Hard Light Productions Forums
Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: Wild Fragaria on February 21, 2006, 03:05:43 pm
-
Very interesting article, and I think most of you guys will appreciate it :nod:
Nature News Published online: 21 February 2006; | doi:10.1038/news060220-9
Biologists have proof that men do, in fact, have sex on the brain. A crucial sex-determining gene on the male Y chromosome, called Sry, is known to be expressed in the male brain as well as in the testes.
But now researchers have come up with a surprise: Sry's effects on the brain seem to be involved in motor coordination rather than more sex-related traits. And loss of the gene leads to symptoms similar to those of Parkinson's disease.
"It was a big surprise. I was expecting Sry to have more to do with a region involved in sexual behaviour, like the hypothalamus, than a region involved in motor control," says Eric Vilain of the University of California, Los Angeles. "We repeated it many times to be sure," he adds.
Vilain and his colleagues studied Sry proteins in rat brains and found that they occur in the substantia nigra in males; this is a region of the brain involved in motor function and is affected in Parkinson's.
By using injections to block the expression of the Sry gene in this region of the male rat brain, the researchers showed that the mice developed motor problems reminiscent of Parkinson's. When they stopped the injections, the rats recovered.
"We have this prejudice with sex chromosomes. We think they should be expressed in parts of the brain involved in reproductive behaviour. And clearly that's not necessarily the case - this paper really opens our eyes," says Emilie Rissman, a behavioural neuroscientist at the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville, Virginia.
So what is Sry doing in this part of the brain? All the clues so far suggest that it switches on the expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), an enzyme involved in making a neurotransmitter called dopamine. TH-expressing neurons are sexually dimorphic - there are 20% fewer in females than males, as reported in this study. Sry seems to maintain TH levels in the male: when Sry is turned off, the expression of TH falls. When the gene is turned back on, the neurons recover.
Sry could explain why men are about 1.5 times more likely to develop Parkinson's than women, says Vilain. It could also potentially explain why other dopamine-linked diseases are more common in males, such as schizophrenia and addiction, adds Vincent Harley of Prince Henry's Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne, Australia, who is a co-author on the paper.
Harley is now investigating Sry levels in the brains of human cadavers, comparing levels in men with Parkinson's and those without the disease.
Meanwhile, the team plans to pursue the gene's link to sexual behaviour. Harley notes that their team has also spotted Sry expression in the medial mammillary bodies of the brain. Earlier studies have reported that destroying this region in rodents alters their sexual behaviour, and Harley says there are anecdotal medical case studies showing that damage to this region in people can lead to changes in sexual appetite.
-
Pfff. It's a mechanism designed to give the appearance of relaxtion and general coolness. People just lack discipline.
-
What's next?
Libido killing drugs issued by religous institutions or governments?
-
Given that woman in the news who has 15 kids and is demanding the council provide a 6 bedroom house so she can have more, and who spends her cash on cigs, drink, Nike, Lacoste and other such stuff, and lives off state handouts, that's probably a good idea.
-
State benefits should cover one accident, no more.
You get **** for your first kid till it's 16, and get that benefit cut off if you have any more kids before it's 16.
I (if I paid my taxes) should not have to pay to raise the very same scum who will probably end up mugging me for drug money in 15-20 years.
-
Given that woman in the news who has 15 kids and is demanding the council provide a 6 bedroom house so she can have more, and who spends her cash on cigs, drink, Nike, Lacoste and other such stuff, and lives off state handouts, that's probably a good idea.
No that's what benefit-culling is for.
-
Given that woman in the news who has 15 kids and is demanding the council provide a 6 bedroom house so she can have more, and who spends her cash on cigs, drink, Nike, Lacoste and other such stuff, and lives off state handouts, that's probably a good idea.
just guess who is going to be almost infinetly more represented in our gene pool in just a couple dozen generations
:sigh:
-
What's next?
Libido killing drugs issued by religous institutions or governments?
Nope - the Pope reckons Sex is alright - God's gift to mankind - 'twas in the paper the other day. Though how exactly he'd know I don't understand.
-
Given that woman in the news who has 15 kids and is demanding the council provide a 6 bedroom house so she can have more, and who spends her cash on cigs, drink, Nike, Lacoste and other such stuff, and lives off state handouts, that's probably a good idea.
