Category: Linkage

Quick links from the past week in mind and brain news:

The New York Times covers the latest in the saga of whether there is a virus associated with chronic fatigue syndrome.

A lovely example of metaphorical priming over at the BPS Research Digest: feeling clean makes us harsher moral judges.

National Geographic discusses the intriguing question of why royal families have traditionally not been subject to the incest taboo.

Considering the news that the trapped Chilean miners are being sent antidepressants, Frontier Psychiatrist asks so what is the appropriate mental state for a trapped miner anyway?

Wired Science covers an important new criticism of the role of ‘kin selection’ in evolution – the idea that traits can evolve which may not promote personal survival but boost the chances of close relatives reproducing.

Body awareness illusions. Adapted for the pub. An excellent post over at Neurophilosophy. Please note: you need to be able to feel your body for them to work.

Science News reports on new research on how the 5,000 year-old body of ‘Ötzi The Iceman’ was buried and how he died in the first place.

Where does the meaning in words come from? Child’s Play discusses the relationship between words and the world and how they acquire their significance.

New Scientist discusses new research on the mechanics of hanging to try and understand what exactly kills people who are hanged – we still don’t know for sure.

Why are small towns more likely to produce sports stars than big cities? Frontal Cortex has some fascinating coverage of some counter-intuitive research.

The New York Times are in the midst of a science meltdown with their dire pick-two-studies-at-random-and-free-associate technology and the brain series. Want to join the fun? Nothing’s Shocking has a guide to writing your own.

There’s a discussion in meshing the evolutionary psychology of relationships and jealousy in homosexual couples over at Bering in Mind.

Not Exactly Rocket Science looks at when working as a team works out better than working individually. The key, it seems, is effective communication.

The mere presence of women seems to bring health benefits to men, according to research covered by The Economist. In which case, male physicists in danger, male psychologists virtually immortal.

Neuroskeptic covers an important study on the interaction of environment and genetic risk for psychosis. If it sounds technical, read carefully as it challenges many assumptions about schizophrenia ‘being genetic’.

Children seem to have a stereotyped view of robots, according to a new study of children’s drawings covered by New Scientist.

Neuroanthropology has a good response to the latest upsurge in ‘meme theory’ silliness. Ideas do not self-replicate, as any pub bore will tell you.

There’s an excellent piece on the pitfalls of labelling patients by diagnosis or by joky names over at The New York Times. If you read only one piece on clinical work this week, make it this one.

Wired Danger Room covers the news that while the US military have rejected the use of a ‘pain ray‘, it’s now been adopted by the US prison system.

A new paper in Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience covers the very early days of computational neuroscience. Wonderfully geeky with great photo.

The Wall Street Journal Blog says city traders are giving up cocaine for pot and pills. Damn that economic downturn.

As well as making you talk rubbish, amphetamine puts a strain on blood vessels in the body, according to research covered by Science News.

In the News covers a truly shocking report about the extent of sexual abuse in US prisons.

There’s a fantastic interview with Oliver Sacks on prosopagnosia (‘face blindness’) over at the New Yorker Podcast. He writes a locked article in this month’s edition.

The Wall Street Journal discusses how speaking in another language can alter our view of the world.

The recent upsurge in interest in the medical uses of psychedelic drugs is discussed over at Addiction Inbox.

Wiring the Brain has a great discussion of the synaesthesia-like ‘coloured hearing’ in William’s Syndrome. The blog is just getting better and better by the way.

Another study finds that oxytocin is not a universal ‘trust drug’ and is covered by New Scientist.

The Washington Post reports on research finding that drinking a glass of water before meals can promote weight loss. BigPharma to sue for water patent shortly.

Why are drug trials in Alzheimer’s disease failing? The Lancet has an editorial discussing the problem.

Quick links from the past week in mind and brain news:

New Scientist has a good feature article on how ‘crossing the senses‘ can help blind people ‘see’ with sounds and the like.

There’s good update on the biology and effects of the recently ex-‘legal high’ mephedrone over at DrugMonkey.

NPR has been running a good series on ‘How Evolution Gave Us The Human Edge’ that has lots of interesting psychology segments.

fMRI analysis in 1000 words. Awesome guide to the multiple complex steps involved in turning a brain scan into a scientific data point from the top-notch Neuroskeptic.

The Guardian asks stupid question ‘The internet: is it changing the way we think?’ (everything we interact with does) but it turns out to be a thoughtful discussion on the impact of technology on our lives from a number of contributors.

Biologist PZ Myers says that transhumanist and brain simulation enthusiast Ray Kurzweil ‘doesn’t understand the brain’. Kurzweil responds.

Case Study, the excellent series looking at the background of famous psychology case studies on BBC Radio 4 is still ongoing. Because the BBC live in the dark ages, you can only listen to a streamed version for 7 days before the latest episode disappears. Be quick, worth catching.

The number of books in the house predicts child success at school and work better than parent’s education and occupation in countries around the world, according to a study covered by Evidence Based Mummy.

The New York Times has an extended article on the psychology of 20-Somethings and the whether the period is becoming a life-stage categorised as ’emerging adulthood’. Slate takes a critical look at the piece.

Like it or not, parents shape their children’s sexual preferences. The latest Bering in Mind column covers how sexuality develops in childhood. Not a wealth of data but an interesting take.

Wired UK starts the first in a series of monthly ‘Lab Notes’ columns on quirky psych studies. It kicks off a piece on the science of positive thinking.

There’s been a fantastic series on how kids understand numbers over Child’s Play. The latest piece about the neuropsychology of numbers and numeracy is a good starting place.

Newsweek has a brilliant article on why cholesterol levels seem to have a stronger genetic basis than personality. Great introduction to understanding the challenges and trials of genetics for thought and behaviour.

Forensic psychology blog In the News has been at the American Psychological Association annual conference and has sent back some great dispatches.

Slate takes a skeptical look at the claims that adolescents are reaching puberty at and earlier and earlier age.

Innovative philosophers Eric Schwitzgebel and Joshua Knobe mull whether studying ethics makes you more ethical and tackle the studies that suggest the opposite in a great video discussion over at The Splintered Mind.

Scientific American Mind has an article discussing evidence that the cholesterol lowering drugs statins may impact on memory.

The chaps over at Neuroanthropology have written a couple of brilliant pieces that take a look at the assumptions behind the ‘scientists go rafting’ tech and the brain piece that ran recently in The New York Times.

The Fortean Times has considers why the CIA became interested in the ‘LSD in the water supply’ idea.

