Epiphanies and brain states; a baffling skull find; achieving well-being in old age

This week, researchers identified a key driver of pancreatic cancer spread. Oral bacteria were linked to Parkinson’s disease via the gut-brain axis. And scientists are advising California legislators to prepare for destructive “supershear” earthquakes. Plus: Scientists have identified brain states that can lead to epiphanies; anthropologists reconstructed a million-year-old skull with Homo-sapiens-like features; and a new study reports that lifestyle changes can cultivate optimal well-being, even in elderly people:

Seeking epiphanies

The interjection “Eureka!” is attributed to the Greek scholar Archimedes, when he figured out how to calculate irregular volume via water displacement while taking a bath. It means “I have found it.” Researchers in the Netherlands and the U.S. recently conducted a study to determine how people can cultivate similar transformational epiphanies—sudden realizations that transform how people see themselves.

The researchers conducted an initial study of 155 MBA students and alumni and two follow-up studies of business school students and found that people who engage in a type of mind wandering called problem-solving daydreaming were more likely to experience work-related epiphanies of greater strength.

The key is the particular combination of tendencies—mind wandering and the desire to solve a particular problem—that holds the key to experiencing transformative epiphanies. Erik Dane, a professor of organization behavior at Olin Business School, said, “Compared to working on problems in a more deliberate, formal manner, problem-solving daydreaming can be especially freewheeling and playful—qualities useful for solving problems. When you daydream, you’re more likely to let go of assumptions—including unhelpful or outdated beliefs about yourself—and to think in flexible and innovative ways. And this opens the door to experiencing strong epiphanies.” But it hopefully does not open the door to running naked down the streets of Syracuse shouting about it.

Skull confounds scientists

The virtual reconstruction of a million-year-old crushed skull unearthed in 1990 has revealed what researchers believe are human features previously believed to have evolved much later in human evolution. The find upends notions of hominin differentiation, the evolutionary timeline of humans and the much larger role of east Asia in human dispersion.

The skull, found in China, has a distinctive combination of traits that includes a projecting lower face similar to Homo erectus, but with an apparently larger brain capacity, suggestive of Homo longi and Homo sapiens. The middle period of human evolution between 1 million and 300,000 years ago is not well understood, largely due to a confusing proliferation of human fossil types, but rather than clarifying the unknowns, the new report has sparked debate among anthropologists.

Health status modifiable

Researchers in Canada report that people are able to improve their baseline health status pretty much regardless of age. In their study, nearly 1 in 4 adults over 60 who reported poor well-being at study onset had regained optimal well-being within three years. The researchers defined optimal well-being as “the absence of severe physical, cognitive, mental, or emotional conditions that interfere with daily functioning, combined with high levels of self-reported physical health, mental well-being, happiness, and overall life satisfaction.”

Participants were exclusively older individuals in a state of suboptimal well-being at the time of study onset. This baseline health status was compared to their condition three years later. Individuals who had reported strong psychological and emotional wellness at the beginning of the study were over five times more likely to achieve the study’s definition of optimal well-being.

First author Mabel Ho says, “It’s incredibly encouraging to see that, with the right supports and lifestyle, many older adults can reclaim full health, happiness, and independence—even after serious health challenges.”

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