Loud-mouthed liberal feminist. Anarchist knitter. Tequila-drinking artsy-smartsy fat chick. Bluesy folk-rock singer-songwriter. Rebel with too many causes. Quirky eclectic pagan poet. Paradoxical intuitive smartass. Sarcastic brainiac insomniac. You know, for starters.

1.22.2008

Mixed bag.

For the science geeks, there's this story about old stars giving birth to a new generation of planets. This is noteworthy in that planets are usually born early in a star's lifetime. (Make your own joke about Larry King.)

Also, there's this really fascinating rundown of a new sleep theory postulated by some University of Wisconsin science types. It jives with my anecdotal experience of being a human being with a brain who sleeps. That's always nice, eh?

This headline ("Dow drops 465 then gains most of it back") caught my eye this morning. Made me think of dieting and how that works. Funny, that.

Yesterday, a study came out showing that caffeine doubled a pregnant woman's chances of miscarriage. Today, a study says that caffeine reduces the risk of ovarian cancer. This story looks at the contrasts in those studies. In my mind, all of this proves only one thing: science doesn't have all the answers. Apparently, human bodies, the way they interact with their environments, and all of the myriad factors that can influence one or the other or both....are complicated. Go figure.

And, to round things out with something cynical and infuriating, there's this little gem bemoaning the fact that there aren't enough pregnancy drugs being developed. You know, the sector is underserved. Which really just means....pregnant women have money that big pharma hasn't tried to take from them. I'm so glad this kind of health reporting is out there, keeping the world informed of important health developments, like the lack of drugs.

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