Fourth-Quarter 2019 Highlights:

Consolidated revenue increased 39.7% to $106.9 million

Clinical Services revenue increased 41.7% to $93.4 million

Pharma Services revenue increased 27.5% to $13.5 million

Pharma Services backlog increased 31.8% to $130.3 million

Company issues 2020 financial guidance

FT. MYERS, FL / ACCESSWIRE / February 27, 2020 / NeoGenomics, Inc. (NEO), a leading provider of cancer-focused genetic testing services, today announced fourth-quarter and full-year 2019 results for the period ended December 31, 2019.

"Our fourth quarter performance concludes a very successful year for NeoGenomics in which our company grew by nearly 50% and our competitive position strengthened dramatically", said Douglas M. VanOort, the Company's Chairman and CEO.

"In the fourth quarter, our Clinical Services Division once again reported excellent volume growth of 27% driven by market share gains and the addition of Genoptix. We are particularly pleased that combined molecular and Next Generation Sequencing test volume continued to grow at rates approximating 50%, and that average-revenue-per-test improved by over 10% from last year. Pharma Services Division growth was also excellent with strong revenue gains, a record amount of newly-signed contracts, and a current backlog of approximately $130 million in signed contracts."

"Perhaps more importantly, we are very excited about the opportunities in front of us. We've made significant investments in a variety of growth initiatives over the past year, including our recent acquisition of the Oncology Division of Human Longevity, Inc., investments in Next Generation Sequencing, and Informatics. We believe that NeoGenomics has significant, sustainable competitive advantages and is well positioned for growth in each of the markets in which we operate."

Fourth-Quarter Results

Consolidated revenue for the fourth quarter of 2019 was $106.9 million, an increase of 40% over the same period in 2018. Clinical test volume(1) increased by 27% year over year. Average revenue per clinical test ("revenue per test") increased by 11% to $370, primarily due to the acquisition of Genoptix and the impact of favorable test mix and growth in next-generation sequencing. Clinical Services revenue was $93.4 million, resulting in a 42% increase over the fourth quarter of 2018. Pharma Services revenue was $13.5 million, which represented a 27% increase over the fourth quarter of 2018.

Story continues

Gross profit improved by $12.8 million, or 34.5%, compared to the fourth quarter of 2018, to $49.9 million. Gross margin decreased by approximately 181 basis points year-over-year to 46.7%. Gross margin decreases are primarily due to the integration of Genoptix. Average cost of goods sold per clinical test ("cost per test") increased by 14% year over year, reflecting the impact of the Genoptix acquisition, including integration-related activities, and test mix. The increase was partially offset by continued efficiencies as we integrate Genoptix.

Operating expenses increased by $13.3 million, or 39%, compared to the fourth quarter of 2018, primarily due to the Genoptix acquisition, investments in research and development, and growth initiatives.

Net income for the fourth quarter was $6.3 million compared to net income of $0.4 million for the fourth quarter of 2018.

Adjusted EBITDA(2) was $13.6 million for the fourth quarter, a 5% improvement from the prior year. Adjusted Net Income(2) was $10.9 million compared to $5.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2018.

Cash and cash equivalents were $173.0 million and days sales outstanding were 81 days at the end of the fourth quarter.

Full Year Results

Consolidated revenues for 2019 were $408.8 million, an increase of 48% over 2018 primarily due to continued volume growth and the acquisition of Genoptix. Net income for 2019 was $8.0 million compared to $2.6 million in 2018. Adjusted EBITDA(2) for 2019 was $57.2 million, a 31% increase from the prior year. Adjusted Net Income(2) for 2019 was $32.3 million compared to $17.9 million in 2018.

2020 Financial Outlook:

The Company also issued 2020 guidance today.

(in millions)

Guidance

Consolidated revenue

$

464 - $474

Net (loss)/income

$

8 - $13

Adjusted EBITDA(2)

$

60 - $65

Please also refer to the tables reconciling forecasted Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Diluted EPS to their closest generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") equivalent in the section of this report entitled "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Guidance to Corresponding GAAP Measures."

The Company reserves the right to adjust this guidance at any time based on the ongoing execution of its business plan. Current and prospective investors are encouraged to perform their own due diligence before buying or selling any of the Company's securities, and are reminded that the foregoing estimates should not be construed as a guarantee of future performance.

(1) Clinical tests exclude tests performed for Pharma Services customers.

(2) The Company has provided adjusted financial information that has not been prepared in accordance with GAAP, including Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted Net Income, and Adjusted Diluted EPS. Each of these measures is defined in the section of this report entitled "Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures." See also the tables reconciling such measures to their closest GAAP equivalent.

