The Hazards of Nerd Supremacy: The Case of WikiLeaks (Atlantic)
Substantial, thought-provoking essay by philosopher of the information age, Jaron Lanier
Secrecy May Be Unnecessary for Placebo Effect (WebMD)
Ted Kaptchuk trial involved 80 IBS patients. “There may be significant benefit to the very performance of medical ritual.”
As China’s obsession with plastic surgery grows, so too do the pitfalls (Wash Post)
The first of a growing number of comments from the Western press on the popularity of cosmetic surgery in China, prompted by the death of Wang Bei
Obesity Increases Risk of Death in Severe Vehicle Crashes, Study Shows (Univ of Buffalo)
21% increased risk of death for moderately obese, 56% for morbidly obese. May need to rethink car design for the obese. The normal and underweight are at higher risk than the slightly overweight.
Increase in SIDS on New Year’s Day (Medscape Today)
33% increase in sudden infant death syndrome. Why? Probably the alcohol
The benefits of thinking about our ancestors (Research Digest Blog)
Thinking about our ancestors boosts performance on intelligence tests. We’re reminded that “humans who are genetically similar to us can successfully overcome a multitude of problems and adversities.”
Yoga’s holy wars (Guardian)
Tired of its financial threat to organized religion, leading Christian theologian declares yoga the work of the devil. Hindus want to “Take Yoga Back”
Whatever Happened to the Gulf Oil Spill? (Time)
Did the oil spill show Americans the true costs of their energy policy? In a word, no. “The spill wasn’t horrible enough to jolt the country into action.”
A plaintive question (Nature Network)
A blogger asks how other bloggers manage to be so prolific. Interesting discussion in the comments
Image: The Atlantic
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