- November 20, 2009
- 12:12 AM
- 839 views
Friday Weird Science: Oxytocin in your Cavernosa
by Evil Monkey in Neurotopia
This post brought to you by Ben and Jerry's Dublin Mudslide Ice Cream. Because the Twitter people are like little devils on my shoulder, making me eat the cake...
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So Sci was going to do her final oxytocin post on another study in humans for oxytocin levels during male masturbation, but you know, you've seen one, you've seen them all. I know that they were looking at slightly different things, but...well...it all looked the same: oxytocin measured while a guy is in a room with some porn, measure some other stuff as well, look at the correlations. So Sci started digging around for something a little more unusual.
And when Sci saw this one, her little eyes brightened, and she said "oooooh! THAT ONE!"' much to the surprise of the nice evening janitorial lady in the lab. Because if you thought the LAST Friday Weird Science was one that you wouldn't want to volunteer for...
...how would you like a butterfly needle in your penis? What, that's not stimulating?!
Uckert et al. "Oxytocin plasma levels in the systemic and cavernous blood of healthy males during different penile conditions" World Journal of Urology, 2003.
For those not in the know, a butterfly needle looks like this:
(Insert into penis pointy end first)
Yadda yadda. Photos below NSFW, yadda yadda. It's Friday Weird Science, not like there's going to be puppies and kittens here. Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...... Read more »
Uckert S, Becker AJ, Ness BO, Stief CG, Scheller F, Knapp WH, & Jonas U. (2003) Oxytocin plasma levels in the systemic and cavernous blood of healthy males during different penile conditions. World journal of urology, 20(6), 323-6. PMID: 12811490
- November 19, 2009
- 11:23 PM
- 661 views
Seeing is believing : why delusions may arise from anomalous experiences
by sandygautam in The Mouse Trap
Image via Wikipedia
I recently came across this article by Rosengren and Hickling about how children explain seemingly impossible or extraordinary transformations in terms of magic or trickery or natural/physical explanations based on their ages and developmental level.
To summarize the study , I’m presenting the abstract:
Children’s magical explanations and beliefs were investigated in 2 studies. In [...]Rating: 0.0/10 (0 votes cast)
No related posts.... Read more »
Rosengren, K., & Hickling, A. (1994) Seeing Is Believing: Children's Explanations of Commonplace, Magical, and Extraordinary Transformations. Child Development, 65(6), 1605. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.1994.tb00838.x
- November 19, 2009
- 11:07 PM
- 817 views
Reversing optical “shockwaves” using metamaterials
by gg in Skulls in the Stars
In a recent issue of Physical Review Letters was an article with the intriguing (to me) title of “Experimental verification of reversed Cherenkov radiation in left-handed metamaterial,” by a collaboration from Zhejiang University in China and MIT. The paper is an experimental verification of an effect predicted for metamaterials way back in 1968 by the [...]... Read more »
Xi, S., Chen, H., Jiang, T., Ran, L., Huangfu, J., Wu, B., Kong, J., & Chen, M. (2009) Experimental Verification of Reversed Cherenkov Radiation in Left-Handed Metamaterial. Physical Review Letters, 103(19). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.103.194801
- November 19, 2009
- 10:00 PM
- 1,384 views
Scorpionflies: The Oldest Known Animal Pollinators
by Laura Klappenbach in About Animals / Wildlife
A new study suggests that scorpionflies that lived during the Jurassic Period fed on the nectar-like juices of seed ferns, conifers, and other primitive plants. As the scorpionflies feasted on the sweet liquid from these plants, they may have also acted as animal pollinators—couriers of pollen grains that are vitally necessary to the reproductive cycle of their host plants. If this scenario is true, scorpionflies represent the earliest known animal pollinators.... Read more »
Ren, D., Labandeira, C., Santiago-Blay, J., Rasnitsyn, A., Shih, C., Bashkuev, A., Logan, M., Hotton, C., & Dilcher, D. (2009) A Probable Pollination Mode Before Angiosperms: Eurasian, Long-Proboscid Scorpionflies. Science, 326(5954), 840-847. DOI: 10.1126/science.1178338
Ollerton J, & Coulthard E. (2009) Paleontology. Evolution of animal pollination. Science (New York, N.Y.), 326(5954), 808-9. PMID: 19892970
- November 19, 2009
- 09:18 PM
- 585 views
Another Candidate for Lynchpin Gene Controlling Calorie Restriction
by Reason in Fight Aging!
