omnibrain
Posts by this author
January 26, 2007
SMOKERS who suffer damage to a particular part of their brains appear to be able to quit their nicotine habit easily - a discovery that might open new avenues of addiction research.
A study of smokers who had suffered brain damage of various kinds after a stroke showed that those with injuries to a…
January 25, 2007
It seems that alcoholics just can't seem to get a joke. In this study from Germany, participants underwent a series of tests including, mood, intelligence, memory, psychomotor skills, and their ability to enjoy a joke.
For example, one of the jokes tested on the subjects began as follows: It was…
January 25, 2007
These companies/groups are all on everyones shit list.
Nature has learned, a group of big scientific publishers has hired the pit bull to take on the free-information movement, which campaigns for scientific results to be made freely available. Some traditional journals, which depend on…
January 25, 2007
From the Improbable Research blog and Reuters:
BEIJING, China (Reuters) -- Hundreds of chickens have been found dead in east China -- and a court has ruled that the cause of death was the screaming of a four-year-old boy who in turn had been scared by a barking dog, state media reported on…
January 25, 2007
Answer... They both have tasteless protests when someone dies from something they attribute to the wrong thing.
A Scientology group targeting "toxic" medications plans to protest in Sudbury today for a public airing of any drugs given to the teen accused of murdering another boy at Lincoln-Sudbury…
January 24, 2007
I posted this story a week or so ago about Nobel prize winners living longer. Some people didn't seem to believe the study and now it seems that even some Nobel Prize winners are questioning the results.
Winning the Nobel Prize can add almost a year and a half to a laureate's life, two British…
January 24, 2007
Old fun: Music on an iPod | Newer fun: Watching porn on the iPod | Newest fun: Listening to lectures!
Apple Inc is letting NJIT Professors post their lectures, and other audio and video class information on its iTunes U website - where students can go and then download whatever material they want…
January 23, 2007
I used to love these books! Check out this funny post about Mr. Bump over at Mind Hacks.
I've been notified of a rare case of focal retrograde amnesia that doesn't seem to have been reported in the medical literature.
Focal retrograde amnesia is where memory for past events and personal information…
January 23, 2007
There is an interesting article from todays New York Times about magical thinking in children well worth checking out.
Psychologists and anthropologists have typically turned to faith healers, tribal cultures or New Age spiritualists to study the underpinnings of belief in superstition or magical…
January 22, 2007
Normally I'm all for ripping PETA a new one, but there are all sorts of problems with this ad, which (among others) has appeared in Time Square and in the NYT.
It seems that the Center for Consumer Freedom, who is sponsoring the ads and bills itself as a grass roots organization, is actually a…
January 22, 2007
It's kinda an intense picture don't you think? I found this on a relatively generic article about Steven Pinker from the Toronto Star.
January 22, 2007
I ran across this blog which has all sorts of optical illusions, and they are not limited to the ones in psychology text books.
Check it out!
January 22, 2007
Interesting...
State prison inmates, particularly blacks, are living longer on average than people on the outside, the government said Sunday.
Inmates in state prisons are dying at an average yearly rate of 250 per 100,000, according to the latest figures reported to the Justice Department by state…
January 21, 2007
Here's another video for you guys to figure out if it's real or not!
From the YouTube profile:
An old British kids show that never aired on tv. Watch and you will see why.
Talk about innuendos ;)
January 21, 2007
They're invading... watch out!!! ohhh nooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!
January 20, 2007
So... is the next step wireless neurons? just sayin...
A "data cable" made from stretched nerve cells could someday help connect computers to the human nervous system. The modified cells should form better connections with human tissue than the metal electrodes currently used for purposes such as…
January 20, 2007
Ok... this is just silly ;)
I guess the wikipedia people think so as well - spoil sports!
January 19, 2007
Oooo... I like this :)
Some people seem to continually have their heads in the clouds. Perhaps they are pondering during their drive to work the next pickle 24 protagonist Jack Bauer will find himself in. Or maybe they are assessing while buttering toast the Indianapolis Colts' chances of finally…
January 19, 2007
More psychic pets! Wooo... aren't you excited? I uhh... am?
by Craig Hamilton-Parker
Does your pet read your mind, see into the future, know the time or can find you wherever you are? Professional TV psychic, Craig Hamilton-Parker, believes many pets have psychic powers. Here he reveals the…
January 18, 2007
Ok... not really - but I see some lawsuits coming on who can research the wild girl ;)
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) - A woman who disappeared in the jungles of northeastern Cambodia as a child has apparently been found after living in the wild for 19 years, police said Thursday.
The woman - believed…
January 17, 2007
It looks like there are a couple of interesting articles/TV shows out there in the last couple days highlighting some Omni Brain topics of the last few weeks.
You know how I love the mind control people, It looks like the Washington Post has a great article on it...
Mind Games
New on the Internet:…
January 16, 2007
Ohh boy... I've seen this kind of thing before - but it's always shocking anyway.
I know they must interview a whole bunch of people and only put the biggest idiots in - which you could do in any country, but still... idiots! haha
-UPDATE Below the fold-
Thanks entitlement for this funny video…
January 16, 2007
It seems that if you win the Nobel prize you can live for 2 more years! Screw exercise and eating right - I'm gonna win the NOBEL PRIZE!!!!!
Anyone have any good research ideas? Just think you can be responsible for me living TWO MORE YEARS!
The average life span for this group was just over 76…
January 16, 2007
Thanks to Coturnix from a Blog Around the Clock:
Yes! It is finally here! What you have all been waiting for, impatiently, for three weeks! The Science Blogging Anthology is now for sale. Go to Lulu.com by clicking here (or click on the picture of the book to your right) and place your order! You…
January 15, 2007
Well since we're on the library card thing lately - here's a funny article from the onion:
In another salvo in the ongoing civil-rights battle, the Gay And Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation announced the formation of a broad new campaign supporting full library-card privileges for homosexuals.
January 15, 2007
Just look at what it can cure!
Skin Diseases
Cancer
Heart Diseases
Musculoskeletal Disorders
Male Sexual Disorders
Aids
Hypertension
Therapy
Diabetes Mellitus
Blood Disorders
Respiratory Disorders
Gastrointestinal Disorders
Endocrine Disorders
ENT Disorders
Gynecological Disorders
Opthalmic…
January 15, 2007
I always find it interesting when advertisers use basic psychological research to sell their products - In this case Mountain Dew uses an RSVP task.
Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP) is a technique in psychology (it's also being used for more practical things like displaying text on small…