Is Maleness Overrated? Pity the mice. On countless occasions, mice without any say in the matter stand in for humans. And what we do to them can be perverse or bizarre – just so we can understand us a bit better. Or not. So now male mice have been “conceived” in the laboratory who only […]
Lust In the Dust (10/21/13)
Must Sex Lead to Death? Never heard of the dasykaluta? The phascogale? Don’t be surprised. Small marsupials rarely get favorable media attention. Look at how we treat mice. But these otherwise insubstantial, arthropod ingesting (that includes roaches) rodents deserve our interest and perhaps our piteous respect. For they show the lengths evolution can go to […]
Why People Won’t Sweat (12/03/12)
Immovable News note: 3.5% of Americans aged 18-59 do 150 minutes or more of moderate physical activity per week – the minimum recommended by the government for health (Gina Kolata, NY Times, 11/20/12). Only 96.5% of the younger adult population is not doing the minimum required exercise. It’s 97.5% for those over 59. Taking away the […]
Infectious cancers – what you can do (5/21/12)
Infectious Cancers and How to Prevent Them People are living longer than they did a hundred years ago. One major reason – far more effective control of infectious disease. In the early part of the last century, TB killed about one in seven people. The great decreases in death were wrought by public health measures […]
Three questions about sleep and sex (10/19/11)
Coping in Tough Times Times are tough. People are out of work and can’t find any, 15% of the country often goes to bed hungry, and the euro may crash and upend the world economy. Folks need a break. In the old days, sex and sleep could help revive spirits and help regenerate body and […]