Sarah Bellum says:

I can’t let this Valentine’s Day pass without sharing this story with the Beauty Brains community, even though it doesn’t exactly fit with Mid Brain’s “Science of Valentines Day” theme.

Realdoll is a company that sells lifelike (I repeat, lifelike) male and female rubber companions (aka, dolls) for a mere $5,000. (No, that’s not a typo - I said $5,000!) No written description that I can provide could possibly do justice to this concept. To get the full impact you’ve GOT to see the Realdoll website and this bizarrely captivating video featuring interviews with 4 people who are in, uh…relationships with dolls. Needless to say, this is all very NSFW. If you’re under 18, don’t even THINK about clicking on these links. Seriously. We will hunt you down and tell your parents, you little brats.

*Sigh* I miss my Barbies. Happy Valentines Day, everyone!

The Beauty Brains are counting down to Feb 14th with Science of St. Valentines Day posts. It’s here!

Today is February 14th and the roses you just received are ruining our planet. Happy Valentines Day!

The Telegraph reports that Andrew Sims, policy director for Britain’s New Economics Foundation, says that flying flowers into Britain from around the world is causing an increase in greenhouse gasses, which leads to global warming.

According to figures cited in the article:

• Fresh flowers flown into Britain have traveled an average of 33,800 miles.
• The amount of flowers imported from Africa has increased 39% to 17,000 tons/year.
• Imports of roses from Ethiopia have grown from zero to 130 tons/ year since 2003.
• Britain imports more than £315 million of flowers/year.

There are no specific details on how much effect flying flowers really have on global warming, but if you’re an environmentally conscious romantic you might ask for some silk flowers instead of the real thing. Or, you could grow them at home yourself with this Indoor Hanging Flower Garden.

Do you like flowers for Valentines Day or are you more of a candy gal? Leave a comment and share your fave gifts with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.

The Beauty Brains are counting down to Feb 14th with new Science of St. Valentines Day posts. Only 1 day left!

One of the Beauty Brains’ basic goals is to make science fun and interesting, especially to our younger readers. So here’s a fun website that features science ideas for preschoolers.

They posted a very cute article about Valentines Day science experiments that was just so precious, we couldn’t resist sharing with the rest of our community. Scroll down to see our five favorite ideas, then follow the link to read the rest of their list.

1. Seeking scents

Get two boxes of candles that smell very different. Blindfold the kids and have them match the candles by their scent.

2. Coloring carnations

Show the kids how to put white carnations in a cup of water with red food coloring. In a few days the carnations will absorb the dye and turn red.

3. The squirting heart

Demonstrate how hearts work by filling a clear balloon with red colored water. Then stick a straw in the balloon and squeeze. The water pumps out just like blood squirting from an artery.

4. Candy box quiz

Use an old Valentine chocolates box (the kind with individual compartments) to create a matching game. In each compartment of the box glue a number. Then make small heart shapes with a corresponding number or dots on the paper.

5. From the heart

Give the kids a pack of candy valentine hearts (the kind with sayings on them) and ask them to graph different things with the hearts like colors, flavors, and messages.

Do you have any fun Valentine’s Day experiments to share with the Beauty Brains community? Leave a comment!

The Beauty Brains are counting down to Feb 14th with new Science of St. Valentines Day posts. Only 2 days left!

Valentines Day may be more dangerous than you realize – especially if you kiss someone who’s eaten a food you’re allergic to!

NBC11.com reports that food allergies send over 30,000 people to the emergency room each year and a significant number of those cases are caused by loose lips.

Careless kissing

Dr. Suzanne Teuber of the University of California, conducted a study of 379 patients with food allergies and found that as many as 5% had an allergic reaction after kissing someone who eaten a food which they were allergic too. The risk is even greater on February 14th because more kissing occurs on Valentines Day than any other day of the year. (Ok, I just made that last part up but you have to admit, it’s sounds like a plausible statistic.) Seriously though, if you have severe food allergies you really do need to be careful about accidental cross-contact. Here’s what you should watch out for:

Top 8 food allergies

1. Peanuts
2. Tree nuts (walnuts, almonds, etc.)
3. Fish
4. Shellfish
5. Eggs
6. Milk
7. Soy
8. Wheat

And while we’re listing Valentines Day dangers, let’s not forget that some people are allergic to flowers too. Oh yeah, and I’m pretty sure that chocolate causes cavities. And you might get hit by a bus on the way to a romantic dinner. And…aw, forget it. I’m staying home by myself and locking the doors. Be careful out there!

The Beauty Brains are counting down to Feb 14th with new Science of St. Valentines Day posts. Only 3 days left!

If you’re reading the Beauty Brains, you’re probably a fan of beauty and science. If that’s true, you’ll LOVE the way these clever tshirts from Yellow Ibis capture the whimsy and wonder of science.

These are cute tshirts and sexy shorts with beauty science themes. For example, there’s the “I Heart Chocolate” shirt with a picture of the structure of theobromine in a heart; the “Hot Like Capsaicin” shirt, featuring the chemical structure of capsaicin, the active ingredient in chilis and hot peppers; and then of course our personal favorite, the “I Heart Brains” shirt (pictured above).

If you like beauty and science, tell your boyfriend to click on over to Yellow Ibis for some cute gift ideas.

The Beauty Brains are counting down to Feb 14th with Science of St. Valentines Day posts. Only 4 days left!

