Official "Science News" Thread

[GP2]

Originally Posted by rogue

A letter we've seen millions of times, yet can't write

To me the right choice out of the four was so obvious that at first it seemed like a trick question.

Then I remembered that as a child I went through a phase of writing "a" and "g" in the book-print form. So maybe that reinforces the article's point.

There's nothing really new about this, though. Many people can't guess the correct form of the Apple logo even though they see it all the time.

[rogue]

Virtual robots that teach themselves kung fu could revolutionize video games

Sitting is Bad for Your Brain, Not Just Your Heart or Metabolism

Mathematicians Explore Mirror Link Between Two Geometric Worlds

The body electric

This Hummingbird's Tail Whistles, and No One's Sure Why

Jupiter's north pole comes to life in this 3D infrared video

[retina]

Originally Posted by rogue

Sitting is Bad for Your Brain ...

When I saw this one the other day my first though was how did they eliminate the the possibility of the cause/effect thing being the other way around? From what I can see they haven't. Maybe having a thinner brain memory centre encourages you to sit more?

[ewmayer]

Diamonds in Sudan meteorite 'are remnants of lost planet' | Science | The Guardian

[petrw1]

Originally Posted by retina

When I saw this one the other day my first though was how did they eliminate the the possibility of the cause/effect thing being the other way around? From what I can see they haven't. Maybe having a thinner brain memory centre encourages you to sit more?

I have on occasion questioned where a person's brain was :)

[henryzz]

Originally Posted by retina

When I saw this one the other day my first though was how did they eliminate the the possibility of the cause/effect thing being the other way around? From what I can see they haven't. Maybe having a thinner brain memory centre encourages you to sit more?

As far as I can tell it never claimed that. They were simply reporting an association. It might be interesting to try Mendelian Randomisation on this problem.

[retina]

Originally Posted by henryzz

As far as I can tell it never claimed that.

I read they were suggesting for people sit less to improve their memory. That indicated to me that they consider the association to be one way where sitting thins the brain.

[henryzz]

Originally Posted by retina

I read they were suggesting for people sit less to improve their memory. That indicated to me that they consider the association to be one way where sitting thins the brain.

To me they said that

Reducing sedentary behavior may be a possible target for interventions designed to improve brain health in people at risk for Alzheimer’s disease

They were only applying critical thinking in order to predict which way the causal direction was. Reducing sedentary behaviour is always going to be helpful anyway. At no point did they claim that they knew the direction of the relationship statistically.

[retina]

Originally Posted by henryzz

They were only applying critical thinking in order to predict which way the causal direction was. Reducing sedentary behaviour is always going to be helpful anyway. At no point did they claim that they knew the direction of the relationship statistically.

Fair enough.

[kladner]

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...-a8318981.html

I guess this would also make some folks go "Hmmm....."

US physicians have performed the world’s first penis and scrotum transplant.

A team of eleven surgeons from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine worked for 14 hours to transplant an entire penis, scrotum, and parts on an abdominal wall from a deceased victim to a living one. It was the most extensive penis transplant ever performed, requiring the transfer of skin, muscles, tendons, nerves, bone, and blood vessels.

The team believes the transplanted penis will be fully functional. The patient should reach near-normal sexual and urinary functions, according to WP Andrew Lee, the director of plastic and reconstructive surgery at Johns Hopkins.

[LaurV]

Originally Posted by kladner

I guess this would also make some folks go "Hmmm....."

Wow, new jobs for dr. ciomu !... (google it)