There’s a discussion of how one of the most famous cases of demonic possession influenced the history of psychiatry over at Providentia.

The Psychologist September issue is freely available, in full, online. You can read it here.

Six causes of social disinhibition on the internet are discussed by PsyBlog. Oddly, ChatRoulette is not listed.

Nature has a fantastic open article on how neuroscientists are trying to breach the blood-brain barrier to avoid having to pipe new treatments directly into the brain in complex and sometimes risky operations.

How to apologise. The BPS Research Digest has some great coverage of which apologies work best for whom.

National Geographic has an eye-opening piece about the incest taboo has traditionally been suspended for royal families.

The necessity of the vagueness of language is discussed by Mark Changizi. I love the phrase “higher-order vagueness”.

The New York Times has a narrated slide-show by an urban explorer photographer who takes photos of abandoned psychiatric hospitals.

There is a funny and sarcastic analysis of a recent study on whether the toy boy / cougar phenomenon really exists over at The Last Psychiatrist.

The Sun, a popular British newspaper of ill repute, has an unlikely photo mock-up of a girl injecting enough heroin to kill a horse, into her elbow, with the safety cap still on the syringe.

The genetics of cocaine addiction has recently begun to focus on the brain protein MeCP2. Addiction Inbox covers the buzz.

The Atlantic has a fantastic article on the evolution of technology and why the ‘this tech is dead’ approach is far from reality.

Quick links from the past week in mind and brain news:

NPR has an excellent short piece on when we became ‘mentally modern’ and began to use symbolic thought.

The awesome Neuroskeptic covers a mind-boggling new study that reported the use of anti-depressant and quit-smoking drug bupropion to treat Starcraft addiction in South Korean teens.

Seed Magazine discusses the psychology of isolation in space – in an excerpt from Mary Roach’s forthcoming book on space travel.

Dodgy headline but there’s a fascinating discussion of cultural differences in self-reflection and mood between the US and Russia over at The Frontal Cortex.

Wired Science covers new research that helps explain why some sleepers can successfully block out the external world and others awake at the slightest flutter.

Is it possible to believe that you’re dead? Philosopher Lisa Bortolotti discusses belief and delusion over at The Splintered Mind.

The Guardian on why autism can’t be diagnosed with brain scans, despite the week’s headlines. See the lead author’s response here.

That runner’s high may not be endorphins after all – but your brain’s cannabinoid system. Addiction Inbox covers research on the neuroscience of exercise and feeling good.

New Scientist reports on research finding that depression dulls your sense of smell.

There’s a guide to becoming a professional agony aunt or uncle, over at Dr Petra.

The New York Times covers a new study suggesting that human ancestors were using stone tools and sometimes consuming meat at least 800,000 years earlier than previously thought.

Ten psychology studies on Twitter and how people use it are reviewed over at PsyBlog.

Reuters covers a new systematic review finding little evidence that antidepressants are helpful for children with autism.

Somewhat mysteriously, a retracted paper on treating cluster headaches with an LSD-like compound is re-instated after four years. We’re still not sure why but Retraction Watch covers the story.

The Boston Globe covers the all-over-the-internet news that a 2002 paper on monkey cognition has been retracted and big name author Mark Hauser ‘on leave’ for a year from his Harvard lab.

There’s an interview with the creator of the excellent Psychiatric Tales graphic novel over at Frontier Psychiatrist.

RadioLab have a fantastic and playful visual essay on the flexibility of words.

Brainless slime mould makes decisions like humans in new research covered by Not Exactly Rocket Science. Don’t miss the mind-blowing video of the slime mould navigating a maze!

New Scientist covers a study finding that social rejection raises the risk of inflammation diseases that arthritis.

Are children from collectivist cultures more likely to say it’s okay to lie for the group? asks the BPS Research Digest. The answer, it turns out, is that there less likely to think so than kids from more individualist cultures.

CNN covers the much echoed research findings that women in China, the United States, England and Germany said they found men pictured wearing red, or surrounded by the color, more sexually attractive. The full text of the study is online as a pdf.

Help Language Log to get Barak Obama to sing Let It Be. Less crazy than it sounds.

The Independent covers the UK government’s continuing romance with behavioural economics.

Have ‘mirror neurons’ been misinterpreted? Talking Brains covers an interesting take on the pop science favourites.

Dilbert wrestles with placebo.

Machines, computation and metaphors for the mind are discussed over at Child’s Play

The New York Times discusses how large scale data sharing has led to some crucial advances in understanding Alzheimer’s disease. Also check the audio.

Quick links from the past week in mind and brain news:

Time magazine has an excellent piece that tackles the myth that the only child is psychologically worse off due to a lack of siblings during development.

The new blog Neurotic Physiology at the Scitopia network that has an excellent piece on Freud’s experiences with cocaine.

The New York Times discusses how unflattering psychological studies on ‘Generation Y’ are being contested in the scientific literature.

As always, much great stuff on Neuroskeptic, but this piece on how negative drug trials are being swept under the carpet is particularly good – with trials for antidepressants and antipsychotics being among some of the least likely to appear.

Scientific American Mind has some excellent coverage of a recent study finding a link between impulsivity and a reduction in dopamine receptors in deep-brain areas.

There’s a great analysis of why Alcoholics Anonymous is so popular despite limited evidence for its effectiveness over at the excellent Neuroanthropology.

You guys are reading Child’s Play right? A fantastic new blog on developmental psychology.

NPR has been running an excellent five-part series on the drug war in Mexico. See the left hand side bar down the page for the earlier parts.

How regular folks solve complex biology problems better than super-computers – when the problem is turned into a game. Not Exactly Rocket Science covers an innovative project.

The Kansas City Star notes the passing of Ivar Lovaas the founder of the behavioural therapy for autism the Lovaas technique.

There’s an update on synthetic cannabinoid ‘legal highs’ over at the newly located DrugMonkey blog.

Wired Science covers a fascinating study finding that REM sleep behaviour disorder, where people act out dreams, are more likely in people who later develop dementia.

The more women value intimacy and human connection, the less interest they have in a career in science, finds a study covered by We’re Only Human. Which interestingly, seems to ignore psychology, in which men are an endangered species.

The New York Times has an interview with neuroscientist John Donoghue who creates brain-machine interfaces to connect paralysed patients to the outside world. Maybe he could create a brain-caps lock interface to stop the NYT ASKING ALL THEIR QUESTIONS IN CAPITAL LETTERS.