Conference Call

The Company has scheduled a web-cast and conference call to discuss their fourth quarter and full year results on Thursday, February 27, 2020 at 8:30 AM EST. Interested investors should dial (844) 602-0380 (domestic) and (862) 298-0970 (international) at least five minutes prior to the call. A replay of the conference call will be available until 8:30 AM EDT on March 5, 2020, and can be accessed by dialing (877) 481-4010 (domestic) and (919) 882-2331 (international). The playback conference ID Number is 58948. The web-cast may be accessed under the Investor Relations section of our website at http://www.neogenomics.com. An archive of the web-cast will be available until 08:30 AM EDT on May 27, 2020.

About NeoGenomics, Inc.

NeoGenomics, Inc. specializes in cancer genetics testing and information services. The Company provides one of the most comprehensive oncology-focused testing menus in the world for physicians to help them diagnose and treat cancer. The Company's Pharma Services Division serves pharmaceutical clients in clinical trials and drug development.

Headquartered in Fort Myers, FL, NeoGenomics operates CAP accredited and CLIA certified laboratories in Ft. Myers and Tampa, Florida; Aliso Viejo, Carlsbad, Fresno and San Diego, California; Houston, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; Nashville, Tennessee; and CAP accredited laboratories in Rolle, Switzerland, and Singapore. NeoGenomics serves the needs of pathologists, oncologists, academic centers, hospital systems, pharmaceutical firms, integrated service delivery networks, and managed care organizations throughout the United States, and pharmaceutical firms in Europe and Asia. For additional information about NeoGenomics, visit http://www.neogenomics.com/.

Forward Looking Statements

Certain information contained in this press release constitutes forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual future results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements as the result of the Company's ability to continue gaining new customers, offer new types of tests, integrate its acquisitions and otherwise implement its business plan, as well as additional factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 26, 2019, amended by a 10K/A filed with the SEC on May 8, 2019. As a result, this press release should be read in conjunction with the Company's periodic filings with the SEC. In addition, it is the Company's practice to make information about the Company available by posting copies of its Company Overview Presentation from time to time on the Investor Relations section of its website at http://ir.neogenomics.com/.

Forward-looking statements represent the Company's estimates only as of the date such statements are made (unless another date is indicated) and should not be relied upon as representing the Company's estimates as of any subsequent date. While the Company may elect to update forward-looking statements at some point in the future, it specifically disclaims any obligation to do so, even if its estimates change.

For further information, please contact:NeoGenomics, Inc.William BonelloDirector, Investor Relations(239)690-4238 (w) (239)284-4314 (m)bill.bonello@neogenomics.com

NeoGenomics, Inc.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(Unaudited, in thousands)

December 31,

2019

December 31,

2018

ASSETS

Cash and cash equivalents

$

173,016

$

9,811

Accounts receivable, net

94,242

76,919

Inventories

14,405

8,650

Other current assets

9,075

8,288

Total current assets

290,738

103,668

Property and equipment (net of accumulated depreciation of $68,809 and $50,127, respectively)

64,188

60,888

Operating lease right-of-use assets

26,492

-

Intangible assets, net

126,640

140,029

Goodwill

198,601

197,892

Other assets

2,847

2,538

TOTAL ASSETS

$

709,506

$

505,015

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

Accounts payable and other current liabilities

$

50,091

$

46,753

Short-term portion of financing obligations

10,432

14,172

Read more here:
NeoGenomics Reports 40% Revenue Growth to $107 Million in the Fourth Quarter - Yahoo Finance

Evidence from decades of animal and human research points to wide-ranging health benefits of intermittent fasting, according to an NIA-conducted review of the research, published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Still, more research is needed to determine whether intermittent fasting yields benefits or is even feasible for humans when practiced over the long term, such as for years.

Intermittent fastingis an eating pattern that includes hours or days of no or minimal food consumption without deprivation of essential nutrients. Commonly studied regimens include alternate day fasting, 5:2 intermittent fasting (fasting two days each week), and daily time-restricted feeding (such as eating only during a six-hour window).

Hundreds of animal studies and scores of human clinical trials have shown that intermittent fasting can lead to improvements in health conditions such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancers and neurological disorders. The evidence is less clear for lifespan effects. Animal studies have shown mixed results, with sex, food composition, age and genetics among the factors that influence longevity. Human trials have mainly involved relatively short-term interventions and so have not provided evidence of long-term health effects, including effects on lifespan.

The review authors are Rafael de Cabo, Ph.D., of NIAs Intramural Research Program (IRP), and Mark P. Mattson, Ph.D., formerly of NIAs IRP and currently a neuroscientist at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Although intermittent fasting often results in reduced calorie consumption, weight loss is not the main driver of the health benefits observed in preclinical and clinical studies, according to the authors. Rather, the key mechanism is metabolic switching, in which fasting triggers the body to switch its source of energy from glucose stored in the liver to ketones, which are stored in fat.

Ketone bodies are not just fuel used during periods of fasting, the authors wrote. They are potent signaling molecules with major effects on cell and organ functions.

