. But Konstantin was so much more than a small-minded
antisemite. He aspired to be the savior of all humanity. He
preemptively wrote instruction manuals for disciples who never came
and admonished the castration of all with Jewish blood as the only
path to world peace. He was given his “Marque” moniker in Saint
Petersburg after he was discovered to be both a pedophile and a
rapist. He considered his greatest contribution to mankind to be his
novel, “A Winter Nights Dream,” which described a fascist eugenic
utopia, and popularized the notion that racial superiority is based
in science. Strangely, his claims regarding racial hygiene were far
less contested than those he made as a biological researcher.
As a lichenologist, Konstantin was fascinated by the idea of
symbiosis. A lichen consists of two organisms from different
taxonomic kingdoms which rely upon each other so heavily they
function as one. The fungus component provides a safe, homeostatic
environment while the photosynthetic partner soaks in sunlight and
assembles the sugars both will feast upon. Genetically, a fungus is
more similar to humans than plants. While the sun-loving partner is
often an algae, at times lichen go beyond even an inter-kingdom
symbiosis. Some Lichen consist of a fungus and a cyanobacteria.
Bacteria isn't even in the same domain as fungi. Bacteria is
classified as a Prokaryotic, which means “before the nut,”
whereas fungi are Eukaryotes or “good nuts.” There are many
differences between organisms of these domains such as cell wall
composition and DNA structure, but the most striking difference is
that Eukaryotic cells have membrane bound organelles inside such as a
nuclei.
Konstantin figured that if lichen arose from a symbiotic union
between two organisms, then perhaps Eukaryotes arose from the
symbiosis of two or more simpler cells. This Endosymbiotic Theory is
now widely accepted and it turns out that the little power-plant
organelles called mitochondria even have their own DNA. It's thought
that some ancient little bacteria was engulfed by a larger cell and
once inside, this little bacteria managed to continue living and
reproducing. Discontent with scraping out a living as a mere
intracellular parasite, this bacteria changed and became a specialist
at squeezing out every last drop of energy from a fuel source.
“Jews & Money: The Story of a Stereotype” identifies
the “Jews are Greedy” stereotype as foundational to antisemitism.
This is interesting in light of the fact that Judaism places more
emphasis on generosity and honesty in business dealings than any other
of the world's great religions. Mitochondria don't have these moral
inhibitions and spend their entire lives consumed by avarice.
Konstantin Mereschkowsky was never
a savior. His ideas certainly didn't advance us any closer to a
utopia. The one good lesson that Konstantin gave us is the
understanding that we owe our very existence as multicellular
organisms to the cooperation between a Goy cell that learned to get
along with a little Jew cell.
Zeppelins and the Cities of the Sky
The oldest successful aircraft were hot-air balloons. The first
documented flight took place in 1709,
although some speculate that
the Chinese and perhaps even the Nazca culture of Peru were using
hot-air balloons far earlier. The underlying principle is simple:
Hot-air in a balloon has less density than the ambient air without
and thus weighs less. Once the vehicles total weight is less than
that of the air it displaces, the balloon floats off into the sky.
Buoyancy can also be achieved using lighter than air gasses such as
helium or hydrogen. The world's first airline was the “German
Airship Travel Corporation” which used enormous Zeppelins and
successfully carried over 34,000 passengers prior to World War I, and
this same corporation provided the first transatlantic passenger
flights of any kind following the war.
The great spire of the Empire
State Building was initially designed as a terminal for such craft;
however, it proved too dangerous due to updrafts. Dirigibles such as the
Zeppelins are highly efficient at carrying both passengers and cargo,
and the decline in their use was primarily due to a few highly
publicized accidents such as the Hindenburg.
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| Cloud Nines |
American engineer and futurist Richard Buckminster Fuller, proposed
taking the principle of lighter than air flight much, much further.
