health

Article

Who's up for a Swine Flu Party?

The story making the rounds these days is that swine flu parties "“ flu flings "“ are all the rage here in Merry Olde. Now, I've been to the odd garden party and birthday party, even a "fancy dress" party, but I have not yet been invited to a swine flu party (at least, not... READ ON

Article

What Makes "Psycho Killers" Tick?

Neuroscientist Jim Fallon studies psychopathic killers, and why they do what they do. Is there something different about their brains genetically, due to damage, or is their behavior (murder) caused by environment? Interestingly, psychopathic murderers often have damage to their orbital cortex -- a part of the brain just above the eyes -- as well as certain genetic markers. Fallon explains in a fascinating, brief TED Talk what his research has revealed -- including a personal connection to his work, as... READ ON

Big Question

When Did Women Start Shaving Their Pits?

Earlier this week, Ethan Trex taught us the history of shaving. Several readers left comments inquiring about when women started shaving their legs and underarms, so we cracked open the mental_floss book In the Beginning: The Origins of Everything. Here's what we learned:Underarms American women had no need to shave their underarms before about 1915 "“ after all, who ever saw them? Even the word "underarm" was considered scandalous, what with it being so near certain other... READ ON

Article

How Does the Treadmill Know How Many Calories I've Burned?

How do they measure the calorie content of food? When you lose weight, where does it go? Matt Soniak has the answers to these questions and more. How does the treadmill know how many calories I've... READ ON

Article

Why We Dream: Biological Theory Roundup

We've all had strange dreams: as a kid I was not in the least frightened by the Count Chocula character while awake, but I suffered through many a nightmare about him, his fangs dripping chocolate blood as he stalked me, Bela Lugosi-style, through the eerily empty halls of my school. God knows why. Other dreams make even less sense: I'm packing for a trip when there's a knock at the door. It's Fedex. For some reason, supreme court nominee Sandra Sotomayor has overnighted me a kitten. So why does the... READ ON

Article

How Brain Damage Reveals Brain Function

Vilayanur Ramachandran studies the brain. You may have seen a profile of him in last month's New Yorker...if you haven't get thee to a library and check it out! Anyway, Ramachandran is an interesting speaker -- he spends a lot of time dealing with bizarre neurological problems (not his own, of course), and he makes neurology sound downright fascinating. Have a look at this TED Talk from 2007 in which he describes several puzzling neurological syndromes. Discussed: how brain damage is very selective,... READ ON

Article

Dietribes: Milk It for All It's Worth

"¢ Milk must do a body good since it's the first thing any of us drink! But let's learn more about this dairy delight by which we also get cream, butter, yogurt, kefir, ice cream, and most especially, cheese. "¢ Milk's history mixes with alcohol on more than one occasion. Louis Pasteur was helping students attempt to ferment beetroot when he discovered the process that would become known as "pasteurizing," or sterilizing substances. "¢ But why choose between milk and beer when you... READ ON

Article

Why I Sneeze in Sunlight

Growing up in Florida, I had a weird allergy: the sun. Walking outside, coming from from a typically cool, dark indoor place, I'd invariably sneeze -- sometimes twice. It happened to my father too, causing a strange family multi-sneeze spectacle whenever we'd leave a movie. For me it was just one or two sneezes, then all better. What caused this? I always assumed there was something about bright light that disagreed with my bookish, "indoor kid" nature. Apparently I was right; today I learned that... READ ON

Article

Why Sisters Are Scientifically Better Than Brothers (and Other Important Discoveries)

If you're keeping tabs on the score between robots and humans, you've probably heard about the robot named Adam who made a scientific discovery back in April without any human assistance. Well, sort of. He made the discovery after some human scientists gave him a specific project to work on. And while the event was chalked up as a win in the artificial intelligence column, we're here to tell you that Adam's still got a lot of catching up to do before he's doing the work... READ ON

Article

Is Texting Ruining Our Children?

Monday's New York Times included an article on the purported dangers of texting (or text-message-sending, for you grumpy older folks). Entitled Texting May Be Taking a Toll, the article strikes me as bizarrely alarmist, and recalls social panics of my youth (see The Panic Over Dungeons & Dragons (in 1985)). Perhaps it's my own wasted youth talking, but this article is downright silly. Here are some key clips: [Texting] is beginning to worry physicians and psychologists, who say it is leading to... READ ON