Ketogenesis, or the increase of ketones in the bloodstream, initiates activity in a variety of cellular signaling pathways known to influence health and aging. This activity enhances the bodys defenses against oxidative and metabolic stress and initiates the removal or repair of damaged molecules. The impact of ketogenesis carries over into the non-fasting period and can improve glucose regulation, increase stress resistance and suppress inflammation.

Repeated exposure to fasting periods results in lasting adaptive responses that confer resistance to subsequent challenges, the authors explain. The broad-spectrum benefits include not only disease resistance but also improved mental and physical performance.

The authors acknowledge impediments to widespread adoption of intermittent fasting: the ingrained practice in developed nations of three meals a day plus snacks (along with the ready availability and marketing of food), the discipline required to shift to a new eating pattern and the lack of physician training on intermittent fasting interventions. The authors suggest that clinicians who prescribe intermittent fasting encourage their patients to adopt a gradual, phased-in schedule in consultation with a dietitian or nutritionist.

In addition to the question of intermittent fastings long-term effects in humans, the authors point to two other areas requiring further research. Studies are needed to determine whether this eating pattern is safe for people at a healthy weight, or who are younger or older, since most clinical research so far has been conducted on overweight and middle-aged adults. In addition, research is needed to identify safe, effective medications that mimic the effects of intermittent fasting without the need to substantially change eating habits.

This review article and many of the research studies cited within were supported by NIA.

Reference: De Cabo R and Mattson MP. Effects of intermittent fasting on health, aging, and disease. New England Journal of Medicine. 2019;381(26):2541-2551. doi: 10.1056/NEJMra1905136.

See more here:
Research on intermittent fasting shows health benefits - National Institute on Aging

A new study suggests olive oil could be integral to the Mediterranean diet's brilliance.

The diet, which US News & World Report ranked the best diet of 2019, has been linked to good health and longer lives.

According to new research by the University of Minnesota Medical School, olive oil alone, a staple ingredient of the diet, appears to have properties that promote longevity and decrease the risk of age-related disease like diabetes and heart disease.

Doug Mashek, the lead researcher, said that studying the way olive oil affected human cells in petri dishes indicated that the fats in olive oil activated cell pathways in the body that are linked to longer life.

"We found that the way this fat works is it first has to get stored in microscopic things called lipid droplets, which is how our cells store fat," Mashek said in a press release. "And then, when the fat is broken down during exercising or fasting, for example, is when the signaling and beneficial effects are realized."

Foods includingwhole-grain pita bread, fresh fruit, salads, nuts, beans, olive oil, and salmon are Mediterranean diet staples. Anna Kurzaeva/Getty Images

This isn't the first time the Mediterranean diet has been found beneficial for long-term health.

The concept of the Mediterranean diet comes from the countries that border the Mediterranean Sea, where people historically ate mainly vegetables, oily fish, nuts, and healthy fats. The Harvard School of Public Health and a think tank called Oldways created a diet based on the general eating principles of these places, according to US News.

Unlike highly restrictive diets like the keto diet or the Atkins diet, the Mediterranean diet allows people to eat a wide variety of foods in moderation. In fact, the diet is safe for most people, including children and older people.

Foods including whole-grain pita bread, fresh fruit, salads, nuts, beans, olive oil, and salmon are Mediterranean diet staples and promote a variety of health benefits.

When people fill their diets with the fresh, unprocessed foods found in the Mediterranean diet, they may lose weight, improve their heart health, and prevent diabetes, according to US News.

Since the diet focuses on heart-healthy fats like olive oil, avocado, and salmon, it also couldlower bad cholesterol, a major cause of heart disease, according to the Mayo Clinic. "The Mediterranean diet discourages saturated fats and hydrogenated oils (trans fats), both of which contribute to heart disease," the Mayo Clinic said on its website.

The diet could also help prevent cognitive diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's as well as breast cancer.

Continue reading here:
There's evidence that exercise after consuming olive oil could trigger changes linked to longevity - Insider - INSIDER

Dr de Grey, a biomedical gerontologist, is chief science officer at the SENS Research Foundation which conducts counter-ageing research. He argued we could reach the point of longevity escape velocity, when scientific breakthroughs are able to keep pace with the ageing process, in as little as 20 years.

However the leading scientist called for a dramatic increase in funding for research aimed at stopping ageing, arguing it will revolutionise human society.

Speaking to Express.co.uk Dr de Grey stated massive advances in the fight against ageing have been made over the past two decades.

He said: Oh a huge amount of progress has been made - absolutely immense.

Over the past 15 years the whole concept that I first started putting forward about 20 years ago of comprehensively repairing the molecular and cellular damage that the body does to itself throughout life, that concept has become not only totally mainstream; weve seen enormous progress towards actually doing it in the laboratory and even now in the clinic.