Fuller is famous for his design and construction of immense geodesic
domes, such as the “Spaceship Earth” structure at the EPCOT
center. The advantage of these dome structures is that if designed
properly, using a principle Fuller called “Tensegrity”, the
durability of the structure actually increases as it's scaled to
larger sizes. Fuller proposed the construction of geodesic spheres
with a mile diameter. By heating air within by a mere few degrees to
provide bouyancy, these “Cloud Nines” would be able to float
through the sky with entire cities of people within. The most amazing
part? It would have worked.
When the size of an object increases the surface area of the object
decreases relative to the volume. To find the surface area of a cube
we square the length (L2) and multiply by six. To find the
volume, we cube the length (L3). A 1mm cube has a surface
area of 6mm2 and a volume of 1mm3. An 8mm cube
on the other hand has a surface area of 384mm2 and a
volume of 512mm3. The volume of a sphere relative to its
surface area scales up even faster. It's easy to see that a very
large balloon requires less effort to get off the ground than a
smaller one because it displaces so much more ambient air and has
less actual surface relative to its contents. Buckminster Fuller's
Cloud Nines could easily house thousands along with all the
accoutrement necessary for life.
 |
| White Blood Cell and Bacteria |
The Surface-to-volume ratio has implications at a microscopic scale
as well. Organisms such as bacteria are always very small, typically
only a few micrometers in length. They are incredibly diverse in how
they acquire energy. Many feed on sunlight, others on the organic
compounds of other organisms. Some can even produce energy from
inorganic substrates such as Iron or Sulfur.
They are all restricted
in size though because they require enough surface area to collect
their energy source. As a bacteria increases in size, the surface
area of its cell wall becomes inadequate to supply the volume within.
This
limitation became moot with the rise of our friend the mitochondria.
Mitochondria increase the energy yield from fuels in some cases by
more than an order of magnitude. The most common pathway used by
bacteria to produce ATP (The energy of all life) is glycolysis. This
pathway breaks down one glucose molecule and yields a paltry 2 ATP.
The cells of plants and animals also use glycolysis, but then use the
other products of the pathways, pyruvate and NADH in further pathways
which yield an addition 36 or so ATP. Due to this vastly increased
yield, Eukaryotic cells can be one hundred times as large and weigh a
thousand times as much.
 |
| Thomargarita Namibiensis - Largest known Bacteria |
 |
| Xenophore - Largest known Single Celled Eukaryote |
The largest known bacteria, Thiomargarita
namibiensis was discovered
in ocean sediment from the continental shelf of Namibia and can grow
to a whopping 750 micrometers. This is astounding enormous for a
bacteria; it can even be seen with the unaided eye. Of course it
pales in comparison to the largest single-celled eukaryote,
Xenophyophore,
which lives 6 miles beneath the ocean and grows as large as 20
centimeters. 20 cm is 7.9 inches... almost 2 inches longer than the
average penis according to a 2007 study. Bacteria may not have penis envy, but I'm sure they hang their heads in the gym shower when the
protists swim by with big ol' mitochondria flopping about.
Hibernating Bears and Babies
Neonates are at
particulate risk from hypothermia. As we explored above, the surface
area of a smaller organism is much greater relative to its volume
regardless of whether we are discussing cells or bears; thus,
newborns lose heat at a phenomenal rate. Once again, it's mitchondria
that save the day.
Mitochondria are found in all human cells, but are particularly
abundant in Brown Adipose Tissue (BAT). Large deposits of BAT are
found in newborns and in animals that hibernate because it functions to
produce heat through a process called non-shivering thermogenesis. A
mitochondria has both an inner and an outer membrane. Hydrogen ions
get pumped into the space between. They want to escape from the
inter-membranous space due to strong chemical and electrical
gradients. Enzymes harness this energy in order to make ATP--the
energy of life.
The mitochondria of BAT functions differently though
due to the protein Thermogenin. When activated, these thermogenin
channels allow the ions to escape rapidly. No ATP is yielded, but
large amounts of heat are produced. BAT was previously thought to be
active only in hibernating animals and infants, but a 2009 study
using PET Scans revealed that BAT deposits remain in the upper chest
and necks of adults.