A fantastic piece on jam and how over-thinking can re-configure our preferences is over at The Frontal Cortex, which, incidentally has been packed with great pieces recently.

Miller-McCune covers research finding that women who kill their cheating lovers receive shorter sentences than men who do the same.

There’s a fantastic infographic on ‘The CSI Effect’ over at In The News forensic psychology blog.

The Washington Post has a good antidote to the ‘digital drug’ and ‘i-dosing’ silliness.

The mighty BPS Research Digest covers a great study finding that smokers trying to quit who tried not to think of smoking ended up smoking more.

Policy Review magazine (sizzling sex tips, the hottest goss, free sparkly lipstick with every issue) has an excellent in-depth piece on how compassion became professionalised in the United States.

The UK media lose the news about adolescent girls, sexual activity and the pill. Dr Petra goes searching for the real story.

The Global Post has a short piece on stuff seized from drug lords. Money can buy many things, but taste, it cannot.

Why people think they are less influenced than others by adverts and persuasive messages. A great piece over at PsyBlog.

The Boston Globe covers a misconduct investigation in a trial of a drug aiming to treat brain damage in US troops.

Acrylic brain upside your head. The Neurocritic. Yes.

Seed Magazine asks ‘does coffee work?’ and examines the effects of caffeine. I’m more concerned with the question of why anyone would want to consume a drink that tastes like burnt toast.

An intriguing new study finding an interaction between actions and object recognition is covered by Neurophilosophy.

New Scientist has an article on amazing research that simulates walking through a population of virtual skeletons controlled by a network of virtual nerves. Cool video.

If you’ve not heard Baba Brinkman’s new album A Rap Guide to Human Nature try this track on wannabe teenage gangstas and the evolution of self-deception. Glorious.

Science News reports on a study finding that older people react more strongly to sad scenes than twentysomethings.

To the bunkers! New Scientist reports on a study of artificial life forms which seemed to have evolved basic intelligence.

Quick links from the past week in mind and brain news:

Popular Science reports on proposals to study the obscure hallucinogen ibogain as a treatment for opiate addiction.

A study on how money restricts life’s pleasures is covered by PsyBlog.

Yale Alumni Magazine looks at research “which seeks to use robots not to perform tasks for humans but as a means of investigating the inner workings of human behavior and psychology”.

The chance of getting executed for killing a white person is about three times higher than for killing an African American, regardless of the offender’s race, according to research covered by In the News.

The New York Times piece on free will by philosopher Galen Strawson has some insightful commentaries here at The Frontal Cortex and here at Oscillatory Thoughts.

Stereotypes of mental illness in cinema – a brief diagnostic guide – over at Frontier Psychiatrist.

Wired Science reports on a study finding synchronised brain activity between people in a conversation.

The first and preliminary controlled trial of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD is covered by Drug Monkey.

New Scientist analyse the shaky idea that bigger brains means more intelligence.

A video introduces IBM cognitive computing’s SyNAPSE project – which stands for ‘Systems of Neuromorphic Adaptive Plastic Scalable Electronics’ since you asked – is over at Developing Intelligence.

The Today Programme from BBC Radio 4 interviews psychologist Til Wykes on changes to psychiatric diagnosis and the shrinking definition of normality.

What proportion of chemical leaks provoke mass hysteria? asks the BPS Research Digest.

Seed Magazine has an interesting review of ‘Sex at Dawn’ – a new book looking at the history of sexuality in pre-history.

Brain scan based career advice? The Neurocritic covers a curious study on using brain structure and cognitive performance for ‘vocational guidance’.

Life Matters from ABC Radio National discusses whether ‘bad kids’ become more popular as rule-breaking becomes attractive as kids age.

There’s a great piece on how a study of heroin addiction in ex-Vietnam soldiers gave birth to the ‘disease model’ of addiction over at Addiction Inbox.

The New York Times has an in-depth article discussing whether the seemingly permanent record of the internet means an ‘end to forgetting’.

The Research Blogging editor’s selections of psychology and neuroscience articles posted regularly at The Thoughtful Animal are excellent.

Wired has an in-depth article on the possibilities of a ‘stress vaccine‘ that protects against the damage associated with chronic stress.

Can music negatively affect your memory? asks Barking Up The Wrong Tree.

New Scientist reports on how a doctor has been reprimanded apparently for asking valid questions about the validity of ‘shaken baby syndrome’.

There is some intelligent commentary concerning the recent Edge online seminar on the psychology of morality over at Neuroanthropology.

Scientific American Mind has excellent coverage of the recent ‘self-fulfilling feigning of mental illness’ study.

BBC Radio 4’s Inside the Ethics Committee programme had an interesting discussion on when it is ethical to accept a mentally ill patient’s decision to refuse a life-saving operation if their objections are based on delusional ideas.

Not Exactly Rocket Science discusses an awesome ‘sniff-detector‘ that allows paralysed people to write messages, surf the net and drive a wheelchair.

What if there had never been a Cognitive Revolution? asks Cognition and Culture.

Quick links from the past week in mind and brain news:

Newsweek has an excellent series on the psychology and culture of beauty.

‘A single brief electrical pulse to the hippocampus caused momentary amnesia’. Neuroskeptic covers a fascinating human study.

AP News has an interesting piece on whether mind-bending movies set in mental space are the new Westerns.

You all know the top drawer neuroscience blog The Frontal Cortex has just moved to Wired? A great piece on why money doesn’t make us happy breaks in the new digs.

New Scientist says “If you thought depression was caused by low serotonin levels, think again”. Nope, can’t say I did. If you ignore the premise taken from drug company adverts, its a good article on serotonin and depression.

The study, and indeed, the concept, of prejudice and its psychological basis is traced back by an excellent piece from the BPS Research Digest.

Wired Science covers a study finding a gene associated with drinking more booze when with friends. Now you get to blame it on your genes and your mates. Evidence based excuses are the future.

A series of posts on the psychology and neuroscience of eroticism and disgust makes for fascinating reading over at The Neurocritic.

New Scientist has an excellent special feature on the social dynamics of laughter. ‘Contagious chortling’ is a lovely phrase.

There’s a fantastic piece on how people without language think and reason over at Neuroanthropology.

Science News covers the recent study finding a link between body shape and mental performance in older women.

Like cranking up the volume in an irony chamber. In the News covers a new study that found that watching Fox’s TV fictional series on the science of lying makes people worse at detecting lies. Genius.

Nature News discusses why music is good for you. Doesn’t mention air guitar. Otherwise a good piece.