There are many different types of damage that need to be repaired which means there are many different therapies that need to be developed, but some of them are already in clinical trials and most of them have got to the point where they will be in clinical trials in the next year or two.

The SENS Research Foundation, based in California, was founded in 2009 to conduct research aimed at halting ageing.

According to Dr de Grey it focuses on early stage research that is unlikely to attract commercial investment.

Asked whether the first human to live to 1,000 years is already alive Dr de Grey predicted they are.

He said: Probably already alive - its very important to be probabilistic about this.

We all know this is early stage research and therefore any timeframe predictions are extremely speculative.

The number of 1,000 years is actually an extremely conservative estimate.

Dr de Grey previously said longevity escape velocity is likely to be reached within 20 years.

Asked if still believes this he replied: I certainly think thats likely.

READ MORE:Donald Trump faces Presidential challenge from Transhumanist

In fact I think my estimate on how long it is before we have an at least 50-50 chance of reaching longevity escape velocity is now about 17 years so its coming down slowly as time goes on.

The definition of the term is the point at which we reach the rate of progress that means we are staying one step ahead of the problem and that the health problems of late life are being postponed faster than time is passing.

And yes I do believe we are definitely getting there.

However Dr de Grey was critical of politicians who he believes need to focus more on the societal effects of radically extended human life.

He commented: The Government always comes last into all of this because ultimately elected representatives main priority is to get reelected and therefore the essence of public policy always follows public opinion rather than leading it.

Theres always a lot of caution amongst the general public in believing progress is really being made against this problem that weve been trying to make progress against since the beginning of civilisation.

READ MORE:Body health deteriorates from 'head to toes' in forties, study reveals

Its beginning to become a conversation within the corridors of power, particularly in the US, but its really only just beginning.

Its crazy that politicians are keeping their heads in the sand like this.

Dr de Grey argued we should expect politicians and wider society to take radical life extension more seriously as technology improves over the next few years.

He asked: How will society change when it becomes the case that most people expect to live a very very long time?

Because that transition of expectation is likely to occur really rather soon.

Whats going to happen is pretty much overnight people are going to go from an expectation that they will live maybe slightly longer than their parents did to an expectation that they will live a very great deal longer.

A huge amount of restructuring of the economy is going to have to happen pretty much at once in order to avoid this transition being really rather turbulent and its about time policy makers started to realise that.

Dr de Grey claimed the main obstacle to research aimed at combatting ageing is the lack of funding.

He said: Even today when this field is becoming much more established it is still really difficult to get enough resources to move as fast as the science allows.

Im quite sure we could be going at least twice as fast if we had one extra digit on our tiny little budget.

Last year the all party parliamentary group on longevity was launched in the UK, though it is primarily focused on managing the ageing population rather than halting ageing itself.

Dr de Grey argued attitudes to ageing amongst the public will shift sharply once the progress towards its abolition he anticipates is made.

He commented: The fundamental problem is that humanity has been aware of ageing since the beginning of civilisation and has been aware that its absolutely horrifying.

Most people have only one way that theyre able to cope with that, namely to put it out of their minds and get on with their lives and make the best of it.

Nobody wants to hear the answers, they want to carry on thinking that ageing is a blessing in disguise so as to not get their hopes up.

Now at some point how close we actually are to achieving this will get to a sufficient stage that the fear of getting ones hopes up can finally be dismissed and people can actually get their hopes up and get emotionally invested in it.

But were not there yet.

Read the original here:
First human to live 1,000 years may already be alive says scientist fighting to end ageing - Express.co.uk

New Hampshire voters will soon pass judgment on the first special election of 2020 in the town of Hooksett.

The race on Tuesday, March 10, is to replace the late Republican State Rep. Dick Marple, and features a young GOP contender against a local Democratic activist and educator.

Party registration clearly favors the GOP as Hooksett is one of those unusual communities where there are more Republicans registered to vote (3,820) than there are independent voters (3,781). Democrats lag considerably behind (2,749).

The election is also on Town Meeting Day which tends to boost voter turnout which, all things being equal, should favor the Republican contender, Elliot Axelman.

In the GOP primary, Axelman soundly defeated two rivals with more longevity in town than he.

Axelman only moved to New Hampshire in 2017 as a follower of the Libertarian-driven Free State Project.

After it initially slipped my mind, I was reminded about the Free State Project while finishing up my research for the freest state and preparing to move to Wyoming. Once my memory was refreshed, I spent some time on the Free State Projects website, and I re-watched the video I had seen years ago, 101 Reasons Liberty Lives in NH. This tipped the scale from Wyoming to New Hampshire, Axelman posted in 2017.

If elected, hes vowed to support the agenda of Gov. Chris Sununu but has some other controversial ideas all his own such as getting rid of Medicare and the Department of Homeland Security, and calling Global Warming the biggest hoax in human history.

