Health Science 5 | ***Dave Does the Blog

"But I think you'll be impressed by its insouciance!"

We know that people have different taste sensitivities and react to different flavors differently. E.g., some people are sensitive to particular chemicals in broccoli than others, hence finding it more or less palatable.

Apparently the same is true for wine — as wine experts (professional winemakers, wine writers, liquor control agents, and wine judges) appear to have much more sensitive (not just in training but in capabilities) palates than ordinary Joe Shmoe consumers.

Which then raises the question of whether those remarkable / bizarre tasting notes (see https://hill-kleerup.org/blog/2005/01/24/but_i_think_you.html) are meaningful to anyone else but the wine tasting elite, and whether those ratings are as useful, either, except as sales tools.

(Note: I have a fairly extensive wine cellar, and enjoy the stuff quite a bit. I can taste the difference between many wines, but I'm not sure to what degree my palate is more trained or simply more capable than many folks. In any case, my palate seems a lot less finicky or articulate than the folks doing wine reviews.) #ddtb

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Futurity.org – Consumers can’t taste what wine buffs sense

Okay, if I had ten hours to sleep each night, I'd be willing to do 4 asleep,…

Okay, if I had ten hours to sleep each night, I'd be willing to do 4 asleep, 1-2 up, and then another 4 asleep.

My problem, is that I too often just end up with a single 4-hour sleep. 😛 #ddtb

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The myth of the eight-hour sleep
Sleeping in one eight-hour chunk is a very recent phenomenon, and lying awake at night could be good for you, according to scientists and historians.

Crazy Cat Drives Cat-Owner Crazy!

Well, maybe not. But it sounds like there's growing evidence that the Toxoplasma gondii parasite can have an affect on animals, including humans. Kinda creepifying … #ddtb

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How Your Cat Is Making You Crazy
Jaroslav Flegr is no kook. And yet, for years, he suspected his mind had been taken over by parasites that had invaded his brain. So the prolific biologist took his science-fiction hunch into the lab….

Ah, teenagers

Some interesting brain science work here on why teenagers are so … um … zany sometimes — including the risk taking, the peer pressure, the reacting all weird, etc.

So … besides learning to count to ten (slowly), what's a parent to do? #ddtb

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5 Reasons Teenagers Act the Way They Do – Mental Floss

5 Reasons Teenagers Act the Way They Do

For everyone who is or was a teen, here are some scientific explanations for why they behave that way.

It was a simpler, more painful time

If I had to deal with 19th Century dentistry, I'd want cocaine toothache drops, too. #ddtb

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Cocaine toothache drops : Neurophilosophy
From this online gallery of modern and vintage psychiatric drug adverts. COCAINE TOOTHACHE DROPS Instantaneous Cure! Price 15 Cents. Prepared by the Lloyd Manufacturing Co. 219 Hudson Ave., Albany, N….

It's about rights, not about science

While I disagree with the author in some particulars, his core thesis is sound: the debate over whether homosexuality is a "choice" or a "pre-disposition" or an "orientation" or a "genetic slam-dunk compulsion" is or should be irrelevant to the question of gay rights in our society. All it does is get folks on either side of the of the debate into an ideologically-driven scientific debate, which makes for bad science and worse policy.

The point is one of human rights. On what basis can one justify discrimination against a group of people? Whether they choose to be in that group (as with a religion) or are bound there through fate (as with skin color), if you don't have a sound, rational basis for discriminatory policy (and "My holy book says it's icky" doesn't quality, since there are no end to holy books that say one thing or another is icky), then it shouldn't be part of the law. #ddtb

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Left Hemispheres: The Irrelevance of Choosing to Be Gay

Learning to talk

Some cool research on how babies learn to talk. Which also indicates that simply hearing stuff (like on a TV show) isn't nearly as useful for them as one might think. #ddtb

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Babies read lips when learning to talk, new research finds – The Denver Post
Babies dont learn to talk just from hearing sounds. New research suggests theyre lip-readers too. It happens during that magical stage when a babys babbling gradually changes from gibberish into sy…

