www.slate.com/id/2134651
A study shows the risk of getting lung cancer from smoking a pack a day is 55 percent higher in blacks than in whites, and 50 percent lower in Latinos than in whites.
Reactions: 1) This will confirm biological differences between the races and help us customize treatments and prevention efforts. Jews with a genetic mutation have a 1-in-3 chance of Parkinson's.
Female promiscuity gives males big testes and small brains. In bat species noted for female monogamy, males have small testes and big brains; in bat species noted for female promiscuity, males have testicles five times as big, but with smaller brains. Testes in one species are 85 percent of the male's body weight. Reason for big testicles: If a female is taking sperm from you and another guy, the best way to pass on your genes instead of his is to deliver more sperm. ") Reason for small brains: Male bats that spent their energy making sperm beat out the ones that spent their energy thinking.
An FDA panel voted to allow over-the-counter sales of a fat-blocking pill. Good news: The drug, orlistat (marketed as Alli), stops your intestines from absorbing one-fourth of the fat you eat. Bad news: 1) To lose weight, you still have to eat less and exercise.
the prospect of "anal leakage" will kill your interest in ice cream. Brain scans confirm the irrationality of partisan political thinking. MRIs of 30 partisan Democrats and Republicans show each group judging flip-flops by the other's candidate (Bush or Kerry) harshly. But when exposed to flip-flops by its own candidate, each group shows activation of brain regions that regulate negative feelings, administer forgiveness, and express relief and happiness.
The 'cold reasoning' regions of the cortex were relatively quiet." Rich people are freezing their bodies and leaving their money to themselves. According to the Wall Street Journal, 142 people have had their heads or bodies frozen, roughly 1,000 have made similar arrangements, and at least a dozen (the rest are keeping mum, according to participants) have set up "revival trusts." The idea is to accrue wealth and shield it from taxes so you can collect it if scientists figure out how to revive you and keep you alive. More than 20 states permit "dynasty trusts" that can last centuries; lawyers are amending these to let the deceased collect if he returns.
The government says it's looking for use of material harmful to minors (porn); the companies apparently negotiated the information dump down from two months' to one week's worth of searches.
unclear whether the government originally requested information that might identify users. Government's and companies' spin: Don't worry, it's just aggregated numbers. Civil libertarians' spin: This is the first time the feds have asked for data on everybody, not just suspects.
More Arts & Life Wright, Revisited The contemporary phenomenon of designing eye-popping museum buildings as tourist attractions is called the "Bilbao Effect" ...
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