Previous studies hadn't taken into account that
these cells have a very low metabolic function unless exposed to
cold and thus wouldn't uptake the contrast. A later study comparing
the enzymatic activities of Northern Finnish men who worked outdoors
with men who worked indoors confirmed this. Active BAT was found only in
the men who worked outside in the cold.
Cells use glucose to produce ATP preferentially. Glucose is first
broken down, and then some of the products of that reaction are used
by mitochondria. When ATP demand is higher than what can be supplied
by glucose, mitochondria can use a process called beta-oxidation to
break down lipids to make ATP. In the case of BAT, it's full steam
ahead. The system which pumps the hydrogen ions into the
inter-membranous space works at full capacity trying to create a
concentration gradient, but the ions just keep slipping back out
making heat. These studies have also shown that thermogenin activity after
exposure to cold remains increased for three days, and the increased
metabolic rate of these cells can still be detected for up to three
weeks. BAT uses fatty acids so quickly that additional fatty acids
are recruited from the large lipid reservoirs of “normal” white
adipocytes. BAT quite literally burns fat and at a phenomenal rate.
Ice Baths and Fat Loss
One way we can harness the metabolism boosting power of BAT is with
ice baths. Ice baths are cheap and easy but can be quite
uncomfortable. My experiences have been glowing overall, but it's
important to discuss a few misconceptions. For one, there is little
evidence that ice baths prevent delayed onset muscle soreness from
exercise. Some swear by it, but the studies are overall inconclusive.
Also, ice baths don't cause acute
weight loss anymore than one can
expect to lose a few pound from a single session on a treadmill.
While cold exposure does up-regulate the metabolic activity of BAT,
it causes a temporary decrease in overall metabolism. In fact, it's
used medically for exactly that reason. After cardiac arrest,
therapeutic hypothermia has been shown to improve neurological outcomes
because it decreases cellular activity and oxygen use. So acutely, it
slows down one's metabolism, but provides a longer term increase. One
big proponent of ice baths is author Tim Ferriss, who presented it
amongst a few other weight loss technique on the Doctor Oz show. I
like this guy Ferris. He tried for a twenty second explanation of how
ice baths and  |
| For real Oz? |
cold assist in weight loss before Dr. Oz took over and
dropped the ball. Oz went off on a tangent using a short ladder and a
tall ladder as a metaphor for how a lower body temperature will cause
you to immediately burn lots of calories to stay warm, which is
totally inaccurate. The best part was watching Ferriss strive not to
roll his eyes.
Because thermogenin activity is most increased for three days
following cold water immersion, two baths a week is adequate to get
the full effect. Taking an ice bath is simple. One buys a couple of
bags of ice from the nearest store, dumps them into a tub, fills the
tub and gets in. Each step does have a few additional considerations:
Getting
your ice
Bags of ice are actually quite pricey depending on where you go. One
convenience store near me sells five
pound bags of ice for 3 dollars
each. If I buy four per bath, and take two ice baths a week, this
equates to around ninety six dollars a month, around triple the price
of a gym membership. Most refrigerators are equipped with an ice
maker, but it's actually quite a lot of work to keep dumping the bin
or trays into a bag. The option that I've found most effective is the use
of square, one gallon Crystal Geyser jugs of water. I can fit ten of
these into my freezer at once, they are reusable, and far cheaper
than the little blue ice packs. They even have handles. The only
disadvantage I've found is that it takes longer for the water to cool
adequately. I have to wait around ten minutes before climbing into
the bath. Because I travel for work, I've also found the giant ice
makers at hotels to be effective, although you do get some funny
looks after filling up the same cooler two or three times.
Filling the tub
The amount of ice one uses depends on the temperature sought. Few
studies used temperatures lower than 50 degrees F. I sure wish I'd
known that the first few times, as I started out by nearly packing
myself in ice. You don't need to be Professor Sugarman to take ice baths. In
fact, some studies suggest that a merely cool bath is equally
effective with temperatures as high as 75 degrees F. I've tried
both, and I personally feel that a colder bath imparts a greater
increase in metabolism. I feel hungrier, better, more alive
following a really cold immersion, but of course these feelings are
in no way quantitative. A cheap kitchen thermometer (Advertising
Potential Here) should cost you around twenty dollars, and you can
find out if your experience matches mine.
