“Normally the ‘Ig Nobel Prize’ is awarded to researchers who have strange, silly, or unimportant scientific research, but this startling revelation — that the legendary vampire bat has a taste for our blood — may have highlighted a serious health risk for people living in Central and South America.” — report by Arnold Carreiro, published […]
Tag: blood
The usefulness of voodoo dolls in studying blood sugar and aggession
The Associated Press tells of the new study by Ig Nobel Prize (for the study “‘Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder’: People who think they are drunk also think they are attractive“) winner Brad Bushman [pictured here] and colleagues: The researchers studied 107 married couples for three weeks. Each night, they measured […]
Bloody, difficult to believe: Menstruation by the Ear
This is one of the few medically documented claims of ear menstruation: “Menstruation by the Ear, ” New York Medical Journal, August 5, 1899, p. 201. Here’s the beginning of that report: (Thanks to the Amboceptor Blog for bringing this to our attention.)
Art for the anatomist: Menau’s blood vein carafes
Etienne Menau makes vein carafes—carafes that look like giant blood veins or (if you’re picky about scale) arteries. Here’s one being filled with red wine: Menau makes other patterned, strange carafes, too. (Thanks to investigator Susan Dalton for bringing this to our attention.)
A blood-y good documentary from the 1950s
Hemo the Magnificent is a documentary about the human blood circulatory system. Directed by Frank Capra for the Bell Telephone System (for the public good, and for good garnering goodwill), it stars comic actor Sterling Holloway, cartoon voice performers Mel Blanc and June Foray, and two more somber-seeming hosts. Part 1: Part 2: (HT Bella Seaberg) BONUS: By […]
Bushman on Sweets (2): Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar
If you like to read about sugar or about aggressiveness, Brad J. Bushman [pictured here] and colleagues have a study perhaps worth some moments of your time: “Sweetened blood cools hot tempers: physiological self-control and aggression,” C. Nathan DeWall, Timothy Deckman, Matthew T. Gailliot, Brad J. Bushman, Aggressive Behavior, 2011 Jan-Feb;37(1):73-80. The authors explain: “Aggressive […]
A blood-typing test credited to Harry Potter, sort of
A new study credits the author of the Harry Potter books for inspiring a biomedical innovation: “Paper-Based Blood Typing Device That Reports Patient’s Blood Type ‘in Writing’“, Miaosi Li, Junfei Tian, Mohammad Al-Tamimi, Wei Shen, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, epub April 18, 2012. The authors, at Monash University, explain: “A low-cost bioactive paper device is designed […]
Headline of the Day: Blood, Spit & Burnout
Today’s Headline of the Day comes from a University of Montreal press release: Simple spit and blood tests might detect burnout before it happens The press release goes on to say: Your blood and the level of a hormone in your spit could reveal if you’re on the point of burnout, according to research undertaken […]
Ink vs. blood
This chart, from the reflectionofme web site, shows the relative prices of several liquids. Ink for an HP computer printer is notably more expensive than the other listed liquids. But it was still, when the chart was prepared, less than twice the price of blood (the latter, of course, is subject to fluctuation). (Thanks to […]