From Slate's Human Nature Article Today
(i would just link but i cant do a permanent link to this page because it updates frequently)
Doctors transplanted a man's hand from one arm to the other. Decades ago, he lost his left hand in an accident. Three years ago, his right arm was paralyzed by a stroke. The new surgery removed the hand from his paralyzed right arm and used it to replace his missing left hand. Surgeons also removed his thumb from the hand and reattached it in a different place to make the hand work like a left hand. Doctors' spin: This is the perfect transplant situation, since the hand was previously useless and the recipient, being the donor as well, needs no anti-rejection drugs.
Scientists reviewed decades of studies on penis size and self-image. Findings: 1) Average erection is 5.5 to 6.2 inches. 2) Twice as many men think their penises are above average in length as think they're below average. 3) Meanwhile, 90 percent of women care more about width than length, and women don't care that much about size in general. 4) While only 55 percent of men are satisfied with the size they're delivering, 85 percent of women are satisfied with the size they're getting. 5) To lengthen their penises, some men "use weights" and others "encourage poisonous snakes to bite their penises to enlarge them for six months," while others "pierce the glans of their penis and insert items into the holes to stimulate their partner." 6) The evidence for "penile extenders" is "poorly documented."
Law enforcement agencies are investigating virtual crimes. Incidents: 1) Japanese officials arrested a man for mugging virtual characters and selling their virtual property for real money. 2) Belgian police investigated a rape in Second Life. 3) German authorities investigated child sexual abuse in Second Life. 4) The company that founded Second Life expelled two members in the German case. 5) U.S. federal officers have invented avatars to inspect Second Life for possible gambling law violations at virtual casinos. Rationales: 1) Some virtual crimes have real effects, such as trauma or real profits. 2) Virtual depictions of child abuse are illegal in some countries. Objection: "Since when is fantasy against the fricking law?"
The Internet is killing the porn industry. For the first time in years, video sales and rentals are down. Old trend: The Web helped the industry by facilitating anonymous purchases and downloads. New trend: It's drying up demand for paid porn by facilitating uploads of free, cheaply made porn. Old complaint against porn: It's crudely made trash. New complaints by porn industry: 1) Free porn is crudely made trash, whereas we use sophisticated actors, sets, and lighting. 2) Porn consumers don't seem to appreciate the difference. 3) When we offer them free samples, they just use us for their pleasure and leave us with nothing. Human Nature's view: For all you sophisticates in the porn business … it's called irony.
Britain may recommend reducing meat consumption to fight global warming. Rationale: "Cattle and sheep release millions of metric tons of methane gas a year into the environment through flatulence. In New Zealand … farm animals produce some 90 percent of the country's methane emissions." A British official says the government "is working on a set of key environmental behavior changes to mitigate climate change. Consumption of animal protein has been highlighted within that work." Officials' caveat: We won't "enforce a dietary or lifestyle change." Carnivores' reaction: Sure, we'll let you stop us from eating meat ... right after you stop animals from farting.
A study suggests pro-football concussions cause depression. An ex-NFL player's odds of depression correlate with how many concussions he suffered. NFL's critique: The study is based on uncorroborated self-reporting of concussions. Rebuttals: 1) Concussion-depression studies in other populations show a similar pattern. 2) Studies based on self-reporting are often the first step toward proving medical links. Anti-NFL conclusions: 1) Pro football ruins many players for life. 2) The league may be responsible, since one ex-player says he got his worst concussion after his coach made him practice against his doctors' advice. NFL's conclusion: Before we believe this link, we need three years of instant replay-i.e., our own study.
Doctors used stem cells to "create a neovagina." One of every 4,000 to 5,000 girls is born without a vagina. Until now, doctors fixed this by making a vagina from skin grafts or intestinal tissue, which involved painful, invasive surgery. The new method grows vaginal tissue in the lab using stem cells derived from tissue where the vagina should have been. The lab-grown tissue is then grafted onto the donors. Approved conclusion: Now every woman can have a vagina. Unapproved conclusion: Now every man can have a vagina without a woman (link NSFW).
