Those were the Days

What is it about an old song that brings a smile to your face? Maybe it brings with it memories of good time, an old friend or a younger age. Whatever it may be no one can deny feeling nostalgic from time to time after hearing an old song, seeing a photograph or even just looking at the date. While nostalgia was touted for a long time as a negative feeling which brought about depression, studies have recently found that feeling nostalgic a few times a week can actually benefit your overall emotional health and actually make you feel warmer from the inside out. Have a look at this article and then maybe even indulge in some reminiscing yourself!

>> What is Nostalgia Good For? <<

-Monisha

The Dark Side of Greek Yogurt

There always has to be a balance in life. A bad for every good. A yin for every yang. Only that can explain how something as delicious and nutritious as greek yogurt could also be producing a byproduct called acid whey that is becoming an increasing problem for greek yogurt producers everywhere. Personally I feel the acid whey scare is a little hyped up in this article, because while they start out saying that it’s toxic and harmful to nature they then go on to say that there is a possibility it can be fed to babies. Either way it’s always good to know about the things you’re eating and just how and where they come from.

 

>> Whey Too Much: Greek Yogurt’s Dark Side <<

-Monisha

Love and Other Drugs

So as a follow up to my Valentine’s Day post on the science of love here is an article about a woman who took a dose of oxytocin ( the happy hormone as I like to call it– or the same hormone that couples release when they are together/ feel happy with each other) before a date. While I don’t really see the point in this, since dating is supposed to be about finding the right person not tricking yourself into thinking you found the right person, it is interesting to see this experiment play out. Have a look!

>> Can Oxytocin Get Me A Boyfriend? <<

-Monisha

Cheater, cheater

An article about a professor in UCLA who let his students cheat on their final exam in order to learn the ins and outs of Game Theory. I don’t necessarily agree with what this article qualifies as cheating since many professors these days let their students take open book and take home tests as exams. Nevertheless it’s interesting to see the thought process of this professor and the approach his students have taken.

>> Why I Let My Students Cheat On Their Game Theory Exam <<

-Monisha

Mean Babies

I’ve heard of Mean Girls but Mean Babies..this is a first. This article talks about a study where they found that babies prefer people who are mean to those who are different from them. Have a look.

>> Babies Display Schadenfreude Toward People Who Are Different <<

-Monisha

Science Fiction, Realized

>> 27 Science Fictions That Became Science Facts in 2012 <<

From invisibility cloaks to spray-on skin to robotic human exoskeletons, ideas once relegated to fiction are now real!

2012 was a good year for science.

– Sandra

It’s Getting Hot in Here

So apparently the temperature in Australia is so high right now that gasoline evaporates before you can even pump it.  Due to reaching new peak temperatures like 129 degree Fahrenheit  the meteorologists in Australia had to create a new measure of heat just to accurately display the weather there. 

>> It’s Now So Hot in Australia that Gasoline Evaporates Before You Can Pump It <<

-Monisha

Happy Valentine’s Day

So here is a series of articles to celebrate the day of love:

>>A Valentine’s Day Gift to Save a Marriage <<

While most of the people in my life are not married and neither am I, I found this article to be useful and interesting. Conflicts in relationships are probably the most complicated kind of conflict to deal with and it’s interesting to see the kind of homework you can do to potentially save your relationship. While I think it’s hard to quantify things like happiness in a relationship, it is interesting to see how the study performed in this article found that couples who actively worked towards managing their conflict(according to the way outlined in said article) were across the board more satisfied in their relationships. Have a look!

>>Guppies Use Ugly Friends to Seem More Attractive<<

Here’s a tactic that’s not unheard of in the human world as well. But then again who knows how guppie personalities work. Looks may be all they have to go by.

>>The Science of Romance<<

This is probably one of the best articles I’ve ever read. Again I think it’s interesting that these studied try to quantify things like attraction and romance, which are generally idea we don’t think about in a quantitative manner. Here are a few highlights:

– The clash between biology and romance. How our biological instincts drive our attraction and ultimately control the way we fall in love.

-To truly be attracted to someone you must be attracted to their scent

-There are certain hormones found in a partner’s saliva that may help us determine whether we are biologically compatible with a potential mate

-The birth control pill may distort the amount of attraction a woman feels to her partner

-Monisha

Gaming and Violence

>>Shooting in the Dark<<

This article doesn’t really reach any conclusions, but it’s interesting to see the research out there comparing violent video games to violence in the real world. It’s pretty much a no-brainer that playing a violent game would lead people to act more aggressively but the perspective that playing such a game helps people get out their innate aggression in an acceptable manner is also plausible.

-Monisha

That Cuddly Kitty Is Deadlier Than You Think

>>That Cuddly Kitty Is Deadlier Than You Think <<

That’s right folks that friendly household cat you see performing cute tricks and playing with yarn is actually a cold blooded killer. I realize this is a real issue and all but I really can’t help chuckle at the mental image of a fluffy kitty sparring with a much larger dog as they claim in the article. Also while this article is interesting, I can’t help but wonder what conclusion they are trying to make. It almost seems like they are trying to prove a point without offending anyone (aka cat lovers).

-Monisha