The Skinny Fat

From an outsider's perspective, obesity seems like a simple problem to solve: Eat less, exercise more. But, the body regulates food intake and feelings of satiety as part of a tightly regulated homeostatic process. Once a person becomes obese, it's these same regulatory feedback loops that also defend the obese state as the new "normal.

Brain Views Aggression As A Reward

“We learned from these experiments that an individual will intentionally seek out an aggressive encounter solely because they experience a rewarding sensation from it,” Kennedy said. “This shows for the first time that aggression, on its own, is motivating, and that the well-known positive reinforcer dopamine plays a critical role.”

People not always needed to alleviate loneliness

“A brain’s not so sensitive to whether it’s a person or not. If it’s something that has a lot of traits associated with what it means to be a human, then all the better for us, it seems.” The study also provides insight into the flip side of anthropomorphism: dehumanization. People who enjoy a strong sense of social connection are less likely to perceive humanlike mental states in people who seem different from them. Classic examples occur during times of war, during which a strong sense of nationalism or group identity tend to emerge. “It may be that strong in-group identity is one of the things that facilitates dehumanizing the opposing side,” Epley said.

First cloned human embryo created from skin cell

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