Getting
In
I've read about people using booties and rubber straps and such to
avoid frostbite, but I haven't found it necessary. The objective
isn't to suffer, so it's completely acceptable to wear a t-shirt and
boxers. These will prevent direct exposure to the ice blocks which
float at the top of the water. Some studies say the most important
part is lowering the core body temperature, while others claim
that it's peripheral cooling specifically near the upper chest,
shoulders and back that are of the utmost importance. This
distinction is important because it determines how long one remains
in the bath. Peripheral cooling takes around ten minutes whereas
those seeking to drop their core temperature often remain submerged
as long as twenty. I have only used the twenty minute regimen at
this point and can't comment on whether it's any better than ten. If
anyone sets out to compare these variables I'd love to hear about
it. If one is attempting to drop their core temperature, the goal
shouldn't be lower than 95 degrees F. 90-95 is considered to be
mild hypothermia which can result in various types of sympathetic
nervous system symptoms such as an increase in blood pressure, heart
rate, and difficulty breathing. Those predisposed to cardiac
problems should at the very least consult their physician if not
forgo cold water immersion altogether. There are a lot of other
conditions and factors that make dropping one's body temperature a
bad idea, ranging from asthma to sickle cell anemia. If you have any
medical conditions, you should probably speak with your physician
prior to trying... well pretty much anything.
Expected Outcomes
The immediate effects to expect include shivering, an increase in
heart rate, and significant peripheral vascular constriction. Your
hands and feet will likely get a bit numb and depending on how cold
the water is, you may have a decrease in muscle coordination and
movement can become labored. If so, it's time to get out. You're likely
dropping your temperature too far. I find ice baths are best
performed after an extended workout. The cold decreases inflammation
and swelling and overall feels great. Ice baths are great at
decreasing pain from an injury. Although research hasn't shown a
decrease in delayed onset muscle soreness related to working out,
there have been a few studies which have shown a decrease in recovery
time needed between training sessions.
The long term effect we're seeking is of course an increase of one's
overall metabolic rate. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find a
single study on the long-term effects of repeated cold water
immersion. I've read a variety of claims which range from
losing a few pounds a month to as much as five pounds a week. The
problem is that we have no way of assessing the variables. For
example, I have always lost a good amount of fat while on a regimen
that included ice baths; however, I also find myself eating better so
that all that coldness isn't wasted. The most objective information
that can be ascribed to periodic cold water immersion is a 2009
study, which found that cold activated BAT exhibits an increase in
glucose uptake by a factor of 15. The amount of BAT varies from one
individual to another so we can't equate this to a total amount of
calories burned. It's certain though that by activating our brown
adipose tissue reservoirs to use 15 times as much glucose in a
process that results in heat rather than being stored, one can lose a
few pounds each week.
A More Explosive Path to Weightloss: 2,4, Dinitrophenol
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| "Whatever happens, the flame of the French resistance must not be extinguished and will not be extinguished. |
During the Battle of Montcornet, commander Charles De Gaulle led a
unit of 85 tanks into battle against the German 1st Panzer
division. De Gaulle's forces consisted of two models of tank. The
Char D2 had a small engine, a weak transmission, and its tendency to
overheat created a constant demand for maintenance. The older Char B1
tank was well armored and reliable, but because it had originally
been designed as a self-propelled gun, it was slow and consumed its
fuel quickly. The considerably larger German forces consisted of the
robust Panzer IV, and yet after the battle De Gaulle had lost a mere
23 tanks to the Germans' 100. This was one of the only French
successes against the Germans during the Battle of France, and De
Gaulle was promoted to Brigadier General. He escaped to Britain
during the occupation and gave a speech broadcast throughout Europe
proclaiming that both the Germans and the French puppet government
would be crushed. He became the leader of the French Resistance and
was considered the leader of the French government in exile.
