Another Juvenile Science Link for Explanation of the Economy

Okay, previously, it was gin sodden limeys (or was it vodka, I forgot...) who sent my retirement into the commode. Now, in another well crafted, relevant study, A new brain-scan study may help explain what’s going on in the minds of financial titans when they take risky monetary gambles — sex. When young men were shown erotic pictures, they were more likely to make a larger financial gamble than if they were shown a picture of something scary, such a snake, or something neutral, such as a stapler, university researchers reported.

The arousing pictures lit up the same part of the brain that lights up when financial risks are taken.

“You have a need in an evolutionary sense for both money and women. They trigger the same brain area,” said Camelia Kuhnen, a Northwestern University finance professor who conducted the study with a Stanford University psychologist.

Who funded this study ? What sized snakes did they show ?

This all makes sense to Harvard economist Terry Burnham, author of the book “Mean Genes.” Burnham said it could be all summed up in a famous line from the movie “Scarface.”

“In this country, you gotta make the money first. Then when you get the money, you get the power. Then when you get the power, then you get the women.”

Fat Head Wasted Traders Ate My Retirement ?

We all know that testosterone lowers fat levels and builds muscle mass-it also makes men act like rude little boys but that's a different topic. There is also a link between high cortisol levels and storage of body fat, particularly “visceral” abdominal body fat (also known as intra-abdominal fat). Visceral fat is stored deeper in the abdominal cavity and around the internal organs, whereas “regular” fat is stored below the skin (known as subcutaneous fat). Visceral fat is particularly unhealthy because it is a risk factor for heart disease and diabetes.

Well, in s study in Nature, two gin sodden Englishmen correlated the daily profits and trading volatility of traders in London. They argue that changes in these hormone may be responsible for changes in trader profits and market volatility.

Ever see traders pound the booze ? Ever wonder why every bottle of Vodka known to man is available in upscale bars closely situated to the Board of Trade and Wall Street ? Well, the Gonzo Biochemist believes that there is a connection here. Turns out Vodka sends cortisol levels soaring and drops testosterone like a rock. Vodka is particularly good at this-post exercise when the acetate pushes the fat to the back of the line in your daily metabolism. So all of the buff wanna be's at the clubs just can't seem to get to Arnold level.

My next questions is : Do these losers eat Viagra like Halloween candy too ?

Oh yeah, if you want to be a fat head trader who swills Vodka-support Texas business and buy Dripping Springs, then go to the gym and stay there.....

Defy Gravity (Seriously) !!!

The girl who showed the AAU Texas Shooting Stars how to dunk a basketball. Brittney was a just a wee small 6'6" Sophomore when she showed our 12-U girls how easy it is to slam a ball.

Stiff can mean many things...

Well, while sitting at Pittcon and freezing to death this week in Chicago, I decided that I would find an interesting book to read, something a little off the wall perhaps....So I purchased "Stiff" an interesting book about the lives of cadavers. This includes a whimsical chapter on purported butt cheek dumplings in China. Also the science behind head transplants and liquefying your relatives to be ecologically responsible once they snuff it. Then there's Karen Greenlee, unpentant funeral work who drives a hearse and rides the occupants in the back http://www.nokilli.com/sacto/karen-greenlee.htm .... Quite a unique book.

All the smut that's fit to print

Wanna know what's going on in the biotech/pharma industry and tired of all of the whining on The Rumor Mill by frustrated sales types who eat Viagra like candy (you know you do), try Iguana Bio. Not Guano bio, that's the next name for a Woodlands based biotech that has delusions of being a pharmaceutical company and Wuhan country club......

Pittcon: The Agony, the ecstacy

At a well known meeting in Chicago. It is around 16 degrees. Usually I try to keep these blogs light hearted, but after coming out of The Art Institute of Chicago and being greeted by a phalanx of homeless people begging for money, I realized something is incredibly wrong here. Yeah we have homeless people in Austin-usually meth addicts with no teeth and a few humorous ones who had their Lear Jets repo-ed. Then of course Leslie, the homeless transvestite who ran for Mayor and got 10% of the votes. Nobody takes it seriously.

