What can we learn from quadrapeds about our own bipedal gait? Recently, a group of researchers has taught rhesus macaques how to walk, and then used neural recordings to develop a model of a functioning brain-machine interface (BMI) designed to take the signals from your brain and use them to interface with a prosthetic leg, which would allow previously paralyzed patients to literally walk again. [more inside]
posted by scrutiny on Oct 1, 2009 - 3 comments

Quebec clothing chain Simons has pulled its newest catalogue after getting hundreds of complaints that the models in it were too thin. The genesis of the complaints may have been a story about the catalogue (and complaints) on Radio-Canada (Canada's French-language national broadcaster) about a week ago. [more inside]
posted by Shepherd on Aug 27, 2008 - 77 comments

Marvel vs. the BMI (one-link, but fun.)
posted by Navelgazer on Mar 4, 2008 - 69 comments

ASCAP loves your cookies, but business is business. You may remember, back in 1996, when ASCAP cracked down on The Girl Scouts for singing popular campfire songs and not paying copyright fees. Today, MCPS-PRS - UK's performance rights organization - has sued a popular car repair firm because its employees listen to radio at the work too loudly, and that it therefore constitutes a public performance. [more inside]
posted by phaedon on Oct 8, 2007 - 88 comments

Illustrated BMI Categories, a Flickr project where you can see what "underweight," "normal," "overweight," "obese," and "morbidly obese," BMI categories look like on real people (safe for work) (mostly women). I think that many people would be surprised by what 180lbs looks like. In addition to not looking what you might have expected fat to look like, it may also not mean what you thought it meant: [more inside]
posted by Salamandrous on Oct 3, 2007 - 182 comments

The progression of obesity in America (where one's BMI is greater than 30) from 1985 to 2005.
posted by Blazecock Pileon on Jul 28, 2007 - 108 comments

Cheap Donuts and Expensive Broccoli: the Effect of Relative Prices on Obesity. Using data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) for the period 1982-1996, we find that individual BMI measures, as well as the likelihood of being overweight or obese, exhibit a statistically significant positive correlation with the prices of healthful relative to unhealthful foods.
posted by monju_bosatsu on Mar 27, 2007 - 61 comments

High BMI Now Means Cognitive Difficulties Later? A study published in Neurology attempts to discover if there is a link between cognitive function, cognitive decline and BMI (body mass index) over time. Yes, I am aware that BMI is a flawed metric.
Full Text (sub. req'd).
posted by fenriq on Jan 10, 2007 - 32 comments

ASCAP & BMI -- Protectors of Artists or Shadowy Thieves? Read interested in the internal machinations of the music industry may be interested to read this essay describing how ASCAP works, who it targets, and who it benefit.
posted by faisal on May 2, 2001 - 2 comments