I've been swamped with work lately so I haven't been on top of things, but here's some fun, weird, and interesting stuff I've nonetheless come across (when I should have been doing the work I'm swamped with):
- Have scientists developed a treatment for autism? Apparently, an oxytocin hormone has been shown to increase social interaction. My question is, will "neurodiversity" advocates protest this? They argue that there's nothing "wrong" with autism and Asperger's patients, they're just "different." From their point of view, this might seem like an X-Men 3 type of situation.
- The marshmallow test: kids are guinea pigs in this test of self-control. Can they resist the marshmallow in front of them in the hopes of receiving an extra one after five minutes?
- New transistors mimic the human brain.
- Was the Alaska purchase (aka "Seward's Folly) worth it? Maybe not. (And not just because of Sarah Palin.)
- A second brain in the gut
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