The Birdman competition is a challenge that has many benefits, according to a podcast; it may connect us to our evolutionary history of fluctuating food abundance and scarcity, while also providing an opportunity for fun and creativity.
MTOR is responsible for sensing whether there are nutrients in the environment and deciding whether the body is catabolic or anabolic, therefore affecting various physiological functions such as fertility and muscle growth. This protein's role in regulating the body's response to nutrient availability is crucial, especially in times of food scarcity.
The Birdman competition takes place in Easter Island and involves athletes scaling down a 150 to 200 meter cliff and swimming one and a half kilometers out to reach two small rocks as part of the competition.
The Turn Bird Egg Ritual involved risking your life to get an egg from an almost impossible-to-climb island and then present the egg to the leader of your tribe, who would become the de facto ruler.
Rapamycin has been used for organ transplants, cardiology, and as an anti-cancer agent. However, the most tantalizing potential use of rapamycin is in the process of autophagy.