And Now - The Gay Brain

Brett Singer — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 18:10:00 GMT

First it was the gay gene (and it wasn't Bugle Boy! Apologies to Bill Maher whom I stole that joke from.) Now the powers that be have decided that there is a gay brain. Scientists studied the sizes of the left and right brains of 90 people, and found that, "Gay men and heterosexual women had halves of a similar size, while the right side was bigger in lesbian women and heterosexual men." So gay men have brain halves like straight women, and gay women have brain halves like straight men. Got that? This will be on the test.

This isn't the first attempt to "prove" that gayness is born, not made. There was the gay gene (see above), and then the theory that what happens in the womb could affect male sexuality. According to the BBC, "this is the first time…that scientists have used brain scanners" to attempt to determine the cognitive differences between gay people and us breeders.

In theory, this is a good discovery, since it helps put to rest the idea espoused by certain lunatics that homosexuality can be "cured." But it could help the loonies' cause too, couldn't it? Imagine if someone proposes a test be given to children at birth, or in utero. Then what? I know that sounds extreme but some people are, well, extreme (like this lady – don't click this link unless you want to get angry.) There's a part of me that wonders if sexual orientation is something we need to find a reason for.

image: The Situationist, and then messed with by me. * = Homosexualis Gaygaygayus is a term I just made up, obviously.

Rich guy pretends to be gynecologist to see women naked (he ain't no fruit!)

Political Nanny: Women, Dear Sweet Angry Women!

Clay Aiken ain't no fruit

Best of FameCrawler: Week of May 30th

Parenting From the Left Brain

Amy Kuras — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 20:34:00 GMT

Since moving to this area of town, I've gotten to know several professors at our two local universities and other assorted academic types. Many of them became parents within a year or two of when we did, and it's been interesting to watch how these very intelligent people approach their parenting. It seems to be much the way they approached their dissertation -- every decision is backed up with tons of research and is the result of thoughtfully focused inquiry. It's not my way (I'm very much an emotion-based decisonmaker), but it certainly seems to work well for them and their kids, and beats the hell out of clueless apathy.

So this article in the Chicago Tribune piqued my interest. It looks at "left-brained parenting" – the tendency of scientist-parents to approach the usual parenting problems the same way they would a puzzling issue in the lab.

Physicist Dan Sisan, for example, Googled "colic and crying" and found only about 100 references, while there were something like 12,000 for "black holes."

So he did his own research and posted it on his blog, dansisan.blogspot.com, complete with footnotes and everything. "Since both black holes and crying babies are singularities that suck in all nearby resources," he wrote, "you would think scientists would focus on the ones in people's living rooms before looking 1,600 light years away — wouldn't you?"

One would think, Dan, one would think. But as it turns out, my parents were right after all – babies pretty much cry for no reason at all. And all that folk wisdom we all hear is not actually supported by any valid science.

Not that I didn’t sort of know that already, but its nice to have someone with a lot more IQ points than me validate it with evidence.

Strollerderby : left brain

And Now - The Gay Brain

New York Governor's Decision to Recognize Gay Marriages Brings Unexpected Praise (and Hugs)

Rich guy pretends to be gynecologist to see women naked (he ain't no fruit!)

Political Nanny: Women, Dear Sweet Angry Women!

Clay Aiken ain't no fruit

Best of FameCrawler: Week of May 30th

Parenting From the Left Brain

Strollerderby : left brain

And Now - The Gay Brain

New York Governor's Decision to Recognize Gay Marriages Brings Unexpected Praise (and Hugs)

Rich guy pretends to be gynecologist to see women naked (he ain't no fruit!)

Political Nanny: Women, Dear Sweet *Angry* Women!

Clay Aiken ain't no fruit

Best of FameCrawler: Week of May 30th

Parenting From the Left Brain

Political Nanny: Women, Dear Sweet Angry Women!