The "Johnny Depp Effect" - An evolutionary explanation for homosexuality
Who is more attractive as a mate? A guy who is kind or a guy who is cruel? A guy who is sensitive or a guy who lacks empathy ? Now consider who is more likely to be gay. This exercise in mate preferences (and stereotypes , please excuse us) serves to illustrate a simple point: Gay men are attractive. Two recent articles suggest that these women are on to something. Again, scientists have known for some time that sexual orientation has a genetic component. It was once hypothesized that such a trait could be maintained via kin selection. Hypotheses demand empirical tests, and when the kin selection hypothesis of homosexuality was tested by David Bobrow and Michael Bailey of Northwestern University and later by Qazi Rahman and Matthew Hull of the University of East London, it was not supported. Even without data protesting against this kin selection hypothesis, we find it illogical. So if this Darwinian puzzle is not solved by invoking kin selection, what's another solution? References
The Evolutionary Psychology of Human Sex and Gender
By Daniel Pouzzner, 2000-Apr-11/12 Sexuality is an indispensable mechanism whereby biological evolution bridged the immense gap between asexual/Lamarckian unicellular organisms, and the now plainly preeminent humans. For tens of millions of generations, the lineage leading to humanity has been formed and continued exclusively by sexual procreation. The precise microbiological mechanics of sexuality vary widely from species to species, while the functional consequences - strictly sexual procreation, in which each individual has precisely two parents, each contributing roughly half of the individual's genome - is absolutely conserved. This evidences the overwhelming evolutionary pressure in favor of the sexual mechanism. In this essay, I give an overview of the differences between the male and female human phenotypes, concentrating on mental distinctions. The basic evolutionary pressures on males and females are identical. Female procreative organs implement the mechanics of pregnancy.
Perception puzzles, Visual Perception, Optical illusions and Paradoxes
This page illustrates that our visual perception cannot always be trusted. The components of an object can distort the perception of the complete object. Our mind is the final arbiter of truth. Most optical illusions are the result of 1) incongruent design elements at opposite ends of parallel lines, 2) influence of background patterns on the overall design, 3) adjustment of our perception at the boundaries of areas of high contrast, 4) afterimages resulting from eye movements or from kinetic displays, or 5) inability to interpret the spatial structure of an object from the context provided by the picture. The Parthenon Optical illusions have been studied for millenia. Perpetually ascending staircase. The red squares are the same color in the upper part and in the lower part of the "X" The diagonal lines are parallel. There are no gray spots at the corners of the squares. Stairway between corners of a flat square. The rows of black and white squares are all parallel. Impossible triangle.
Counter-Rotating Spirals Illusion
More Java applets here. If your browser supports Java, you should see an animated image above (generated by a Java applet embedded on the page). Otherwise, you should see a static image. Instructions for Viewing the Illusion: Sit about 50 cm (20 inches) from the screen. The User Interface: Start/Stop Button The Start/Stop button starts/stops the applet's rotation thread. Detach/Attach Button The Detach Button detaches the applet from the Web page and places the applet in its own frame window. Speed Control The Speed Control varies the speed of the animation in a range of 1 through 120 RPM. History of this Illusion The illusion is an example of the "Motion Aftereffect" phenomenon. This effect was described in the early 19th century by R. In 1935, the artist Marcel Duchamp produced a set of 12 rotating optical illusions called Rotoreliefs. In the 1970's, a number of Psychologists were actively studying the phenomenon. Jerry says: "I was aware of the spiral disc that gives that after effect. Dr.
Wild Mood Swings - Surf the web on a whim. (C) Sean McManus
<p style="font-size:x-large;">Oh no! You don't have Javascript enabled. Please <a href=" Javascript now</a> or the only moods you'll experience will be boredom and frustration.</p><hr noshade> Pick your mood, click the button and Wild Mood Swings will open an appropriate website in a new window. What is Wild Mood Swings? It's a simple game and online web experience: you select a mood from the pull-down list, click on 'take me away' and it'll whisk you away to an appropriate site. Each time you reload the page or click the shuffle moods link, the moods are sorted into a different order, adding an additional element of serendipity. What do I need to work it? Some of the links will take you to sites that require the Flash plug-in or Chrome browser. If it's not working, it's possible you have a pop-up blocker installed that is stopping Wild Mood Swings from opening your destination site in a new window. Why was it developed? When was it launched?
The Stages of Sleep
Each and every night, your brain passes through four stages of sleep. Passing through all these stages takes about 90-110 minutes and marks one full sleep cycle. So, if you sleep soundly for eight hours per night, you're getting five full sleep cycles. The Five Stages of Sleep Let's take a closer look at the five stages of sleep: NREM Stage 1 is a light sleep and you are easily woken. When is The Best Time for Lucid Dreaming? Your longest and most memorable lucid dreams will usually occur in the fourth and fifth sleep cycles (after about six hours of sleep) during phases of REM sleep. The graph shows REM sleep occurring at the end of each sleep cycle. If you don't wake up to an alarm, you'll find you often wake directly from a dream, which makes it much easier to remember. This graph also shows how it's essential for lucid dreamers to get sufficient shuteye and not miss out on REM sleep by cutting sleep short. How Much Sleep Does The Average Person Need? How Long Do Dreams Last?
