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"But what if brains don’t have dedicated circuits for fighting and fleeing? People clearly experience threats, but is threat detection really a primary mode of the brain with its own neural circuitry? A body of recent evidence from my lab and elsewhere suggests that we don’t go through life constantly detecting threats and reacting with flight-or-fight circuits. Rather brains operate mainly by prediction, not reaction. All brains constantly anticipate the needs of the body and attempt to meet those needs before they arise. They seek to reduce uncertainty to survive and thrive in circumstances that are only partially predictable." The ‘Fight or Flight’ Idea Misses the Beauty of What the Brain Really Does -- an essay in SciAm by Lisa Feldman Barrett (author of the amazing How Emotions Are Made).
posted by mittens on Sep 17 at 6:03 AM - 36 comments

Though Gottfried Mind is seldom discussed today, his story unites several concerns that preoccupied Europe in the early nineteenth century: the swiftly evolving nature of art and of artists; the increasingly examined relationship between humans and animals; and, more distinctively, a popular and intellectual fascination with the Swiss Alps and the supposed Alpine phenomenon of “cretin imbecility”. ... A modern reassessment of his life and work therefore offers a fresh perspective on Mind’s turn-of-the-century context, as well as his art. from Gottfried Mind, The Raphael of Cats [Public Domain Review]
posted by chavenet on Sep 17 at 12:48 AM - 5 comments

Scientists mapped what pregnancy really does to a mom's brain - "The research shows how pregnancy remodels the brain in unprecedented detail and opens a new window into matrescence -- the transition to becoming a mother."[1] (AP, CNN, NYT, BBC) [more inside]
posted by kliuless on Sep 16 at 11:26 PM - 18 comments

Since nobody's posted a new free thread yet today, at the tail end of the evening I figured what the hell. Ruminate on the topic, go free form, whatever - this is Liberty Hall; you can spit on the mat and call the cat a bastard! (h/t languagehat). But no politics, please!
posted by Greg_Ace on Sep 16 at 8:06 PM - 91 comments

12,000 tons of food waste transformed a barren landscape in Costa Rica into something surprising. [more inside]
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries on Sep 16 at 7:54 PM - 23 comments

Our reactions to prostitution are steeped in what Melissa Gira Grant calls “the prostitute imaginary.” They may feel visceral, rooted in some primal disgust reflex, but often derive from a combination of American puritanism and second-wave feminist rhetoric. Increasingly, we project our helplessness in the face of capitalist exploitation onto the sex worker, using her to signify human commodification distilled to its basest form. This collective psychic baggage primes us to see certain stories as more satisfying, more palatable, and more true. from Happy Ending by Sascha Cohen [The Baffler; ungated]
posted by chavenet on Sep 16 at 12:35 PM - 16 comments

Stuck in a World of Twin Languages and 600 Pronouns tells the story of a dimension-hopping linguist trying to understand and survive a language spoken by intelligent and/or cybernetic palm trees. Each chapter brings new orthographic and societal horrors. And yes, there's a tonal variant, since creator ZeWei has experience making songs with conlangs. [more inside]
posted by persona on Sep 16 at 10:57 AM - 8 comments

To the sigmas of Australia, I say that this goofy ahh government have been capping, not just now but for a long time. A few of you may remember when they said "there'll be no Fanum Tax under the government I lead…" .Western Australian senator Fatima Payman delivers a speech.
posted by signal on Sep 16 at 10:54 AM - 14 comments

With few exceptions, it is more accurate to divide most politicians into two broad categories: Enemies, and Cowards. (Hamilton Nolan's 'How Things Work' substack)
posted by box on Sep 16 at 10:07 AM - 71 comments

27 years on, having been adopted by business woman Prue Leith, Li-Da Kruger returns to Cambodia in search of her biological parents (2001). Made by The Cambodian Film Company/FulcrumTV and directed by Tamara Gordon. This is a 12 minute short video Li-Da Kruger, the adopted daughter of British Baking Show judge Prue Leith. A full documentary chronicling her search for her birth family was released a few years ago. (article in The Guardian).
posted by bq on Sep 16 at 9:15 AM - 2 comments

Canada is in the midst of the greatest wealth transfer of all time, as some $1 trillion passes from boomers to their millennial kids. How an inheritance-based economy will transform the country. (slMacleans) [more inside]
posted by Kitteh on Sep 16 at 8:50 AM - 56 comments

Tumblr user baddywronglegs:

I've asked this question before and been surprised by the results, now I have access to more weirdos it's your problem:

It is the middle of a Sunday afternoon. You have nothing on, and aren't expecting visitors, deliveries or post.

Unexpectedly, there is a knock at the door.

Which of these would surprise you more to find on the doorstep? Fairy or Walrus?

Followed by bewilderment that 80% of the site apparently chose the latter. (see title) OP would later try to frame the question as 'The most reasonable impossible thing, or the most unreasonable possible thing' [more inside]
posted by Pachylad on Sep 16 at 8:14 AM - 114 comments

Michaela Mabinty DePrince died September 10 (gift link, NYT). [more inside]
posted by BibiRose on Sep 16 at 7:22 AM - 18 comments

Dampier island's transfer to traditional owners to support World Heritage bid, further its protection. Less than 10 kilometres from the Burrup and its billions of dollars of industry, West Intercourse Island will join Murujuga National Park to protect it from future industrial development. [more inside]
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries on Sep 16 at 7:14 AM - 3 comments

Here are 7 translations and 7 interviews with the Lebanese author of the novel Gate of the Sun, which portrayed the lives of Palestinian refugees.
posted by toastyk on Sep 16 at 6:25 AM - 4 comments

Motors and specially designed legs-- it brings your snacks to you. How it was designed and made
posted by Nancy Lebovitz on Sep 16 at 5:52 AM - 21 comments

Forty years ago today, Miami Vice premiered on NBC. Born out of writer-producer Anthony Yerkovich growing awareness of the practice of asset forfeiture (and not a memo by Brandon Tartikoff that said "MTV cops"), and originally imagined as a movie, the five-season, 114-episode show would revolutionize television, with People magazine saying it was the "first show to look really new and different since color TV was invented." [more inside]
posted by NotMyselfRightNow on Sep 16 at 4:25 AM - 62 comments

Portugal's Defense Minister Nuno Melo has reignited a long-standing territorial dispute, claiming that the Spanish town of Olivenza rightfully belongs to Portugal and asserting that the country will not relinquish its claim. [AA] [more inside]
posted by chavenet on Sep 16 at 1:34 AM - 15 comments

In Britain, solar farms can benefit wildlife. [more inside]
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries on Sep 15 at 7:33 PM - 13 comments

Over on Youtube
"Haiku Beta 5 is OUT!"
Action Retro shouts

Said right: "Be Oh Ess,"
Beta 5 brings huge upgrades
in stability [more inside]
posted by JHarris on Sep 15 at 5:44 PM - 16 comments