Axelman has proven himself to be a pretty capable fundraiser having attracted nearly $5,200 in donations for the job that pays $100 a year.

Among his supporters include former GOP State Chairman and Concord developer Steve Duprey ($500); current Republican National Committeeman Chris Ager ($100); State Reps. Jesse Edwards ($200) of Auburn, Mark Warden ($100) of Manchester and Carol McGuire ($100) of Epsom; along with the NH Liberty Alliance ($200).

The Democratic rival, Kathleen Martins, has been outgunned financially having raised $1,517 to this point. As a union member and educator, its little surprise that organized labor makes up the bulk of her donations, from the State Employees Association ($500), National Education Association ($100) and Merrimack County Democrats ($500).

She ran for the same seat in 2018 and was the top vote-getting Democrat finishing in fifth just 87 votes behind Marple.

Checklist totals are revealing

There were both good and troubling signs for both political parties as Secretary of State Bill Gardners office published at the end of last week the final numbers on registered voters in the wake of the first-in-the-nation primary.

Democratic Chairman Raymond Buckley should be pleased that the new totals mean his party is the biggest (324,593) in history. Prior to Feb. 11, Republicans had a slight edge in party registration but thats been wiped out now, though Republicans for the first time broke 300,000 as well (306,542).

For Republican Chairman Stephen Stepanek, what was real promising for President Trumps reelection efforts was that even without a real challenge there were still nearly 40,000 (39,685) independent voters who bothered to show up to cast a GOP ballot.

Democrats had many more independents taking part (130,758).

Then there are the new registered voters in the college towns where Democratic campaigns have often gone to harvest voter advantages every four years.

In the four biggest college towns (Durham, Hanover, Keene and Henniker), the number of new voters this time (3,169) was quite a drop down from those (4,731) that turned out in 2016.

Four years ago there was competition in both parties so one would think the new voter total would be higher but this kind of decline will surely spark questions about whether the new laws linking voter registration to residency did have a chilling effect.

Pro-abortion rights group endorse state senators

Emilys List, the largest political action committee supporting female Democratic candidates who support abortion rights, endorsed four incumbent state senators at the end of last week.

They are Senate President Donna Soucy, D-Manchester, along with Sens. Cindy Rosenwald, D-Nashua, Melanie Levesque, D-Brookline, and Shannon Chandley, D-Amherst.

Soucy is the only seasoned senator on that list; the other three are serving their first terms.

Democratic race for governor getting chippy

It appears the two declared Democratic candidates for governor, Senate Majority Leader Dan Feltes and Executive Councilor Andru Volinsky, both of Concord, are looking forward to getting after it.

After Volinsky first raised the idea of having debates prior to the dog days of summer, Feltes quickly responded hes all for it and proposed having 10 debates, one in each county.

The two campaigns also got into it over Feltes decision to return corporate PAC money and checks from limited liability companies (LLCs) that had exceeded the individual contribution limit. Feltes has sponsored legislation in past years to get rid of the so-called LLC loophole.

Feltes initial campaign fundraising reports had shown, and there were published reports that, he had taken corporate PAC money.

New Hampshire Public Radio reported last week Feltes had been airing Facebook ads about his opposition to taking corporate PAC money.

In response to the latest report, Feltes said he was returning $11,000 in donations.

People are increasingly concerned about corporate money in politics which is why in this campaign we are not accepting corporate contributions; weve returned any and all such contributions received to date, Feltes said in a statement.

Earlier last week, Feltes Campaign Manager Nick Taylor took to Twitter to accuse the Volinsky campaign of sending out a misleading email of his own to raise money.

However, its so disappointing to see the Volinsky campaign send a fundraising email tonight that they know is false. We had private conversations with their campaign this weekend to clarify our position, any timeline or narrative that was unclear in the NHPR story, Taylor posted.

Volinsky has declined to comment publicly on the controversy.

Conservative senator heading to NH

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., will come to New Hampshire to help raise money for the state GOP and also for U.S. Senate candidate Don Bolduc.

Cotton will be the keynote speaker at the Lincoln-Reagan Dinner for the Hillsborough County GOP Committee on May 1 at the Sky Meadow Country Club in Nashua.

DNC adding more staff to NH

The Democratic National Committee announced it is expanding its Battleground Build-Up 2020 program to include six states including New Hampshire.

These states will end up with additional field offices and double the number of organizers and operations staff.

Meanwhile, the top spokesman for NH Democrats, Holly Shulman, was dispatched to South Carolina last week to assist the media staffers of that state in the run-up to its primary.

Its fun to be able to use my skills accumulated over the last few weeks to help out people who have no idea the barrage of questions theyre about to get from reporters all around the world, Shulman said.

Lawmakers back in action

Fresh off school vacation week, the New Hampshire State Senate and House of Representatives resume business sessions this Thursday.

