Being Geek Chic is the yammerings of a Midwestern nerd named Elizabeth Giorgi. My vision impairment is real, which is frustrating because I really would like to see a 3D movie.
Send questions, requests and ideas to [email protected]. Please put your complaints on a napkin and toss it.
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28th January 2011
Weird science: That's not weight gain, just fluid retention
If you think your oral contraceptive is to blame for a few extra kilos, US researchers say think again. … So, what accounts for the weight gain some women experience when on the pill? Blame age, said the researchers. “Most likely, the reason why this belief continues to exist [that the pill makes you gain weight] is that the weight gain that seems to occur with age is being attributed to these medications,” states Judy Cameron, Ph.D., senior author of the paper. However, many doctors acknowledge that for a few woman the pill may add on a little weight due to fluid retention.
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15th January 2011
Weird science: want a happy marriage? Stay skinny!
Psychologists at the University of Tennessee studied 165 newly-married couples, most in their twenties, for four years. They found that both husbands and wives were more satisfied throughout the marriage if the wife’s BMI was lower than the husband’s.
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12th January 2011
Weird science (or totally obvious news of the day): Being optimistic lowers depression risk
Adolescents with optimistic viewpoint are less likely to suffer health risks including emotional problems, substance abuse and antisocial behaviors.
Totally obvious news for the day: if you have a future to look forward to, you won’t be a boozing, manic-depressive. Who would have thought?
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7th December 2010
Weird science: your birthday may determine biology
The season in which babies are born can have a dramatic and persistent effect on how their biological clocks function. That is the conclusion of a new study published online on Dec. 5 by the journal Nature Neuroscience. … The imprinting effect, which was found in baby mice, may help explain the fact that people born in winter months have a higher risk of a number of neurological disorders including seasonal affective disorder (winter depression), bipolar depression and schizophrenia.
Via Eurekalert
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3rd December 2010
Weird science: Soyfoods protect against breast cancer
A review of data suggests that there is no increased risk of breast cancer linked to moderate soy consumption(2). “Soy appears to be protective and is associated with a lower risk of breast cancer reoccurrence for women who have consumed soy throughout most of their life,” said Leena Hilakivi-Clarke, Ph.D., professor of oncology at Georgetown University.
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26th November 2010
Weird science: How women remain standing in high heels
“Many of my physicist colleagues have no trouble understanding quantum mechanics but can’t figure out how women can wear high heels,” admitted Dr. Laura Grant, a physicist from Liverpool University. …A tiny piece of leather is suspended by steel and plastic (hopefully more steel than plastic). But how do women walk in them? Or Prince, for that matter?
Turns out, there’s a formula for that. In 2004, researchers at the University of Surrey devised an equation that uses shoe size, the Pythagorean theorem, and several sociological variables to calculate how high heels can safely go: h = Q x(12+3s /8)
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/11/11/physics-high-heels-fashion-lady-gaga/#ixzz16Q6LbA8L