Doctors transplanted a man's hand from one arm to the other. Decades ago, he lost his left hand in an accident. Three years ago, his right arm was paralyzed by a stroke. The new surgery removed the hand from his paralyzed right arm and used it to replace his missing left hand. Surgeons also removed his thumb from the hand and reattached it in a different place to make the hand work like a left hand. Doctors' spin: This is the perfect transplant situation, since the hand was previously useless and the recipient, being the donor as well, needs no anti-rejection drugs.
Scientists reviewed decades of studies on penis size and self-image. Findings: 1) Average erection is 5.5 to 6.2 inches. 2) Twice as many men think their penises are above average in length as think they're below average. 3) Meanwhile, 90 percent of women care more about width than length, and women don't care that much about size in general. 4) While only 55 percent of men are satisfied with the size they're delivering, 85 percent of women are satisfied with the size they're getting. 5) To lengthen their penises, some men "use weights" and others "encourage poisonous snakes to bite their penises to enlarge them for six months," while others "pierce the glans of their penis and insert items into the holes to stimulate their partner." 6) The evidence for "penile extenders" is "poorly documented."
Law enforcement agencies are investigating virtual crimes. Incidents: 1) Japanese officials arrested a man for mugging virtual characters and selling their virtual property for real money. 2) Belgian police investigated a rape in Second Life. 3) German authorities investigated child sexual abuse in Second Life. 4) The company that founded Second Life expelled two members in the German case. 5) U.S. federal officers have invented avatars to inspect Second Life for possible gambling law violations at virtual casinos. Rationales: 1) Some virtual crimes have real effects, such as trauma or real profits. 2) Virtual depictions of child abuse are illegal in some countries. Objection: "Since when is fantasy against the fricking law?"
The Internet is killing the porn industry. For the first time in years, video sales and rentals are down. Old trend: The Web helped the industry by facilitating anonymous purchases and downloads. New trend: It's drying up demand for paid porn by facilitating uploads of free, cheaply made porn. Old complaint against porn: It's crudely made trash. New complaints by porn industry: 1) Free porn is crudely made trash, whereas we use sophisticated actors, sets, and lighting. 2) Porn consumers don't seem to appreciate the difference. 3) When we offer them free samples, they just use us for their pleasure and leave us with nothing. Human Nature's view: For all you sophisticates in the porn business … it's called irony.
Britain may recommend reducing meat consumption to fight global warming. Rationale: "Cattle and sheep release millions of metric tons of methane gas a year into the environment through flatulence. In New Zealand … farm animals produce some 90 percent of the country's methane emissions." A British official says the government "is working on a set of key environmental behavior changes to mitigate climate change. Consumption of animal protein has been highlighted within that work." Officials' caveat: We won't "enforce a dietary or lifestyle change." Carnivores' reaction: Sure, we'll let you stop us from eating meat ... right after you stop animals from farting.
A study suggests pro-football concussions cause depression. An ex-NFL player's odds of depression correlate with how many concussions he suffered. NFL's critique: The study is based on uncorroborated self-reporting of concussions. Rebuttals: 1) Concussion-depression studies in other populations show a similar pattern. 2) Studies based on self-reporting are often the first step toward proving medical links. Anti-NFL conclusions: 1) Pro football ruins many players for life. 2) The league may be responsible, since one ex-player says he got his worst concussion after his coach made him practice against his doctors' advice. NFL's conclusion: Before we believe this link, we need three years of instant replay-i.e., our own study.
Doctors used stem cells to "create a neovagina." One of every 4,000 to 5,000 girls is born without a vagina. Until now, doctors fixed this by making a vagina from skin grafts or intestinal tissue, which involved painful, invasive surgery. The new method grows vaginal tissue in the lab using stem cells derived from tissue where the vagina should have been. The lab-grown tissue is then grafted onto the donors. Approved conclusion: Now every woman can have a vagina. Unapproved conclusion: Now every man can have a vagina without a woman (link NSFW).