Posts Tagged ‘Science’

Is The World Running Out of Cosmetic Scientists?

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Where are we going to find the next generation of cosmetic chemists? I bet that question is not often on your mind, but it might matter – a study published October 10th, 2008, says that girls who are especially gifted in math and science often choose other career paths based on the lack of importance American culture places on math, deficiencies in the public school system, and very few women role models.

According to ScienceDaily, data reflects the fact that top mathematicians in the country are, in fact, foreigners by birth. The US is starting to let other countries fill our needs when it comes to engineers, mathematicians, scientists…and cosmetic chemists. The study shares that both girls and boys in the US find their math and science talents overlooked, or worse, discouraged. Second-generation children of immigrants from a country where math is valued are more likely to have their gifts identified and nurtured.

In younger grades, girls are often as good as or better than boys in their math classes, but upon reaching middle school, they lag behind due to peer demands and society’s attitude. By the time they reach high school, girls with this ability are likely to fall even further behind due to more social expectations and failure of schools to challenge them appropriately.
What we need to do to insure the US the future of things like the Beauty Brains Blog and the chemists that run it is to change our attitude towards math and science now – so that in the future, the brains of beauty will not be lost.

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Quick Drying Nail Polish Science

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We’ve blogged before about nail polishes so we thought you might be interested in this video from Joanne the Science Goddess that shows the differences between quick drying and long lasting nail polishes.

It’s always fun to watch cosmetics catch on fire!

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Science and St. Valentines Day – When Chemicals Attract

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Happy Valentine’s Day!!

Could a chemical actually improve your sex life? Well, if this study from San Francisco State University researchers is to be believed it can. According to their work, men are more attracted to women wearing pheromones resulting in more dates, kisses, cuddles and even sex.

What are pheromones

Pheromones are a type of compound that allows animals to chemically communicate with each other. They are versatile chemicals that help ants figure out how to get home, that let dogs mark their territory and that let mammals know when to mate. The word pheromone comes from the Greek words pherin, to transfer, and hormon, to excite. These chemicals are similar to hormones but instead of working within the body, they work between bodies.

How do pheromones work?

The chemical communication of pheromones is simple. One animal (or human) releases the pheromone and another senses it. In essence, the behavior of the sensing animal is controlled by the pheromone releaser. In mammals, pheromones are detected by an organ called vomeronasal organ (VMO) which is located somewhere in the head between the nose and mouth. Pheromones are a bit like odor molecules but they have a much different effect.

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So do pheromones really work?

Well, if pheromones really worked it would mean that controlling the behavior of people would be simple. If you wanted someone to fall in love with you, you could simply spray some pheromones whenever they’re around. Fortunately, human behavior is a bit more complicated than that.

It is still debated among scientists whether pheromones have an effect or not. These researchers demonstrated that women actually saw an increase in sociosexual activity when wearing perfume that contained pheromones. The impressive part of this research was that it was compared to a placebo control. But one study (of 36 women) isn’t enough to substantiate these incredible claims.

Other researchers have looked at all the human pheromone data and the results are inconclusive. Yes, pheromones are real. Yes, they have some physiological effect (such as synchronizing women’s menstrual cycles). But how much pheromones change behavior is still unclear.

If it weren’t Valentine’s Day, I’d be more skeptical on this one, but it is and I really want to believe!


Love Scent Pheromone Products

We’re not saying these products will work. Still, this might just be the thing that helps make this a Valentine’s Day to remember.

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Beauty Science Reporting Gone Bad: Warrior Blondes

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I got a lot of crap last week for my post on “Why Guys May Like You Better If You Don’t Wear Perfume.” As one of our readers pointed out, it was supposed to be tongue in cheek but apparently I failed miserably. But even my lousy science writing wasn’t nearly as bad this beauty science story linking hair color and aggression.

Bad ass blondes?

According to the Times Online, a study at the University of California showed that women with lighter hair color are more aggressive and “warlike.” Shocking, eh? But before all the blondes in the audience start sending in hate mail, let me tell you the rest of the story.

Thank god for science bloggers like Ryan Sager at True Slant who do their homework. Ryan questioned the results in the Times article so he sent an email to the author asking for clarification. It turns out the author DID NOT publish the study in question. The author told Ryan, and I quote, “I’m afraid you, and thousands of others for that matter, have been badly misinformed. I have never done any research that shows blondes are more aggressive, entitled, angry or ‘warlike’ than brunette or redheads.” In fact, when the author did break his data down by hair color in actually showed the opposite effect! Apparently the Times Online were sloppy fact checkers, to say the least.

So, there are two things you should take away from today’s post: blondes are not more aggressive then brunettes and red heads and you should always be skeptical when you read science reports in the press.  Even when they come from the Beauty Brains!

Thanks to the Skeptics Guide to the Universe podcast for introducing us to this story.

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