Thaao, at age 80, the world's oldest condor died in captivity at the Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Magnificent in his ugliness, I would regularly see this bird alone in his large cage when I would take my kids to the zoo, who would prefer to play tag with the free-ranging peacocks--seeing if they could get one of the males to fan open his vaingloriously beautiful tail.The beauty of v
9 Vote(s)
January 31, 2010
World’s Oldest Condor Dies–In A Cage
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Is Depression Undertreated?
Neuroskeptic readers will be familiar with the idea that too many people are being treated for mental illness. But not everyone agrees. Many people argue that common mental illnesses, such as depression, are undertreated. Take, for example, a paper just out in the esteemed Archives of General Psychiatry: Depression Care in the United States: Too Little for Too Few.The authors looked at the result
6 Vote(s)
6 Vote(s)
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Bible belter
News this week that Pope John Paul II (that's the one just before the current one) used to spend his down-time whipping himself with a belt:As some members of his close entourage in Poland and in the Vatican were able to hear with their own ears, John Paul flagellated himself. In his armoire, amid all the vestments and hanging on a hanger, was a belt which he used as a whip and which he always br
16 Vote(s)
16 Vote(s)
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Static & Dynamic – or is it Static vs. Dynamic?
Most beauty research is done using static stimuli: static photographic images are used rather than, for example, dynamic video depictions. Since most real-world interactions with others do not involve static presentations, it is important to know how similar these two types of attractiveness ratings typically are.Roberts, et.al. (2009) have recently reported finding a positive correlation [...]..
15 Vote(s)
15 Vote(s)
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More thought on G-spots
Yesterday I wrote about a study on the anatomy of the female g-spot that I thought had a pretty shaky interpretation.I’ve thought about it some more, and I’ve tried hard to find something positive in this paper. Sci pointed out to me that, if nothing else, it adds to the scientific record. So, I guess [...]... Gravina, G., Brandetti, F., Martini, P., Carosa, E., Di Stasi, S.,
8 Vote(s)
8 Vote(s)
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Evidence-based treatments for PTSD: Combating faulty claims that all treatments are the same
by Michael D. Anestis, M.S. Today I find myself a part of a familiar scene. I'm sitting at my desk, looking at my computer with half of the screen showing a Firefox browser in which I am typing a PBB...
20 Vote(s)
20 Vote(s)
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January 30, 2010
Brain protein for synapse development identified
A new study identifies for the first time a brain protein called SynDIG1 that plays a critical role in creating and sustaining synapses, the complex chemical signaling system responsible for communication between neurons.
14 Vote(s)
14 Vote(s)
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Can blocking a frown keep bad feelings at bay?
Your facial expression may tell the world what you are thinking or feeling. But it also affects your ability to understand written language related to emotions, according to new research.
7 Vote(s)
7 Vote(s)
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World changing images
BBC Radio 4 has just concluded a wonderful series on medical imaging that overs everything from the microscope, to ultrasound, to the brain scanner.The series is five 15 minute programmes that tackles the technology and its controversies. The brain scanning programme is particularly good and shows both ends of the spectrum of enthusiasm for the use of functional brain scans to understand human na
17 Vote(s)
17 Vote(s)
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