Brain & Behavior
Caffeine buzzzzz
Posted by Dr. Dolittle on March 8, 2013 Apparently humans and honeybees share something in common when it comes to caffeine. Dr. Geraldine Wright (Newcastle University, England) discovered that bees are more likely to return to flowers that produce nectar containing caffeine. Their data suggest caffeine improves memory in bees. Caffeine is present in higher concentrations in the leaves and other tissues of the plant where…
What happens when you study conspiracy theories? The conspiracy theorists make up conspiracy theories about you!
Posted by Mark on February 26, 2013 I’ve known about this effect for a while as I’ve been variously accused of being in the pocket of big pharma, big ag, big science, democrats and republicans etc. Now Stephan Lewandowsky, in follow up to his “NASA Faked the Moon Landings – Therefore (Climate) Science is a Hoax.” paper, has used these conspiratorial responses…
‘Are the religious less intelligent?’ and ‘Biases and the brain’
Posted by ERV on February 25, 2013 Last week, The Thinking Atheist interviewed psychologist/blog cousin Caleb Lack, the president of OKC Atheists Red McCall, and me. After seeing the videos Seth made for Caleb, I AM SCARED TO DEATH. CALEBS VIDS ARE SO GOOD. I didnt say anything nearly that eloquent or interesting! And DAMN Seth! The production quality of those vids!…
On the back of an envelope: Brush your teeth, but turn the water off
Posted by Peter Gleick on February 22, 2013 The Pacific Institute has done extensive and groundbreaking research over the past 25 years on a wide range of water, climate, energy, and environmental issues. One focus has been on how to use water more efficiently to do the things we want to do – a focus on “efficiency” and “productivity” – not deprivation. Society could…
(OT) US Press – growing a spine?
Posted by coby on February 19, 2013 This is not directly climate related, but it does pertain to the media and its abject failure to take its responsibilities towards democracy more seriously. Via The Huffington Post, I read these strong words from an angry press towards a secretive Whitehouse Administration: Speaking on behalf of the White House Correspondents Association, I can say…
How using the restroom may be harmful to fish
Posted by Dr. Dolittle on February 15, 2013 Dr. Tomas Brodin (Umea University, Sweden) and colleagues have discovered that trace amounts of the drug oxazepam that ends up in rivers and streams (from toilets) greatly effects local fish. The drug is used to treat anxiety in humans and also calms fish. However, for wild perch, which normally hunt in schools, the antisocial effects of the drug in fish…
Attention to old Combined feed users
Posted by Wesley Dodson on February 14, 2013 If you use the old Combined or Select feeds, you might notice they’re broken. Please use our new sitewide feed url: http://scienceblogs.com/feed/. You can also subscribe to channel feeds such as http://scienceblogs.com/channel/brain-and-behavior/feed/. But really you should just hang out at Last 24 hrs and keep clicking on things. http://scienceblogs.com/last-24-hours/.
Understanding Peer Review
Posted by Dr. Dolittle on February 11, 2013 Ever wonder how to tell if “scientific” information that you find on the internet is believable or just plain bogus? I came across a website called Sense About Science that explains how research is published and how to determine if it is credible. They also give advice and answer questions about claimed scientific evidence. Here is a synopsis…
Dog smarts
Posted by Dr. Dolittle on February 6, 2013 I just found out there is a website, Dognition, dedicated to helping you discover just how smart your furry friend is. The site claims that dogs are actually smarter than we think and that even the apparently dumbest dog is intelligent in one way or another. (There is hope for my dog after all!) The scientist behind the website…
Crazy Smart Crows and Migrating Animals
Posted by Greg Laden on February 1, 2013 
Skeptically Speaking #198 is now available for your listening pleasure. The main part of the show has Desiree Schell interviewing James Gould, co-author of Nature’s Compass: The Mystery of Animal Navigation. The 15 minute side bar has Desiree interviewing me about recent research on the New Caledonian crows (this research). Visit the Skeptically Speaking site…
