What milk shakes teach us about food addiction

Food addiction?  Is it possible to be addicted to food?

If addiction to food is not possible, what is causing the world wide obesity epidemic?

Food for thought ... pun intended ... sorry ...

Anyway, see what you think:

http://healthland.time.com/2013/06/27/what-milk-shakes-teach-us-about-food-addiction/?iid=hl-main-lead / fast food companies products natural restaurant prepared health healthier study diagnose diagnosis disorder brain scans food addiction crave craving craved piece of chocolate hot slice of pizza convinced force responsible your stomach quell hunger brain satisfy addiction study strong strongest evidence foods trigger addictive behavior drugs drug nicotine addictive addict addiction drugs cocaine heroin rewire mind brain crave progressively elusive high satisfaction desire strong overtakes reason need satisfy all-consuming mission expense physical, emotional social health foods power over people monkeying brain brains normal appetite system resetting reset satisfaction threshold just out of reach eat enough essential survival so it can’t be addictive since satisfying hunger physical mental health concept food addiction provocative Dr. David Ludwig director New Balance Foundation Obesity Center Boston Children’s Hospita abuse necessary survival expert rate rates trigger cravings abuse abusive abused substances dietary glycemic index measure ability raise blood sugar levels brain regions associated cravings group obese men prior research tasty high calorie foods trigger pleasure center of the brain support supports food addiction significance study studies been /

Nissan electrifies Le Mans with the world’s fastest electric racing car

Credit: Nissan/ Eco-Business.com

"World's fastest"?  How does 300 kilometres per hour sound?

During the recent 24 hour race, Nissan unveiled their ZEOD RC (Zero Emission On Demand Racing Car) electric racer.  With electric & internal combustion power plants plus batteries, it sounds like a hybrid. Capacity to run with the internal combustion engine or electric power alone, suggests its a serial hybrid.

Nissan believes it will be among the front runners at next year's 24 hour race at Le Mans.

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1085021_nissan-unveils-zeod-electric-race-car-prototype-at-le-mans

http://www.eco-business.com/news/nissan-electrifies-next-le-mans-worlds-fastest-electric-racing-car/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=EB+June+26th+2013+newsletter&utm_content=EB+June+26th+2013+newsletter+CID_d98cba830f5b9f5f3d4243c02e24654b&utm_source=Campaign%20Monitor&utm_term=Nissan%20electrifies%20next%20Le%20Mans%20with%20worlds%20fastest%20electric%20racing%20car / EV electric vehicle battery car automobile battery LiIon lithium ion racing race 24 Heures du Mans endurance Circuit de la Sarthe France endurance car race hotbed automotive technology development Audi dominance sad loss competitor Allan Simonsen weekend's race on-track news off-track garage 56 slot reserved new prototype technology class Highcroft Racing Deltawing race car 2012 2013 2014  dart shaped fuel efficient racer electric drivetrain drive train delta wing /

Enjoy your tiny payout: The weird world of tech class action lawsuits

http://www.itworld.com/slideshow/107125/enjoy-your-tiny-payout-weird-world-tech-class-action-lawsuits-361923 / lawyer attorney settlement money cash small class action Kellogg's Kellogg McDonald's McDonalds Google Apple iPhone water Liquid Submersion Indicator LSI sweat hot coffee mod hidden sexually explicit minigame within Grand Theft Auto San Andreas adults only Rockstar Games Papa John's pizza spam text SMS Michagin tech technology Chicken McNuggets large local Muslim community halal Sony's Sony $3,000 Grand Wega SXRD rear-projection TV cutting edge 1080p resolution Blu-Ray player blue ray check cheque bounce Frosted Mini-Wheats /

Why don't naked mole rats get cancer?

Credit: Image: Brandon Vick/ University of Rochester/ Wired

They're ugly, naked, blind, live much longer than any other rodent & they don't get cancer.  What is their secret?  Can it be used to prevent or treat cancers in humans?

http://www.dvice.com/2013-6-25/why-dont-naked-mole-rats-get-cancer / underground researchers discovery research discovered good health complex sugar help keep cell cells clumping together tumor tumour forming tumors anticancer agent exists spaces between cells extracellular matrix important regulation regulate regulatory role extracellular matrix in cancer Bryan Toole oncology biologist Medical University of South Carolina Charleston study researchers study mice molecular cell biologist Vera Gorbunova University of Rochester New York protect protection protected tumors beavers beaver grey squirrel gray squirrels decade decadesnoutlive those larger animals unique social structure queen produces young underground colony helper helpers studies scientists species insects bee ant wasp social structure colleagues source cancer resistance Petri cells lab dish gooey complex sugar called hyaluronan /

