Pleasure and placebo
Nature plumbs the depths of one of the most mysterious processes in medicine.
Researchers have found that the placebo effect – when “fake” medicine creates real results… Read the rest “Pleasure and placebo”
Science
The Noble Bonobo
The New Yorker, of all publications, has a fascinating Ian Parker article on the natural history of the bonobo – the sexy primate that’s supposed to choose orgies over fighting… Read the rest “The Noble Bonobo”
Ice Volcanoes of Charon!
Nature brings new observations of Ice Volcanoes in Outer Space.
… Read the rest “Ice Volcanoes of Charon!”Cook speculates that liquid water deep within Charon’s core is mixed with ammonia, which acts like antifreeze and
Baboon birth control (Do you dare to eat a plum?)
New Scientist reports on African primates using natural contraceptives from, of all things, plums:
… Read the rest “Baboon birth control (Do you dare to eat a plum?)”Like the synthetic progestogens used in the pill, phyto-progestogens have a hormonal
Schizophrenia in Paradise
Science News reports on Trouble in Paradise – how feelings of “social defeat” could be responsible for triggering schizophrenia, which might explain why the otherwise… Read the rest “Schizophrenia in Paradise”
Weather in China
On the one hand:
China had more wars in cold weather
… Read the rest “Weather in China”Most of the armed conflicts in eastern China over the past 1,000 years were triggered by food shortages caused by climate, say researchers.