Delicious LiveJournal Links for 6-18-2008

[andrewducker]

• Scans see 'gay brain differences'
  More research needed (as ever).
  (tags: brain gay gender homosexuality neuroscience sexuality)
• Last Contact - by Stephen Baxter
  God, he's a depressing bastard. Fantastic short story though, which reminds me a lot of the movie "Last Night".
  (tags: scifi Stephen_Baxter short_story)
• 'Spore' Releases the Pixar in You
  How computer games are democratising 3D design. Fascinating little piece
  (tags: art design 3D technology games culture)
• Israel and Hamas agree ceasefire
  No, I don't have _much_ hope. But it's better than the alternative
  (tags: israel politics)

Comments

[heron61.livejournal.com]

As for the gay brain study, the following quote talking about the brain differences involved:

The Karolinska team said that these differences could not be mainly explained by "learned" effects, but needed another mechanism to set them, either before or after birth.

Struck me as the most dubious and requires exceedingly rigorous proof that I suspect will prove impossible, because I doubt that this is true, given how plastic brains have proven to be.

[andrewducker]

I think it's remarkably unlikely that happening to fall in love with someone of the same gender would have such severe and reliable effects. That it would have the same effect on all the people in the study seems beyond the bounds of likelihood to me.

But, as ever, more study needed.

[heron61.livejournal.com]

Almost certainly not. However, there's a lot more than that going on here. Anyone taking part in this study has identified themselves as gay or lesbian. This means that they have dealt with the cultural pressures surrounding this, as well as the internal changes involved in accepting this identity. Given that recent studies in the US found significant physiological changes due solely to racism, I'm perfectly willing to believe that being and identifying as queer in the First World is going to change your brain in repeatable ways.

[andrewducker]

Interesting one - consider it noted as a plausible hypothesis :->

[heron61.livejournal.com]

As a side note, I found this in a link to the story about the research:

Two thirds of those questioned by De Montford University researchers said they had smoked at some point - a significantly higher proportion than women in the general population.

Lesbian and bisexual women were also five times more likely to have used recreational drugs.

The survey also suggested that mental health problems were far more common among lesbian and bisexual women.

One in five reported having harmed themselves during the past year, and 5% said they had tried to take their own lives - a much higher rate than in the general population.

From what I've read, the statistics are similar for gay men. So, we have populations living with very different environmental pressures than most heterosexuals face, having various brain changes produced by this seems quite likely.

[andrewducker]

That much I knew. Changes in levels of hormones I can understand - changes in size of whole lobes of the brain seems, to me, to be an altogether bigger thing. If you find a link to the study on brain changes due to stress then I'd love to see it!

[andrewducker]

In fact, ideally we'd do brain scans on a bunch of newborns, and then wait and see what their preferences were 20 years later...

[nancylebov.livejournal.com]

I'd call the Baxter story extremely sad rather than depressing.

I think the difference is that people keep trying to promote what they care about, both personally and scientifically. It's about losing to superior strength, not about giving up.

[matgb]

So your Glue script is working then. Neither mine nor innerbrat's is. Gah, we thought it was their end again.

[andrewducker]

The only difference between mine and yours is, I suspect, the icon-setting bit. I never bothered with that bit, so I haven't tested it.

I can send you my complete script tonight, if you like - then you can do a quick compare with whatever you're running.

[matgb]

I think I'll reboot mine from scratch, have several different tweaks running at different times of day and see what works.

Ah well, thanks for the offer, might take you up on it if I can't fiux it, it might just be I've miss typed a line of code.

[johanna-alice.livejournal.com]

Re: Brain differences. Physical differences have often been quoted as being able to explain someones sexuality. I'm reluctant to shoehorn a group of the population into being gay just because their brain matches a template though - I'm of the opinion there may be some inherent physical factor, but upbringing, the personal own attitudes to life and even the people they meet in their lives are very much contributing factors too.

On the other hand I'd love some researcher to turn up one day saying they had identified a feature in brain topology that was identical in TS's to that of the sex they feel they really are - that would mean I'm TS because the bit of me that sets gender really is female :)

And Palestine...: Any sign of ceasefires and talks has to be a good thing. I don't have much hope of a lasting solution either. But that the ceasefire was brokered by Egypt seems like a good sign, as if they've done it once they'll probably be prepared to do it again.

Peace in Northern Ireland started that way though, with sporadic talks and brief ceasefires brokered through intermediaries. It won't last for now, but hopefully it may just be the start of a process that leads to a peaceful settlement in the future.

[andrewducker]

I agree re:upbringing, personal attitudes, etc. Definitely. I think the brain gives us a spectrum of possibilities and then culture focuses them.

I agree about TS brains. I'm fascinated about that one.

And about Israel/NI - I hope that long term the parallels will continue :->

Scans see 'gay brain differences'

[meaningrequired.livejournal.com]

FYI:

http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=256

Re: Scans see 'gay brain differences'

[andrewducker]

Cheers!

[amberite.livejournal.com]

... That story somehow reminds me of "Epistle to be Left in the Earth", by Archibald MacLeish.