Reducing family sizes: a success story

It's good to occasionally see good news about population control. Well done, Brazil! #ddtb

Reshared post from +David Brin

Brazil has undergone a demographic shift so dramatic that it has astonished social scientists. Over the past 50 years, the fertility rate has tumbled from six children per woman on average to fewer than two — and is now lower than in the United States. This may be of cosmic importance. Yes, cosmic. Because Malthus may be more correct on other planets than he has been for us. A fluke in human nature has meant that everywhere women get health, freedom, prosperity and hope, the vast majority choose small families. This seems counter -darwinian! It may also save us all, giving us time to repair and save the world and cross the danger gap into star-traveling levels of wisdom. Might most other races get trapped into overpopulation busts, as portrayed in 1960s sci-fi and gloom books? Might this explain the Fermi Paradox of missing starfarers? In fact, it may not last more than a couple generations, so let's use this breather well.

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Brazil's Falling Birth Rate: A 'New Way Of Thinking' : NPR
In the past half-century, the fertility rate for a typical Brazilian woman has tumbled from six children to fewer than two. There are several factors at work, and one of them appears to be the glamoro…

Not intelligently designed

Not quite sure why anyone who's studied human anatomy — or anatomy in other species — would think that "intelligent design" makes any sense, or at least is provable from the oddball, haphazard way that we're put together. #ddtb

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11 Insane Features of Normal Human Anatomy – Mental Floss

11 Insane Features of Normal Human Anatomy

Why should abnormal bodies get all the attention? The truth about the human body can be stranger than fiction.

Pot doesn't appear to harm lungs

Which is kind of a surprise, because I'd expect regular (in this case, a joint a day) inhalation of any kind of smoke — tobacco, marijuana, or wood — would lead to problems. Apparently not. #ddtb

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Marijuana Smoking Does Not Harm Lungs, Study Finds
A large new government study has found that smoking marijuana on a regular basis, even over many years, does not impair lung function.

Good news (more or less) on murder

It's good news that murder rates in the US have declined both objectively and relatively to other causes of death. Of course, it's not good news that there are medical causes of death that are on the increase, or are declining more slowly. #ddtb

Reshared post from +Breaking News

Homicide drops off US list of top causes of death
Wed Jan 11, 12:16 p.m. EST: For the first time in 45 years, homicide has fallen off the list of the nation's top 15 causes of death, according to government health officials.
Murder dropped enough in 2010 that it was overtaken at No. 15 by a respiratory illness called pneumonitis that is seen mainly in people 75 and older.
+The Associated Press – http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_MED_LIFE_EXPECTANCY_HOMICIDE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report – http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/

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News from The Associated Press

Beef – It's Not Necessarily What's For Dinner

We Americans are eating less meat — which should be good, health-wise as well as (increased exports aside) environment-wise. Not so good, maybe, for the meat industry.

As to "why," the answer seems to be a combination of increased prices for meat in difficult times, and, perhaps, increased health consciousness.
Again, at least the latter is a good thing.

I've been trying to consider whether we're eating less meat. We might be, though I don't think we've cut back by a huge amount. We are eating more veggies (esp. with Margie's veggie box delivery), and that may well be displacing some meat from our diets. #ddtb

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We're Eating Less Meat. Why?
Studies and reports suggest a variety of reasons for the decline in American meat consumption, but one explanation is simple and obvious.

Twitter as an epidemic tracker

This makes a lot of sense. Tweeting is easy, and mining it is quite practical. Using it to track epidemic progress turns out to be as accurate as the official reports, but much, much quicker. #ddtb

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One Per Cent: Twitter helps track cholera spread in Haiti
Niall Firth, technology editor. rexfeatures_1253147b.jpg (Image: Sipa Press/Rex Features). When disaster strikes, Twitter is always the first to know. Now a new study has demonstrated that using Twitt…

It Naturally Uses Quantum Magnetism to Help Your Body Rid Itself of Toxins!

