The sorry state of American atheists, then, may have nothing to do with their lack of religious belief. It may instead be the result of their outsider status within a highly religious country where many of their fellow citizens [...] find them immoral and unpatriotic. Religion may not poison everything, but it deserves part of the blame for this one.
Archive for the 'science' Category
Scientists in Australia find that the androgen receptor gene can potentially affect male-to-female transgenderism. The gene was found to be significantly longer in transgender men than cisgender men, but has not been determined as the gene for transgenderism.
This finding is huge news. Transgenderism has long thought to be a product of psychological or social causes such as overbearing parents, sexual abuse, or emotional disturbance, but this study implies that there may be a genetic cause. This means two things: (1) A person doesn’t choose gender, and (2) transgenderism is perfectly natural.
(via Cosmos Magazine)
- Biology Student: Watching Animal Planet makes for great drinking games. We took a shot every time the narrator said “scorpion”, and we couldn’t even make it past the first fifteen minutes.
When we feel isolated, we perceive ourselves as doing all we can on behalf of our relationships, even when all objective evidence indicates otherwise. It is the lonely roommate who throws around snide comments all evening, and then when she meets resistance to the insults says, “You’re always criticizing me!” When this leads to an argument, she may be the one who starts to yell, requiring others to raise their voices ever so slightly as they try to reason with he. “Stop yelling at me!” is a not-unlikely response from someone whose social cognition perceives a world that is threatening on all sides, and whose ability to self-regular has been disrupted by those same perceptions.
The same sort of distortions can affect intimate relationships and persist for years. One partner in a relationship has a higher need for connection than the other currently fulfills—perhaps than the other can fulfill. Maybe this other partner is cold and narcissistic, but then again maybe his or her genes and life experience have simply provided a different (and lower) level of need. The point is not to assign “blame” to one or the other, but to recognize that there is a mismatch. Unfortunately, the partner who need is unmet may begin to act in ways that the other considers “difficult” or “too demanding” or “needy”, which causes him or her to pull away even further, leaving the partner who already feels lonely feeling even more neglected and isolated, which propels the patten spiraling downward toward greater unhappiness. Seeing this familiar dynamic through the lens of loneliness, and sometimes through the lens of genetically biased—and individually different—levels of need for connection, can allow us to address the problem and the search for solutions at a deeper level.
[...]
But even as dismal as this interpersonal dance may appear, the fact that loneliness makes us unwittingly contribute to the choreography is actually a plus. The same social cognition that amplifies the problem also gives us a point of access. The way we frame reality through the filter of our own thoughts is something that, with effort, we can learn to modify. The sense of threat we unconsciously rachet up is something we can learn to very consciously tone down.
– Loneliness, John T. Cacioppo & William Patrick
Every Friday, I used to post links that I found during the week that I haven’t yet posted. Then my summer jobs started, and my time slowly turned more to research than feeds. I’m nearing the end of my research, so I’ve had some time to collect interesting news. So here’s to Fridays.
(You can also be sure that most of these came from Laurie.)
- State of the Web: Summer 2008. A hilarious pictorial look at the Internet. Because we Internet junkies live off Twitter and Firefox and Facebook and our iPhones.
- Meet Yoda, the four-eared cat. Kitty’s doing well and is perfectly healthy, but his ears still look like a bad Photoshop job.
- Magpies are self-aware. There is evidence with mirror tests that magpies are aware of their own bodies.
- White supremacists hope an Obama win will prompt racial backlash. There is a small population in the United States that believe a “white revolution” is long overdue, and Obama is just the trigger for it.
- In a generation, minorities may be the majority. America is growing more ethnically diverse due to higher birth rates among minorities and immigration. (Those poor, poor white supremacists.)
- Paris Hilton responds to McCain’s campaign ad. McCain said that you shouldn’t elect celebrities for president, like Barack Obama or Paris Hilton. Let’s see what Paris has to say about that. (McCain, you have been p4wn3d!)
- Russian judge rules sexual harassment okay because it ensures humans to breed. I thought that sexual harassment prevents future generations.
- The United States take third place in the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO). The IMO is an annual event for pre-collegiate students. The US team has done well in the past but often competes closely with China and Russia. That said, first and second place this year go to China and Russia, respectively. (Those math problems remind me of those fond high school days.)
- Growth factor receptor governs neurogenesis and sensitivity to antidepressants. There is a direct link between a receptor found on the hippocampus and the effectiveness of certain antidepressants—SSRIs and tricyclics—that exert their influence through neurogenesis. This study may change the view on depression as an imbalance of chemicals in the brain. If the symptoms of depression can be alleviated with neurogenesis, then depression may be a mild degenerative disease.
Our very dualistic nature [where we believe that our minds are separate from our bodies] has also been a stumbling block on the road to unlocking the mechanisms of consciousness. There are those who feel that the essence of consciousness cannot have a physical explanation, that it is so wondrous that it can’t be explained by modules and neurons and synapses and neurotransmitters. We will soldier on without them. There are others who think that it can be. I find that being able to explain consciousness with modules, neurons, synapses, and neurotransmitters is even more wondrous and fascinating. It may not be glamorous and transcendent, but it sure is captivating.
