By Yudhijit Bhattacharjee (NY Times) Speaking two languages rather than just one has obvious practical benefits in an increasingly globalized world. But in recent years, scientists have begun to show that the advantages of bilingualism are even more fundamental than being able to converse with a wider range of people. Being bilingual, it turns out, [...]
Georgia lawmaker compares women to cows and pigs
By David Edwards (RawStory) Republican Georgia state Rep. Terry England says that his experience with cows, pigs and chickens has proven to him that women should be forced to have their babies after 20 weeks of pregnancy. In a debate over Georgia House Bill 954, which would ban abortions after 20 weeks even if the baby [...]
Study of previous research confirms that LSD helps to treat alcoholism
By Arran Frood (Nature) The powerful hallucinogen LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) has potential as a treatment for alcoholism, according to a retrospective analysis of studies published in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The study1, by neuroscientist Teri Krebs and clinical psychologist Pål-Ørjan Johansen of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, is the [...]
Complaints from defenders of fat kids close Disney’s Epcot exhibit Habit Heroes
By Marni Jameson (Orlando Sentinel) Epcot’s new Habit Heroes attraction, which tackles childhood obesity, has landed in big fat trouble. Shortly after its unofficial opening last month, the interactive exhibit was blasted by critics for stigmatizing fat kids. Now, Disney has closed the Innoventions exhibit for “retooling.” The official opening date of March 5 has been postponed [...]
States that legalize medical marijuana show decreases in suicides
(Norml) The enactment of statewide laws allowing for the limited use of cannabis therapeutically is associated with reduced instances of suicide, according to a discussion paper published in January by the Institute for the Study of Labor in Bonn, Germany. Researchers at Montana State University, the University of Colorado, and San Diego State University assessed [...]
Tanness, Anyone? Oscars and the Bronze Beauties
by Walter Brasch (Moronia)–It’s the end of February, and one of my friends is still sporting a summer tan. I know it’s phony—and she knows I know it’s phony—but I have long ago stopped teasing her about it. In her never-ending quest to appear to be beautiful and healthy, she has slathered skin [...]
Coming for science: Why I orgasmed in an MRI scanner
An edgy, irreverent book by Kayt Sukel that examines all the ways our neurons can wreak havoc with our hearts. By Kayt Sukel (CNN) As background research for my book, “Dirty Minds: How our brains influence love, sex and relationships,” I participated in a study at Rutgers University where scientists measured the activity in my [...]
Child abuse may alter brain structure, research shows
By Nicole Ostrow (Bloomberg) Brain scans of adolescents who suffered physical abuse and neglect showed differences in the part that controls executive function — mental processes such as planning, organizing and focusing on details — according to a study in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. Changes were also seen in brain areas that [...]
Woman’s face catches fire during routine surgery – ABC News
By Katie Moisse (ABC News) A Florida woman was rushed by helicopter to an Alabama burn center after her face caught fire during routine surgery. Kim Grice, a 29-year-old mother of three, was having cysts removed from her head at an outpatient surgery center in Crestview, Fla., when the flash fire erupted. The cause of [...]
Researcher creates a super-virus that could kill half the world
(DoctorTipster) A strain of avian influenza H5N1 genetically modified to be extremely contagious has been created by researcher Ron Fouchier of the Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam, Netherlands. The work was first presented at a conference dedicated to influenza, that took place in September in Malta. Avian influenza emerged in Asia about 10 years ago. Since [...]