Depressed people see less colour contrast in the world, according to a fascinating study covered by Neurophilosophy.

The LA Times has a piece by a medical anthropologist discussing the stark reality behind the reality TV show where families hold an ‘intervention‘ for their drug addicted relatives. No, I’m not making this up. More background on Somatosphere.

You guys know that the no-holds-barred neuroscience blog Developing Intelligence has sprung back into life?

Newsweek covers the trouble with using undergraduates for research and the W.E.I.R.D. problem.

There’s a great review of ‘Methland’, a book on the speed industry in rural America, over at Addiction Inbox.

The Guardian asks ‘Why is the Hollywood portrayal of mental illness stuck in the dark ages?’

The behavioural psychology of drowning and why its not like the on-screen depiction is discussed in a fascinating Boing Boing post.

The New York Times covers an interesting finding that even without swallowing, a simple mouth rinse with carbohydrate solution tricks the brain into physical stamina mode.

There are ten freaky, funny, and fantastical dream sequences from the movies over at FlavorWire.

TED has a demo of the Emotiv consumer EEG headset. Mainly a sales pitch but a good preview.

Why do we cry? Eight half-baked ideas are discussed over at Mark Changizi’s blog. No one really knows.

Time magazine has a great piece on the complex link between marijuana and schizophrenia.

Do women who remove their pubic hair have better sexual function? Some evidence-based minky trimming from Barking Up the Wrong Tree.

New Scientist has an excellent piece by straight thinking neuroscientist Lise Elliot on science, sexism and gender myths.

“Sarcasm is a way of being nasty without leaving a paper trail” according to a good piece on the invention of sarcasm on the Cheap Talk blog.

The Fortean Times has an excellent piece on the history of physiognomy and ‘why ugly people are more likely to break the law’.

Neuromarketing company NeuroFocus are just trolling us now: have ‘launched a 3D virtual reality tool, N-Matrix 3D, that it claims will bring digital technology ‚Äúon a par with Avatar‚Äù’

The Psychologist are looking for new voices to bloom as writers in their pages. Want to develop your writing and get published? See here.

There is continuing coverage of the ongoing debate about the UK regulation of psychotherapists over at the Mental Nurse blog. The best coverage I’ve seen anywhere so far.

Quick links from the past week in mind and brain news:

If you thought nothing could top the last ‘digital drugs’ news report, it has been surpassed. Experts consulted: school IT guy and school nurse – who simulates the sound of digital drugs with her voice. Thanks Mind Hacks reader alex!

The New York Times asks ‘When did we first rock the mic?’ in an article on the historical lexicography of hip-hop.

A new study covered by the excellent Addiction Inbox finds that drug prohibition likely contributes to higher violence and homicide rates. Pushing universally used substances into the hands of criminals leads to violence? Shocker.

The Onion on satirical top form: ‘Nation’s Music Snobs Protest Predictable Use Of Metallica, Pantera To Torture Prisoners’. The fact that the US Military missed the irony of torturing people to ‘Vulgar Display of Power’ is of small comfort.

Jesse Bering looks at stray dog psychology in his endlessly fascinating column for Scientific American Mind.

The New York Times had an interesting piece on when good parents have difficult kids. Don’t miss the smart commentary on the piece over at Neuron Culture that disentangles the article’s oversimplifications.

Can the personality of your first child put you off having another? asks the excellent new Evidence Based Mummy blog.

The Chronicle of Higher Education covers some fascinating anthropological work on ‘frequent flyer’ drug trial volunteers. Anarchists and “transient, economically struggling people”.

A fantastic counter-intuitive study, brilliantly covered by Not Exactly Rocket Science. Sales and donations massively increase when customers told they can pay whatever they want for a photo and half goes to charity.

NPR has a short but interesting segment on a man who can’t recognise people by their voices. Technically called phonagnosia but given the not-quite-right nickname of ‘voice blindness’.

The mighty Language Log has a sideways look at thought-bubbles, comics and theory of mind.

Wired Science covers a new study finding that happiness and sadness spread through social networks like disease. Another analysis of the Framington Heart Study, which also seems to be quite contagious.

There’s an excellent discussion of how and when talking to ourselves helps us solve problems over at Frontal Cortex. Good job man. Thank you sir!

New Scientist briefly covers a study finding that a single dose of anti-depressants leads to less crying.

There’s a fantastic neuromarketing short story by Cory Doctorow over at Subterranean Press. Really is very good.

The New York Times catches up with the news on K2 Spice, JWH-018 and synthetic marijuana. See also some great background from Terra Sigilata

The neuroscience bloggers’ neuroscience blog Developing Intelligence has sprung back into life and among many other great pieces has a post on ‘Four Things to Keep in Mind When Reading fMRI Studies’.

New Scientist asks can you teach yourself synaesthesia?

Brain training – maybe a little effective? The Nature blog discusses a new study that suggests small but generalisable benefits from brain training.

Wired Science has a piece on how ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny, or, to sound less of an arse, how the development of a child’s brain reflects the evolution of the human brain.

A study on distraction covered by the BPS Research Digest finds that people talking on their mobiles phones are more likely to miss a unicycling clown. Ironic, because when unicycling to the circus I often miss calls on my mobile phone.

NPR has an engaging interview with psychiatrist Daniel Carlat about his new book on the unhealthy relationship between Big Pharma, doctors and mental illness.

Futurist David Gelernter discusses dream-logic, the internet and the future of artificial intelligence over at Edge.

Cerebrum, the excellent online neuroscience magazine from The Dana Foundation, has an in-depth piece arguing that neuroenhancers should be available but regulated.

The consistently excellent forensic psychology blog In The News discusses myths about sex offender treatment and psychology versus what the evidence actually tells us. See also this week’s BBC Radio 4 All In the Mind on an innovative treatment programme.

The New York Times discusses moves to expand the diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer’s disease.

There’s fantastic coverage of a new, well-controlled study finding that rich families have higher rates of autism than poor families, contrary to the pattern we normally see in the prevalence of disorder, over at Neuroskeptic.

Quick links from the past week in mind and brain news:

The Wall Street Journal reports that ‘picky eating‘ is being considered as a new mental illness for the next DSM. I think they’re just trolling us now.

Becoming angry in negotiations was thought to be a widely effective strategy, but not, it turns out, when negotiating with people from an East Asian background. New study covered by The BPS Research Digest.

The Telegraph has an excellent article on the neuroscience of persistent vegetative state and other locked-in and coma-like states.