The House will take up the three dozen or so bills that were not completed prior to the break due to the long debate over issuing reprimands against House GOP members who did not attend a training session to prevent sexual harassment.

The House is expected to kill bills to impose a tax on the sale of electronic equipment and to subject ski lift tickets to the Room and Meals Tax.

The Senate will debate mandatory seat belts and is likely to kill a controversial measure aimed to impose restrictions on shooting ranges.

See the original post here:
State House Dome: Early 2020 bellwether to come in Hooksett special election - The Union Leader

In the predawn darkness, you can see an eerie red glow shining from the windows of the Hudson, Wisconsin, home of Thaddeus Owen and his fiance, Heidi Sime.

The couple are awake, having slept in their Faraday cage a canopy over their bed that blocks electromagnetic fields like the Wi-Fi signals or radiation from cellphone towers, which they believe are harmful.

Their primal sleeping environment also has special pads under the bed that are supposed to mimic the effect of sleeping on the ground under the influence of the Earths magnetic field, thus combating Magnetic Field Deficiency Syndrome.

Their house is bathed in red light because they think white incandescent, LED and fluorescent lighting robs them of sleep-regulating melatonin hormones. They wear special sunglasses indoors for the same reason, blocking the blue light from computers, cellphones or televisions when its dark outside.

Their morning routine includes yoga in a shielded, infrared sauna designed to create an EMF-free ancestral space, and putting tiny spoonfuls of bitter white powders under their tongues. These are nootropics, so-called smart drugs, which are supposed to improve focus, mood or memory.

When day breaks, they go out in their yard and face the rising sun Thaddeus in shorts and no shirt, Heidi in a sports bra and yoga pants doing Qigong in the snow and 25-degree air.

Getting early-morning sunlight, they believe, will correctly set the circadian rhythm of their bodies. Exposing their skin to the freezing temperatures, they hope, will help release human growth hormone, stimulate their immune system and trigger the body to burn fat to heat itself.

Forget Blue Zones. This is what your morning looks like if youre biohacking your way to an optimal you.

DIY HUMAN ENGINEERING

Biohacking is a DIY biology movement that started in Silicon Valley by people who want to boost productivity and human performance and engineer away aging and ordinary life spans. Think of it as high-tech tinkering, but instead of trying to create a better phone, biohackers are trying to upgrade to a faster, smarter, longer lasting, enhanced version of themselves.

Owen, 44, describes it as a journey of self-experimentation, using practices that are not talked about by mainstream media and your family doctor. His aim is to combine the latest technology and science with ancient knowledge to modify his environment, inside and out.

My entire goal is to basically age in reverse, he said.

Owen, who is from New York, studied chemical engineering in college. He worked for Procter & Gamble, helping to create beauty care products, and for pharmaceutical firms, developing manufacturing processes.

Now he works from home, managing worldwide product regulations in the sustainability department for office furniture company Herman Miller. But he moonlights as a biohacking guru.

He started a Twin Cities biohacking Meetup group that organizes weekly cold-water immersions at Cedar Lake in Minneapolis. Hes given a TEDx talk urging audience members to wear blue-light-blocking glasses indoors at night.

He founded the website primalhacker.com and he and the 45-year-old Sime (who also goes by the name Tomorrow) run a website called thaddeustomorrow.com, where they market biohacking products like red light panels, a baby blanket that blocks EMF radiation and a $5,499 Faraday cage sauna thats the same type used by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey.

Owen said he relies on tons of research to support avoiding blue light at night and the healing properties of the early morning sun.

WHATS THE DEAL WITH BLUE LIGHT?

The Harvard Health Letter, for example, said that blue light from devices, LED and compact fluorescent bulbs can throw off the bodys circadian rhythm, affect sleep and might contribute to cancer, diabetes, heart disease and obesity. Some studies have shown that exposing people to cold temperatures burns calories and repeated cold-water immersions might stimulate the immune system.

And those infrared saunas? They dont appear to be harmful and maybe they do some good, according to Dr. Brent Bauer, an internal medicine expert at the Mayo Clinic.

But being healthy really doesnt need to be that complicated, according to Dr. Michael Joyner, a human performance specialist at the Mayo Clinic.

All these things sound great, Joyner said of the biohacks. Theres a ring of what I call bioplausibility to them.

But Joyner said its often hard to find evidence that biohacking practices actually work and that most Americans would be healthier if they just followed basic advice: go for a walk, dont smoke, dont drink too much and dont eat too much.

But Owens goal is not to be merely healthy.

I want my biology to be shifted to that supernormal range, where Im optimally healthy, he said.

When he started biohacking about 12 years ago, Owens goal was to improve his sleep. As a competitive athlete, he was fit, but he had problems with anxiety and insomnia.

So he started wearing special glasses to block blue light. His co-workers used to think he was odd. Now Owens company is asking him for advice on what kind of lighting should be used in work settings to keep employees healthy. And his sleep and anxiety problems have gone away.

