24 posts · 34,103 views
A collaborative, crowd-sourced blog covering a variety of science topics targeted toward a general reader.
Stuart Farrimond
24 posts
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- September 17, 2014
- 05:36 AM
- 854 views
A talking powered smartphone? The chin strap that makes electricity from chewing
by Stuart Farrimond in Guru: Science Blog
Mouths – where would we be without them? We use our jaws for so many essential tasks: eating food, chewing gum, yawning when we are tired from a hard day’s work and, oh let’s not forget, talking. Most of us […]The post A talking powered smartphone? The chin strap that makes electricity from chewing appeared first on Guru Magazine.... Read more »
Delnavaz, A., & Voix, J. (2014) Flexible piezoelectric energy harvesting from jaw movements. Smart Materials and Structures, 23(10), 105020. DOI: 10.1088/0964-1726/23/10/105020
- June 11, 2014
- 06:13 AM
- 771 views
Do Women Who Live Together Have Coinciding Menstrual Cycles?
by Stuart Farrimond in Guru: Science Blog
There are dozens of menstruation myths out there, ranging from the bizarre to the prosaic. Some of the more ridiculous fallacies include the belief that you shouldn’t wash your hair or have cold drinks when you’re on your period, that […]The post Do Women Who Live Together Have Coinciding Menstrual Cycles? appeared first on Guru Magazine.... Read more »
Yang, Z., & Schank, J. (2006) Women do not synchronize their menstrual cycles. Human Nature, 17(4), 433-447. DOI: 10.1007/s12110-006-1005-z
Stern K, & McClintock MK. (1998) Regulation of ovulation by human pheromones. Nature, 392(6672), 177-9. PMID: 9515961
MCCLINTOCK, M. (1971) Menstrual Synchrony and Suppression. Nature, 229(5282), 244-245. DOI: 10.1038/229244a0
- April 30, 2014
- 07:42 AM
- 1,070 views
Is it true that your eyeballs stay the same size from birth?
by Stuart Farrimond in Guru: Science Blog
Aww, look at those big blue eyes – aren’t they adorable? There’s no denying that a baby’s eyes are one reason why we find them so cute. And, let’s face it, with all the crying and pooping, they need something to help […]The post Is it true that your eyeballs stay the same size from birth? appeared first on Guru Magazine.... Read more »
T. WINGATE TODD, HARRY BEECHER, GUY H. WILLIAMS, & ARTHUR W. TODD. (1940) THE WEIGHT AND GROWTH OF THE HUMAN EYEBALL. Human Biology, 12(1), 1-20. info:/
- March 28, 2014
- 02:35 PM
- 457 views
What’s the best diet to get rid of acne?
by Stuart Farrimond in Guru: Science Blog
Forget the ‘golden days of childhood’, I’ve always thought that being an adult is so much better. For one thing, who would want all the zits, spots, pimples and pustules that afflict adolescence? (I was one of the unlucky ones.) […]The post What’s the best diet to get rid of acne? appeared first on Guru Magazine.... Read more »
Spencer, E., Ferdowsian, H., & Barnard, N. (2009) Diet and acne: a review of the evidence. International Journal of Dermatology, 48(4), 339-347. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-4632.2009.04002.x
- March 14, 2014
- 12:43 PM
- 1,775 views
Do other animals experience pleasurable female orgasms?
by Stuart Farrimond in Guru: Science Blog
Yes, other species experience pleasurable female orgasms, or at least it appears that way. It is hard, after all, to ask the female chimp after her artificial ‘stimulation’ in the lab how it felt. But the signs are all there […]The post Do other animals experience pleasurable female orgasms? appeared first on Guru Magazine.... Read more »
Allen, M., & Lemmon, W. (1981) Orgasm in female primates. American Journal of Primatology, 1(1), 15-34. DOI: 10.1002/ajp.1350010104
TROISI, A., & CAROSI, M. (1998) Female orgasm rate increases with male dominance in Japanese macaques. Animal Behaviour, 56(5), 1261-1266. DOI: 10.1006/anbe.1998.0898
Chevalier-Skolnikoff, S. (1974) Male-Female, Female-Female, and Male-Male sexual behavior in the stumptail monkey, with special attention to the female orgasm. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 3(2), 95-116. DOI: 10.1007/BF01540994
- March 13, 2014
- 02:35 PM
- 1,441 views
I gained two stone in weight since stopping smoking 10 months ago – why?
