Could botox make us happy?

by stevendepolo

Botox injections interfere with somatic response
[Via The Panda's Thumb]

Lean back in your chair, fold your hands on your stomach, close your eyes, and smile. Now try to think of some incident that really made you furious. Probably you can’t do it, unless you erase that smile and frown. Alternatively, knot your fists, frown, and try to imagine an incident that made you extremely happy. You will probably start to smile or else not maintain the image.

Or try this: Think of a high-pitched beeeeeeep. You will probably feel your vocal cords contract to match the pitch. Now think of a low pitched BEEEEEEEP, and your vocal chords will relax to match that pitch.

These are examples of what the neuroscientist Antonio Damasio calls the somatic (bodily) response – in possibly oversimplified terms, you cannot feel an emotion unless, as Damasio says, you can literally feel it, if not in your gut, then in your body.

Thus, it was no surprise to me to read in the LA Times that injections of Botox in a certain muscle involved in frowning slowed people’s ability to comprehend “negative emotional language.” In short, if you cannot frown, then your ability to understand emotions that would cause frowning is diminished. When I read the article, I thought I got some idea of how Thomas Huxley felt when he read about Darwin’s conception of natural selection.

Researchers led by psychology graduate student David Havas at the University of Wisconsin–Madison asked 40 women who were awaiting Botox injections to read certain sentences on a computer and press a key when they thought they understood each sentence. The women were retested after their Botox injections and were significantly slower to understand sentences that conveyed negative emotions but not sentences that conveyed positive emotions. There was no indication that the women responded to positive emotions faster after the injections, but the researchers administered a mood-analysis test to confirm that the women were not generally happier after the injections. The result is consistent with other experiments that relate processing of emotionally charged information with facial expression, as described in the LA Times article.

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Botox makes it hard to frown. If you can not frown, you have a hard time feeling bad emotions.

No wonder people in Hollywood see the world as a happy place, as botox would make it harder for them to see bad things. Maybe we would all be better with botox.

“Wasn’t a good ride.”

Is your life worth $24 at Waffle House?
[Via Respectful Insolence]

I forgot to mention on Friday that I’m currently in Chicago attending the ASCO meeting. It’s a lot of fun seeing the latest that science-based medicine has to offer, although ASCO isn’t always my cup of tea. The reason is that it’s very heavily based in medical oncology and chemotherapy, and there aren’t a lot of surgical talks. Another reason is that it’s a clinical meeting; so there isn’t a lot of basic science. Still, there’s plenty to keep my busy, and my blogging may be irregular over the next couple of days. Worse comes to worst, I’ll post a “best of Orac” or two. Nothing short of death or dismemberment can stop the verbiage, you know.

In the meantime, as I wander around McCormick Place in search of the latest and greatest clinical cancer science, I stand in awe of this Waffle House employee. Some kids tried to skip out without paying the bill when he was standing outside of the restaurant. The kids tried to run another worker down. They hit this guy, but he managed to hold onto the hood of the car. What happened next is amazing and reported here.

I don’t know if this guy had a choice or not, but one thing I do know: $24 and change isn’t worth risking your life for.

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If someone scripted a TV show where the victim of a hit and run holds onto the hood, dials 911, puts it on speakerphone and gives the police detailed information, no one would believe it.

Yet, not only did this guy do that, when the teens finally stopped, he told them to give him the keys. While he is berating the teens, he is still on speakerphone to the police, so we get to hear the teens try to apologize.

The driver will be in for a lot more than $24 dollars. Reckless endangerment is a pretty big deal.

People respond without thinking when someone seems to be getting away with something. In this case, the man may have gotten himself into a dangerous situation but he had the presence of mind to cal 911 and to keep it on speaker, so we all get to hear the audio.

I just love technology. He should be on Letterman.