:eek: HOLY ****!
-
This is why you can't go out at night with cash on you.
Beating the **** outta one Scum is easy. But then they go get their 20 Scum brothers and kick your door in.
They should chemically sterilize people at birth, then charge people £50k to get it undone. That way only the rich and successful will be able to breed.
Yeah, the birth-rate is falling and it needs to be shored up. But not by council-estate scum.
-
What's next?
Libido killing drugs issued by religous institutions or governments?
Nope - the Pope reckons Sex is alright - God's gift to mankind - 'twas in the paper the other day. Though how exactly he'd know I don't understand.
:lol:
Maybe he just watches? :p
-
Very weird replies to the article. I fail to see the connection between the comments and the article. Anyhow, they are still fun to read :)
-
Interesting article. I guess it's always nice to have another excuse for girls complaining that all guys think about is sex: "If we didn't, we'd develop parkinson's!" :p
-
Very weird replies to the article. I fail to see the connection between the comments and the article. Anyhow, they are still fun to read :)
That's because everyone's too busy thinking about sex to come up with a coherent..er....what do you call it? Comes after a question? Begins with A, I think.....um........coherent....er......Answer!
-
I'd consider this articale good news
This might help in the prevention of many desases (such as parkinsons) and may allso help people with sexual disorders.
-
"20ccs of sex, nurse, stat!"
-
This is why you can't go out at night with cash on you.
Beating the **** outta one Scum is easy. But then they go get their 20 Scum brothers and kick your door in.
They should chemically sterilize people at birth, then charge people £50k to get it undone. That way only the rich and successful will be able to breed.
Yeah, the birth-rate is falling and it needs to be shored up. But not by council-estate scum.
So basically the second stupidest component of the human race gets to breed! :)
Lovely!
At least they will probably be beautiful children :D
-
I'd consider this articale good news
This might help in the prevention of many desases (such as parkinsons) and may allso help people with sexual disorders.
An end to premature ejactulation-- that will rival the impact of the polio vaccine.
-
That's because everyone's too busy thinking about sex to come up with a coherent..er....what do you call it? Comes after a question? Begins with A, I think.....um........coherent....er......Answer!
That's funny, but very well said :lol: It's true that men think a lot more about sex than women.
-
That's because everyone's too busy thinking about sex to come up with a coherent..er....what do you call it? Comes after a question? Begins with A, I think.....um........coherent....er......Answer!
That's funny, but very well said :lol: It's true that men think a lot more about sex than women.
To be fair, we are essentially knocking-up machines. No need to wait 9 months for our part of the reproductive cycle to 'complete'; 10 sweaty minutes and, biologically, the male part is complete and the next impregnation can begin. So I'd suspect, combined with other differences due to the evolutionary hunter-gatherer nature of the male gender, we're wired up to be always on the lookout for a potential mate - even if the requirements of raising a child (helpless compared to other animals' offspring at birth) require and entail monogamy.
-
That was the entire point of finding a female who looked capable of mothering 'your' offspring. Think about fashion trends and what males find attractive in females (generally speaking, there are always exceptions, I myself do not find a lot of what are thought of as alluring features to be attractive at all):
Modern reasoning
Instinctual reasoning
Good skin = pretty girl
Good skin = disease free which means that offspring are unlikely to contract any disease the mother has.
Large breasts are attractive
Large breasts denote an ability to feed a larger number of young or to feed a single offspring well.
Shapely hips
Wider hips suggested that a female was more likely to survive child-birth giving the offspring a better chance of surviving itself.
Makeup (specifically eye makeup)
Eye makeup artifically makes the eyes look bigger, part of the response that a person is in love is that the eyes widen when they see their significant other. Blush and the like give the skintone a more healthy, rosy look which ties in with good skin.
These are pretty obvious instinctual links but they do give a strong indication why a certain modern body shape is taken to be attractive to a large proportion of the male populace.
-
To be fair, we are essentially knocking-up machines. No need to wait 9 months for our part of the reproductive cycle to 'complete'; 10 sweaty minutes and, biologically, the male part is complete and the next impregnation can begin. So I'd suspect, combined with other differences due to the evolutionary hunter-gatherer nature of the male gender, we're wired up to be always on the lookout for a potential mate - even if the requirements of raising a child (helpless compared to other animals' offspring at birth) require and entail monogamy.
