📚 Roger's Highlights

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Photosynthesis is always an extremely lopsided exchange of internal water (inside a leaf) for external CO2 (in the atmosphere). Anytime a plant opens its stomata (located on the underside of leaves) to import sufficient carbon for its photosynthesis, it loses large amounts of water. For example, transpiration efficiency (biomass produced per unit of water used) of wheat (whole plant) is 5.6–7.5 grams per kilogram, and this translates to about 240–330 kilograms of water per kilogram of harvested grain.[65]

How the World Really Works

Vaclav Smil

AT FIRST GLANCE, cortisol and insulin appear to have opposite effects. Insulin is a storage hormone. Under high insulin levels (mealtimes), the body stores energy in the form of glycogen and fat. Cortisol, however, prepares the body for action, moving energy out of stores and into readily available forms, such as glucose. That cortisol and insulin would have similar weight-gain effects seems remarkable—but they do. With short-term physical stress, insulin and cortisol play opposite roles. Something quite different happens, though, when we’re under longterm psychological stress. In our modern-day lives, we have many chronic, nonphysical stressors that increase our cortisol levels. For example, marital issues, problems at work, arguments with children and sleep deprivation are all serious stressors, but they do not result in the vigorous physical exertion needed to burn off the blood glucose. Under conditions of chronic stress, glucose levels remain high and there is no resolution to the stressor. Our blood glucose can remain elevated for months, triggering the release of insulin. Chronically elevated cortisol leads to increased insulin levels—as demonstrated by several studies.

The Obesity Code

Jason Fung and Timothy Noakes

I promise my students that if they take the time to figure out their life’s purpose, they’ll look back on it as the most important thing they will ever have discovered. I warn them that their time at school might be the best time to reflect deeply on that question. Fast-paced careers, family responsibilities, and tangible rewards of success tend to swallow up time and perspective.

How Will You Measure Your Life?

Clayton M. Christensen, James Allworth, and Karen Dillon

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