One of the better research outcomes a biologist can hope for is to find that a particular mechanism, disease, or benefit has a single point of control somewhere in its web of interlinked genes and feedback loops. A single gene or protein that acts as a switch or a dial, and has no or few entanglements with other biological systems. That lack of entanglements is important - a switch that turns one thing off and three other things on isn't of much use, at least for those of us who like our medicine without potentially lethal side-effects, but human biochemistry contains far more multi-switches than examples of any simpler construction. Evolution is based upon the promiscuous reuse of components, and almost any protein of note involved in regulating metabolism has more than one duty to perform. In any case, researchers engaged in picking apart the mechanisms underlying calorie restriction might still manage to uncover a simple switch somewhere in amidst the all complexity and chains of genes and proteins turning one another on and off. They've been hacking away the brush for some years now, but there's no shortage of undergrowth yet to be cleared. You might see hints of...... Read more »
Zhang, M., Poplawski, M., Yen, K., Cheng, H., Bloss, E., Zhu, X., Patel, H., & Mobbs, C. (2009) Role of CBP and SATB-1 in Aging, Dietary Restriction, and Insulin-Like Signaling. PLoS Biology, 7(11). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1000245_id
- November 19, 2009
- 09:11 PM
- 826 views
Multilevel (Quantile) Regression - A Question for Gelman
by Ryan in Evidence-Based Public Health
Multilevel (or hierarchical) regression modeling is very popular in the social sciences. So what I want to do is a hierarchical quantile regression of the 75% quantile of time spent in jail. And that was my question for Andrew Gelman.... Read more »
Carmichael SL, Witte JS, & Shaw GM. (2009) Nutrient pathways and neural tube defects: a semi-Bayesian hierarchical analysis. Epidemiology (Cambridge, Mass.), 20(1), 67-73. PMID: 19234400
- November 19, 2009
- 08:19 PM
- 533 views
What Does It Mean to Be Navajo?
by teofilo in Gambler's House
In the previous post I made a distinction between “affiliation” and “identity” that may not have been totally clear. In the context of Keith Kloor’s article on Navajo connections to Chaco, the basic point I want to make could be drastically oversimplified to something like this:
The Park Service’s finding that the Navajos are “affiliated” with [...]... Read more »
Warburton, M., & Begay, R. (2005) An Exploration of Navajo-Anasazi Relationships. Ethnohistory, 52(3), 533-561. DOI: 10.1215/00141801-52-3-533
- November 19, 2009
- 06:38 PM
- 1,917 views
hey, where are those galaxy clusters going?
by Greg Fish in weird things
One of my first posts on this blog was about something referred to as a dark flow, a strange current carrying galaxy clusters to the edge of the visible universe. But last year it was just a speculation based on preliminary data. Today, the results have been double-checked, and it looks like about 1,400 galaxy [...]... Read more »
A. Kashlinsky, F. Atrio-Barandela, H. Ebeling, A. Edge, & D. Kocevski. (2009) A new measurement of the bulk flow of X-ray luminous clusters of galaxies. n/a. arXiv: 0910.4958v2
L. Mersini-Houghton, & R. Holman. (2008) 'Tilting' the Universe with the Landscape Multiverse: The 'Dark' Flow. JCAP 0902:006,2009. arXiv: 0810.5388v1
- November 19, 2009
- 04:10 PM
- 1,283 views
The cognitive benefits of time-space synaesthesia
by Mo in Neurophilosophy
SYNAESTHESIA is a neurological condition in which there is a merging of the senses, so that activity in one sensory modality elicits sensations in another. Although first described by Francis Galton in the 1880s, little was known about this condition until recently. A rennaissance in synaesthesia research began about a decade ago; since then, three previously unrecognized forms of the condition have been described, and a possible explanation for how it arises have been put forward.
Of all the forms of this fascinating condition, the least researched is time-space synaesthesia, but two new studies provide some insight into it. One is a case study of an individual whose time-space synaesthesia has an apparently unique characteristic. The second demonstrates that time-space synaesthetes have superior cognitive abilities than non-synaesthetes, and suggests that time-space synaesthesia may underly the savant-like abilities of people with hyperthymestic (or "super-memory") syndrome.
Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...... Read more »
Jarick, M., Dixon, M., Stewart, M., Maxwell, E., & Smilek, D. (2009) A different outlook on time: Visual and auditory month names elicit different mental vantage points for a time-space synaesthete. Cortex, 45(10), 1217-1228. DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2009.05.014
Simner, J., Mayo, N., & Spiller, M. (2009) A foundation for savantism? Visuo-spatial synaesthetes present with cognitive benefits. Cortex, 45(10), 1246-1260. DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2009.07.007
- November 19, 2009
- 03:43 PM
- 1,541 views
Detecting faces: People use some of the same strategies computers do
by Dave Munger in Cognitive Daily
How does our visual system decide if something is a face? Some automated face-detecting software uses color as one cue that something is a face. For example Apple's iPhoto has no trouble determining that there are two faces in this color picture:
That's Nora in the back, and her cousin Ginger in front. In this picture, however, iPhoto can't identify a face:
That's a vintage black-and-white photo of Nora and Ginger's grandfather, but the computer can't find any faces in it. Do people, like computers, use color to help decide whether something they see is a face? Humans are excellent at identifying colors, and while faces can be many colors, there are also many colors that are very rarely seen in faces (e.g. blue, green, orange). Could we use skin-tones to help identify faces?
Markus Bindemann and Mike Burton created a set of images with faces placed in random locations, like this: Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...... Read more »
Bindemann, M., & Burton, A.M. (2009) The Role of Color in Human Face Perception. Cognitive Science, 1144-1156. info:/10.1111/j.1551-6709.2009.01035.x
- November 19, 2009
- 03:11 PM
- 462 views
Blame the Mammoths
by Journal Watch Online in Journal Watch Online
Decline of large animals drove changes in plants and fires
... Read more »
Gill, J., Williams, J., Jackson, S., Lininger, K., & Robinson, G. (2009) Pleistocene Megafaunal Collapse, Novel Plant Communities, and Enhanced Fire Regimes in North America. Science. info:/10.1126/science.1179504
- November 19, 2009
- 01:51 PM
- 723 views
Oceans can’t keep up with human emissions
by Katie Kline in EcoTone
A study out in Nature today puts some long-term figures on a trend that climate scientists and ecologists have seen coming for some time: Oceans are no longer absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere like they used to. Growing ocean acidity is slowing their ability to keep up as humans pump more and more greenhouse [...]
... Read more »
Khatiwala, S., Primeau, F., & Hall, T. (2009) Reconstruction of the history of anthropogenic CO2 concentrations in the ocean. Nature, 462(7271), 346-349. DOI: 10.1038/nature08526
- November 19, 2009
- 11:53 AM
- 1,263 views
Stressed out? High cholesterol? Try kissing!
by eHarmony Labs in eHarmony Labs Blog
Kissing is a great way to bond and show affection to your partner, but it also has some physical and health benefits you may not know about. Find out more.... Read more »
Coan, J., Schaefer, H., & Davidson, R. (2006) Lending a Hand: Social Regulation of the Neural Response to Threat. Psychological Science, 17(12), 1032-1039. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9280.2006.01832.x
Floyd, K., Boren, J., Hannawa, A., Hesse, C., McEwan, B., & Veksler, A. (2009) Kissing in Marital and Cohabiting Relationships: Effects on Blood Lipids, Stress, and Relationship Satisfaction. Western Journal of Communication, 73(2), 113-133. DOI: 10.1080/10570310902856071
- November 19, 2009
- 11:30 AM
- 381 views
The Uphill Pursuit of the Shifting Niche
by Johnny in Ecographica
...compare the newly collected data to that inherited from Grinnell in aspirations of gaining insight into how a century of environmental change has impacted California’s avian, mammalian and herpetological faunas. Through application of carefully recalibrated Grinnellian field-methods, and the employment of modern techniques, the group is expanding biology’s understanding of the ecological niche.... Read more »
Moritz, C., Patton, J., Conroy, C., Parra, J., White, G., & Beissinger, S. (2008) Impact of a Century of Climate Change on Small-Mammal Communities in Yosemite National Park, USA. Science, 322(5899), 261-264. DOI: 10.1126/science.1163428
- November 19, 2009
- 10:41 AM
- 539 views
Ostriches: Threat or menace?
by iayork in Mystery Rays from Outer Space
Highly pathogenic H5N1 influenza viruses possessing mammalian-type PB2-627 were detected during the Qinghai Lake outbreak in 2005 and spread to Europe and Africa. … Here, we report that H5N1 avian influenza viruses possessing mammalian-type amino acids in PB2-627 or -701 are selected during replication in ostrich cells in vitro and in vivo.
