When Charles Darwin Hated Everybody. By Maria Popova A necessary reminder that even geniuses have their despondent days. “The day of days! ,” wrote an elated 29-year-old Charles Darwin in his journal after his cousin, Emma Wedgwood, accepted his marriage proposal, proceeding to famously weigh the pros and cons of marriage and merrily conclude that the enterprise was worth it. But Darwin, apparently, wasn’t always so cheerful. My dear Lyell[…]What a wonderful case the Bedford case.– Does not the N. Kalman’s final presentation slide put it all so simply yet so eloquently: *UPDATE: Kalman’s talk is now up — do yourself a favor and watch it. Darwin image via The New York Times Donating = Loving Bringing you (ad-free) Brain Pickings takes hundreds of hours each month. You can also become a one-time patron with a single donation in any amount. Brain Pickings has a free weekly newsletter. Share on Tumblr. Your Backup Brain.
There is, you may be happy to know, a guru of intestinal intelligence. And as improbable as it sounds, he just may be able to explain why you get depressed and anxious, dive for the peanut butter when you are stressed, and rely on "gut instincts," among many other matters of the mind. Meeting him turned out to be a gut-wrenching experience—literally. When a security guard at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons kept me waiting 45 minutes in the lobby while checking and rechecking my credentials, my stomach began churning like a washing machine.
By the time the guard let me upstairs, I had one question for the researcher regarded as the father of the new field known as neurogastroenterology: Was the pain in my stomach all in my head? The answer turned out to be double-sided. "The gut can work independently of any control by the brain in your head—it's functioning as a second brain," says Michael Gershon, professor and chair of pathology and cell biology at Columbia. Monitor on Psychology - September 2012 - Page 50-51.
Far From ‘Junk,’ DNA Dark Matter Proves Crucial to Health. Animals’ Lifestyles Evolve When Old Genes Learn New Tricks. We were very near the end of the trail when we were surprised by a large snake, about six feet long, crossing directly in front of us. Belize has lots of snakes, more than 50 species. Some can get pretty large, like the boa constrictor, which is impressive but harmless. This one was not harmless. Even in the darkening jungle, the triangular pattern on its back allowed me to identify it quickly as a fer-de-lance, the most dangerous snake in Belize.
Excited, and comfortable that I was well out of striking range, I reached into my backpack for my video camera and flipped on its “night shot” feature. It was Jamie. For me to film the snake in the dark, I had to rely on Sony’s innovation and engineering. For the fer-de-lance to find its prey in the dark, it also relies on infrared sensors. Closely related to the rattlesnake, the fer-de-lance is also a pit viper, a member of a group of venomous snakes named for the deep sensory pits between the nostrils and eyes.
In pit vipers, however, Dr.