A fascinating case study of a man with constant musical hallucinations treated by magnetic brain stimulation is discussed by Neuroskeptic.

The Independent: “Scientists believe they have discovered the first hard evidence showing that conduct disorder in adolescents has a biological basis connected with brain chemistry”. This announcement made on behalf of the Steve Connor neuroscience education fund. Please give generously.

Excellent coverage of the science-politics of studies on the XMRV virus and chronic fatigue syndrome by the same journalist in The Independent. I know, confusing isn’t it?

.csv blog has a fantastic in-depth piece on new developments in artificial intelligence.

The author of PsyBlog is conducting some genuine online research into feeling low, online support groups and expressive writing with University College London. Wanna take part? Details here.

Life Matters on ABC Radio National has a discussion of why play matters, even for adults.

Hallucinations, hospitalizations and Angel’s Trumpet. Terra Sigillata has an excellent piece on toxic reactions to ‘brugmansia’ plants taken for their hallucinatory effects.

Time Magazine covers a recent study uncovering new ways unconscious motivations can influence us.

An eye-opening and worrying documentary about America’s prisons – seemingly the USA’s biggest provider of psychiatric care – is available in full over at In the News.

Reuters reports a new studying finding a link between early pot smoking and depression. Notable to separate cause and effect but useful to know either way.

The eccentric uncle of cannabis receptors, CB2, is gaining increasing attention and is discussed by Addiction Inbox.

Scientific American Mind has an intriguing piece about the ‘willpower paradox‘ where intention and motivation and not necessarily singing from the same hymn sheet.

There’s a fascinating piece about the artistic background of legendary neuroscientist Santiago Ramon-y-Cajal over at The Beautiful Brain.

Village Voice has an extended article about the how selling laughing gas at freewheeling gigs has become an intimidating and shady business.

How a broken heart can break your heart. Excellent piece from the ScienceBlogs Brasil highlights blog Brazillion Thoughts. ¿Y ScienceBlogs en español cuándo?

All Psych has a good summary of neo-Freudian theories and thinkers, minus Lacan for some reason.

Probably the funniest rant you’ll read for a while. Jesse Bering riffs on feminism, sexism and the relative pleasantness of bodily fluids over at Scientific American’s Bering In Mind.

Harvard Magazine has a thoughtful and moving piece on caregiving for a life partner with Alzheimer’s disease.

A discussion of why no-one realised that the recently deported Russian spies weren’t from where they claimed and why Americans find accents tricky over at Language Log.

The Loom has an excellent piece entitled ‘Facebook Is Not A Brain, And Other Failed Metaphors‘.

Cognitive biases are not equally opportunities misleaders, according to a study covered by Barking Up the Wrong Tree which finds men and women can be subject to different effects.

The Philosopher’s Zone on ABC Radio National had an excellent discussion of Derrida and deconstruction.

Why we have Eureka moments. The Vision Revolution blog has a piece that looks at instant inspiration.

The Neurocritic covers a study on the neuroscience of being turned off by porn.

Sports results can affect election results, according to a study covered by Not Exactly Rocket Science. Which explains a great deal about the UK.

Quick links from the past week in mind and brain news:

NPR have just completed a three part series on violence, psychopaths and the brain.

Bring back the fat cats? Hunger increases financial risk-taking according to a new study covered by the BPS Research Digest.

Time has an in-depth article that covers cocaine’s growth as a middle class drug and its link to the global drug trade. [From 1981! Missed that. Thanks commentors!]

If you’re not familiar with The Beautiful Brain, you’re missing a fantastic and diverse neuroscience site that covers the intersection between art and science.

The New York Times just completed a five-part series on anosognosia and insight that works well as individual scenes but doesn’t really hang together. Worth a read for the individual snapshots though.

Did you know that awesome PSYOPS website PsyWar is now on Twitter as @psywarorg?

The Atlantic argues that we should be giving scientists performance-enhancing drugs. Although, I think actually inventing some might be a good first step. Antireductionazole – stops inappropriate reductionism – fast!

An innovative study that used a tongue stimulator to look at how blind people deal with spatial navigation is covered by Neurophilosophy.

BBC News on how the UK government covered-up an assessment of drugs policy so it couldn’t be be used by critics. Because you can’t be trusted with drugs or information. You know what you’re like.

The tragic story of how a new form of synthetic smack ended up paralysing drug users and helping us understand Parkinson’s disease is covered on Speakeasy Science.

RadioLab has just put another awesome episode online about mistakes which starts with a jaw-dropping piece about Harvard interrogation experiments in the 1960s.

A neat analysis of research trends shows the declining influence of psychoanalysis and Freud over at Neuroskeptic.

The US legal system looks set for a major overhaul regarding eye-witness testimony, according to coverage from the excellent In the News. By the way, the blog’s author is now on Twitter as @kfranklinphd with more great forensic psychology news.

Frontal Cortex has an excellent piece on how the effort of controlling Tourette’s syndrome tics can lead to improved cognitive ability in some areas.

Supporting equal rights for women doesn’t necessarily translate into equal rights for women, according to a new global survey covered by The New York Times.

Harvard Magazine has a piece on research finding that thinking or either good or evil deeds increases physical endurance.

There’s some insightful coverage of the ‘parasite infection levels linked to national IQ’ story over at Not Exactly Rocket Science.

Motherboard.TV has an amazing half hour documentary on smuggling submarines built by Colombian narcotraffickers and you can watch the whole thing online.

There’s a good review of the new book ‘The Madness within Us: Schizophrenia as a Neuronal Process’ over at Somatosphere.

The latest Nature Neuroscience Neuropod podcast has just appeared online and you can grab it from their homepage or as a direct mp3 download.

Scientific American covers the <a href="Amygdaloids
http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=rockin-scientists-nyu-brain-researc-2010-06-28″>latest releases from neuroscientist Joseph LeDoux’s rock n’ roll outfit ‘The Amygdaloids’.

Not sure about the portrayal of marriage counselling but We’re Only Human covers some fascinating research about what hopefulness and the course of a successful marriage.

The Washington Post reports on a global survey which finds that money buys happiness. Suck it up hippies.

After 75 years, we don‚Äôt know how Alcoholics Anonymous works, according to Wired. Nonsense. It’s works by a ‘higher power’. It says in the book.

New Scientist discusses why why men are attracted to women with small feet. Feet?

A computer program has deciphered a dead language that mystified linguists and io9 has the story.

The Economist covers the recent study finding wearing fake goods makes people less honest.

