Flu’s in your head.
BBC has an interesting report on the psychological dimensions of flu:
… Read the rest “Flu’s in your head.”While it seems obvious that we feel under-par when we are ill, Dr Harrison says there is more to it than just physical
Science
Oxytocin and roses….
New Scientist recently got all romantic with an intrepid researcher’s chemical expose of her big fat geek wedding:
… Read the rest “Oxytocin and roses….”WE’D booked the venue, chosen the bridesmaids’
Science Art: “Rocket Ride Is New Planetarium Exhibit,” Popular Science Monthly, April 1938
Hey, look! PopSci just put 137 years of back issues on the internet for free. Science-aesthetic treasure!
They’re at Google Books, from whence this striking… Read the rest “Science Art: “Rocket Ride Is New Planetarium Exhibit,” Popular Science Monthly, April 1938”
Evolution made us conservative, not smart.
LabSpaces shares some interesting research on the role of novelty in human development:
… Read the rest “Evolution made us conservative, not smart.”An earlier study by Kanazawa found that more intelligent individuals were more nocturnal, waking
Beethoven isn’t Beethoven any more.
Slate has a great piece on why the piano we hear now ain’t the instrument great composers wrote on – and how that changes the best known tunes in history:
… Read the rest “Beethoven isn’t Beethoven any more.”But music from the 18th
Snake eating dinosaurs.
Not dinosaurs that eat snakes, Wired says, but snakes that paleontologists discovered eating dinosaurs:
… Read the rest “Snake eating dinosaurs.”But in 2001, University of Michigan paleontologist Jeff Wilson, took a second
Plasma drive’s silver lining.
AFP takes a sunnier look at NASA’s budget trimming. Sure, the government agency said they won’t be landing people on the moon or Mars any time soon. But that leaves more room … Read the rest “Plasma drive’s silver lining.”
Cute little dinosaurs.
Discovery News has the sweetest report on tiny pterosaurs flitting about with songbirds:
… Read the rest “Cute little dinosaurs.”“I think that a group of small pterosaurs was feeding together near a pond or near a lake,”
Science Art: Nikola Tesla’s Letterhead
If you’re one of history’s greatest electrical inventors, it is only suitable to have stationery that’s equal to your stature.
The central image is of the unfinished… Read the rest “Science Art: Nikola Tesla’s Letterhead”
The wise nap.
UC Berkley has me hankering for some shut-eye… for my brain’s sake:
… Read the rest “The wise nap.”In the recent UC Berkeley sleep study, 39 healthy young adults were divided into two groups — nap and no-nap.
Life is dangerous.
NPR has introduced me to the Medea Principle; just as the Gaia Principle states that a planet can be thought of as a single living organism, this idea states that the single biggest threat … Read the rest “Life is dangerous.”
Hypno-Soup!
The Wall Street Journal reveals the lengths to which modern corporations go to make hot soup seem even homier:
… Read the rest “Hypno-Soup!”Campbell began dissecting its condensed-soup marketing that summer, around
Science Art: Gingko bilobe, Dictionnaire encyclopédique Trousset, 1886 – 1891
This is the plant that produces those memory-enhancing extracts you see in the health food aisle of the drug store – the one that long-lived Chinese monks reputedly tended for thousands… Read the rest “Science Art: Gingko bilobe, Dictionnaire encyclopédique Trousset, 1886 – 1891”
Eldest alphabet.
New Scientist takes a closer look at the squiggly bits around some famous cave paintings – shapes that might just be some of the world’s oldest written messages:
… Read the rest “Eldest alphabet.”While some
Mosquito nose transplants.
So Science Daily says – and they don’t seem to be making this up – that scientists are stopping malaria by transplanting mosquitoes’ noses into frog eggs and fruit… Read the rest “Mosquito nose transplants.”