Yep interestingly true, we can't really blame men for sleepy around or can we :p By the way, doesn it really take that long? 10 sweaty minutes to do the job? How did the term "one-minute wonder" appear?
That was the entire point of finding a female who looked capable of mothering 'your' offspring. Think about fashion trends and what males find attractive in females (generally speaking, there are always exceptions, I myself do not find a lot of what are thought of as alluring features to be attractive at all):
Modern reasoning
Instinctual reasoning
Good skin = pretty girl
Good skin = disease free which means that offspring are unlikely to contract any disease the mother has.
Large breasts are attractive
Large breasts denote an ability to feed a larger number of young or to feed a single offspring well.
Shapely hips
Wider hips suggested that a female was more likely to survive child-birth giving the offspring a better chance of surviving itself.
Makeup (specifically eye makeup)
Eye makeup artifically makes the eyes look bigger, part of the response that a person is in love is that the eyes widen when they see their significant other. Blush and the like give the skintone a more healthy, rosy look which ties in with good skin.
These are pretty obvious instinctual links but they do give a strong indication why a certain modern body shape is taken to be attractive to a large proportion of the male populace.
No wonder some women can't find a man who's willing to take them :lol:
-
Yep interestingly true, we can't really blame men for sleepy around or can we :p By the way, doesn it really take that long? 10 sweaty minutes to do the job? How did the term "one-minute wonder" appear?
9 minutes foreplay, 1 minutes pelvic thrusting*.
*not a personal statement, measurement or guarentee. Results may vary in both length, time, hotness and sweatiness.
-
:lol:
-
This thread is gross. I'm going back to my pr0n.
-
No wonder some women can't find a man who's willing to take them :lol:
Pfff. That's just because they don't have my number.
I'd bang a horse if you put some decent make-up on it....
-
This thread is gross. I'm going back to my pr0n.
You won't enjoy it as much (http://www.newscientist.com/channel/sex/mg18925405.900), though.
-
Yep interestingly true, we can't really blame men for sleepy around or can we :p By the way, doesn it really take that long? 10 sweaty minutes to do the job? How did the term "one-minute wonder" appear?
9 minutes foreplay, 1 minutes pelvic thrusting*.
*not a personal statement, measurement or guarentee. Results may vary in both length, time, hotness and sweatiness.
12 seconds :cool:
oh shi
-
This thread is gross. I'm going back to my pr0n.
You won't enjoy it as much (http://www.newscientist.com/channel/sex/mg18925405.900), though.
most men need a recovery period?
guess im not like most men
-
.....
Sorry, was thinking about something else :nervous:
-
9 minutes foreplay, 1 minutes pelvic thrusting*.
*not a personal statement, measurement or guarentee. Results may vary in both length, time, hotness and sweatiness.
:wakka: Aldo, you couldn't be more funny could you? But I have to say that was very well explained :D
Of course, men need a recovery period after climax. The whole process is an extreme physical workout and physiological changes (scientifically shown). Anyway, I was once told that at least half of the men in the universe would be 'elsewhere' every chance they got if they could have multiple orgasms, like some women do :)
-
9 minutes foreplay, 1 minutes pelvic thrusting*.
*not a personal statement, measurement or guarentee. Results may vary in both length, time, hotness and sweatiness.
:wakka: Aldo, you couldn't be more funny could you? But I have to say that was very well explained :D
Of course, men need a recovery period after climax. The whole process is an extreme physical workout and physiological changes (scientifically shown). Anyway, I was once told that at least half of the men in the universe would be 'elsewhere' every chance they got if they could have multiple orgasms, like some women do :)
To quote Billy Connoly...
'If men could give themselves Oral Sex, all you women would be here alone tonight....looking at an empty stage.'
-
Ummm. That was Bill Hicks. :) The whole routine is brilliant :)
-
Heh, knew I'd get it wrong, almost said Dave Allen to be honest, couldn't remember...
-
Heh, knew I'd get it wrong, almost said Dave Allen to be honest, couldn't remember...
