Popular science thread
Thu Nov 05 2009 - 07:00 pm
Inspired by robinincarolina's hormonal experiment (looking forward to the results) and szstudio52's rather insightful comments on insects, I decided to start a Popular Science Thread which would be fun and maybe a bit educational as well.
So I will start with these two sites which I found both entertaining and enlightening. Enjoy!
http://www.ted.com/talks/helen_fisher_studies_the_brain_in_love.html
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/mary_roach_10_things_you_didn_t_know_a...
Fri Nov 06 2009 - 05:12 am
Fri Nov 06 2009 - 04:07 pm
Wise,
This thread really needs to be under "catching up w/ friends" category so it does not get lost. Can you transfer it there?
Will comment on links as I watch them. Thought I could print them out for later, but looks like I have to watch them....sounds great though! I love it!
There are also many astronomy, physics and chemical concepts that can apply to our dating life. I'll post a few when I craft them....
This is going to keep me busy.
I've been working out a theory w/ Linnie re. (computer) systems and ways to identify from external events (symptoms) what is really happening inside the system. Linnie's Ph.D. work when applied to relationships. Gotta find the e-mail where we expounded on this....this is great stuff.
Linnie, from one geek goddess to another, if you are out there and can find the e-mail before me, post that section please. This theory has soooo much promise for our relationships.
SZ
Fri Nov 06 2009 - 04:04 pm
Some talks on happiness:
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/nancy_etcoff_on_happiness_and_why_we_w...
http://www.ted.com/talks/martin_seligman_on_the_state_of_psychology.html
http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_gilbert_asks_why_are_we_happy.html
Interesting what Gilbert says about freedom of choice being the enemy of the synthetic happiness. I suppose this is an underlying factor on why so many people cannot really be happy with what they've found (especially in the internet dating context, I was thinking about Smartblonde's story when I was listening to that).
Fri Nov 06 2009 - 05:11 pm
Talk about not having any boundaries!!!! So much to talk about here, dating parasites, stuck to you like glue, can't get away from them....
Anglerfish, a deep sea fish named for the spiny appendage on its head that it uses as bait to "fish" its prey, has an unusual mating habit. As it spends its time in the bottom of the ocean, finding a mate is a problem – but the species solved this evolutionary challenge beautifully.
At first, scientists were perplexed because they’ve never caught a male anglerfish. Also, all female anglerfish have a lump on their body that looks like a parasite. Only later did scientists discover that the lump is the remain of the male fish.
The tiny male anglerfish are born without any digestive system, so once they hatch, they have to find a female quickly. When a male finds a female, he quickly bites her body and releases an enzyme that digests his skin and her body to fuse the two in an eternal embrace. The male then wastes away, becoming nothing but a lump on the female anglerfish’s body!
When the female is ready to spawn, her "male appendage" is there, ready to release sperms to fertilize her egg.
Fri Nov 06 2009 - 06:25 pm
EEEUuuuu! A real barfly....doesn't even need to be sitting nearby!
The Argentine lake duck may be small, but don’t take pity on it. See, the drake (male duck) of the lowly fowl has the longest pen1s of any bird species in the world.
From head to tail, the Argentine lake duck measures about 17 inches. That also happens to be the length of its corkscrew-shaped pen1s when stretched out. The tip of the pen1s is soft and brush-like, which the drake uses to brush away sperms deposited by a previous suitor.
University of Alaska Kevin McCracken explains that the ducks are promiscuous, and the long pen1s may be an evolutionary adaptation for the males to become more attractive to the females. That, and the drake also uses his pen1s to "lasso" a female who tries to escape from it.
Fri Nov 06 2009 - 05:15 pm
We've all known guys like this too.....shows you in fact which head actually rules.....
The insect mating game can also be deadly. At the sight of a female, a male praying mantis freezes in place. He gradually but cautiously moves toward her. Then he jumps on her and begins to mate. During mating, the female may twist around, bite off the male's head and eat it! The male mantis continues mating even though his head is gone!
Fri Nov 06 2009 - 06:07 pm
This is absolutely unbelievably priceless!!!! Keep the stories coming, szstudio52. I think it puts our little trials and tribulations into perspective.
Everybody, join in!
Fri Nov 06 2009 - 06:25 pm
Uh...Wise.
There are not too many geek goddesses out there. We are unusual, I'm sure. It's an acquired taste....being a utterly hopeless science nerd.
But I'll keep 'em coming....I have lots more.
(I'm so embarrassed...but I just love this stuff!)
SZ
Fri Nov 06 2009 - 06:37 pm
I don't think it is embarrassing in the slightest.
It is so helpful to share one's problems with other woman. But there is something very encouraging to know that mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, corals, crustaceans, mollusks, insects, maybe even brown algae, mushrooms and lichens have their ups and downs in their love life too and they still persit. How life-affirming is that!!!
Fri Nov 06 2009 - 06:40 pm
Another relationship sniglet from my list....with a nerdy scientific tint.
influoresting -adj 1. very strongly attractive in a captivating way.
"Physically and mentally he was very, very influoresting to her."
This word was derived from a typo in one of my bf's e-mails, early on in the relationship. He told me I was "inflersting." I took this as a compliment, but told him he had made a typo. I think what he really meant to write was that I was "influoresting".... a sniglet derived from the fluorine atom, the most electronegetive atom on the periodic chart. Easily able to steal outer electrons (e-) from less electronegetive atoms (ie. Li, lithium) to form extremely strong ionic bonds.
I was influorested in that engineer, that's for sure. No Lie-!
Inspiration Story:
Connect w/ Paige
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