Heh. You could get a start on a nice bingo board from this. #ddtb

Reshared post from +Sci-ənce!

New and Improved! v2.0 of the Red Flags of Quackery is here!

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The Red Flags of Quackery v2 | Sci-ence! A Skeptical Comic and Blog.
Spot charlatans and pseudoscience from a mile away using this handy chart!

That's … not good

But, yes, let's by all means continue prescribing antibiotics for viral infections, and loading livestock with antibiotics, and flooding the environment with low levels of antibiotics in such a way as to encourage development of antibiotic-resistant bugs. What could possibly go wrong? #ddtb

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First cases of totally drug resistant TB in India, one dead – Mumbai – DNA
Of the 12 patients, a 31-year-old woman from Dharavi died in November 2011.

Happy … um, whatever that day when you were born is called

Ruh-roh … #ddtb

Reshared post from +donald mclaughlin

There was something important about this article, I just can't remember what it was.

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Middle-Aged Brains Are Already Past Their Prime
A study of more than 7,000 British civil servants finds that age-related declines in cognitive ability start as early as 45. The results suggest that efforts to head off mental problems late in life need to begin in middle age, the study's authors write at the end of their paper. » E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us

Bryan Fischer is a Dolt (Amateur Virologist Edition)

Yes, Bryan, that's right, it's all a huge conspiracy between money-grubbing research scientists and drug-abusing gays. I'm sure there are also some Muslims you can blame for AIDS, too, if you set your mind to it. Dolt. #ddtb

Reshared post from +David Badash

Sick. And, dangerous. Playing with lives. Totally irresponsible.

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AFA: Magic Johnson Being Alive Is "Confirmation" HIV Does Not Cause AIDS
The American Family Association’s Bryan Fischer stated that Magic Johnson being alive for 20 years after his HIV diagnosis is “confirmation” HIV does not cause AIDS.

Who'd have thought that being healthy would be a partisan issue?

Apparently Fox News, et al., as they spent 2011 criticizing efforts by the government and by industry (which they claimed was being pushed by the government) to encourage healthier eating and living. Classy! #ddtb

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Getting Healthy In 2012? Avoid Tips From The Right-Wing Media | Media Matters for America
Getting Healthy In 2012? Avoid Tips From The Right-Wing Media. December 20, 2011 11:05 am ET — 419 Comments. Right-wing media, especially Fox News, have a long history of attacking healthy eating and …

Vaccinate Your Kids, Part 2

No, really. Please do. #ddtb

Reshared post from +Vineet KewalRamani

Vaccination as altruism
There are people in society (the immunocompromised, newborns, elderly) vulnerable to deadly viral infections that the rest of us can easily prevent through vaccination.
But if 75 percent to 95 percent of the population around us is vaccinated for a particular disease, the rest are protected through what is called herd immunity. In other words, your measles vaccine protects me [the immunocompromised NY Times Op-Ed writer] against the measles.
Obviously people will first act in their own interests, but if there are no scientifically credible data showing harm by particular vaccination, and benefits are clear to the vaccinated and also to society at large, why not do it to help protect another?

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For the Herd’s Sake, Vaccinate

Vaccinate Your Kids

Really. For their sake, and for the sake of other kids around them. Including mine. #ddtb

Reshared post from +Philip Plait

A couple of vocal, wealthy antivaccination groups have been pushing their misinformation heavily the past few days. These groups are a public health hazard, spouting provably wrong ideas that are leading to an increase in preventable diseases… diseases which kill.
I'll make this very simple: Vaccinations save lives.
Incidents of pertussis, measles, and other diseases are increasing, and babies are dying from them. We need to stop antivax groups from infecting people with nonsense. You'll find information and links in my article about this below.
Please spread the word, and spread the herd immunity. Inoculate yourself against ignorance.

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Stop antivaxxers. Now. | Bad Astronomy | Discover Magazine
Alt-Med | antivax | There are times when reality is so obvious, so clear, so rock-solid 100% amazingly in-your-face incontrovertible, that it is beyond belief that anyone could den