What happens when you're distracted by...other... thoughts, I s'pose.........
-
Ironic that the chemical responsible for the refractory period; oxytocin has almost the opposite effect on women, hence the dilemma where the male wants to roll over and go to sleep whereas the female wants to snuggle and talk (or even continue, should she be lucky enough to have an exceptionally short refractory period).
Again the great comedy continues. :)
-
Ironic that the chemical responsible for the refractory period; oxytocin has almost the opposite effect on women, hence the dilemma where the male wants to roll over and go to sleep whereas the female wants to snuggle and talk (or even continue, should she be lucky enough to have an exceptionally short refractory period).
Which is why nice guys should be proud of finishing last :D
-
If you guys don't stop talking about the evils of the human body God is going to turn you all into pillars of salt or something.
-
Can't wait to see who will get turned into pillars of salt first? :D
-
Sodium Chloooooriiiide!
: turns into pillar of salt :
.....damn....
-
If you guys don't stop talking about the evils of the human body God is going to turn you all into pillars of salt or something.
Presumably this guy (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4748292.stm) would prefer that punishment.
-
If you guys don't stop talking about the evils of the human body God is going to turn you all into pillars of salt or something.
Presumably this guy (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4748292.stm) would prefer that punishment.
:wakka: *LOL*
-
If you guys don't stop talking about the evils of the human body God is going to turn you all into pillars of salt or something.
I'll show you a pillar of salt...
-
Not before I do:
(http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~shand/images/Salt_pillar_high.JPG)
-
I'd bang a horse if you put some decent make-up on it....
:wtf:
-
Don't judge, TrashMan. If it's good enough for Prince Charles....
Ohhhhhhhhhhhh that's right, he did just go there!
Maeg, you have a nice salt pillar, but you really ought to buy me dinner first.
-
Well, at least you won't be short of seasoning ;)
-
This thread is gross. I'm going back to my pr0n.
You won't enjoy it as much (http://www.newscientist.com/channel/sex/mg18925405.900), though.
most men need a recovery period?
guess im not like most men
Revisit that statement that in 5 years....
-
Maeg, you have a nice salt pillar, but you really ought to buy me dinner first.
If buying you a Mickey D is what it takes to see you eat all of that salt afterwards I'm game.
I put 20 on you kicking it within an hour.
-
To quote Billy Connoly...
'If men could give themselves Oral Sex, all you women would be here alone tonight....looking at an empty stage.'
If you're flexible enough, it's physiologically possible.
-
9 minutes foreplay, 1 minutes pelvic thrusting*
Funny thing is that there are some women out there who would consider that an improvement :)
-
9 minutes foreplay, 1 minutes pelvic thrusting*
Funny thing is that there are some women out there who would consider that an improvement :)
That is funny but quite true. A couple of my friends said something similar that they couldn't understand why it's always a rush for most guys (not like the guys are always cheated with some married women, whose husbands on the way home). If you're with someone beautiful who you love, you should really take your time and admire what you have ;)
Great pillars of salt, Maeg.
I wonder how much water you will drink if you do decide to taste the pillars of salt after the burger meal, FP :D
-
That is funny but quite true. A couple of my friends said something similar that they couldn't understand why it's always a rush for most guys (not like the guys are always cheated with some married women, whose husbands on the way home). If you're with someone beautiful who you love, you should really take your time and admire what you have ;)
Historically, humans are polygamous; not so much as say, a gorilla, but not monogamous either. (Incidentally, the general trend seems to be that the more polygamous a species are, the greater the size difference between in male and female - believed due to the intensity of male competition). In any case, males are wired up that way; there's a theory (Evolutionary psychology) that a lot of human brain development and consequences (art, language, etc) can be placed down to sexual selection rather than natural selection. And polygamy - males with multiple partners and hence more offspring - is really required for sexual selection to have a significant effect. Such as in hnter-gatherer type tribes; the females will have 6-8 or so children, the males dozens as the result of polygamy.
Still bloody rude to do it, though. Particularly because there are pressures towards monogamy (namely the need of newly borns for parental or societal care - although this can exist in a sort of communcal support system for small tribes).
I've been reading The Mating Mind by Geoffery Miller, which covers sexual selection (advocates it, really). Interesting book.