Big Gay Men Face Exclusion [PAPER] Normalizing Desire: Stigma and the Carnivalesque in Gay Bigmen’s Cultural Practices READ ON Naughty Medieval French Tales [ARTICLE] Largely unavailable for centuries, a new collection of bawdy, erotic and vivid medieval French tales reminds us that our ancestors were a dirty bunch READ ON Laughter and the Brain [ARTICLE] Can humour help us better understand the most complex and enigmatic organ in the human body? READ ON On Being an Octopus [ARTICLE] Getting a sense of what it feels like to be another animal must involve the use of memory and imagination READ ON Traversing the U.S. Food System [ARTICLE] 'the reality is that most proponents of the organic, sustainable, and local food movements have never had to struggle to feed themselves' READ ON Small Talk [ARTICLE] There is no doubt that we distinguish ourselves at least as much by the manner of our speaking as by its content READ ON Pictures of People who Mock Me [ARTICLE]'For years, strangers have made fun of me for being fat. But I got my power back -- by turning the camera on them' READ ON Genetic Crime and Punishment [ARTICLE] Advances in genetics and neuroscience are revolutionizing our understanding of violent behaviour—as well as ideas about how to prevent and punish crime READ ON Pimp My Walk [ARTICLE] Canes were the 22-inch rims of 19th century cruising culture READ ON Work and Tattoos [ARTICLE] 'There are parts of my body I wish I could get tattooed, but because I work in a corporate setting I have to keep them on a wish list' READ ON What Will Google Glass Do to Our Brains? [ARTICLE] scientists who have studied the effect that other types of technologies — like cell phones — have had on our health and thinking offer some hypotheses READ ON The Reading Brain in the Digital Age [ARTICLE] The Science of Paper versus Screens READ ON Can Honorific Awards Give Us Clues about the Connection between Socioeconomic Status and Mortality? [PAPER] DOWNLOAD Obesogenic Cultural Drift and Nutritional Transition [PAPER] Identifying Barriers to Healthier Food Consumption in Urban Native American Populations DOWNLOAD Stem-Cell Face-Lifts [ARTICLE] marketing gimmick or medicine? READ ON Taste and Social Position [ARTICLE] We like to think our food preferences are personal, but they may have more to do with our social position READ ON A Brief History of Applause [ARTICLE] Once, people measured their leaders -- and themselves -- one clap at a time READ ON Sex, Crime and the City [PAPER] Municipal Law and the Regulation of Sexual Entertainment DOWNLOAD Regretting it after? Focus group perspectives on alcohol consumption, nonconsensual sex and false allegations of rape [PAPER] DOWNLOAD Animal Intelligence [RESEARCH] New research shows we have grossly underestimated the scope and the scale of animal intelligence READ ON / MORE The Hysterical War Against Fat [ARTICLE] There's a world of fatty foods beyond bacon and barbecue: basic, earthy foods like roast goose and split-shank beef marrow. In the escalating culture war over fat, which has clothed itself in sanctity as an obesity-prevention crusade, these foods have conveniently been left out READ ON Rats in a Maze [ARTICLE] How walking shapes our minds... maybe READ ON A Fork of One's Own [ARTICLE] Our attachments in the kitchen are part habit, part fetishism, part association READ ON Moral Matter [ARTICLE] conscious volition may only be apparent; non-conscious processing predetermines action and the subjective impression of free will is just post hoc interpretation READ ON Evolution and Existentialism [ARTICLE] 'we must .. deny aspects of our own biological heritage if we want to be fully human' READ ON Zombies and Dutch Vanitas Fruit Paintings [ARTICLE] 'So much more of our collective wealth is sunk into sculpting or tightening, brightening or darkening, coloring and trimming, running, counting calories, and swallowing gallons of “smart” water' It makes sense, then, that today's bogeyman is the zombie READ ON Darwinist Mob Goes After Philosopher [ARTICLE] On the attacks upon Thomas Nagel’s book Mind and Cosmos: 'it is entirely typical of the scientistic tyranny in American intellectual life that scientists have been invited to do the work of philosophers' READ ON Artisan Cafe, but is it for Real? [ARTICLE] We’ve become obsessed with authenticity and differences between echt and ersatz — but why bother doing anything for