http://blogs.earthsky.org/eleanorimster Body & mind, animals in a human world Tue, 04 Mar 2008 21:25:37 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I'm a sucker for scientific proof. I wait for “science says...” and then I believe , whatever it may be. So, now here's a book that can tell me how to be happy. It's called The How of Happiness by research psychologist and University of California professor of psychology Sonja Lyubomirsky. Every ... http://blogs.earthsky.org/eleanorimster/science/030453/how-to-be-happy-science-says/ One of my sons loves artichokes, mussels, and pomegranates. But for the other, it's: goldfish, goldfish, goldfish. Here's some information that might have kept me off Lexapro: The New York Times reports that, although environment has an influence, it's genes that determine a picky eater. A University College London study, ... http://blogs.earthsky.org/eleanorimster/science/101147/your-kid-a-picky-eater-its-not-your-cooking-its-your-genes/ Q: How big a fence do you need to keep out an elephant? A: What time is it when an elephant sits on your fence? I know that's answering a question with a question, but, point is, looking for something bigger and stronger than an elephant to keep out an ... http://blogs.earthsky.org/eleanorimster/science/100944/getting-elephants-to-buzz-off/ As Dr. Irene Pepperberg put him into his cage for the night last Thursday, Alex looked at her and said, "You be good, see you tomorrow. I love you." He was found dead in his cage the next morning, at age 31, apparently of natural causes. This is the first ... http://blogs.earthsky.org/eleanorimster/science/091142/brainy-parrots-last-words/ Whippets are racing dogs – bred to be sleek and lithe. But every now and then, amidst a litter of perfect whippet puppies, championship breeders get what's called a “bully whippet.” It looks more like a long-nosed pit bull. Here, pictured in the New York Times, is bully whippet ... http://blogs.earthsky.org/eleanorimster/human-world/080722/make-mine-a-mutt-designing-the-perfect-dog-in-the-dna-age/ Not that I ever put any stock in it, but sure, I talk to my plants. "What the hell's the matter with you? Melita's orchid has 28 blossoms and you're just a stalk!" Melita says the problem is I'm talking the wrong way. "You need to be more flattering with ... http://blogs.earthsky.org/eleanorimster/plants/062639/your-plants-arent-listening-unless-youre-a-plant-too/ Unbeknownst to the Earth's whale population, it's been a big week for whales. Above the ocean's surface, we humans have been determining their fate. First off, it seems that Delta and Dawn are back at sea. When the two wayward humpback whales, a mother and her calf, were sighted ... http://blogs.earthsky.org/eleanorimster/science/060419/we-helped-2-whales-maybe-but-didnt-do-much-for-the-rest-of-the-worlds-whales/ Sustainable food. Yes, absolutely. Of course, we're all for it. But what exactly is it? It's a question that was debated at Monterey Bay Aquarium's Sustainable Food Institute on Thursday. There were some agreed-upon yeses, according to The Daily Green. Local is better Why? it requires far less energy to get food from the farm ... http://blogs.earthsky.org/eleanorimster/human-world/052517/what-is-sustainable-food/ Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or MRI, is not a truth serum. But researchers are saying it's a top notch lie detector that far surpasses the polygraph in determining whether or not a person is lying. The polygraph just measures physiological responses to stress - your pulse rate, sweating, irregular breathing - and ... http://blogs.earthsky.org/eleanorimster/science/052414/i-didnt-do-it-tell-it-to-an-mri/ In the past few months, U.S. beekeepers have lost a quarter of their honeybee colonies. If you're thinking "Good, less bee stings on the playground," you're thinking way too small. "About a third of the American diet can be traced back to bees," said May Berenbaum, professor and head of ... http://blogs.earthsky.org/eleanorimster/science/051412/want-to-eat-then-we-need-to-heal-the-honeybees/