De Gaulle was also nearly intolerable in his dealings with both the
British and the United States. He insisted on retaining full freedom
of action on behalf of the French even when faced with having ally
support cut. De Gaulle knew something that the Germans had
overlooked: A good proportion of the French, men and women alike,
were just as patriotic, proud, and haughty as De Gaulle himself, and
they knew how to make bombs.
Prior to even World War One, the French had a significant munitions
manufacturing industry.
 |
| 2,4 Dinitrophenol |
At one facility which manufactured the
explosive 2,4 Dinitrophenol (DNP), a number of workers died after
exposure to the compound. They had some startling symptoms such as
highly elevated body temperatures, profuse sweating, and had
experienced a rapid loss of weight over a few weeks to the point of
excessive thinness. It turns out that DNP can function in a manner
very similar to the thermogenin proteins in brown adipose tissue. It
allows the ions within the mitochondrial intermembranous space to
escape and produce heat. In the case of DNP though... it's in all
of your mitochondria, in all of your cells. Incredible
amounts of heat can be produced. In cases of excessive exposure, the
eyeballs glaze over with cataracts, body temperature can
rise to over
115 degrees F, and the body cooks from within even after brain death.
Does this sound promising to you? Through the 1930s DNP was marketed
as an aid to weight loss. It works better than anything being
marketed today and used conservatively DNP can strip fat from the
obese and give them a beach body in as little as a month. This may
sound like one of the unrealistic sales pitches that air right before
the color test pattern, but it's all 100% percent true. The downsides
of DNP are that it's illegal to ingest, can be very uncomfortable to
use, and did I mention it can kill you?
If one were, and I'm in no way promoting or suggesting a person
should ever consider such a potentially deadly augment to one's
metabolism... but if one were to take DNP, there is one other
benefit: immunity to the cold. DNP causes such a drastic increase in
heat production that one can easily run nude through the woods in a
snow storm. Imagine the look on the ski lift attendant's face when
you're wearing a pair of running shorts to go night boarding. Yes, this
is how much heat your body generates.
Availability
and Dosage
2,4,
DNP isn't all that difficult to get. There are restrictions, and it's
not legal if intended for ingestion. It can be purchased from a
chemical supply house rather easily in small quantities. I'm not
going to post a link to any in this case because if you don't
already have experience ordering from chemical supply houses then I
doubt your ability to safely measure out the appropriate amounts.
The doses most bodybuilders use range from 200mg to 500mg three times
a day. You'd definitely want an accurate high quality scale to
measure it out as the distance between therapeutic and lethal isn't
very high with DNP. DNP isn't metabolized quickly and the time it
takes differs from one person to another, so serum levels continue to
increase over time even with a steady dose. Those who use DNP often
advise a 2-3 week cycle. There haven't been too many DNP related
deaths in the last twenty years, although there have been a
significant number of hospitalizations. The two deaths that stand out
were non-weight lifters who got their DNP from Mexico and didn't know
what they got themselves into. Neither realized how severe the
consequences can be and lied upon admittance to the emergency room.
The physicians didn't have enough information to treat them and so
they died. This is quite a different outcome from the weightlifters
who realized they were having a problem, went to the hospital and
calmly told the physician that they had taken too much 2,4 Dinitrophenol and needed the muscle relaxant Dantrolene to prevent
malignant hyperthermia.
I'll admit that upon first researching DNP I was pretty fascinated,
and I considered trying it, but after further consideration I
realized that it didn't fit my personal criteria. DNP can help a
person lose weight rapidly but comes with a lot of potential long-term problems. Those who take DNP are primarily interested in looking
good, and while I can certainly appreciate aesthetics, the amount of
risk I'm willing to venture is much lower than for other augments
that expand one's capabilities. Perhaps one day, if I ever have the
opportunity for a trip to the arctic, I'd give it a try for the
purpose of cold tolerance. Cold water immersion, on the other hand,
causes the same weight loss safely. Being at a healthy weight can
extend one's life, is aesthetically pleasing, and has even been shown
to positively effect cognitive ability. As such, ice baths are an
augmentation worthy of consideration.
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