Rebuilding Jerusalem in the Dark
Electricity is killing us. It is a startling claim, I grant, but one that must be taken seriously. Studies over the last decade show that most human beings carry one to two percent of Neanderthal DNA, and these good and bad alleles contain two relevant effects: hyper-reactivity with increased risk for depression and frail circadian rhythms. Put simply, Paleolithic man naturally selected genes that helped him survive: hypersensitivity to light and sound. Fifty thousand years later, I am no longer asleep in a dangerous jungle waiting to be eaten. I sit in a comfortable office chair, under fluorescent lighting, and in front of an LED computer screen for eight hours a day.