Yet another study finds no link between the XMRV and chronic fatigue syndrome, plus bonus academic murkiness to enliven the story over at Nature News.

Dr Petra asks ‘What do we want from sex and relationships education?’

Classical music alters the heart rate of people in a persistent vegetative state in a similar way to healthy people, according to a new study covered by New Scientist.

The New York Times reports on a how a preliminary hypothesis about multiple sclerosis has prompted calls from surgery and even someone offering to carry out the procedure.

There’s an interview with primatologist Frans de Waal about empathy and social interaction over at American Scientist.

The Washington Post reports on how the US Military’s PSYOPS is awash with soft money that gets spent on contractors.

There’s a review of Paul Bloom’s new book ‘How Pleasure Works’ over at The New York Times.

DSM5 in Distress is the blog of ex-DSM chief and DSM5 critic Allen Frances. He has an excellent post on defining mental disorder.

Quick links from the past week in mind and brain news:

Remember the study we covered on how a headache pill can ease the pain of social rejection? The Neurocritic has a skeptical look at the details.

The Atlantic has a fascinating article on witchcraft and the legal system in Central Africa.

The ‘Bloggers Behind the Blogs’ series is in full swing over at the BPS Research Digest. It seems we lack female psychology and neuroscience bloggers.

NPR has an engrossing case taken from the forthcoming Oliver Sacks book about a man who lost the ability to make sense of written words after a stroke. They call it ‘word blindness’ but it is more commonly known as ‘pure alexia’ in the medical literature.

Forensic psychology blog In the News discusses whether new proposals to make the propensity to rape a mental illness is a use or abuse of psychiatric diagnosis.

Scientific American Mind reports on a study finding that people with certain versions of the MAOA genes had 7.8% more credit card debt than those with different versions. Miscued ‘gene for credit card debt’ headlines in 3, 2, 1…

There’s a good analysis of a long overdue rethinking of the ‘disease model’ of addiction over at Addiction Inbox.

Nature News covers the ongoing problems with the US Military’s ‘Human Terrain System’ project that employs battlefield social scientists to understand the, er, human terrain.

There’s a fantastic picture set from Greystone Park, an abandoned state psychiatric hospital in New Jersey, over at the Environmental Graffiti blog.

New Scientist has an interview with the psychologists who created the fantastic ‘gorillas in our midst’ study. Don’t miss the new video in the article.

Seven ways to improve creativity taken from scientific experiments are covered by PsyBlog.

Science News covers news of a new hominid skeleton and what it might mean about human evolution. Needless to say, the debate is ongoing and heated.

Scientists can read your mind… as long as the’re allowed to look at more than one place in your brain and then make a prediction after seeing what you actually did. Excellent analysis of a new ‘neuromarketing’ study over at Applied Statistics.

Mental Nurse have been doing some fantastic investigative journalism on the debates about regulation of psychotherapists in the UK. Their latest piece is a gem.

There’s an excellent article on advances in human speech recognition technology over at The New York Times.

BBC News reports that synthetic street drugs grow in popularity while use of plant extracts cocaine and heroin declines.

An article on autism, the ‘biomed’ movement covers the lure of quack cures at New Scientist.

Discover Magazine has a brief piece on how you construct a brain map – by slicing up brains. With cool brain photo.

Crikey. The Huffington Post has a sensible science article. Neuroscientist Joesph LeDoux on ‘Why the “Right Brain” Idea is Wrong-Headed’. The end times are near.

The New York Times has a piece on neuroscience research to pick up the early signs of Alzheimer’s disease.

There’s an ongoing video interview series on key thinkers and debates in the sociology of health an illness over at Blackwell Publishing. Says they’re podcasts but actually embedded video.

Quick links from the past week in mind and brain news:

Forensic psychology blog In the News hits the nail on the head with a final round-up of the psychopath research fight that recently came to light. Props to the blog for breaking the story.

Science News reports on a study that shows how our psychological associations with north and south (‘up’ and ‘down’) affect travel behaviour.

There’s an excellent analysis of the discovery of yet more autism risk genes over at Neuroskeptic.

The New York Times has an obituary for neurologist Fred Plum whose work helped advance our understanding of consciousness and the ‘persistent vegetative state’.

A study finding that obesity is linked to brain shrinkage and dementia is covered by a great post from Neurophilosophy.

New Scientist reports on research finding that people can accurately judge a male’s upper body strength just from listening to the sound of their voice.

There’s an excellent piece on how we can know whether colours look the same to everyone and have the same ‘colour qualia‘ over at Nature, Brain, and Culture.

Seed Magazine has an excellent piece on the links between suicidal thoughts, intelligence and antidepressants.

The results of the US Government’s annual state-by-state survey of drug use in America have just been released and Addiction Inbox has the low-down.

TechCrunch reports that Chatroulette is to develop a penis recognition algorithm. To help the smaller gentleman join in the fun I presume.

Hot avatars get all the breaks: even virtual attractiveness changes how people treat you, according to a new virtual world study cover by Neoacademic.

The New York Daily News reports that extroverted men and neurotic women are the most fertile combination. There’s a dating website business opportunity in there somewhere.

There’s a good analysis of the latest internet damages the brain, does so, does not, debate over at Neuron Culture.

Cerebrum, the online neuroscience from the Dana Foundation, has a great piece on the medical and ethical challenges in diagnosing and treating the minimally conscious state.

Our mental models of our hands are short and fat according to a fantastic study that asked people to blindly judge the architecture of their hands. Great write up from Not Exactly Rocket Science.

Colonial Psychiatry is an excellent blog about the history of colonial psychiatry in the British Empire. That, ladies and gentlemen, is why the internet is awesome.

“One day, neuroscientists may be able to describe the damage we do to our brains when we lie to ourselves and to others”. New Scientist has a completely baffling article by psychologist Dorothy Rowe.

Neuroskeptic has a list of new neuroblogs you may not know about.

South Korean man posts suicide note on Twitter, reports The Telegraph.

Discover Magazine has a piece on epigenetics, neuroscience and mental illness.

Lucky number plates go up in value when times are bad, reports the BPS Research Digest. Coincidentally, my lucky pants (Americans: smalls) go up in value when times are bad as well.

Time covers a new analysis finding that evidence from studies on whether lifestyle factors alter your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease are too inconsistent to draw firm conclusions.

Pro basketball player Ron Artest thanks his psychiatrist after the LA Lakers win the NBA Championship.

Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and Law has an open-access article on the language of revenge in two ‘pseudocommando‘ mass murderers.

Approval for Flibanserin, the experimental and not very good female sex drug (0.7 more ‘satisfying sexual events’ per month!) is rejected by the US Food and Drug Administration, reports The New York Times.

Newsweek has a piece on the folly of blaming bad behaviour on wonky DNA.

Does frequent sex help a marriage? “whilst much research has been done on marital sexual relations, very little has been conducted on the effects of the frequency of sex on marriage itself” Interesting study covered by Paracademia.

Quick links from the past week in mind and brain news:

A new study finds that superstitions improve performance by increasing confidence. Some excellent coverage from Not Exactly Rocket Science and from Bad Science.

Time magazine reports the counter-stereotype finding that men are more susceptible to emotional ups and downs after relationship break-ups than women.

Just too much ‘technology is rewiring our brains’ silliness to link to but in the mean time 14 kids at an ‘internet addiction’ camp in China tied up their guard and made a daring escape. Personally, I blame Donkey Kong.

The BPS Research Digest covers a completely fascinating study on how some words (like ‘sympathy’, ‘murderer’, ‘risk’) lack an opposite and these are consistent across languages.

Children raised by lesbians ‘have fewer behavioural problems’ according to research covered by CNN. Raising better adjusted kids while simultaneously undermining traditional marriage. Devious these lesbians, I tell you. See also good coverage from In the News.

Language Log picks up on an interesting linguistic asymmetry. In light of accusations that a female politician has been unfaithful, the blog asks whether she could be a manizer?

An excellent article in the Chronicle of Higher Education questions whether recent interest in the power of intuition is based on solid science.

Frontier Psychiatrist has an excellent piece on the problems with recruiting psychiatrists and why the speciality needs the brightest and best.

The latest NeuroPod has just gone online. Check the page or download the mp3 directly.

Life Matters from ABC Radio National discusses a new US Military treatment programme to help veterans who have both PTSD and addiction problems.

More than 50% of Americans now believe gay relationships to be acceptable reports The New York Times.

The Neurocritic notes that brain area the insula has become high fashion in neuroscience.

The first yardstick for measuring smells is discussed in an article for Discover Magazine.

PsyBlog covers an interesting study finding that the simply technique for saying a word out loud helps you remember it.

Psychologist Irvin Kirsch says antidepressants are just fancy placebos in an interview for Discover Magazine.

Barking Up the Wrong Tree asks whether a female hitchhiker’s bust size affect her ability to get picked up.

Antipsychotic haloperidol reduces gray matter volume within hours of taking it, according to a new study reported by Nature News.

The New York Times has a piece by Steven Pinker which is probably the best response so far to the ‘tech brain damage’ panic. Next to, oh for Christ’s sake not again, of course.

“Kantian ethicists seem to have a reputation among philosophers for behaving worse than other sorts of ethicists. But who has any systematic empirical data on this?” Eric Schwitzgebel does, at the fantastic Splintered Mind.

80 Beats has a fantastic analysis of the recent big autism genetics study that found a great number of copy number variants in genes that non-gene DNA.

The Dana Foundation Brain Blog has had some great coverage of mind and brain events at the World Science festival.

Radio National Breakfast reports on new research finding out a crucial piece in the puzzle of how lithium can treat Alzheimer’s and bipolar disorder.

Quick links from the past week in mind and brain news:

Brain scan ‘lie detection’ not admissible in a landmark case which has been considered a test for the legal acceptability of the technology, reports Wired Science.

The Frontal Cortex argues that the BP engineers should take a break from tying to solve the oil spill crisis from what we know about the psychology of creativity.

Video gamers are more likely to have lucid dreams according to research covered by Kotaku.

The Guardian list Mind Hacks among its ‘hottest science blogs.’ Shakira yet to call (not a Guardian reader it seems).

The tricky topic of SSRIs and suicide are discussed by The Neuroskeptic. Also a subject of a debate in this month’s British Journal of Psychiatry which is locked behind a paywall because debates are dangerous in the wrong hands.

The New York Times has an interview with neuroscientist Aniruddh Patel who studies music and the brain.

There’s a technical but engrossing post on how the binge-purge cycle in bulimia could be linked to the function of the vagus nerve over at Neurotopia.

The Boston Globe has a good article on how science is further uncovering the function of the long ignored glial cells in the brain – annoyingly calling them the “brain’s bubble wrap” – although otherwise an informative piece.

Drug company Boehringer Ingelheim are trying to get US government approval for their not very effective pill arguing that low sexual desire in women is a medical problem. Dr Petra begs to differ.

APA Monitor magazine has a cover feature on marijuana in light of the wider availability of ‘medical marijuana’ in the US.

An engrossing enthnographic study on how a homeless man manages his life to provide a sense of normality amid the public space of the city is brilliantly covered by the BPS Research Digest.

Olivier Oullier, neuroscientist mentioned in our piece on ‘neuropolicy’ got in touch to reply to our points and link to his centre’s report on neuroimaging and public policy. The post has been updated with all the relevant info.

Newsweek covers new research on the brain’s ‘default state‘. Despite using the slightly clumsy metaphor of the ‘brain’s dark matter’ its a good summary of an increasingly important topic.

A scheme where psychologists offer to help out philosophers with designing data collection studies is covered by The Splintered Mind.

ScienceNews covers a study finding that kids don’t reliably recognise the facial expression of disgust until surprisingly late – an average of about 5 years old.

“Is Internet ruining our minds?” asks Reuters. No, but it clearly cause problem with you grammar.

Technology Review has a brief piece on the use of neural networks to classify music. A million six-form arguments immediately subject to the power of technology.

Some great student articles on compulsion, sin and sex have been appearing on Neuroanthropology recently. Here’s the complete list.

The Times covers research on how dying people experience a spike in electrical activity in their brains moments before they shuffle of this mortal coil which may explain ‘near death’ experiences.

More brain activity in vegans and vegetarians when viewing animal suffering may be related to empathy, or it may not. The Neurocritic covers a new study on our lettuce munching friends.

The New York Times reports on research finding that happiness comes with age.

There’s an extended review of new book ‘The Cybernetic Brain’ on the history of neuroscience blog The Neuro Times.

The New York Times has a piece on the Vatican’s bizarre sexuality screening programme for priests. ‚ÄúWe have no gay men in our seminary at this time,‚Äù said Dr. Robert Palumbo – completely missing the point.

To the bunkers! Wired UK covers a research project to stop robots stabbing people. No research needed – just a spanner and a pure heart.