– Michael S. Gazzaniga, Human: The Science Behind What Makes Us Unique
Get the Books
- Of Two Minds: An Anthroplogist Looks at American Psychiatry by T.M. Luhrmann
- Descartes’ Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain by Antonio Damasio
- Side Effects: A Prosecutor, a Whistleblower, and a Bestselling Antidepressant on Trial by Alison Bass
- Book on McCain and his racist remarks to be released on July 4th. Titled Gook: John McCain’s Racism and Why It Matters. I understand the bitterness that someone can have from a war, but racial slurs are not acceptable under any circumstances. But considering that McCain called his wife a cunt in 1992, I think that McCain may be less racist and more rude, inconsiderate, and insensitive (to put it very lightly). (via angry asian man)
- A (relative) old-timer expounds on the difficulties of dating when you’re a gay Asian male. In the past, many gay Asian males date Caucasian guys in America to the point where it’s “revolutionary” to date another Asian guy. Seeing how many Asian women also date Caucasian men (and also are burdened with the submissive stereotype), it says to me three things: (1) there are lots more Caucasian men than Asian men in America, (2) Caucasian men are likely to have the pick of the litter because of their social desirability, and (3) the Asian submissive stereotype is not limited to women. But still, since the gay dating pool is so much smaller, it becomes clear how straight (or bi) people have it so much easier when it comes to racial dating politics.
- The 2008 Sexies winners have been announced. What are the Sexies? They are awards for sex-positive journalism. The Sexies are not about sensationalism, but are looking for accurate and unbiased stories that treat sexuality as “something other than a problem or prurient curiosity”. (via Greg Laden)
- Buck Angel, A Man With a Pussy: LGB Without the T. An article about the divide between transgendered people and everyone else—even gay people. But the trans rights movement is on the rise. Trans people have been left out of the cultural narrative (in a positive way) for so long; it’s about time to include them. (via The Ch!cktionary)
- The Taiping Rebellion, or How the Religious Crazy Happens in China, Too. China in turmoil. Charismatic person believes himself to be Jesus’ little brother wants to spread Christianity (and overthrow the government) to end turmoil. Said person killed twenty million people. Startling history lesson. (But without the Taiping Rebellion, we wouldn’t have Mahjong.) (via denialism blog)
- Being gay may be due to pre-natal hormone levels and what that means. Homosexuality is not learned behavior, but it doesn’t seem like it’s genetic either. Theories now say that it could be exposure to hormones in the womb. If so, then homosexuality can be screened and “cured”. (via Gene Expression)
- A scientist’s reflection on how creationism is fighting for the science classroom. Creationism doesn’t belong in a science class, but that doesn’t mean that all creationists are fervent, close-minded, religious adherents.
- Advice on learning math for the mathphobe. Many ex-mathphobes also share (in the comments) their own struggles and also give advice.
- Norway legalises gay marriage. Previously, gay couples could get civil unions but not church ceremonies or could they adopt. The new law takes effect January 1st.
- Emma Grant, senior vice-president of engineering for the computer-database company Ingres, says that men and women code differently. But she says that women code more helpfully, including comments, while men write more cryptic code without such aids for other programmers. Like hell. When someone codes, he or she is supposed to provide comments and documentation. People who comment their code are good programmers. Those who don’t need to go back to Coding 101.
- I’m Voting Republican. Learn the real reasons why people vote Republican.
- Gay unions shed light on gender in marriage. Gender roles don’t really exist. In gay relationships, there is no one who is the “woman” or the “man”. Gender roles are not biological; they are a cultural construct. (Duh.)
- JK Rowling’s commencement speech to Harvard. A bit long but every bit insightful. Excerpt: “So why do I talk about the benefits of failure? Simply because failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me. [...] Given a time machine or a Time Turner, I would tell my 21-year-old self that personal happiness lies in knowing that life is not a check-list of acquisition or achievement. Your qualifications, your CV, are not your life, though you will meet many people of my age and older who confuse the two. Life is difficult, and complicated, and beyond anyone’s total control, and the humility to know that will enable you to survive its vicissitudes.”
- Parasite that induces love in its host. Insect mind control. Never looking at a wasp in the same way again.
- China and Taiwan agree to open permanent offices on the other’s soil. This is not-news news. China and Taiwan relations have been better ever since Ma Ying-jeou took the Taiwan presidency. His predecessor was very pro-independence and antagonised China repeatedly.
- Got a picky eater? The solution is Chinese food. Chinese people will eat anything. (Not kidding.) After you’ve had cow intestine (and it’s really good), not much else seem unappetizing.
- Bush regrets his legacy as a man who wanted war. Bush reflects on the past eight years and says that he shouldn’t have used as harsh, divisive language.
- New York backs same-sex marriages from elsewhere. Now the state of New York will recognise same-sex marriages from other states and countries. How fabulous is that?
- Parents who have lost children in the recent China quake are eligible to have another child. Maybe later they will remove the one-child policy altogether.
- Google Health launches. Google Health is an Internet service that lets you manage your medical records online, and educate yourself about health issues relevant to your health profile. I’m divided between “This is really cool!” and “This is such a bad idea.”
- How to kick your fast food diet. The idea is to take it in little steps. Kinda like kicking that smoking habit.
- Control your computer with your voice. This guide is Windows-only, but I’m sure that Macs have similar functions. (This is so cool.)
- Computer predicts brain activity with 70% accuracy. Again, I’m divided. This is really, really cool because it reveals a little more how our brains organise knowledge. But then again, I don’t want probes reading my mind quite yet (or at all).
- Sex writers on Sex and the City. Did SATC really spur a female sexual revolution? Women weigh in.
