Not exactly news any more

With the impending demise of Google Reader, I decided I need to go through all those articles I starred oh so long ago and save the ones I really want. So while none of this is news any more, I still felt like commenting on it. Expect more of these posts in the near future. I’ve marked a lot of items.

This week is the Scientific American edition.

• Early Risers Crash Faster – I’m a night owl. I really enjoy this study that shows that there is a difference between my brain and the brain of an early riser. It’s not just a matter of will power over a snooze button. Also, perhaps my brain is more adapted than an early bird’s.
• MIND Reviews: The Philosophical Baby – I think I might definitely be interested in a book that describes babies as the R&D department of the human race. Adding it to my Amazon list.
• Why Are We Annoyed by the Sound of Nails on a Blackboard? – Just because I know why it’s annoying doesn’t make it any less annoying.
• Memory in Utero – I marked this when it was first published in 2010. We’re talking a lot about this topic in our house lately.
• Bilingual Brains – This is why we have alphabet blocks for three different languages (none of which is English) on the list of things to get for our baby. That, and we’re a little weird about languages at our house.
• Happiness is a Walk in the Park – I know I feel better after walking around the block.
• A phone call from mom reduces stress – Have you called your mom yet this week?
• Why Johnny Can’t Name His Colors – This one has sparked several versions of the same conversation between Brett and me. He’s convinced I’m going to teach our kid messed up grammar in an effort to make sure they know their colors. I figure we just need to teach them Portuguese, a language that puts the noun before the adjective.
• People Initially Overestimate Then Later Underestimate Their Abilities – A 60 second summary of one of the findings of my dissertation.
• Psychology Studies Biased Toward Western Undergrads – Definitely something to keep in mind whenever you are reading a psychology study. I mean, have you seen the undergrads lately?
• We Only Trust Experts if They Agree with Us – Oh the discussions Brett and I have about this. He hasn’t read the study I did about the seven responses humans have to anomalous data, but we’ve talked about it enough that he could tell you about it as well.
• Fingers Know When You Type Wrong – Yup. I’ve experienced that.
• Telltale Heart: Word Association Test Reveals If Love Will Last – I wonder what words Brett would associate with me.
• Things That Go Bump in the Night – It’s really funny to me right now how often Brett wakes up with my in the middle of the night. He calls it a “show of solidarity.”
• Why Walking Weakens Wee Ones – While it would seem like a no-brainer that little legs have to take more steps to cover the same distance, it’s interesting that no matter the length of your stride you are expending the same energy per stride.
• Some Nonverbal  Vocal Communication is Learned – The interesting thing about this article is the other side of the title, that some nonverbal vocal communication appears to be hardwired in our brains.
• Writing Exercise Helps Female Physics Students – The power of positive affirmations. I’m going to have to try a similar exercise before starting my dissertation defense in a few days.
• Brain Imaging Studies Show Different Cultures Have Different Brains – There’s something about brain studies like this that I just really find fascinating. Some of the studies reveal more nature others reveal more nurture.
• Kids (and Animals) Who Fail Classic Mirror Tests May Still Have Sense of Self – I also really enjoy studies that show we’ve been underestimating babies and children this whole time.
• A Healthy Brain Needs a Healthy Heart – Now if I could just figure out an effective way to get my studying in while I’m also going on a run. I can walk and read, but running and reading isn’t really a possibility.
• Young Female Chimps Cradle Stick-Toys like Dolls – And here’s a study showing the role of nature in development.
• I don’t have a 28-day menstrual cycle, and neither should you – I almost never have a 28-day cycle, and that’s perfectly within normal range. The pain I was experiencing wasn’t, but the length of my cycle and my hormone levels at each point were perfectly normal. It most definitely was not my non-28-day cycle that kept us from getting pregnant.
• Walking Speed Predicts Life Expectancy of Older Adults – There was an article about child walking speed earlier, here’s one that says how fast you walk can predict if you will live another 5-10 years when you get older. Fascinating!

Okay, that’s a good start. I’ll have to do another Scientific American edition of things I found interesting later. I hope you found something interesting here as well.