In Chicago, these people have their teeth, they are sleeping on grates, they are cold-no bullshit. They are desparate and afraid. The Chicago police are oblivious to them. They are many. They do not appear to be of any particular age or race. 20 years ago when I was a graduate student at The University of Chicago (not Wuhan or some third rate English dive....), we didn't see very many homeless and they were taken into shelters in the cold. It's different now.

Why ? An economy that passed them by, based upon wallpapering fog.

Hungry, go get your two Whoppers tonight. Give one to a hungry guy/gal sleeping on a grate. Your postprandial glucose will sleep better and hopefully you will too....

And now, a post for all of those "little boys" out there like Jon, Jim, and Alex....

The "Enlargement FAQ". Try to think of it as science. Maybe "Micro coccus" studies....
In a related article, Dr Kevan Wylie from Royal Hallamshire Hospital, UK, and Mr Ian Eardley from St James' Hospital, UK, found that men can experience real anxiety - even if they are of average size. And while men often have greater confidence if they have a large penis, women don't necessarily feel that bigger is better, citing looks and personality as more important than penis size.
There's a link to a scientifically proven technique called "Jelqing". What will those saucy limey boys come up with next !

Bugs driving you buggy ? Chronic illness caused by microbes

Conditions like heart disease, Alzheimer's and schizophrenia could be caused by microorganisms, according to a report from the American Academy of Microbiology. "A number of chronic human illnesses are triggered, either directly or indirectly, by microorganisms," says Ronald Luftig of the Louisiana State University Medical Center, one of the authors of the report. Some diseases like ulcers and certain types of cancer, once thought to be primarily related to lifestyle factors, are now known to be caused by microorganisms. "Other diseases, including some extremely common and devastating conditions, exhibit characteristics that indicate they may have an infectious etiology as well," said Luftig.

What's Cooking ?

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm a cook !

Our neighbors-they're what's for dinner !

Male science 'nerds' most likely to be virgins, study says

At the other end of the spectrum, female arts students ranked as the most sexually active.

The study of 16 to 25-year-olds, published in the journal Sexual Health, said: "Males in the study were less likely to have had sex as a group compared to the group of females in the sample.

"Science students were also less likely to have had sex compared to their counterparts in other faculties."

Sydney-based psychotherapist Stephen Carroll said cultural factors would have played a role in the results, because many international students come to Australia to study science.

"Boys also start having sex later than girls," Dr Carroll said.

The work ethic of science students, and their devotion to the lab, kept them out environments where they would meet women, he said.

"And who are the people at unis that go to the rave parties and the bar?

"It's not the nerdy boy science students.

"They're carrying on doing their experiments, going to the library or doing their assignments."

However, the finding have been vigorously disputed by male science graduates.

Dr Chris Ganora, who studied science for three years, denied the subject put an end to all romantic pursuits.

"Although we may have been a little nerdier than the other students, let's just say the gender ratio wasn't as bad as engineering," he said.

More female students (78 per cent) than male (22 per cent) agreed to take part in the survey.

The study also charted student knowledge of sexually-transmitted disease chlamydia.

Researcher Melissa Kang had previously found that infection rates in women aged 20 to 24 quadrupled from 335 cases per 100,000 people in 1999, to 1,300 per 100,000 people last year.

Check out the Science Cheerleader

Hey boys and girls... Ever come across people who thought that all bright women wore coke bottle glasses and carried multiple slide rules to dweeb festivals. Think again. The Science Cheerleader is out to break that stereotype:

The Gonzo Biochemist

Hey everybody ! After much prodding by peers and colleagues. I have started my own blog. What I'll try to do is keep people up to date about important findings and issues in the medical research community. I'll provide links and articles. Also, I want to get the word out on science education for real people and will refer you to my friend Darlene Cavalier, ex Philadelphia 76ers cheerleader aka The Science Cheerleader.