by Stuart Farrimond in Guru: Science Blog
Gaining weight is one of the most feared consequences to stopping smoking. So firstly, good on you for kicking the cigarettes. The majority of people will gain some weight after stopping smoking. On average, ex-smokers put on a couple of […]The post I gained two stone in weight since stopping smoking 10 months ago – why? appeared first on Guru Magazine.... Read more »
Aubin, H., Farley, A., Lycett, D., Lahmek, P., & Aveyard, P. (2012) Weight gain in smokers after quitting cigarettes: meta-analysis. BMJ, 345(jul10 2). DOI: 10.1136/bmj.e4439
Parsons AC, Shraim M, Inglis J, Aveyard P, & Hajek P. (2009) Interventions for preventing weight gain after smoking cessation. Cochraine Collaboration. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD006219.pub2
- February 19, 2014
- 06:11 PM
- 1,589 views
Why did doctors prescribe Guinness to pregnant women?
by Stuart Farrimond in Guru: Science Blog
Back in the day when real men smoked and doctors wore white coats, prescribing beer to pregnant women was an acceptable thing to do. They don’t do that sort of thing anymore. But for many people, the question of the […]The post Why did doctors prescribe Guinness to pregnant women? appeared first on Guru Magazine.... Read more »
Alcázar A, Pablos F, Martín MA, & González AG. (2002) Multivariate characterisation of beers according to their mineral content. Talanta, 57(1), 45-52. PMID: 18968603
- January 29, 2014
- 01:04 PM
- 759 views
The direction a dog’s tail wags says what it’s thinking
by Stuart Farrimond in Guru: Science Blog
In show business, they say that you should never work with animals or small children. The reasons are obvious: they are both unpredictable and you never know exactly what they are thinking. Children grow up and learn to communicate via […]The post The direction a dog’s tail wags says what it’s thinking appeared first on Guru Magazine.... Read more »
Siniscalchi M, Lusito R, Vallortigara G, & Quaranta A. (2013) Seeing left- or right-asymmetric tail wagging produces different emotional responses in dogs. Current biology : CB, 23(22), 2279-82. PMID: 24184108
- January 15, 2014
- 07:43 AM
- 711 views
Why do women stop losing their hair when pregnant?
by Stuart Farrimond in Guru: Science Blog
Want thicker, shinier hair? Just try nature’s solution – get pregnant! During pregnancy, hair falls out less and many women say it looks incredible. The reason: hormones. When expecting, levels of the hormone oestrogen (US: estrogen) steadily increase. This, alongside […]The post Why do women stop losing their hair when pregnant? appeared first on Guru Magazine.... Read more »
Riedel-Baima B, & Riedel A. (2008) Female pattern hair loss may be triggered by low oestrogen to androgen ratio. Endocrine regulations, 42(1), 13-6. PMID: 18333699
- March 13, 2013
- 06:14 AM
- 1,282 views
Why do Zebras have stripes? Are zebras white with black stripes or black with white?
by Stuart Farrimond in Guru: Science Blog
We’ll get to the eternal question of whether zebras are black with white stripes or white with black stripes in just a little bit. Let’s focus in on why they have the stripes in the first place! There are five main theories as to why zebras are striped: camouflage, confusion, recognition, cooling, and repellant… 1. [...]... Read more »
Calderone JB, Reese BE, & Jacobs GH. (2003) Topography of photoreceptors and retinal ganglion cells in the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta). Brain, behavior and evolution, 62(4), 182-92. PMID: 14573992
Egri A, Blahó M, Kriska G, Farkas R, Gyurkovszky M, Akesson S, & Horváth G. (2012) Polarotactic tabanids find striped patterns with brightness and/or polarization modulation least attractive: an advantage of zebra stripes. The Journal of experimental biology, 215(Pt 5), 736-45. PMID: 22323196
- March 6, 2013
- 01:07 AM
- 1,184 views
‘Cancer Free’? What kind of Cancer did Hugo Chavez really have?
