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Memories Can Be Inherited, and Scientists May Have Just Figured out How In Brief Our life experiences may be passed on to our children and our children's children - and now scientists report that they have discovered that this inheritance can be turned on or off. What is Epigenetics? Epigenetics is the study of inherited changes in gene expression…changes that are inherited, but they are not inherent to our DNA. For instance, life experiences, which aren’t directly coded in human DNA, can actually be passed on to children. Studies have shown that survivors of traumatic events may have effects in subsequent generations.

UK: Happy Easter, aggressive secularists everywhere - Secular Europe Campaign - Andrew Copson, Chief Executive of the British Humanist Association. It is astounding – as various churches and religious groups are feted as lynchpins of the ‘Big Society’ and handed our public services, as state-funded schools find themselves converted to religious status in increasing numbers, as Bishops look set to stay in the Lords while another opportunity for reform hurtles by, and as religious leaders of all stripes are invited to Downing Street (this Wednesday) for one of the most outrageously pious government “outreach” events in recent times – that despite all this, one Cardinal Keith O’Brien felt it necessary to use his Easter sermon to tell Christians to unite “in the face of aggressive secularism to maintain our Christian heritage and culture in our great country”. Once again, to ask for nothing more than a neutral civic space is to be branded “aggressive”; to contest religious privilege is to be branded “enemies”.

Philip Zimbardo: The Secret Powers of Time (Animated) Bio Philip Zimbardo Philip Zimbardo is internationally recognized as a leading "voice and face of contemporary psychology" through his widely seen PBS-TV series, "Discovering Psychology," his media appearances, best-selling trade books on shyness, and his classic research, The Stanford Prison Experiment. Zimbardo has been a Stanford University professor since 1968 (now an Emeritus Professor), having taught previously at Yale, NYU, and Columbia University. He continues teaching graduate students at the Pacific Graduate School of Psychology, and at the Naval Post Graduate School (Monterey). He has been given numerous awards and honors as an educator, researcher, writer, and service to the profession.

5-Minute Film Festival: 5 Videos to Explore Growth Mindset We know there’s no silver bullet for improving learning outcomes for kids, and Stanford researcher Carol Dweck, who originated the concept of growth mindset, has spoken out recently against the misapplication of her findings. But with a deeper understanding of the idea, and more exploration around what proper implementation looks like, growth mindset has a lot of potential. If you’d like to learn more, or want to clarify the idea for the people around you, these five videos offer something for every audience—from preschoolers to parents and colleagues to college kids. Carol Dweck—The Power of Believing That You Can Improve (10:25) Dweck’s 10-minute TED talk is an excellent entry point to the subject. She walks you through “the power of yet”—and its polar opposite, “the tyranny of now”—to show how we can influence our own brain’s capacity for learning.

Archive Tear Down That Wall by Christopher Hitchens February 12, 2013 Print: Slate Christopher Hitchens’ 2010 article calling for the prosecution of the Catholic priests who abused children, and the men who covered it up. (5) comments Losing our Spines to Save our Necks 7 healthy tips for a better night’s sleep Sleep is critical for mind and body health. Without it, the effects can be severe. But what if you suffer from insomnia? Below, neuroscientist Claudia Aguirre provides 7 healthy tips for a better night’s sleep: 1. The Catholic church's Lazarus complex over HIV-Aids So here we are again, talking past one another on the subject of condoms, Aids and Africa. Tanya Gold says the pope's got it all wrong. Giuseppe Caramazza defends the pontiff, under the headline "the condom is no cure for Aids in Africa". Let's get some facts straight. Condoms prevent HIV.

Ten things I wish someone had told me before I moved to Sweden Sweden, much, much colder than you think. Photo: Jonas Ekströmer/TT British writer Clement Boateng loves his new life in Sweden. He just wishes someone had warned him about these ten things first... I am a London-boy born and raised, now currently living and nesting in Stockholm in the hope of a new life, new career, new adventure and new experiences.

Halleluliah! (not). Faith healing could spread HIV Christian fundamentalism and HIV seem both to be on the upswing in Uganda. I’ve remarked before that enthusiastic support for abstinence-only programmes has undermined previously successful HIV prevention efforts in the country. But now it seems over-zealous preachers are threatening the success of treatment efforts, too. Robert Ochai, director of the trailblazing AIDS support organisation TASO, has noticed that some of group’s the 23,000 treatment clients are giving up their HIV drugs because they have been “cured” by faith healers, according to a report in The Monitor. Apparently, faith healing has become big business in Uganda.

Woman speaks out after finding her photo used for a horrible meme Another day, another set of dank, problematic memes. This is how much of your life you'll spend hungover and it's pretty depressing The latest meme ‘trend’ asks you to tag a friend on an image. This image is usually of someone who doesn’t necessarily fit with society’s view of ‘beauty’. Yep, it’s another mean meme. While many may see it as harmless ‘fun’, what they are actually doing is relentlessly mocking a person on the way they look.

A Holiday Message from Ricky Gervais: Why I’m An Atheist Why don’t you believe in God? I get that question all the time. I always try to give a sensitive, reasoned answer. This is usually awkward, time consuming and pointless. Before European Christians Forced Gender Roles, Native Americans Acknowledged 5 Genders It wasn’t until Europeans took over North America that natives adopted the ideas of gender roles. For Native Americans, there was no set of rules that men and women had to abide by in order to be considered a “normal” member of their tribe. In fact, people who had both female and male characteristics were viewed as gifted by nature, and therefore, able to see both sides of everything.

Column: Science and religion aren't friends By Jerry A. Coyne Religion in America is on the defensive. Atheist books such as The God Delusion and The End of Faith have, by exposing the dangers of faith and the lack of evidence for the God of Abraham, become best-sellers. Science nibbles at religion from the other end, relentlessly consuming divine explanations and replacing them with material ones. Evolution took a huge bite a while back, and recent work on the brain has shown no evidence for souls, spirits, or any part of our personality or behavior distinct from the lump of jelly in our head.

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