I went from being the weird guy to being consulted, he said.

We all sort of watch what he does, said Gabe Wing, director of sustainability at Herman Miller and Owens boss. Wing said Owen has influenced some co-workers to try blue-light-blocking tools.

When Owen first got into it, he didnt know of any other biohackers in the Twin Cities. Now there are more than 500 people in the Biohackers Twin Cities Meetup group.

Although many biohacks seem odd now, Owen is convinced that some of them will become common practices.

This whole blue light thing, its not going away, he said. More research comes out every day and its becoming more mainstream.

Owen and Sime have five of their children, ages 8 to 17, living with them. The kids wear blue-light-blocking glasses when they watch TV, but theyre OK with it, the couple said.

I think cellphone radiation is going to be the new lead, asbestos and smoking, said Owen, who turns his Wi-Fi off at night, keeps his cellphone in a special Faraday pouch when he sleeps and sometimes wears radiation-proof underwear.

(The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences says scientific evidence has not conclusively linked cellphone use with any adverse human health problems, although scientists admit more research is needed.)

Owen eats what he describes as a local, seasonal diet: local vegetables, fruits, nuts and honey during the growing season. Thats followed by a high-fat, low-carb ketogenic diet in late fall and early winter. Then an all-carnivore diet in late winter, including animals hes raised at a friends farm.

Owen doesnt have a particular longevity goal, unlike biohacker and Bulletproof Coffee founder Dave Asprey, who has said he wants to live to at least 180.

Owen just wants to be healthy and independent for as long as he lives.

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Can red lights, sleep cages and ice baths really extend life spans? - yoursun.com

PLYMOUTH - Jae Dunn has been quietly working behind the scenes to make the towns 400th anniversary later this year a success. And when the opportunity to make a longer lasting impression arose, the local woman knew she must have a part.

While local students celebrated recess last week, Dunn was one of a dozen women taking a hands-on class in embroidery that will leave her mark on history for generations and generations to come even if it is just a couple of large letters on a piece of fabric.

Using skills she learned at her grandmothers knee as a child, Dunn spent two days last week stitching the letters P and L to the prologue panel of the Plymouth Tapestry, a heroically scaled commemorative embroidery interpreting the people and events central to the founding of Plymouth in 1620.

Based on the Bayeux Tapestry, an embroidery project that was crafted in 1066 to celebrate the Norman Conquest of England, the Plymouth tapestry will tell the story of Plymouth from its native American origins to the arrival of the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving.

When finished, it will feature 20 six-foot panels and span 120 feet. But it is its longevity, not length, that has undeniable appeal.

What motivated me first is its outrageously beautiful," Dunn said. "But the thought of leaving something around, something that should be around for the 500th anniversary, that really appealed to me. This is a real, tangible thing that will last long after Im gone.

Plymouth CRAFT offered stitchers the opportunity to have a hand in the project, running two three-day workshops at Pilgrim Hall Museum that taught basic stitches and allowed needle workers like Dunn to work on the title panel.

The class included a visit to the home of Elizabeth Creeden of Wellingsley Studio, who turned her 17th century home on Sandwich Street into a tapestry workshop.

With the help of local historians, Creeden has been designing the panels for years. A team of volunteer stitchers has been helping her embroider the six-foot sketches since last fall.

Two of the panels are complete and were in Pilgrim Hall as inspiration for last weeks Plymouth CRAFT class. Pilgrim Hall expects to unveil four of the panels for the public later this spring. The entire 120-foot tapestry is slated for completion and unveiling in the fall of 2021 for the 400th anniversary of the first Thanksgiving.

Participants in the class included two nationally known embroiderers who have been working with Creeden on the project. Kathy Neal and Barbara Jackson have traveled to Plymouth from their homes out of state repeatedly to help stitch.

For the class they spent the first morning of both sessions teaching their students a half dozen or so stitches like the reverse chain, the alternating stem stitch and invisible couching that will go into the prologue piece a six-foot title page that feature the likeness of the Mayflower.

Local historian Ginny Davis provided the drawing of the ship. It was on a linen napkin she has from 1957, when Mayflower II, the replica of the ship that carried the Pilgrims to America, sailed from England to Plymouth.

Davis husband, Karl Lekberg, already had a hand in the project. He built the custom wooden frames being used to hold the fabric panels during stitching.

Davis got a glimpse of the project as a result and, like Dunn, knew she wanted to be part of something so grand. What she didnt realize was the peace it would bring.

They gave us little panel to practice on, then we sat down to stitch. It was a transformational experience. I didnt even get tired. I got energized. It was like meditation for me, Davis said. Its something that truly makes you feel like youre tied to the past and the future.

Davis said she used the stem stitch almost exclusively to stitch letters during her session. Even that was exacting work, as every line had to be straight and without split strands.

