Think of a political candidate you like. Maybe you agree with their politics. Maybe they have a very open and honest demeanor. Maybe they have lots of qualities that you think would make them a good leader. You would follow them if they led…but would you follow them if they looked? (Source) Liuzza et al. […]
Sci is at SciAm Blogs today, talking about an interesting new study which uses manipulations in social rank in monkeys to study the effects on the immune system. We’ve known that social stress is bad for your health for a while, and this study aims to get at what kind of changes take place which […]
Well, it depends on how hard you worked in the first place. Sci is at SciAm Blogs today talking about a recent study showing how these drugs affect choice decision making in rats. And I wonder if the changes in response to amphetamine and caffeine here are related to other, previous studies in the drug […]
Sci is at SciAm blogs today, talking about a brand new study on chronic stress and possible connections with neurobiological symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease. It’s an interesting finding, and an interesting mechanism, but we’ll need a lot more information and experiments to understand it. Head over and check out why.
Nature Reviews Neuroscience came out with a perspectives article today on overeating and obesity, and the evidence behind the food addiction model that is gaining popularity. It’s an issue that I myself have given a lot of thought to: is there REALLY such a thing as food addiction that’s just like heroin addiction or cocaine […]
Sci is at SciAm Blogs today talking about a new study looking at serotonin transporter densities and how people behave in the ultimatum game, where you can punish reject unfair offers. Head over and check it out to see what I think of it.
And the various ideas behind why it hurts SO good. Sci is at SciAm Blogs today talking about the runner’s high, what might cause it, and WHY it might exist in the first place. Head over and check it out!
Sci’s post had to go up late today due to embargoes, but I’m at SciAm talking about what happens in the brain when songbirds become deaf, which causes their songs to degrade. It’s a really interesting study with some cool techniques. Head over and check it out!
Or rather…what genetics might be partially responsible for people who sing in groups? I’m at SciAm Blogs today, covering a paper that not only looked at the genetics of choral singers vs non musicians, but it used the polymorphisms in the study to create…a choral piece. There is a link to listen at the end […]
It’s kind of sad to me how slowly science can move from the laboratory to the classroom (perhaps less critically important than moving from the lab to the bedside, but still pretty critical). I’d like to think with the popularity of the internet and the spread of science communication direct to your screens (hello!), we’ll […]