Tag: physiology

The old gray hair, she ain’t what she used to be

[podcast]https://edwardwillett.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/gray-hair.mp3[/podcast] Look, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but you’re growing older. Every second. Even worse, so am I. There are many manifestations of the aging process, most of which are far too depressing to go into, especially on a morning in late February. Still, we must all face facts …

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Kissing

With Valentine’s Day looming at the end of this week (well, looming for those who have not yet given sufficient thought to cards, flowers and chocolates–I’m looking at you, fellow members of my gender), it seems a good time to revisit the science of kissing. And just in time for Valentine’s, new research on the …

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Seizing appetite by the NAPE

’Tis the season to begin newspaper columns with the phrase “’Tis the season,” and who am I to resist? Failing to resist that particular temptation is of little moment, of course. Failing to resist another temptation endemic to this time of year is not: the temptation to eat…and eat…and eat. Why do we eat more …

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Sleep in a bottle

I love a good night’s sleep. I just rarely get one that’s quite as long as I’d like. I’m not alone in that, either. Although exactly how much sleep any individual needs varies according to that individual’s age, sex, genetic makeup and other factors, studies indicate that the “normal” sleep need for most adults is …

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Sleep in a bottle

I love a good night’s sleep. I just rarely get one that’s quite as long as I’d like. I’m not alone in that, either. Although exactly how much sleep any individual needs varies according to that individual’s age, sex, genetic makeup and other factors, studies indicate that the “normal” sleep need for most adults is …

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Beautiful singing starts with science

Download the audio version.Get my science column weekly as a podcast. As I mentioned last column, I spent last week singing with the Canadian Chamber Choir in southern Ontario. In addition to concerts, we also took part in several workshops with musicians ranging in age from eight to 80. Our director, Dr. Julia Davids, who …

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An amazing compendium of visual illusions…

…can be found here. Well worth your time. You’ll never believe everything you see again. (Via Science Blog.)

Driving under the influence…of fatigue

Download the audio version.Get my column as a podcast.*** Going on a long car trip this summer? Planning to make good time? Going to drive all night, maybe? Well, don’t. Statistics are somewhat unreliable, because there’s no good way to test for it, but it’s estimated that about 16 percent of all vehicle accidents are …

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Source of fever identified

Humans have been dealing with fevers for millennia. Now scientists have, for the first time, identified the precise location in the brain that generates fever in the body: During periods of inflammation, such as when the body is fighting an infection or illness, the body produces hormones known as cytokines. The cytokines, in turn, act …

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Sleep now, or forever hold your Zzzzzs

Are you getting enough sleep? Probably not: the average North American sleeps an hour less per night than was common 40 years ago. Ordinarily, if we fail to get enough sleep one night, our body attempts to make up for it during the next night by sleeping longer and/or sleeping more deeply. Since alarm clocks …

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Eye, eye, sir!

It’s not very often that one runs across a scientific study whose methodology consisted largely of watching the Fox TV show COPS. But that was how Mardi Kidwell, assistant professor of communication at the University of New Hampshire, went about her research on “the role of gaze in the interactional management of hysteria by the …

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Are you as surprised as British researchers…

…to discover that “Chocolate gives people more of a buzz than passionate kisses“? “There is no doubt that chocolate beats kissing hands down when it comes to providing a long-lasting body and brain buzz — a buzz that, in many cases, lasted four times as long as the most passionate kiss.” Mmmm…chocolate…

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