It was very painstaking, but also they can be taken out," she said. "Even the best of the stitchers have taken their stitches out. Sometimes they do a piece and come back the next day and start over.

Celia Nolan traveled from Hull to stitch on the project. A volunteer knitter for Plimoth Plantation, Nolan stitched as a child and thought it would be fun to get back into needlework on such a momentous project. She was also perfectly happy to perfect a single stitch if thats what was needed.

Its an amazing project that looks backward and will last long into the future - something my children can go look at and their children, Nolan said.

She stitched the first T in Massachusetts and most of the Y in Plymouth. Like many of her classmates, Nolan said she is hopeful that her skills might be deemed worthy enough for a call up to Sandwich Street and a chair at one spot on the main tapestry panels.

The H in Plymouth belongs to Caitlin Doyle.

The Hingham woman learned to embroider on her own using online resources after graduating from college a few years ago and was looking for a way to turn a solitary hobby into more of a social occasion.

Since learning about the Bayeux Tapestry, Doyle also dreamed of having a hand in a story telling tradition that started so long ago and commemorates so much human history.

The Bayeux has lasted a thousand years even after being forgotten in a chest for a few centuries," she said. "The Plymouth Tapestry will be cared for with a museums meticulous love and attention from the beginning, so who know how much longer than that it could last?

The Plymouth Tapestry experience was a wonderful way to practice this beautiful art that ties us to people past and present, all over the world, and I am proud to have a part of it. Also, Im so excited to bring everyone I know to see it on display say, Look how great the letter H in Plymouth is - I did that!

Rich Harbert can be reached at rharbert@wickedlocal.com.

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A stitch in time: Plymouth Tapestry Experience traces history of Native Americans and Pilgrims - Wicked Local

Last week in my Sonic the Hedgehog review, I lamented that the title character was a cleaned-up cartoon rather than the realistic CGI abomination we were promised that would have made the movie a classic of terrible cinema. This week, with The Call of the Wild, we do indeed get a realistic CGI abomination of a main character, but unlike Sonic, the movie surrounding the character is halfway decent. Its no fun having a distracting, unnerving computerized animal in this one.

The film, based on the classic novel by Jack London, follows a dog named Buck from his spoiled life in California to his dognapping and sale into service to his stint as a sled dog under a determined mailman (Omar Sy) to his role as a companion to grizzled loner John Thornton (Harrison Ford). The spoiled portion is full of predictable dog hijinks. Hes told not to eat food off the picnic table, but then he walks up to his owner (Bradley Whitford) with a drumstick in his mouth, and you know hes eaten food off the picnic table. I know this sounds horrible to say, but I was glad when Buck got dognapped so this could no longer be a dog eats food off the picnic table movie.

Buck is shipped to the Arctic, and cruelly taught obedience by a guy with a club that Buck frankly seems perfectly capable of taking. He learns the value of teamwork while helping to pull the mailmans sled, so much so that he eventually replaces the power-hungry lead dog and helps the mailman be on time for the first time ever. Then hes sold to arrogant fortune hunter Hal (Dan Stevens), who wants him for a trek to a legendary river of gold, even though the guy seems incapable of forging even the tamest of streams. Thornton rescues Buck from the villain and the two go off on adventure of their own, here Buck struggles to fight the temptation (call if you will) to run off with a pack of fellow canines. It turns out that the two are camping at the site of the very river Hal wanted to find, and he tracks them down for a confrontation, even though our heroes braved an arduous journey and Hal has been established as terrible traveler in a plot hole Im not willing to overlook.

Whatever problems there may be with the script (and dont blame London, Hal doesnt enjoy such longevity in the book), theyre nothing compared to the problems with the very look of Buck. Its not like hes animated in the traditional sense, hes rendered using motion capture technology. Lets say the movie wants Buck and Harrison Ford in the same scene, one where Ford talks to the animal. Forget having Ford talk to a real dog or even a blank space where a dog will be added later. He has to talk to a guy wearing a highly sophisticated motion capture suit for a movie set in the 19th century. Ford actually pulls it off, its the visual effects that fail. Motion capture is great for fantastical creatures, but the technology hasnt yet reached the point where I can look at a motion capture dog and recognize it as an actual dog.

There are actually a number of positive elements to The Call of the Wild: Bucks journey is compelling, the scenery is beautiful, Sy is affable in his role, and Ford gives a dignified performance. But its all undone by the fundamental truth that the dog looks phony. I suppose it could be worse. Buck could be designed to look like an animal/human actor hybrid, but I dont see any non-musical being dumb enough to do that.

Grade: C

The Call of the Wild is rated PG for some violence, peril, thematic elements and mild language. Itsrunning time is 100 minutes.

Contact Bob Garver at [emailprotected]

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Movie Review: 'The Call of the Wild' - Lewiston Sun Journal