Thursday, September 06, 2007
Artificial Ingredients; Sex
A study published in the Lancet suggests that the common food preservative, sodium benzoate, may be causing or exacerbating kids hyperactivity. That this kind of chemical has harmful effects should surprise no one, but they do highlight how important it is to watch what your kids (and you, since it's likely to have some effect in adults too) eat.
Diacetyl, another problematic food additive which has spawned numerous lawsuits, also still remains on the market. Previously, it was thought only to be dangerous to people working in manufacture (thus the whole remaining on the market bit...don't you miss effective labor unions?), but now doctors report a case of a consumer with bronchiolitis obliterans. He really liked microwave popcorn, and would inhale its delicious fumes a few times a day. Now he has a fatal lung disease. There's a lesson here, somewhere.
A chemical that people take more intentionally is Viagra; recreational use of the drug is as prominent as on-label treatment. Now it seems that this may come with a hilariously ironic side effect: all that rampant sex seems to carry with it the thing playing men fear most - LOVE! It appears that Viagra (and similar drugs) increase oxytocin, known for its role in social bonding. This makes me very happy.
And finally, speaking of love and sex, why are we gays fighting so hard to get married again? Live-in boyfriends do more housework than husbands. Another reason not to fully commit!!
Diacetyl, another problematic food additive which has spawned numerous lawsuits, also still remains on the market. Previously, it was thought only to be dangerous to people working in manufacture (thus the whole remaining on the market bit...don't you miss effective labor unions?), but now doctors report a case of a consumer with bronchiolitis obliterans. He really liked microwave popcorn, and would inhale its delicious fumes a few times a day. Now he has a fatal lung disease. There's a lesson here, somewhere.
A chemical that people take more intentionally is Viagra; recreational use of the drug is as prominent as on-label treatment. Now it seems that this may come with a hilariously ironic side effect: all that rampant sex seems to carry with it the thing playing men fear most - LOVE! It appears that Viagra (and similar drugs) increase oxytocin, known for its role in social bonding. This makes me very happy.
And finally, speaking of love and sex, why are we gays fighting so hard to get married again? Live-in boyfriends do more housework than husbands. Another reason not to fully commit!!
Labels: additives, ADHD, artifical ingredients, drugs, food, gay marriage, health, kids, oxytocin, science, sex, Viagra
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Divide by Zero
You can't divide by zero. Computers and mathematicians choke up, and you'll never get an answer. That's assuming, of course, Dr. James Anderson, of the University of Reading, is not batty. The professor has come up with a new mathematical concept, which he calls 'nullity,' that allows you to divide by zero. I don't really understand the math, possibly because the explanation is so brief, but I think it's cool, even if it is just an example of something that pisses me off: making up a new 'imaginary' number to solve a real problem you can't just solve.
It's a big day for the previously-believed-impossible: analysis of satellite imagery suggests that there may be periodic flash floods on Mars. Liquid water on Mars would change how we think about the planet, and what life might be like there. Also, the Conservative Jewish movement has decided to allow gay marriage and ordination of gays. But it still bans anal sex. This is a major step in a good direction; I hope that it will be followed soon with full 'decriminalization' - these rabbis (even, or perhaps especially, those who resigned in protest) know that there are bigger gefilte fish to fry.
Similarly improbable, researchers claim that MRI scans of the temporal gyrus reveal pre-schizophrenia. If this turns out to be real, it is a massively huge finding - even if nothing can be done really to prevent the disease today, knowing that such 'priming' conditions exist would give researchers all kinds of direction in searching. Very cool!
It's a big day for the previously-believed-impossible: analysis of satellite imagery suggests that there may be periodic flash floods on Mars. Liquid water on Mars would change how we think about the planet, and what life might be like there. Also, the Conservative Jewish movement has decided to allow gay marriage and ordination of gays. But it still bans anal sex. This is a major step in a good direction; I hope that it will be followed soon with full 'decriminalization' - these rabbis (even, or perhaps especially, those who resigned in protest) know that there are bigger gefilte fish to fry.
Similarly improbable, researchers claim that MRI scans of the temporal gyrus reveal pre-schizophrenia. If this turns out to be real, it is a massively huge finding - even if nothing can be done really to prevent the disease today, knowing that such 'priming' conditions exist would give researchers all kinds of direction in searching. Very cool!
Labels: aliens, gay marriage, gays, Jews, Judaism, Mars, math, MRI, nature, nullity, schizophrenia, science, space, tempoal gyrus, water, zero
