Image

Power of Facial Mimicry During Sex, Among Bonobos

Silent bared-teeth and rapid facial mimicry come to the fore, in this new study about what can happen when two participants face off during sex, when and if those two participants are bonobos. The study is: “SEX in Bonobos: The Intensity of Sexual Stimulation Sharply Drops After Facial Mimicry,” Martina Francesconi, Alice Galotti, Yannick Jadoul, […]

Image

Nest in mouth, Black hole battery, Non-author authors

This week’s Feedback column (that I write) in New Scientist magazine has three segments. Here are bits of each of them: Nest in mouth — Curious items lurk unnoticed in large museums. The photo above shows one of them: a bird’s nest seated in the mouth of a large, ancient, carved stone human face. Feedback recently had the […]

Image

Cannabis for construction workers, Romance research noir-noir-noir

This week’s Feedback column (that I write) in New Scientist magazine has four segments. Here are bits of each of them: Cannabis for construction workers — A Nigerian study from 2015 hints at a cannabis boost to efficiency. Manasseh Iroegbu at the University of Uyo, Nigeria, is lead author of “Exploring the performance of mason workers in the […]

Image

Deep Oesophagus, Snoozing Grumpy Face, Deep Secrets

This week’s Feedback column (that I write) in New Scientist magazine has three segments. Here are bits of each of them: Deep Oesophagus — Scientists, as a group, like to think they behave in ways a little distinct from the herd. The herd, as a herd, likes to think so, too. From time to time, Feedback receives furtive […]

Improbable Research