Field of Science

Links - May 13, 2011

I'm sorry for not posting much lately. I have, as Gerty-Z joked on Twitter, reached the 'herding cats' portion of my graduate education. I'm busy wrapping up loose ends and trying to schedule and prepare for my thesis defense. Also most of my blogging energy is going to other things. I've been flexing my sociology muscles since I'm a little burnt out on science at the moment, mi dispiace. I'm sure you understand. But, hey, here's some stuff you can read! My commentary is a bit cursory today because, again, feeling a little burnt out. It's all good though, I promise.

Physiology

Sex on the brain: Orgasms unlock altered consciousness. I was mostly just amused by the woman's description of being instructed to masturbate while in an fMRI machine.

Just how dangerous is sitting all day? Spending long periods sitting down can be very harmful for you, even if you exercise regularly. See also: 7 Myths about Physical Activity.

Burning proteins to save water. Breaking down muscle for energy releases water, and certain long-distance migratory birds are taking advantage of this. I have the paper for this in my reading queue.

Is semen really an antidepressant? Wow, this topic seems to get people blogging like no other! Check out this one in Jezebel which includes a quote by our pal Kate Clancy.

How kissing can boost your mood instantly. Props to Sheryl for not naming this article "The neuroscience of kissing"!

Biology

Wildlife in the Star Wars Universe. Gorgeous photos of alien wildlife compared to earthly beings.

Other stuff

Mythbusting Bisexual Men. Apparently people believe that bisexual men are rarer than unicorns.

Brown man + white woman and Marriage and the intersection of gender and race. Razib and Sociological Images tackle the numbers behind actual rates of marriage outside of one's own race.

In other news, apparently Kedar is upset that I didn't remind the world that today is his birthday. So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEDAR! I got him a tie, a Wii Fit Plus, and a really skimpy dress for me.

The birthday monkey boy, circa 1987.

3 comments:

  1. Don't your readers want to know that its also my birthday today?

    K (sorry for using your account babe)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I read the article from the link sex on the brain. I have come across a similar study using PET brain imaging, that must have had an amazingly high budget that demostrated literally that "These neuroimaging results show the importance of lowering the level of alertness regarding your immediate environment (left hemisphere) to have proper sexual behavior"
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21352827
    So, in order to have good sex on has to concentrate on what is doing

    ReplyDelete
  3. Brain circuits for mating behavior in cats and brain activations and de-activations during sexual stimulation and ejaculation and orgasm in humans.

    That seems like kind of an odd smoosh of topics to put together in one paper!

    ReplyDelete

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