Science makes the world better - and weirder. Here are some of the
latest odd discoveries that will set your brain on fire with curiosity.
Or just, you know, with fire.
Trying to treat stress, scientists may have accidentally stumbled on a cure for baldness
Your body responds to stress in many ways. It gives you bursts of
energy, and a reduced response to pain. It lets you run faster and
farther. It also entirely messes you up. Stress releases a battery of
hormones that give you superhuman abilities, and they all have down
sides. Many of them result in bone density loss or reduced immune
response, but one, the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) is a really
nasty customer. It's been linked with severe gastrointestinal problems,
increased drug use, and hair loss. A recent research group tried to cure
the first of those symptoms, but stumbled into curing the third. At
least in mice.
10 Everyday Foods That Can Affect You Like Drugs
Everybody knows there are certain natural substances that you can eat or
smoke to feel awesome or weird, depending on your perspective. But what
about ordinary foods that deliver these same mood-altering or even
consciousness-warping effects? We've got ten foods that go straight to
your head.
Now is the time to start mining helium on the Moon
Fossil fuels aren't the only vital resource we're running out of - our
once mighty helium reserves are dwindling, and the price of the gas has
already skyrocketed. The US reserves could be depleted in less than 20
years, and the entire Earth could run out helium by the end of this
century, which could cripple industry. Thankfully, the Sun gives off an
endless supply of the stuff - and the Moon is the best place to go get
it.
Why your body's survival strategies cause ice cream headaches
Some people have never gotten an ice cream headache. They tend to be
entirely surrounded by people who have, and who are willing to offer
theories as to why they aren't forced to undergo the agony of others.
Maybe they eat too slowly, or maybe they eat too little. Or maybe, just
maybe, if they were put out in the arctic wearing nothing but their
underwear, they'd freeze to death first.
Paleontologists discover what Neanderthal fashion looked like 44 thousand years ago
A Neanderthal burial site in Italy reveals hundreds of bird bones mixed
in with those of our hominid cousins. The bones had the feathers scraped
off, as though the Neanderthals had removed them on purpose - and the
only plausible reason they would do that is to wear the feathers. It's
more evidence that Neanderthals were just as cultured as own ancient
ancestors.
Scientists find another way to turn animals into psychotic killers
In unholy-army-of-the-night news, scientists have a new way to turn
swarming beasts of the sea into unreasoning killers. Nothing is safe
from their merciless aggression. Not . . . even . . . you.
Could a pigeon be the next great art critic?
Are humans the only animals that can appreciate beauty? Stories about
painting elephants and chimps have convinced some that we are not the
only species with a developed sense of the aesthetic. But doubts remain
regarding whether these animals are truly creating art or simply trained
performers. A Japanese scientist has approached the question from a
different angle by testing whether pigeons can learn human aesthetics -
using children's paintings.
Ambidextrous people are easier to manipulate than right-handed people
About 90% of people use their right hand for almost all activities,
while the remaining 10% is split between the left-handed and the
ambidextrous, people who use either hand with equal comfort. But these
"inconsistent-handers" pay a price for their ability to use either hand -
a truly bizarre study has discovered that they're much easier to
emotionally manipulate than their right-handed counterparts.
Artists use genetic engineering to turn author William S. Burrough's shit into a new lifeform
William S. Burroughs wrote a number of mindfuck novels in the twentieth
century, most memorably Naked Lunch, later adapted into an equally
mindfucky movie about bug-powder snorting aliens by David Cronenberg.
The author has become a cult legend among the postmodern lit set, and
now a team of artists has decided to immortalize Burroughs with bio-art
project straight out of one of his novels.
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