the eye of Nova's mind

Brain's '15-second delay' shields us from hallucinogenic experience: research -- "To save us from insanity induced by a constantly changing torrent of pictures, shapes and colors--both virtual and real world--the brain filters out information, failing in most cases to notice small changes in a 15-second period of time."

Large Hadron Collider discovers a new type of matter: Exotic hadrons -- tetraquarks

Central Ohio mumps outbreak now has 199 cases; 126 linked to Ohio State University

Bee fossils provide insight into Ice Age environment

Cell Phone Addiction: Parents Glued To Smartphones Have 'More Negative' Interactions With Their Kids

One in five young adults admit to using smartphone during sex

Elephants Can Distinguish Between Human Languages -- "A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of the Sciences of the United States of America shows evidence that elephants presented with recordings of humans speaking different local languages react differently based on the language spoken, as well as the gender and age of the speaker."

World's Oldest Masks Go On Display

Poll: 63% of Americans want Boehner out as speaker

Breastfeeding Missouri mother charged with contempt

Spanking tied to later aggression among kids -- I thought this had already been established.

Mistaken Identity And Gender Bias? An Etruscan Warrior Prince Is Actually A Princess

Oklahoma will not extradite dad of Cherokee girl

Bizarre rooftop villa in Beijing ordered to be torn down -- "It has been seized upon by the Chinese public and media as yet another example of the willingness of the country's uber-wealthy to flout rules and usually get away with it."

Growing up with more than two siblings lowers your divorce risk

Russia surgeon 'stole heroin from drug mule's stomach'

Behaviors in Adolescence May Affect Early Dementia Risk

Dyslexia 'seen in brain scans' of pre-school children -- "The left arcuate fasciculus connects an area of the brain involved in speech production with another used to understand written and spoken language."

Near-death experiences are 'electrical surge in dying brain'

Brain changes of autism may begin in the womb -- induced labor increases risk

Did Neanderthals Teach Humans How to Make Tools?

Ancient redwoods in growth spurt of a lifetime

Woodpecker population surges in metro Detroit as birds discover emerald ash borer delicacy

Big animal extinction 'severed nutrient arteries'

Yoga in school not same as teaching religion, California judge rules -- Thank goodness, because that suit was bunk.

Poll: Support for gay marriage hits high after ruling

Habits -- good and bad -- stick when you're stressed -- Keep also in mind that it takes about 27 days to reform a bad habit. (I wonder if the disruption tactic at the end of the article would speed up that process?)

Heavy drinking, 'incompatible' drinking tied to divorce, study says -- Some sexism is also at play here.

Why Healthy Eaters Fall for Fries -- "Mr. Fitzsimons called the phenomenon 'vicarious goal fulfillment.' By seeing a healthy menu option at a restaurant, 'it basically satisfies that goal to be healthy,' he said, and gives consumers leeway to order what they want." (NYT)

Why does it cost more to give birth in the US? -- This article could have been much longer with far more details.

Mysterious Pair Buried With Flowers--Oldest Example Yet: Aromatic sage and mint lined graves found on Israel's Mount Carmel -- "The Natufian society [which flourished between 15,000 and 11,600 years ago in an area that is now Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria] was one of the first--possibly the first--to transition from a roaming hunter-gatherer lifestyle to permanent settlements, and was also the first to establish true graveyards[.]"

Louie Gohmert: Women should be forced to carry nonviable pregnancies to term

Florida quietly shortened yellow light standards & lengths, resulting in more red light camera tickets for you -- A very detailed article.

Sugary drinks tied to kidney stone risk: Adults who drink at least one sugar-sweetened drink a day are slightly more likely to develop kidney stones than people who rarely imbibe them, according to a new study

Breeding the Nutrition Out of Our Food (NYT)

Why did our ancestors start walking upright? Ancient terrain may hold clue: A study suggests that rocky landscapes in East and South Africa could have pushed our apelike ancestors toward bipedalism

Court strikes down Arizona 20-week abortion ban

Peace Corps will accept same-sex couples

Florida Student, 18, Arrested for Sex with Teammate, 14 -- "Kaitlyn Hunt's parents insist that their daughter, a Central Florida high school senior, is being prosecuted for sex crimes only because her lover was another girl. The state attorney says that gender makes no difference; the age of the two girls is at the crux of the case." (NYT)

Solving a Riddle of Primes (NYT) | Unknown Mathematician Proves Elusive Property of Prime Numbers

Abrupt climate shifts spurred Stone Age innovation in Africa

House OKs extension of tax cuts for some Americans -- those making $250K or less

Deaths during pregnancy on the upswing in U.S.

Group: Baby deaths high in Zimbabwe government housing

Did female Egyptian pharaoh rule before Cleopatra? -- Queen Arsinoë II

Tests show King Tut died from malaria, study says | New tests on famed mummy show King Tut died of broken leg, malaria: Research trumps old tales of intrigue in the death of the boy king. Examination shows he had a cleft palate, a club foot and degenerative bone disease -- but he probably didn't look like a woman -- I didn't know he was supposed to have resembled a female. At any rate, I find it quite interesting that he had a cleft palate. That changes my mental picture.

Israel discovers large Byzantine-era wine press