This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
2011 was an exciting, stressful, occasionally scary, and very fruitful year for me, personally and professionally. I hope you are all pleased with the way life treated you this year. And if not, there's always 2012!
Instead of reviewing my activities in the past year, I thought I'd do something a little different and share with you the blog posts and news articles from 2011 that I found the most memorable. Because there are so many, this post contains links from January through June. If I remember to do a part two, that list will undoubtedly be shorter because I started my current job in June and have had much less time for blog and news reading.
Browse, read, and enjoy. Glancing over this list, I think it probably tells you a thing or two about where my greatest interests lie.
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AT&T Pretty Much Predicted 2011 in 1993
Kissing & the science of humanity
Lemur Week: Ringtailed Lemurs Look Where You're Looking
No love for outsiders – oxytocin boosts favouritism towards our own ethnic or cultural group
Stop using the word “Caucasian” to mean white
How the diabetes-linked 'thrifty gene' triumphed with prejudice over proof
Saturday Evening Rant, Iodine Edition
Are your Allergies worst in the morning?
Extra nipples – They’re just a matter of timing
Did Henry VIII have a blood disorder?
Masturbation calms restless leg syndrome
The danger of appealing stories: anecdata, expectations, and skepticism
The "Lesbian Until Graduation:" Now A New York Times Most Emailed Article!
Reflections of Gotham: Why Do New Yorkers Wear So Much Black?
That (expletive) Semen-Antidepressant Study
Divided by language, united by gut bacteria – people have three common gut types
Nature's Living Tape Recorders May Be Telling Us Secrets
How peppermint may cool that irritable bowel syndrome
Superfetation: Pregnant while already pregnant
Sex on the brain: Orgasms unlock altered consciousness
Marketing food to kids with cartoon characters
Gut Bacteria Linked to Behavior: That Anxiety May Be in Your Gut, Not in Your Head
Mpemba’s baffling discovery: can hot water freeze before cold? (1969)
Bats Use Carnivorous Pitcher Plant as Living Toilet
Blue Lights Shown to Give a Brain Boost! But is a Better than Coffee?