Put down that fork! You were probably about to enjoy a delicious plate of steaming hot brains, but we’ve got news: Eating animal organs and entrails has become so normal in restaurants these days, it’s no longer cool to consume brains. [More]
brains
Don’t Buy Those Brains For Sale On eBay — They’re Probably Stolen
By 1.2.14
Are you in the market for some nice braaaaaaains? Er, brains? If you see some jars of human brains for sale on eBay, it’s probably best not to purchase them. Police in Indianapolis say a man had been breaking into the Indiana Medical History Museum and boosting brains and other preserved body parts and selling them, because apparently there’s a market for such a thing. [More]
The No. 1 Reason To Wear Nose Plugs At A Freshwater Water Park: Brain-Eating Amoebas
By 7.30.13 — Updated: 5.23.17
Maybe you think you’re too cool to wear nose plugs when swimming or rocketing down water slides at the water park, despite the fact that they prevent water from shooting up into your nasal passages. But there’s one very, very good reason to invest in a pair or at least plug your nose if you’re visiting a water park with fresh water: Brain-eating amoebas can get inside and that is not a good thing. [More]
Is Brand Perception Tricking Our Brains Into Not Thinking About What We’re Tasting?
By 6.13.13
Most of us have seen hidden-camera tricks where some unwitting subject raves about what they are eating because they have been told it’s a certain brand or from a well-regarded restaurant, only to find out it’s a generic frozen dinner from the supermarket. What if these people aren’t necessarily pretending to like the food? A new study shows that brands may make us so predisposed to an opinion that we don’t use the part of our brain that helps to make such judgements. [More]
This Hot Topic Brain Necklace Looks Awfully Familiar
By 8.2.12
On her Etsy profile, Sarah writes that she makes sculpted jewelry in her Toronto apartment. Her pieces are cute, like cookie-shaped rings, and creepy-cute, like cufflinks shaped like anatomical hearts. But one of her signature pieces is a set of heart-shaped “best friends” necklaces with the texture of green brains. It’s creepily adorable, and a best-seller. Apparently national chain Hot Topic agrees, since they happen to be selling a very similar design. [More]
Want To Be A Zombie In Harrisburg? That'll Be $450.00
By 9.27.10
Some economist eggheads might believe that the recession is over, but try telling that to the zombies of Harrisburg, PA, who had to move their march of the undead after the city tried to squeeze them for some fees. [More]
Lawsuit: Funeral Home Returns Mom's Brain With Personal Items
By 1.6.10
According to a lawsuit filed in New Mexico State District Court in Albuquerque, a woman’s brain was returned to her family in a bag of personal effects. [More]
Your Investor Brain: Squirrel, Monkey or Lizard?
By 9.10.09
Forget the bulls and bears. According to a recent news report, anthropologists are looking at a different group of animals for hints about how our “investor brains” evolved. Monkeys are the worst, as they get “easily excited at the next big investment opportunity in hopes of making a killing. Not much thought goes into what they do.” We assume anyone involved in flipping condos or speculating on dot-com stocks would qualify as a monkey.
The Easier It Is, The Safer It Seems
By 3.10.09
Self-identified rational people take pride in the fact that they can’t be easily manipulated, but of course that’s the pride part of their dumb monkey brains talking. Here’s an interesting study that measured whether hard-to-pronounce words were perceived as riskier than words that were easier to pronounce—in this case, by comparing fake additives in food and asking which ones were more likely to be harmful.
Reader Says He Found Brains In His KFC
By 7.24.07
UPDATE: This is probably deep-fried small intestine, according to commenters, for some of whom finding this in their KFC is apparently a common occurrence. [More]
What Super Bowl Advertisers Are Learning From Brain Scans
By 2.6.07
Corporations are learning about the way our brains respond to advertising, and they’re finding out that they don’t work the way we think they do. And that’s just the way the advertisers want it.
Specific Brain Injury Stops Smoking Addiction
By 1.26.07
In Clue to Addiction, Brain Injury Halts Smoking [NYT]
It’s Science: The Brains of Spendthrifts Fuction Differently Than Tightwads
By 1.24.07
We are a definitely a tightwad, but what does that mean, really? That we avoid buying things, even if we know we need them? That we still don’t own a microwave? What’s wrong with us? The New York Times has the answer, via Stanford and Carnegie Mellon Universities.
