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Memorable links from the second half of 2011

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American


As I expected, this set of links is a bit shorter than the last. Also, I just discussed my new year's resolution with Kedar, and it is to blog more often. Feel free to ping me on Twitter if you think I'm doing a bad job living up to this resolution. :)

The Evolutionary Errors of X-Men

Failed Flaxseed and Bad News Brownies


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Mock Missive: World Association of Organic Chemists limits use of “organic”

The Revolutionary New Birth Control Method for Men

“Homophobia Is Apparently Associated With Homosexual Arousal”

Eating mussels can make your semen radioactive!

The mental burden of a lower-class background

Comparative Physiology Crystal Ball

The Treasures of Urine

Personal genomics: no longer just for white folks

Scientific Advances on Contraceptives for Men

Dolphin may sense the body electric

Out-Of-The-Blue Panic Attacks Aren't Without Warning: Body Sends Signals for Hour Before

Will Carrots Help You See Better? No, but Chocolate Might

Recovering from grad school

Circumcise or Don’t? Quandary for Parents

CT Scans of Baby Mammoths Reveal Ice Age Mystery

My Chemically Fueled Life

You Become as You Eat

How Probiotics May Save Your Life

"Life creates [the Force], makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter," Yoda explains in The Empire Strikes Back, gesturing to Luke's physical body. This quote is striking because of the apt juxtaposition of the wonder of life with its often disgusting vessel. Like many other animals, we secrete, excrete, expectorate, defecate, flatulate, regurgitate, urinate, circulate, masticate, menstruate, ejaculate, and ventilate. We are filled with gas and feces and blood and guts and mucus and any number of rude things. Life as we know it is possible because of the countless impolite things we do every day. Are we luminous beings? Perhaps, but that's neither here nor there. This blog is about the crude matter that keeps us alive.

Michelle Clement has a B.Sc. in zoology (with a minor in American culture studies) and a M.Sc. in organismal biology from The Ohio State University. Her thesis research was on the ecophysiology of epidermal lipids and water homeostasis in house sparrows. She now works as a technical editor for The American Chemical Society. Her broader interests include weird human and animal physiology, obesity and enteric physiology, endocrinology, sexual and reproductive health, personal genomics, anthropology (physical and cultural), sociology, and science education and communication. She lives in Ohio with her boyfriend and two cats.

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