by Stuart Farrimond in Guru: Science Blog
Did the Venezuelan president really die of cancer? Rumours started in July 2011 that the Venezuelan ‘dictator was’ unwell. Officials vociferously denied it. Now it is known that Hugo Chavez had been suffering from cancer, underwent chemotherapy, and initially survived kidney failure. It seems impossible to imagine that some form of cancer hasn’t led to [...]... Read more »
Bosetti, C., & La Vecchia, C. (2005) Cancer mortality in Latin America: implications for prevention. Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública, 18(1). DOI: 10.1590/S1020-49892005000600001
- March 5, 2013
- 07:27 AM
- 1,073 views
Does watching the news make you feel more miserable than not watching it?
by Stuart Farrimond in Guru: Science Blog
That’s a really great question. Whether we watch, read, or listen to the news, I’m sure we have all had the feeling of being sick about it; be it the story itself or how it is presented. A huge proportion of our news seems to be negatively biased – but why? The answer has, in [...]... Read more »
Johnston WM, & Davey GC. (1997) The psychological impact of negative TV news bulletins: the catastrophizing of personal worries. British journal of psychology (London, England : 1953), 85-91. PMID: 9061893
Marin, M., Morin-Major, J., Schramek, T., Beaupré, A., Perna, A., Juster, R., & Lupien, S. (2012) There Is No News Like Bad News: Women Are More Remembering and Stress Reactive after Reading Real Negative News than Men. PLoS ONE, 7(10). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0047189
- January 16, 2013
- 12:11 PM
- 967 views
Do men get ‘phantom limb’ feelings after gender reassignment?
by Stuart Farrimond in Guru: Science Blog
If a man has gender reassignment surgery will he suffer ‘phantom limb’ type feelings? Asked by @christomill via twitter Phantom limb syndrome is the sensation of a body part being present even after it has been amputated. A most peculiar condition, for the amputee the absent limb can feel very real and even as that [...]... Read more »
Ramachandran, V., & McGeoch, P. (2007) Occurrence of phantom genitalia after gender reassignment surgery. Medical Hypotheses, 69(5), 1001-1003. DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2007.02.024
- January 11, 2013
- 10:11 AM
- 5,570 views
Q: Why does skin lose its elasticity as we get old?
by Stuart Farrimond in Guru: Science Blog
Asked by Sam Whiley via Facebook Before we even jump to the answer, let’s define what elasticity actually is. It’s not really the “stretchiness” of your skin as many people tend to think it is; that’s only half the definition. If elasticity were to be defined as only how stretchy something can be, then your [...]... Read more »
Ezure, T., Hosoi, J., Amano, S., & Tsuchiya, T. (2009) Sagging of the cheek is related to skin elasticity, fat mass and mimetic muscle function. Skin Research and Technology, 15(3), 299-305. DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0846.2009.00364.x
Buehler, M. (2011) Atomistic and continuum modeling of mechanical properties of collagen: Elasticity, fracture, and self-assembly. Journal of Materials Research, 21(08), 1947-1961. DOI: 10.1557/jmr.2006.0236
- January 4, 2013
- 06:04 AM
- 691 views
Is it possible to classify animal mental health disorders?
