Can Babies See Race?

A University of Texas study showed that babies as young as 6 months old can tell the difference between black and white.

Scientists Levitate Mouse

Scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA have found a way to levitate small animals using a "superconducting magnet that generates a field powerful enough to levitate the water inside living animals."

Yuanming Liu, one of the researchers, speaking of the mouse they levitated: "It actually kicked around and started to spin, and without friction, it could spin faster and faster, and we think that made it even more disoriented," They decided to mildly sedate the next mouse they levitated.

Women are evolved, men not so much

Let me clarify before you come after me with a pitch fork. Women are getting more attractive. Men on the other hand are not evolving on the hotness scale. I didn't say it. Some researchers in Finland found this to be the case.

Apparently beautiful women tend to have 16% more children than plain women (I bet they don't stay beautiful for long after giving birth. Kids consume lots of time.) I digressed. Beautiful women tend to give birth to attractive girls who in turn have more attractive daughters.

Men did not evolve the same way. Women don't put the same premium on looks so men haven't had to evolve in the attractive department. I am sure men have evolved in many ways. Lets list some.


**Jennifer Aniston picture

?#@*&%!

A friend's 6 year old son recently asked the question: If you say bad words to a police officer, will he or she arrest you?

Maybe. But if you say bad words in a different situation, it might actually be helpful. That situation is: when you are in pain. That's according to this study.

Take This Pill And Live Longer?

A new study shows that middle-aged mice fed rapamycin lived 28% to 38% longer than other mice.

But what is rapamycin?

It's been used for a couple of decades to help prevent organ rejection in transplant patients. And very interestingly, it was discovered in the soil of Easter Island.

If it works in mice... could it work in humans?

More sex=quality sperm

Finally some news men have been waiting for. The more sex you have, the healthier your sperm which means you could potentially donate a better batch to your offspring.

Granted, this study was done by men, but it does make you wonder about the quality of the DNA you're passing on to your children. So sperm has an expiration date.

The Benefits of Legalization.

Legalizing "it" may be beneficial in more ways than one.

Not that "it"... the other "it".

A new study by some economists at Emory University in Atlanta says that intolerance towards gays, in the form of gay marriage bans, may increase HIV infection rates.

Hugo Mialon and Andrew Francis say that banning gay marriage and sending a tone of intolerance can drive gay people to "underground" sexual behaviors that carry more risk of HIV infection. They estimate that banning gay marriage may increase HIV infections by 4 cases per 100,000 people.

The Centers for Disease Control estimated that the nationwide HIV infection rate in 2003 was 127.8 per 100,000 people.

image: http://blog.beliefnet.com/tonyjones/marriage.jpg

The Effects of Kids on Marriage

Let me start off by saying we're all discussing this subject because our parents decided to have kids. We should be grateful for that (I think.)

People say kids change your life. I have never heard anyone add 'for the better.'

There is a new study out (yes, I am fascinated by studies) that says 90% of couples saw a decrease in their marriage satisfaction after the first child.

Childless couples also saw a decrease but at a slower pace. Apparently you can prolong wedded bliss by waiting to have children. It also helps if you're financially stable.

As if that wasn't enough, a Daily Mail reporter asks 'Why DO babies turn so many brilliant women into slummy mummies?' She says women should maintain their good looks after giving birth if they want to keep their husbands. So there. Motherhood is not an excuse to let yourself go.

Love with all the trimmings

A new study published strives to determine if it's true that love in a long-term relationship necessarily mellows out and and the couple becomes "companionlike".

They found, perhaps not surprisingly, that couples in long-term relationships who also had romantic love were the the most satisfied with their relationships.

Couples in long-term relationships that had companion-like love were only moderately satisfied with the relationship.

Couples in short-term relationships with passionate love were also satisfied with the relationship.

The researchers suggested that “Couples should strive for love with all the trimmings.”

Hear, hear!

(picture: roast turkey with all the trimmings, courtesy Wiltshire Farm foods)

The Power of Attractive People

When it comes to attractive people, we are like moth to a flame. A new study from Florida State University says we are temporarily paralyzed by attractive people.

As you might expect, single people checked out the opposite sex. Those in committed relationships also looked at hot people, but they looked at beautiful people of the SAME sex. Presumably checking out the competition for their current mate.

The study says we may not even be aware that we're doing this. Apparently, both men and women are guilty of fixating on attractive people.

Keep that in mind the next time you see a hot person. How long did you stare? Did you care that they noticed?

*Picture from Jennifer Aniston's GQ cover