–Shinya, K., Makino, A., [...]... Read more »
Shinya, K., Makino, A., Ozawa, M., Kim, J., Sakai-Tagawa, Y., Ito, M., Le, Q., & Kawaoka, Y. (2009) Ostrich involvement in the selection of H5N1 influenza virus possessing mammalian-type amino acids in PB2. Journal of Virology. DOI: 10.1128/JVI.01714-09
- November 19, 2009
- 09:00 AM
- 805 views
An epigenetic mechanism for peripheral insulin resistance
by Colby in nutsci.org
PGC-1alpha is my favorite gene/protein to study, as it is essential for mitochondrial regulation, influential on many diseases and ageing. I also am fascinated by the relatively new field of epigenetics and its relation to nutrition and health. So you can understand my geeky giddiness when I found that a study by Barrès et al. (1) shows [...]... Read more »
Barrès R, Osler ME, Yan J, Rune A, Fritz T, Caidahl K, Krook A, & Zierath JR. (2009) Non-CpG methylation of the PGC-1alpha promoter through DNMT3B controls mitochondrial density. Cell metabolism, 10(3), 189-98. PMID: 19723495
- November 19, 2009
- 08:11 AM
- 1,289 views
East is East?
I’m not planning to blog a lot on the Astronomical Orientation of Ancient Greek Temples as is openly accessible. Your comments are going to carry a lot more weight there than here. But I’ll try and keep track of what other people are saying elsewhere. I’m expecting this to be the first paper of a [...]... Read more »
Salt, A. (2009) The Astronomical Orientation of Ancient Greek Temples. PLoS ONE, 4(11). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0007903
- November 19, 2009
- 08:00 AM
- 1,076 views
Conserving whales by collecting blow samples in the wild
by Rob Goldstein in Conservation Maven
New research on pathogens in whales and dolphins illustrates the incredible ingenuity that some scientists display in gathering data on species at risk...... Read more »
Acevedo-Whitehouse, K., Rocha-Gosselin, A., & Gendron, D. (2009) A novel non-invasive tool for disease surveillance of free-ranging whales and its relevance to conservation programs. Animal Conservation. DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-1795.2009.00326.x
- November 19, 2009
- 08:00 AM
- 642 views
Homeopathy really doesn’t work
by sciencebase in Sciencebase Science Blog
A couple of years ago, I re-posted an old article of mine about homeopathy discussing its ludicrous claims, its feeble attempts to provide a scientific explanation for those claims, and basically pointing out that no solid evidence has ever been found that infinitely diluted solutions of spurious ingredients have any more beneficial effect on a [...]Homeopathy really doesn’t work is a post from: Sciencebase Science Blog
... Read more »
Jonas WB, Kaptchuk TJ, & Linde K. (2003) A critical overview of homeopathy. Annals of internal medicine, 138(5), 393-9. PMID: 12614092
Baum, M., & Ernst, E. (2009) Should We Maintain an Open Mind about Homeopathy?. The American Journal of Medicine, 122(11), 973-974. DOI: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2009.03.038
- November 19, 2009
- 07:10 AM
- 694 views
What tuna are you eating?
by Kent in Uncommon Ground
The latest meeting of the international commission created to manage harvests of tunas and other wide-ranging fish species in the Atlantic Ocean ended by setting 2010 quotas for bluefin tuna that conservation groups and United States fisheries officials said were...... Read more »
López Herráez, D., Bauchet, M., Tang, K., Theunert, C., Pugach, I., Li, J., Nandineni, M., Gross, A., Scholz, M., & Stoneking, M. (2009) Genetic Variation and Recent Positive Selection in Worldwide Human Populations: Evidence from Nearly 1 Million SNPs. PLoS ONE, 4(11). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0007888
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