real if no one believes that you did? READ ON The Indescribable [ARTICLE] the powerlessness of language in the face of an essentially unknowable READ ON Censored Fantasies [ARTICLE] Why do we let the Prudocracy police our sexual fantasies? READ ON The Meaning of Tears [ARTICLE] Crying must mean something – but what? READ ON What's Wrong with Fat? [BOOK / STUDY] Abigail C. Saguy: Is there actually a lower mortality risk for those deemed overweight? READ ON / READ ON Pregnancy and Blame [ARTICLE] what it means for mothers of children with disabilities READ ON The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food [ARTICLE] Adapted from Michael Moss's 'Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us' READ ON
The Plastinarium of Dr. Death [ARTICLE] Gunther von Hagens awaits his own death: 'My hand trembles, my language is vague' READ ON Pox in the City [ARTICLE] From cows to controversy, the smallpox vaccine triumphs READ ON Oliver Sacks on Drugs [ARTICLE] 'To be in the grip of such incorrigibly private experiences is to be sequestrated in the most profound solitude' READ ON Weird Postures Forced Upon Us By Technology [DOWNLOAD] Curious Rituals, an ebook from the Art Center College of Design that illustrates the odd gestures technology has convinced us to adopt READ ON Women and Tattoos [ARTICLE] Tattooed women outnumber men for the first time in American history READ ON Walk This Way [ARTICLE] Throughout history we've engineered new steps, from the sensible to the ceremonial READ ON Where Do Sexual Minorities Fit in Health? [PAPER] Families, Resources, and Adult Health DOWNLOAD Steroid Supermen [ARTICLE] Lance Armstrong and the Meaning of Sports READ ON The Rise of Ramen [REPORT] The worldwide interest in ramen has been captured in an official study READ ON Coke: Come Together to Fight Flab? [ARTICLE] Critics attack Coke's anti-obesity ad READ ON Body Language Conveys Intense Emotions Better Than Face [REPORT] READ ON Will Girls Be Believable Now Actresses Look ‘Hollywood’? [ARTICLE] 'Today, most sitcom actresses have the kind of fantasy figures that in real life require hours at the gym' READ ON The Delights of Disgust [ARTICLE] 'The recent treatment of disgust as a problem of moral and legal philosophy ... has been held back by a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of the passion under discussion' READ ON Risky Connections [ARTICLE] 'Most people . . . think that computer viruses can mess with their data. They don’t think of computer viruses as things that can destroy physical infrastructure' READ ON Modernists Go Off-Menu The Feeding Machine scene in Modern Times illustrates a preoccupation with food and eating READ ON Quantified Self Movement Farewell to gut instinct, say hello to the data-driven life: a new path to personal and social enlightenment READ ON
The Dangers of Connectivity Computer viruses acan destroy physical things like pacemakers READ ON
Need the Noise? [STUDY] has technology made us fear silence? READ ON
Secret Lives of Readers The vexed study of the physical history of reading READ ON The Myth of Premenstrual Mood [STUDY] challenging the veracity of premenstrual mood change READ ON
Women and Self Objectification Cameron Diaz says 'I think every woman does want to be objectified' READ ON
What is Biological Classification? For taxonomists, days often start – and sometimes end – with the question: what’s that? READ ON Noam Chomsky: Where Artificial Intelligence Went Wrong 'There's no reason to assume that all of biology is computational. There may be reasons to assume that cognition is' READ ON
Physiology and Environment Buddhism and ecology both refuse to separate the human and natural worlds – and demand that we act accordingly READ ON
Totalitarianism and Famine In 1959, Chinese officials began to investigate wild rumors that people were eating one another. The Great Leap Forward had gone horribly wrong READ ON
The Write Stuff With writing you use your hand to connect letters, thereby actively engaging the brain, whereas typing is just selecting letters READ ON
A Brain With a Heart: Oliver Sacks Sacks made his name as a teller of other people’s stories, stories that remind us that even in a scientific age, the world remains mysterious READ ON
Sloterdijk: Edgy European Philosopher Sloterdijk writes much in his recent work of how man comes to occupy space, to create dwellings for himself ... bubbles READ ON