This is what happens when a jet engine explodes during takeoff (video)

Credit: Simon Lowe/ Cnet

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-57590969-71/this-is-what-happens-when-a-jet-engine-explodes-during-takeoff/ / Monday Airbus 330 Dominican Republic Manchester England right hand right-hand engine starts spouting flames airport excitement cheery weather vacation airline Thomas Cook picking up speed skyward seats right you hear a loud bang espy flames leaping from the engine passenger plane twinge anguish reversed thrust e gone fault safety danger safe dangerous/

Huawei MediaPad 7 Vogue tablet/ phablet/ phone release date & specs announced

Does she look comfortable with that thing?
Credit: Huawei/ BGR

Sales tell me that most people draw the line at a 5 inch screen.  Samsung's Galaxy Note II shows that some will stretch (literally) to 5.8 inches ... but 7 inches?

http://bgr.com/2013/06/25/huawei-mediapad-7-vogue-release-date-specs/ / blur the lines between smartphones tablets Huawei announcement announce announced new 7 inch Android device  make phone calls MediaPad 7 Vogue equipped 1,024 x 600-pixel display in-house 1.2GHz quad core processor 3 megapixel rear camera tablet include includes 1GB RAM 8GB flash internal storage microSD slot 4100 4,100 mAh battery Huawei’s Emotion user interface Android 4.1 Jelly Bean MediaPad available Wi-Fi only model HSPA+ model capable making phone calls feature that similarly puzzled Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8 slate  arrive China later this month expanded availability scheduled press release MediaPad 7 Vogue Android 4.1 MediaPad 7 Vogue pre-installed word processing GPS navigation proprietary Emotion UI 1.5 user interface  accessories including external keyboard mouse USB flash disk Bluetooth Wi-Fi Airsharing functionalities content sharing black white and availability available China market markets /

Did men's yearning for young women create the menopause?

My take: this idea reverses cause & effect.

To understand, it is necessary to remember that natural selection favours characteristics that produce the largest number of descendants.  For a woman, there comes a time as she ages, that as her strength & general health decline, her descendants are better served by assisting her children in raising her grandchildren rather than undertaking the risks of pregnancy with her diminished powers.  It is in her reproductive interest, therefor that a woman's fertility declines relatively quickly as she ages.  This terminates in menopause.

Having children does not pose the same risks to men, & so their fertility declines more slowly, in line with the general deterioration of their powers.  In practice, this means that men are capable of fathering children into their 70s & beyond.

Following the natural selection principle, is there a reproductive advantage for men preferring young women?

As discussed above, women's fertility declines as they age.  Youth, therefore, is an indicator of fertility.  In general, characteristics which are thought to be beautiful in women are indicators of fertility, e.g. smooth skin, large breasts.  In general, these indicators of fertility are most prominent in the young.  

To summarize: men are attracted to fertile women, rather than young women per se.

Playing devils advocate, it could be said that the above is mere speculation. Where is the evidence?

Relevant evidence was posted on these pages last week: a study of tips received by lap dancers revealed that men have a preference for women who are ovulating, i.e. whose fertility is greatest.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2341407/Did-mans-yearning-young-women-create-menopause-Research-suggests-men-caused-middle-age-loss-fertility.html#ixzz2WBrkynus / Research wandering eyes middle-age loss of fertility in women study suggests preferential dating menopause women ability offspring children age Professor Rama Singh McMaster University Canada menopausal menopause evolution older women need ability baby child babies children men stop mate sex men's predilection younger females preferential mating menopause scientist researching prolong women women's fertility generation generations preference younger mates reproduce until they died favor favored favoured young mates shunned older males developed losing fertility lost their appeal potential breeding partners average age for the loss fertility 52 chimpanzees closest animal relatives cousins fertile near end their lives age 45 other species pilot killer whales experience published in the journal Public Library of Science Computational Biology controversial theory attracted criticism other specialists  reason infertile middle age mystery Dr Maxwell Burton-Chellew evolutionary biologist Oxford University dismiss dismissed plain wrong human humans strong preference younger females less fertile /