Oh, science! You know me so well. Talk about cheese and kerspring! You’ve got my complete and undivided attention. A new study says we eat with our brains first, and as such, the way foods taste could depend on the cutlery we use to eat them. For example: Cheese tasted saltier to participants when nibbled off a knife instead of a fork, spoon or toothpick. Who uses spoons for cheese, anyway?* [More]
science
Scientists Whipping Up “In Vitro” Lab Burgers Just In Time For Summer Grilling Season
By 5.14.13
Okay, so you’ve assigned all your summer barbecue guests a food to bring — chicken, some veggies for the grill, perhaps a six-pack or two and someone please grab a bag of ice? When it comes to meat…. hmm, how about a couple five-ounce so-called “in vitro” hamburger? Yep, scientists are currently working on creating beef patties in a lab. [More]
Customers Revolt, Make U.K. Pharmacy Chain Stop Sorting Toys By Gender
By 5.2.13
Early on, kids don’t care very much about what they’re supposed to enjoy playing with. Sometimes boys play with trucks, and girls play with sparkly magic wands. It bothers some people when toys are sorted into “Boys” and “Girls” sections, even if they aren’t explicitly labeled as such. But customers of UK pharmacy chain Boots got very upset when they noticed that toy sections had clear pink and blue labels, and a line of scientific exploration toys were only in the “boys” section. The message, detractors said: science isn’t for girls. Perhaps that caring for babies ins’t for boys, either. [More]
Science Says: Vampire Facials Probably Won’t Keep You Young Like That Hottie Dracula
By 3.20.13
Just because Kim “We Get Angry Letters When We Mention Her Name” Kardashian is running off to get blood facials, otherwise known as vampire facials, that doesn’t necessarily mean you should, too. However, just because it won’t keep you looking fresh out of the coffin forever and ever doesn’t mean it’s bad for you, say super smart scientists. [More]
The Best Mattresses For That Other Thing You Use Mattresses For
By 5.15.12
Our lab-coated cousins down the hall at Consumer Reports may test all kinds of products extensively, including mattresses, but we’re fairly certain they’ve never produced a ratings chart like this one. Hilariously-named sleep product review site Sleep Like the Dead polled their users to find out which type of mattress is best for the second most important thing that most people use their beds for: sex.
Lose Weight By Eating In Restaurants?
By 1.10.12
Ah yes. The dream. To lose weight while eating in restaurants and thus maintaining needed contact with other humans. Can it be done? According to one study, yes, it can. [More]
Government Cuts Off Funding For New Chimp Research
By 12.16.11
Rest assured that the government is determined to prevent the events from Rise of the Planet of the Apes from unfolding. Kidding aside, the government aims to ensure humane treatment of chimpanzees. The National Institutes of Health announced that they won’t give out new grants for biomedical and behavioral research on chimps because they deserve “special consideration and respect.” The organization acted on a recommendation from the Institute of Medicine that concluded most chimp research is unnecessary. [More]
4 Signs Someone Is Lying To You
By 11.14.11
It’s usually pretty easy to tell when someone is lying to your face, but some people are skilled at hiding their deceptions. Earlier this year, a UCLA psychology professor researched the matter and established some unintentional patterns liars tend to submit to. [More]
Nissan Developing Car That Guesses When You're About To Make A Turn
By 10.11.11
Nissan is collaborating with the same batch of Swiss scientists that developed a wheelchair users can move with their brain to make a car that “reads your mind.” [More]
Women Who Drink Coffee Have 20% Lower Risk Of Depression
By 9.27.11
According to a new study, women who drink caffeinated coffee showed a 20% lower risk of depression than non-coffee drinkers. [More]
Scientists Translate Brain Activity Into YouTube Videos
By 9.26.11
Science is getting closer to letting people see through the eyes of others. California scientists have determined a way to read brain activity and reconstruct YouTube videos subjects watched with the information. The research could be the foundation of taking the lifecasting concept a step further by broadcasting the mental images people create, meaning you could watch your own dreams as well as those of others. [More]
Science Tells You How To Book So You Avoid Airport Delays And Missed Flights
By 9.1.11
Harvard and MIT scientists have used statistical modeling techniques and figured out what are the best things you can do to avoid airport delays and missed connections. [More]
Study: After 25, After Every Hour Of TV Watched, Lifespan Drops By 22 Minutes
By 8.16.11
Your mom was right. Watching TV is killing you, albeit indirectly. A new study found an association between people watching loads of TV and living shorter lives. So, it’s one of those correlation/causation dealios. Even still, the results were disturbing. By tracking death rates and lifestyle survey responses, the study found that for people over 25, for every hour of TV watched, their lifespan shortened by 22 minutes. [More]
Study: Fancy Cars Make Us Happy, Briefly
By 7.27.11
In an amazing breakthrough for both Science and the study of consumer behavior, researchers have determined that the pleasures of having an expensive car is fleeting and quickly replaced by thinking about the anxieties of day-to-day existence. [More]
Study: People Love Their Cars Because They're Lonely
By 7.22.11
Why do people love their cars? Like really really love love LOVE their cars? More so than any other possession, cars arouse deep emotions in their owners. A study in the Journal of Consumer Research went to five car shows and interviewed car enthusiasts about their passion to try to figure out why. The most far-reaching of their conclusions is that people who love their cars do it, essentially, because they’re lonely. [More]
Fat Gets You High
By 7.8.11
A new study finds that eating fatty foods triggers the release of endocannabinoids in the body, which are marijuana-like chemicals. And the feeling they give you makes you want to continue eating more fatty food. [More]
Distracted Shoppers Buy More When There's Some Negative Info
By 6.30.11
Established wisdom is that you should only talk about how awesome your product is. But a new study finds that shoppers in distracted settings tend to buy more when products are marketed with a touch of negative info, what is known as “the blemishing effect.” [More]
Exercising Before Eating Doesn't Increase Fat Burn
By 6.28.11
Contradicting common advice, a new study says that exercising before eating doesn’t increase the amount of fat you burn. You could even be hurting your body! [More]