Bicycling, transport systems and habitus What happens when transportation habitus is disrupted by disaster? READ ON
School Teachers Dupes of Brain Myths Seven of 15 Brain Gym myths are endlorsed by teachers READ ON
Lance Armstrong and the Logic and of Cheating [ARTICLE] Are athletes encouraged into a new cost-benefit analysis towards rules? READ ON
Rites and Wrongs of the First Cut: Male circumcision is the site of a clash between traditional patriarchal values READ ON
Architecture is the Opposite of an Image: Vito Acconci on space and time [INTERVIEW] the difference between architecture and images is that people can move through architecture, making time the crucial difference READ ON
Philip Hensher on what the death of the written word means for us: attempts to modify ourselves through our handwriting become a part of who we are. So too do the rituals and pleasurable pieces of small behaviour attached to writing with a pen READ ON
Han Dong’s short story ‘The Wig’ translated by Philip Hand He started to feel as though all those hairs were growing into his scalp, a million tiny pinpricks worming their way inward READ ON
Brand Sensorama: Retail Immersion via the Five Senses Whether for an experience, brand affiliation or product, we’re all after the ‘real thing’. Yet sensory stimulation increasingly means sensory simulation. And with new technology, the sensory deception happens somewhere below the surface READ ON
Women, Popular Culture and Sexual Submission How books and movies are dealing with women's sexual complexities and why some women fantasize about things they don’t desire in real life READ ON
Robot Bricoleur 'Consciousness could be linked to ... moments of combination,' says Antonio Chella of the University of Palermo on working with his Telenoid robot READ ON
Agnotology: Smoke and Mirrors
You can cast doubt on any research; agnotology - the art of spreading doubt as pioneered by Big Tobacco -distorts the scepticism of research to obscure the truth. READ ON The Social Causes of Schizophrenia It’s not just about the brain. It’s not just about genes. In fact, schizophrenia looks more and more like diabetes READ ON
Cabinets of Death: the macabre in post-religious culture. 'Artifacts that flicker on the edges of death and beauty, create a certain frisson, an ontological confusion' READ ON
Cutting into the Brain: surgery and the idea of memory The idea that memories, dreams and reflections should have the consistency of soft white jelly, is simply too strange to understand. READ ON
Camera, Action, No Make-up! As American hosts of 'The Talk' go in front of the camera without make-up, Joe Queenan suggests famous men should follow. READ ON
The creephouse: dolls in fiction
Dolls are creepy. There’s no denying it... We are you, they seem to say, but not you READ ON The Food Movement: Reform or Elitism? Grahamism and the lineage of slow food READ ON
Hand Job: Facts and Fantasies About Masturbation Most women do it at home; men, it seems, do it everywhere. So if everyone does it, why do so few talk about it? By Mels van Driel, author of With the Hand: A History of Masturbation READ ON | Neuroscience, Game Theory, Monkeys [FILM] Behavioral economist Colin Camerer shows research that reveals just how little we’re able to predict what others are thinking. And he presents an unexpected study that shows chimpanzees might just be better at it than we are VIEW An Illustrated Guide to Recognizing Insane People from 1883 [IMAGES] Images from 1883 manual Types of Insanity: an Illustrated Guide in the Physical Diagnosis of Mental Disease by Allan McLane Hamilton VIEW
Looks and the Genetic Lottery [FILM] Cameron Russell: Looks aren't everything. Believe me, I'm a model READ ON
Old Symbols for Italy's New Ultra-Right [IMAGES] Aryan hegemonic masculinity an iconic New Force in Italian politics VIEW
The Case for Monotasking [FILM] In a TED talk, designer Paolo Cardini questions the efficiency of our multitasking world VIEW
Slowing Down the Subject [FILM] Lorenz Potthast's Decelerator Helmet slows down the wearer’s surroundings, changing the way they experience time VIEW
Lucy McRae's Morphé [FILM] shows the story of a woman brought back to life, and beauty, by skincare. Half Frankenstein, half Sleeping Beauty. VIEW
Gottfried Helnwein and the Dreaming Child [FILM] 'The strange thing for me was always that the horrible stuff that was going on, the violence against children that couldn’t defend themselves, was not a problem for people ... But a tiny watercolor! – would upset them.” VIEW
