Morning News Fix
July 19, 2007 by Sara Ost
Filed under Morning News Fix
A 1938 article explains how skin cell walls get piled up with emotion ions. - via Modern Mechanix
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Can You Think With Your Gut?
The popular advice to “trust your gut” is older than dust and some people swear by it, so what gives? While it’s true that the gut is a “second brain” because it comes with a massive network of neurons and is able to carry out some functions independently of your real brain (like digestion), it can’t do much more. It definitely cannot think. Some scientists have hypothesized that emotions may be tied to a gut-brain pathway – but there’s no clear evidence for this yet. As for the dreaded stomach knots and other psychosomatic symptoms, those are triggered by your brain, not your gut. Humans seem to have a talent for attributing emotions and cognitive function to many organs, including the heart and the skin.
No More Meat-Food-Product Sorta-Gravy. But why?
Say it isn’t so! Hot dog chili sauce is being recalled because of botulism contamination. Frankly, you shouldn’t be eating anything with that kind of name on principle. The botulism is just like an additional annoying character flaw.
I Continue to Be Impressed by the Skittles
The Senate votes today on a proposed 61 cent tax increase on top of the current 39 cent tax on packs of cigarettes. This is a full 156% increase. This proposed tax would purportedly help to pay for health care for children who are uninsured but not technically “poor enough” to qualify for standard federal aid. You know, our health care system is so awesome.
MIT Cures Fear
Scientists have found the molecular mechanism involved in learned fear…and cured it. When you think learned fear, think post-traumatic stress and memory. For example, learned fear is a frequent problem among soldiers and victims of abuse, and it can be difficult to treat. So far only mice are being cured, but I’ll keep you posted.
I fully understand how serious PTS is, and how debilitating it can be…but wouldn’t eliminating fear be kind of like a labotomy? Fear exists as a survival tool, and if we eliminate it, will we compromise our ability to…well…survive? Scary stuff.