Will BP start denying the science now?

by uscgpress
Scientists confirm it — Massive Underwater Oil Plumes are There
[Via Docudharma]

Lab tests confirm underwater layers of oil
Cain Burdeau, AP — June 4, 2010

Laboratory tests confirmed that oil from a spewing Gulf of Mexico well has accumulated in at least two extensive plumes deep under the surface, scientists with the University of South Florida said Friday.

USF researchers at a meeting in Baton Rouge said lab tests showed their initial findings, based on field instruments, were correct. The extensive layers of oil are sitting far beneath the surface miles from the site of the Deepwater Horizon explosion. The university is collecting data for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The lab tests are the most conclusive evidence yet in a vigorous scientific debate about where much of the oil from the growing spill in the Gulf of Mexico has ended up.

BP spokesman Mark Proelger said the company was awaiting further analysis of what is in the plumes from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“It’s too early to say whether any data indicates the plumes contain oil or not,” Proelger said.

Well then WAKE UP and smell the petro, Mark!
If BP were smart, they’d start ‘leveling’ with the American People. But given their past performances, there’s not much chance of that happening any time soon.

How’s it go in the American Legal system … “the Presumption of Innocence”, and need for “Proof Beyond a Reasonable Doubt”, and all that stuff ?

Well, since they’re our Guests in the Gulf, BP must figure — When in America — make the Scientists have to Prove EVERYTHING!

Too bad for them, our Scientists are quite happy to oblige them …

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The BP spokesmen are just making themselves look foolish now. Not only are NOAA scientists finding evidence of oil, and oil that has the same signature as the deepwater leak, but NSF scientists are actually visualizing the oil.

Those of us following the UGA trip on the Walton Smith have known since May 31 that the plumes contain oil because we could see it. Not only have the data all had the signatures of organic material but they have seen it on filters:

One of the strangest things about these deepwater plumes we’ve been tracking is that we see a strong CDOM signal but there’s been no visible oil in the deepwater. That changed today: we saw oil in the deepwater. We sampled a station about a mile south of our previous stations (you can get our position and our ship track on www.marinetraffic.com, just look for the R/V Walton Smith in the Gulf of Mexico sector) and we saw the most intense CDOM signals that we’ve seen so far. The Pelican cruise sampled near here three weeks ago but the CDOM signals we are seeing now are much stronger.

You can see the oil yourself at the post.

I want to hear their explanation for this, especially research almost 10 years ago indicated the possibility of deep water plumes in such a leak – research BP was involved in. There was a field test done then to examine what would happen in the event of a deep water leak. Plumes all all over the slides from presentations dealing with that test. For example:

First there is a jet, then a plume as gas, water and gas hydrates become entrapped in the flow. How long it takes the oil droplets to reach the surface depends on their size.

You can read more from the MMS site. Interestingly, the results were keep secret due to proprietary considerations for five years.

Luckily they decided to let the rest of us read the results. So we can now read the paper entitled “Study of Multi-Phase Plumes with Application to Deep Ocean Oil Spills, Masutani, S.M., Adams, E., Hawaii Natural Energy Institute, University of Hawaii, 2001.”

While there is lots of jargon, it does indicate that a deep water flow will be very complex, with plumes forming depending on different circumstances. Throw in dispersants and you can have something very complex

The test was much simpler and at shallower depth than what we have now seen in the Gulf.

What they do indicate is that plumes will form. Of course, what happens to the plumes when large amounts of dispersants are used? Perhaps BP and MMS do know but they have decided to keep the information secret because it is proprietary?

That may not matter. The researchers above will make sure we know what is going on.

Gallows humor in a networked world

BP losing the Twitter wars
[Via Crooks and Liars]

A fake Twitter account is skewering BP for its handling of the oil crisis. CNN’s Josh Levs reports.

Here are some examples from BPGlobalPR at #bpcares. The anonymous satirist recently donated $10,000 to the Gulf Restoration Network.

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Using Twitter to tweak the nose of BP is quite creative. And I expect BP to try and put a stop to this Twitter account.

But until then we can enjoy some of the bon mots.