The Goddess of Art: Marina Abramovic [FILM] the performance artist who uses her body to challenge and shock, prepares for a retrospective VIEW
Photoshopped Foetuses: pictures like these remind us how women’s bodies have been medicalised READ ON
Geranium The Eye Clinic [FILM] Mike Paterson's Hindi film follows Hari in the recovery ward of the eye clinic and his thoughts on cataract surgery, sight, old age and memory VIEW
Break dancer illustrations by Neo [ILLUSTRATION] Florian Nicolle (aka Neo) carry the spirit of fast movements performed accurately accompanied by Cartesian-like coordinate systems with swooping arrows and jotted notes about jump heights READ ON
The Spin of Science: health scientists and PR Culture How medical and health scientists use spin and boosterism in their abstract writing to amplify positive results READ ON
Sleeping beauties [FILM]
Ukrainian-Canadian artist Taras Polataiko at the National Art Museum of Ukraine, which sees women lie asleep for three days, while potential suitors kiss them. VIEW I'm Feeling all Superhuman: on being human and enhanced [FILM] The pressure to conform is a driving factor for enhancement, whether through high heels or extreme surgery. But in the year of the Paralympics, what does it mean to be abled and disabled? WATCH NOW
Jeroen Wolf's Film '100' [FILM] From 0 to 100 in 150 seconds - the story of a life cycle. READ ON
Frissure: the artist gaze and the naked, scarred body [MIXED MEDIA] 'I wanted it off my body and onto paper, so we could both have a proper look at it' READ ON
Tight Laced: Bela Borsodi has a shoe fetish [PHOTOS] This Bela Borsodi series of still life photographs for V Magazine issue 48 carries a surreal fetishistic charge by combining parts of women's bodies with straps, buckles, bows and the slope of stillettos VIEW | The Psychiatric Bible [REVIEW] Fifth edition for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders READ ON More Than Human [BOOK] Humans have always had a desire to get closer to animals. But does bringing them in actually blind us? READ ON Noise Sound and Listening [BOOK] a Human History of Sound and Listening by David Hendy READ ON The Twinkie Defence [BOOK] Eating the Enlightenment, Food and the Sciences in Paris, 1670-1760 READ ON Picking Up Trash [BOOK] Robin Nagle, NYU anthropologist: 'The smell hits first, grabbing the throat and punching the lungs' READ ON Botox and Facial Feedback [BOOK] Dr. Finzi (The Face of Emotion) suggests that not frowning helps fight depression READ ON Painfully Aware? [BOOKS] Pain destroys language, reducing the sufferer to a pre-linguistic state - to primal screams READ ON Anatomies [BOOK] Exploration of the myths and mysteries of human anatomy READ ON
The World Until Yesterday [BOOK] Should we look to traditional societies to help us tweak our lives? READ ON
The Moral Dangers of Drinking Tea [REVIEW] Helen O'Connell: 'Drinking tea was thought to threaten traditional ways' READ ON Books on Birth The professor of perinatal psychobiology at Imperial College discusses research on fetal development and mother-child bonding READ ON
The traumatic union of neuroscience and psychoanalysis [BOOK] The act of translation from brain to mind is science's holy grail. Catherine Malabou joins disciplines to understand brain injury in The New Wounded READ ON
I'm Feeling all Superhuman: on being human and enhanced [EXHIB] The pressure to conform is a driving factor for enhancement, whether through high heels or extreme surgery. But in the year of the Paralympics, what does it mean to be abled and disabled? READ ON
Art of the facelift: Jonathan Yeo [EXHIB] In his recent work, Jonathan uses photorealistic portraiture to explore the cult of eternal beauty in studies of plastic surgery that are at once beautiful and horrific READ ON
Regina José Galindo: Cut Through the Line [EXHIB] Past performances include cutting the word ’Bitch’ onto her leg live, mimicking the mutilations found on the bodies of murdered Guatemalan women, shaving off her body hair and walking through the streets of Venice naked READ ON
With the Hand: A History of Masturbation [BOOK] 'The history of masturbation is necessarily a history of attitudes to the body, to fantasy, love and intimacy' READ ON
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