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27 Oct 2010 21:35

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U.S.: Medical examiner steals dead teen’s brain, ’cause that’s not creepy

  • They saw this jar with a brain in it labeled Jesse Shipley. They knew Jesse and he knew them. They were looking at his brain, and his brain was looking right back at them.
  • Korisha Shipley • Regarding the “holy crap” finding that the medical examiner who took care of her son Jesse after his death in a 2005 accident kept his brain in a jar and was showing it off to his fellow high school students on a field trip a few months later. The Staten Island, New York resident’s family is now suing the city over the bizarre incident, which most assuredly should’ve never happened. Protip: Don’t keep someone’s brain in a jar months after they’ve been killed. That’s just weird. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Sep 2010 11:09

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Tech: Scientists claim to have found the “Homer Simpson gene” in mice

  • A big question this research raises is why would we, or mice, have a gene that makes us less smart – a Homer Simpson gene? I believe that we are not really seeing the full picture.
  • Emory University professor John Hepler, PhD • Regarding the research he’s done which shows that mice get smarter if you take a certain gene out of them. The RGS14 gene turns off a certain part of the brain, the CA2 region, and many scientists aren’t sure what it’s for. However, when they turned off the gene in mice, they suddenly had much stronger mental abilities. Neat. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Aug 2010 10:26

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Offbeat: Question of the day: Why are there slices of brains in these jars?

You want to click on the link. You know you do. It’s too tempting. Click it. Click … it. You want to know why these brains are in jars. Click it. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 May 2010 22:35

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Culture: An open letter to Bret Michaels’ body on recent events

  • Dear immune system and major organs, please don’t kill Bret Michaels. He’s a perfectly good example of what a hair-rocker should be at his age – well-loved (especially on VH1 reality shows) and respected more now than he was during the height of his success. First it was his appendix. Then it was a brain hemorrhage. Now it’s a hole in his heart and a “warning” stroke. Can’t you just let this guy grow old without hitting him with three major health scares in a month? Seriously. Back off for 30 years or so. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Apr 2010 20:56

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Culture: A little more on Bret Michaels’ condition; it’s not good

  • The Poison singer has a subarachnoid hemorrhage. What’s that, you ask? Well, it’s bleeding in the area between the brain and the tissues that cover the brain (his is at the base of the brain stem). It starts out with a huge headache, usually, and is brought on by a number of risk factors. It can also be the result of injury, so the “Rock of Love” star’s fall at the Tonys is still on the table. Unfortunately, the risk of death in this case is very high, even after treatment. We feel bad for the guy and hope he pulls through. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Dec 2009 11:26

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Culture: Why is Urban Meyer leaving Florida? It comes down to his health.

  • I have ignored my health for years, but recent developments have forced me to re-evaluate my priorities of faith and family.
  • Florida football coach Urban Meyer • On his reasons for resignation. Meyer is one of those workaholic guys who eats, sleeps and breathes football, something his wife would try to do everything to help work around. But Meyer has also had some significant health problems – he was diagnosed with an arachnoid cyst on his brain in 1999, which is about as scary as it sounds. Many fans are largely supportive of his decision, as sad and shocking as it is to the ultra-successful Florida program. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Sep 2009 09:50

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Tech: This is your brain on Tetris. Any questions?

Playing Tetris (and games in general) changes the composition of your brain and helps make you smarter. Which is awesome. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

22 May 2009 11:30

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U.S.: Brains tend to falter to dementia in old age

  • ≈40% of men who live to 95 suffer from dementia in their old age
  • ≈60% of women who live to 95 do too; 1 in 600 people make it to 95 source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Apr 2009 15:17

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Offbeat: Whoa: Despite getting shot in the head, she offered the police tea

  • There’s no way she should be alive other than a miracle from God. You just don’t hear of something like this. Somebody gets shot in the head and they’re dead.
  • Jackson County, Miss. Sheriff Mike Byrd • On the miraculous survival of Tammy Sexton, who was shot squarely in the forehead by her husband, who killed himself afterward. Sexton, despite having a bullet go through her brain, did not seem to suffer serious brain damage, and even offered the police a beverage (and made herself tea) when they came to look into the incident. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink

02 Mar 2009 20:41

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Music, Offbeat: The key to genius: Listening to Beethoven. Or Sufjan Stevens.

Virgil Griffith compared SAT scores and your favorite bands. Sufjan is for nerds. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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