Includes stuff about anything where feedback causes the system to adapt, including the systems of nature, those that are man-made or cultural, and those of the human mind.
This article suggests that acne is simply an unfortunate byproduct of going hairless. While that’s a good explanation for why it originally developed, it’s not a good reason why we still have it. It’s maladaptive, in that people with visible acne are seen as less desirable mates. But fifteen percent of people rarely if ever …
Continue reading ‘“Acne Science: What Makes Pimples So Peculiar To People?”’ »
It seems that the amount of prenatal testosterone that a person gets in the first trimester influences a laundry list of physical and mental characteristics, including sexual orientation, athletic ability, possibly autism, and (most importantly for this line of questioning), relative finger length. As well as a man’s penis length and chance of getting prostate …
Continue reading ‘“Is Our Fate Written in the Lengths of Our Fingers?”’ »
The countries of the world are in dire financial straits. They have been for years, but it’s finally coming to a head because they’re reaching the end of their credit. Everyone who watches the least bit of news knows about Greece, but that’s just the first; Portugal and Spain have also had their credit ratings …
Apparently so.
It seems that the human brain may have some built-in hardware for detecting cheating.
I try to keep this blog away from politics, but for issues of sufficient magnitude and importance, I have to bend that rule on occasion. If you’re American (and maybe even if you’re not), you’ve probably heard by now about the Supreme Court case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which ruled that money was …
Continue reading ‘“Move to Amend: coalition to abolish corporate personhood”’ »
Wow… three new battery technologies that sound awesome. If they all pan out, rechargeable batteries could charge up to 90% capacity in two minutes, have three times their current battery life (six times for “mobile gadgets”!), and be lighter as well! Imagine a full-powered laptop that’s lighter and would last several work days on a …
I wonder how this plays out in peoples’ politics? (No I don’t, I know exactly how it plays out. And if you think about it, so do you. But I’ll leave that as an exercise for the reader, along with the corollary of what it says about a those who subscribe to a particular political …
Continue reading ‘“Why Too Much Self-Control Breeds Aggression (and What to Do About It)”’ »
You might have seen this guy, he was a guest on a lot of shows after he won the US Memory Championship earlier this year. Memory training is a topic that’s near and dear to my heart. I really think that schools should have one mandatory class every year devoted to it. Of course, it’ll …
Legalize the giving, but not the receiving, of bribes, giving the briber every incentive to report the bribee — including getting his bribe money back. I have to admire the guy who came up with this. The only reason to criminalize the giving of a bribe is moralistic outrage, a system like this would be …
Continue reading ‘“Reducing Bribery by Legalizing the Giving of Bribes”’ »