Red is the color of love

Being in love has certain physiologic effects on your body: the thought of your loved one can make your heart beat faster, a glimpse can make your armpits damp with sweat, and a single flirtatious remark can turn your face a deep crimson red. Of all these effects, it’s the blushing that most obviously betrays your innermost feelings. No matter how hard you try, you can’t stop that tell tale color from spreading across your cheeks. But surprisingly, our ability to see colors may have actually evolved to help us spot these emotional cues.

Blood and blush

According to NewScientist, that’s exactly what Mark Changizi and his fellow researchers at Caltech in Pasadena, California are proposing. Realizing that blushing is caused by an increase in oxygen content in the blood, they charted how the color of blood changes with and without oxygen. They found that the color difference was most obvious in the range of 540 and 560 nanometers which just happens to be the same part of the light spectrum at which the cone cells in primates’ eyes are the most sensitive.

Red eye

This led to their theory that primates developed the ability to discriminate this shift in red color so they could read emotional cues that cause blushing. This in contrast to previous theories that presumed color vision evolved to help us pick out ripe fruits. So, presumably, there’s some evolutionary advantage to being able to read emotional cures - maybe the ability to detect blushing helps in the process of mate selection. (Of course you blush for other reasons than being in love, but cut us a break here, we’re trying to be romantics!)

So every time we brush on a little Clinique or Sonia Kashuk blush, we’ve got the power of millions of years of evolution on our side. Boys beware!

Do you have naturally rosy cheeks or do you wear blush to make yourself more attractive? Leave a comment and show the rest of the Beauty Brains community your true colors.

The Beauty Brains are counting down to Feb 14th with new Science of St. Valentines Day posts. Only 5 days left!

Did you ever get a crummy stuffed animal or a cheap box of Valentines Day chocolates and wonder if your boyfriend barely bothered to stop off at the convenience store on the way to pick you up? His behavior may be explained by a new research study.

The study, published in the Journal of Consumer Research (via ScienceDaily), shows that when it comes to picking presents, buying behavior changes based on how early the shopping is done. As Feb 14th (or any gift-giving deadline) approaches, our boyfriend’s brains tell them to stop trying to find the perfect gift that will make us happy and just pick up something to keep us from getting pissed off.

OK, I’m paraphrasing here, but the study was very interesting. You can follow the link above to read all about it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I gotta email a guy and remind him that I like Gustaux Chocolate Truffles, not M&Ms.

This study applies to women too - are you guilty of last minute sloppy shopping? Come on, be honest and leave a comment for the rest of the Beauty Brains community.

With Valentines Day fast approaching the Beauty Brains decided to do another of our annual count-downs. From now until the 14th, we’ll feature a different scientific aspect of Valentines Day each day.

Cyber-Lingerie

Today’s post shows how the Internet is changing the way we shop for intimate apparel.

Check out this virtual dressing room from KnickerPicker (I love that name!) The website lets you try on lingerie before you buy it (sort of.) It’s a lot of fun, even though they only have 3 different models to choose from. (I just wish they sold Spanx bodysuits, I’d love to see how they help shape the different models.)

What do YOU think? Are these 3 models close enough to your body type to be helpful, or is this just another marketing gimmick? Leave a comment and let the rest of the Beauty Brains community know what you think.

This is part 7 of our 7 day countdown to Valentine’s Day.
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!

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.

This is day 6 of our 7 day countdown to Valentine’s Day.

All the chocolate and candy hearts we’ve eaten this week makes The Beauty Brains wonder: is sugar bad for our skin? It turns out there’s quite a bit of scientific controversy about the effects of candy on your complexion.

Sugar and Acne

Everyone knows that sugary foods can cause acne, right? Wrong! At least not according to Susan Van Dyke, M.D. of Van Dyke Laser and Skin in Scottsdale. Dr. Van Dyke described hospital studies in which one set of patients were given candy pills and another was given sugar free placebos. It turns out that the sugar pill group did NOT break out more. She says this study means that “you can’t prove that connection. It’s not the chocolate it’s not the sugar it’s not the grease.”

Ok, so then your sweet tooth WON’T make you break out, right? Wrong! At least according to a 2002 study by Loren Cordain, a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado, who studied the eating patterns of people in Paraguay and Papua New Guinea. Their diet did not include any sugars, soft drinks, bread or potato chips and they had no incidence of acne. Based on this research, Cordain developed a theory that suggests a high sugar diet causes a change in insulin production which in turn increases sebaceous gland activity that can cause acne. So depending on which study you want to believe, sugar may or may not cause zits.

Sugar and Wrinkles

Acne isn’t the only side effect of sugar that dermatologists disagree about. Some derms like Dr. Van Dyke and Nicholas Perricone, M.D., believe that sugar causes wrinkles. Their theory goes like this: when you have high levels of blood sugar, the sugar molecules bind to collagen in a process known as “glycation.” The bound sugar makes the skin stiff and inflexible which can lead to wrinkles.

So if you eat sugar you`ll get saggy skin, right? Maybe not, at least that`s what Ranella Hirsch, MD, vice president of the American Society of Cosmetic Dermatology and Aesthetic Surgery says. There`s probably some connection between too much sugar and your skin; we just don`t have enough data to show us what that is, says Dr. Most research has been small, commercially sponsored, or done on cells in a lab. So once again, depending on who you believe sugar is the agent of Satan, at least as far as your skin is concerned.

And finally, according to smartskincare.com, sugar can cause skin problem but only if you have carbohydrate intolerance; a condition that changes the way your body process sugar. Almost half the population of developed countries are considered to be carbohydrate intolertant but it typically affects people who are over-weight or over the age of 40.

Well, that’s enough sugar-bashing for now. I’m going to get my box of Rose City Belgium Chocolates. Mmmm.