by Stuart Farrimond in Guru: Science Blog
Is there an equivalent in the animal kingdom to the DSM IV that’s used to diagnose mental health problems in humans? Is there animal psychiatry, or is it just classed as behavioural? Asked by Nicky Sewell via Facebook Psychologist, psychiatrist, and “just plain old doctor” – a veterinary behaviorist has to be all three in [...]... Read more »
Sheppard G, & Mills DS. (2003) Construct models in veterinary behavioural medicine: lessons from the human experience. Veterinary research communications, 27(3), 175-91. PMID: 12777092
Overall, K. (2004) BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Behavioural Medicine. D. Horwitz, D. Mills, Heath, S. Quedgeley (Eds.) Glos., British Small Animal Veterinary Association, 2002. 288pp. £66 (soft) ISBN 0905214595. The Veterinary Journal, 168(1), 107-108. DOI: 10.1016/S1090-0233(03)00072-8
- January 3, 2013
- 01:41 PM
- 1,707 views
How many calories do you burn by coughing?
by Stuart Farrimond in Guru: Science Blog
Q: Do you burn calories by coughing and does it help to build ‘ab’ muscles?! I have to be getting some kind of workout out of this damned cold… Asked by Suzanne Butler via Facebook Your question is surprisingly difficult to answer. Energy expenditure has been measured in a variety of ways, but to do [...]... Read more »
Pontifex E, Williams MT, Lunn R, & Parsons D. (2002) The effect of huffing and directed coughing on energy expenditure in young asymptomatic subjects. The Australian journal of physiotherapy, 48(3), 209-13. PMID: 12217070
- January 1, 2013
- 09:36 AM
- 598 views
The Science of New Year’s Resolutions: making them work
by Stuart Farrimond in Guru: Science Blog
New Year’s Resolutions: Just what is the point? I used to hate the idea of resolving to do something good just because it was a new year. And yet there seems to be something magical about the stroke of midnight on December 31st: Many of us pledge to get fit, save money or stop smoking. [...]... Read more »
Norcross, J., Mrykalo, M., & Blagys, M. (2002) Auld lang Syne: Success predictors, change processes, and self-reported outcomes of New Year's resolvers and nonresolvers. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58(4), 397-405. DOI: 10.1002/jclp.1151
- August 10, 2012
- 07:30 AM
- 921 views
How a brain bug that may spell hope for those with Alzheimer’s
by Stuart Farrimond in Guru: Science Blog
What links mind-altering parasites, rat mazes, and sartorially-challenged cat owners – and what have they all to do with treating diseases of the brain? Guest contributor Kathryn Lougheed discovers the answer. Have you ever had an impromptu Facebook session when you should have been working? Or have you experienced a lapse of concentration and ended [...]... Read more »
Jung BK, Pyo KH, Shin KY, Hwang YS, Lim H, Lee SJ, Moon JH, Lee SH, Suh YH, Chai JY.... (2012) Toxoplasma gondii infection in the brain inhibits neuronal degeneration and learning and memory impairments in a murine model of Alzheimer's disease. PloS one, 7(3). PMID: 22470449
- March 13, 2012
- 07:56 PM
- 1,233 views
5 things CSI gets right
by Stuart Farrimond in Guru: Science Blog
For Brits, this week sees the return of everybody’s favourite team of armed Police/crime scene/forensic scientist hybrids: the night shift of the Las Vegas Crime Scene Investigation dpt. (UK Channel 5, Tuesdays 9PM). Now entering its 12th season – it’s even been around since ‘seasons’ were called ‘series’ – CSI is the most watched TV [...]... Read more »
Durnal, E. (2010) Crime scene investigation (as seen on TV). Forensic Science International, 199(1-3), 1-5. DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2010.02.015
- January 1, 2012
- 11:02 AM
- 1,012 views
New Year’s Resolutions – Doomed to fail?
by Stuart Farrimond in Guru: Science Blog
New Year’s Resolutions: Do they work? What’s so magical about the stroke of midnight on December 31st? Many of us pledge to get fit, save money or stop smoking. Many of us also know how often these attempts end in failure. Perhaps Oscar Wilde had it right: Resolutions are “pure vanity. Their result is absolutely nil”. Oscar [...]... Read more »
Norcross JC, Mrykalo MS, & Blagys MD. (2002) Auld lang syne: success predictors, change processes, and self-reported outcomes of New Year's resolvers and nonresolvers. Journal of clinical psychology, 58(4), 397-405. PMID: 11920693
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