The Guardian interviews neuropsychologist and poet Sean Haldane who’s up for the Oxford professorship in poetry: “I tried farming, I tried living off the land in Canada. I tried publishing, and then I gravitated toward psychology and neuropsychology.”

Bored radiologists strip down a CAT scanner and crank it up to 11 in a brief YouTube video.

Slate asks ‘what determines the prices of a woman’s eggs?’ SAT scores, it turns out.

There are ‘five reasons neuroscience is not ready for the courtroom’ over at Brainspin. Although for ‘neuroscience’ read ‘functional neuroimaging’ as neuroscience of other types is regularly used in court.

Women’s Mag Science discusses the trouble with ‘sexperts‘.

A new study in the journal Psychological Science finds that superstition improves performance. Best of luck skeptics!

Quick links from the past week in mind and brain news:

Decorative illustrations of women scientists improves girls’ test scores on a chemistry test, according to research covered by Big Think.

The Philosopher’s Zone from ABC Radio National had a great discussion of Nietzsche and his idea of the ‘will to power’.

fMRI in 1000 words. An excellent piece from Neuroskeptic discusses the technology behind the popular neuroimaging technique, minus the analysis.

All in the Mind (the BBC version) has just started a new series. Still a little bit starched but (at bloody last) available as a podcast.

Spanish paper El País has a barnstorming piece on El mito de la adicción a Internet [The myth of internet addiction] which kindly quotes me.

The BPS Research Digest has a fascinating piece on how men with brown eyes perceived as more dominant but not because their eyes are brown.

A history of the ‘ultra pure heroin flooding the streets’ scare story. A brief but revealing article in Slate.

Neuron Culture has a wonderfully eclectic link shower featuring mechanical brides, lie detectors, enemies and risk taking.

The author of Drugstore Cowboy has just been arrested again, aged 73, for robbing drugstores, reports The New York Times.

Neurophilosophy covers a lovely study finding that watching forward or back computer motion directs idle thoughts to the future or past.

Does age mediate susceptibility to cognitive biases? asks Barking Up the Wrong Tree.

Wired discusses Aperger’s, institutionalisation and ex-hacker Adrian Lamo.

Remember the two teenagers who died after reportedly taking now-banned ‘legal high’ mephedrone? BBC News reports on toxicology tests that found no such drug in their bodies. Another triumph for media-driven drugs policies.

The Globe and Mail reports on research investigating the brain effects of poverty, although doesn’t delve too deep into which aspects of poverty may be having the effects.

The late Syd Barrett of psychedelic pioneers Pink Floyd warrants a short article in The American Journal of Psychiatry.

Science News reports on research finding that a version of gene 5-HTT makes children more vulnerable to the effect of bullying.

Leading psychiatrist Peter Tyrer slams the UK governments Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorder programme, reports The Guardian. There is some defence of the scheme in The Psychologist.

In The News has an excellent analysis of US laws aimed at marking out sex offenders and their unintended side-effects.

Cynthia Pomerleau, author of Why Women Smoke is interviewed on the excellent Addiction Inbox.

Wired Science reports that a shot of testosterone makes people more suspicious of each other.

Racial bias weakens our ability to feel someone else’s pain, according to research covered by Not Exactly Rocket Science.

BBC News reports on a study finding that prescribing heroin to long-term relapsing heroin addicts gives them a better chance of kicking the habit.

The Providentia psychology blog has been a consistently good read for as long as I can remember and if you’ve never checked it out a host of great articles have been posted online recently.

Just in May along there have been pieces on how a barking woman was declared unfit for trial, how the panic about ‘subliminal advertising’ started in the ’50s, why adolescents drink and whether the Spanish monarch Joanna the Mad was really mad.

It’s written by Toronto-based psychologist Romeo Vitelli and is well worth a visit.

Link to the Providentia blog.

Quick links from the past week in mind and brain news:

BBC Radio 4’s excellent In Our Time had a discussion on William James’ landmark book ‘The Varieties of Religious Experience’

The Neurocritic examines a curious study on the cognitive science of gaydar.

The brilliant behavioural economist Dan Ariely writes for Wired UK on habits and behavioural inertia in consumer decision-making.

Neuroskeptic has an insightful post that gets beyond the dopamine = ‘instant reward liquid’ stereotype that plagues popular neuroscience.

ABC Radio National’s All in the Mind recently had an excellent edition on HIV, dementia and the brain.

The BPS Research Digest comes out as a born-again introspector. Can I get an amen? You tell me brother.

The late great Richard Gregory gets a fitting send off with an obituary in The Times. A chap with a remarkably varied life.

Addiction Inbox has another one of its consistently excellent posts, this time on Al Hubbard “a former intelligence agent, rogue businessman, and general intellectual gadfly” who was one of the initiators of LSD therapy.

There is a jaw dropping and worrying report on BBC News about the growing epidemic of opium addiction in Afghanistan, with audio slideshow.

The Seminal blog seems to catch the American Psychological Association deleting and editing web pages that linked it to CIA torture workshops. Repression? Surely not.

Fashion students must compete with psychology students for retail jobs, reports New York Magazine bleakly. Sounds shit but it’ll probably be a reality show on cable some time soon.

BoingBoing has a visual study guide to cognitive biases.

Toddlers who lie ‘will do better’ demands BBC News. Or, at least, I think that’s what they’re doing. It could be something about early development of theory of mind.

Advances in the History of Psychology has found some archive films from the seminal development psychologist Kurt Lewin.

Caregivers for people with dementia more likely to also get the disease, reports Wired Science. Mechanism unknown.

New Scientist reports on an intriguing but somewhat overenthusiastic research report suggesting that ball lightning may be a hallucination.

The New York Times starts a philosophy section. Shit already hitting the conceptual fan.

Forensic psychology blog In the News covers an interesting angle on the story of anti-gay expert George Rekers being caught with a rent boy – he’s been an expert witness in countless court cases on homosexuality and the revelation may affect the weight of his expert testimony in past cases.

CBS News reports on a study finding that unattractive defendants 22 percent more likely to be convicted than good-looking ones and also get sentenced to an average of 22 months longer in prison.

The four stages of fear present themselves during an attack by a mountain lion! A great piece for Discover Magazine forms part of the brain special issue of the magazine.

Psicología Latina is a new journal in English and Spanish on on the history of psychology in Spain, Portugal and Latin America.

There’s an icky but interesting account of treating President Lincoln’s fatal head wound over at Galen Press.