How Does Cannabis Create the Munchies? (Study)

How Does Cannabis Create the Munchies? (Study) | Third Monk

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Researchers from the Université De Bordeaux suggest that the desire to consume food after ingesting cannabis stems from how THC, the herb’s psychoactive compound, meshes with the olfactory bulb in the brain.

Weed magnifies our sense of smell, which in turn stimulates the appetite (munchies) and makes food more attractive – a major benefit for those patients suffering from eating disorders.

Marijuana can be salvation’s wing for people inflicted with conditions like anorexia nervosa, which has a tendency to contribute to the perception that food is evil.

However, by using cannabis to put a patient’s sense of smell into overdrive, they experience an increased appreciation for food that is typically lost with these types of disorders.

– Lead Researcher Giovanni Marsicano, Marijuana and Food – Nature Neuroscience

The study monitored several groups of stoned and sober mice by watching how they reacted to the presence of almond and banana oils. The stoner mice consumed a lot more oil than their sober counterparts.

In a special group of stoner mice genetically engineered without olfactory bulbs, THC did not cause them to crave food anymore than the sober mice.

Why Does Pot Make Food Smell and Taste Better? | High Times

Images of Sex and Birth Inside a MRI Machine (Video)

Images of Sex and Birth Inside a MRI Machine (Video) | Third Monk image 1

Interesting mri research 2

When I think of MRIs I usually think of torn ACLs, but the picture above tells a much more interesting story. In case you can’t make out the picture above, that’s an MRI of child birth!

MRIs don’t affect the human body the way X-Rays do so there’s a wider range of topics that can be covered and investigated through MRIs.

The human anatomy is explored in this clip and we get to see what intercourse looks like through an MRI. I don’t think MRI porn will hit big outside of the scientific community but the images rendered are truly amazing.

Birth and Sex MRI

Birth and Sex MRI Gifs

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Interesting MRI research

MRI and Metal Experiment

Watch out for metal! This video puts in perspective the dangers of bringing in a metallic object into the MRI machine.

Consciousness Is Linked to a Trigger Deep Inside the Brain (Study)

Consciousness Is Linked to a Trigger Deep Inside the Brain (Study) | Third Monk image 1

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For more than a century, scientists have been trying to figure out exactly what consciousness really is, how it works and where it comes from. And while many questions remain to be answered, it appears some researchers have now discovered what they call an “on/off switch” for human consciousness.

A group of scientists at George Washington University say they were able to switch off a woman’s consciousness by electrically stimulating a single area of the brain.

The study published in the Journal of Epilepsy & Behavior, Aug 2014 claims the scientists discovered the “switch” on accident while working to pinpoint the cause of the patient’s seizures.

New Scientist reports the research group was targeting the claustrum, “a thin, sheet-like structure that lies hidden deep inside the brain”, with electrodes.

Gizmodo explains that’s when the women unexpectedly lost consciousness:

​Unlike a seizure, where a person’s activity immediately stops, the patient seemed to ‘slow down,’ speaking more quietly and moving more slowly until she was silent and still, unresponsive to voice or visual stimulation.

Once the electrical stimulation was turned off, she regained full consciousness but with no memory of what just happened.

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​​This study is incredibly intriguing but it is one brick in a large edifice of consciousness that we’re trying to build … Ultimately, if we know how consciousness is created and which parts of the brain are involved then we can understand who has it and who doesn’t. –  prominent American neuroscientist Cristof Koch – Huffington Post

While the presence of this on/off switch has only been recorded in one patient, this discovery has potential to help people with epilepsy or who are in a semiconscious state.

Scientists Find ‘On/Off Switch’ For Human Consciousness | Newsy

How Does Writing Affect Your Brain? (Infographic)

How Does Writing Affect Your Brain? (Infographic) | Third Monk image 2

Similar to meditation, writing allows you to get “into the zone”, where new insights and original thoughts can be uncovered. Other ways writing affects the brain can be gleaned from the following infographic.

Every engaging story must…ignite the brain’s hardwired desire to learn what happens next. When writers tap into the evolutionary purpose of story and electrify our curiosity, it triggers a delicious dopamine rush that tells us to pay attention. Without it, even the most perfect prose won’t hold anyone’s interest. Lisa Cron from Wired for Story

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> Hardwired for Story | No Film School

The Differences Between Humans And Other Animals (Infographic)

The Differences Between Humans And Other Animals (Infographic) | Third Monk

This infographic shows the differences between humans and animals along with the traits we share with other animals: tool use, long term memory, counting, self awareness, culture, emotions, complex communication, and sense of humor. We may value ourselves above all other species on the planet but we are actually not all that different.

How Mushrooms Can Save The World – Paul Stamets Ted Talk (Video)

How Mushrooms Can Save The World - Paul Stamets Ted Talk (Video) | Third Monk image 2

Paul Stamets (one of worlds most well-known mycologists) gives a lecture discussing 6 ways mushrooms can save the world. Far too many people look at fungi as a source of food, but they are much more than that. (Shrooooms!)

The focus of Stamets’ research is the Northwest’s native fungal genome, mycelium, but along the way he has filed 22 patents for mushroom-related technologies, including pesticidal fungi that trick insects into eating them, and mushrooms that can break down the neurotoxins used in nerve gas.

There are cosmic implications as well. Stamets believes we could terraform other worlds in our galaxy by sowing a mix of fungal spores and other seeds to create an ecological footprint on a new planet.

Paul Stamets - mushrooms