the eye of Nova's mind

Scientists suggest fresh look at psychedelic drugs: Combined with therapy, such substances could treat depression, chronic pain

Smokers Trying to Give Up--Don't Stop Thinking About Cigarettes -- "Blocking thoughts of cigarettes helps reduce smokers' intake at first, but means they smoke more than usual when they stop suppressing, according to new research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science."

Why drunk drivers may get behind the wheel: New study sheds light on recovery from intoxication

Political blogs more accurate than newspapers, say those who read both

Oxytocin Hormone May Treat Autism: Study Shows Oxytocin May Improve Social Skills for Some People With Autism

Separate brain paths for start and end of sounds is key to hearing and understanding speech -- both eventually join in temporal lobe

First Brain Recordings from Flying Fruit Flies: Researchers at the California Institute of Technology have obtained the first recordings of brain-cell activity in an actively flying fruit fly

Hottest temperature ever heads science to Big Bang -- "Scientists have created the hottest temperature ever in the lab -- 4 trillion degrees Celsius -- hot enough to break matter down into the kind of soup that existed microseconds after the birth of the universe."

Mysterious Origin of Cosmic Rays Pinned Down

Backward Black Holes Control Fate of Galaxies

See-Through Frogs Discovered

Marijuana May Disrupt Brain Development -- "[The researcher] pointed out shortcomings in the study, however."

Simple test may spot concussion in athletes

Timing of Seasons Is Changing -- "The Earth's seasons have shifted back in the calendar year, with the hottest and coldest days of the years now occurring almost two days earlier, a new study finds. This shift could be the work of global warming, the researchers say."

Tainted cocaine kills 3, sickens dozens -- levamisole

Panel Recommends Ban on 2 Popular Painkillers -- Percoset & Vicodin (NYT article)

Pakistan rulers agree to begin Musharraf impeachment -- If Pakistan can do it, why don't we?

Mauritania junta battles tide of diplomatic outrage -- coup overturns first elected government

Morales rallies disrupted ahead of Bolivia recall

Packers, Jets confirm deal to trade Favre -- Maybe I'll start watching pro football again next season.

Egypt to test fetuses for Tutankhamun family tree

America's never-ending prohibition -- marijuana

Lean Pockets with bits of plastic recalled -- "About 200,000 pounds of the products, a spinach artichoke chicken package with two sandwiches, are affected. The packages have a 'best before' date of November 2009 and a package code of 8144 544616[.]" (thanks, fizzyland)

Complex questions asked by defense lawyers linked to convictions in child abuse trials (thanks, dsgood)

Loud music can make you drink more, in less time, in a bar (thanks again, dsgood)

Ever since I came into contact with the idea of psychohistory, I've begun picking up on things in the media that alarm me.

I have heard "assassination" so many times, it's not funny. When was the last time we had an RFK retrospective? I don't remember one, because he was always in the shadow of his brother.

I've heard news pundits use terms like "pull the trigger" and "put a gun to his head" (the latter actually specifically referencing Obama, using figurative language).

I've seen a lot more stories about how racism used to be in the 1920s and '30s. Turner Classic Movies just ran a short from that time period featuring mainly African-Americans, including Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, called "King for a Day" (the running gag was that black men sure liked to throw dice!).

The History Channel ran a repeat of "Illegal Drugs: Cocaine". Some of it was a very interesting retrospective of how cocaine was added to just about everything and was seen as a wonder drug at first, but it made a point that it wouldn't have been made illegal had it not been for Southern newspapers making a ruckus about "cocaine-crazed Negroes."

The media is controlled by a small handful of folks. They must understand what they are doing.

Sniffing out a fruit-flavored trend in cocaine: DEA warns drug that tastes like candy could spread quickly across U.S. -- Hmm. Also, perhaps, plausible deniability? Where are those Aquadots when you need them?

How breathtaking is human skin?: Oxygen sensors found in mouse skin may exist in humans, too

Scientists voice missile-shield doubts: At House hearing, critics say defense system can't protect U.S.

Edward Lorenz, father of chaos theory, dies at 90

Black-hole pioneer John Wheeler dies at 96: Physicist also helped develop an atomic bomb during World War II