This video shows what happens inside a (straight) man’s brain in the first fraction of a second that he looks at a picture of a sexually desirable woman. There’s a lot going on in there–not just the flare-up of some primordial reptile brain. In my latest column for Discover, I take a look at the history of neuroscience’s exploration of desire, from the earliest studies on tumors that triggered orgasms to the latest in neuroimaging. Check it out.

[Video courtesy of Stephanie Ortigue of Syracuse University]

Your Brain on Sex from DISCOVERmagazine.com on Vimeo.

Originally published September 10, 2009. Copyright 2009 Carl Zimmer.

Romantic poetry and developmental biology have something in common: Goethe. One of botany’s lesser known pioneers, Goethe actually wrote a visionary essay about plants in 1790, which can be summed up in his motto, “All is leaf.” Scientists who are studying the evolution of flowers today hear the echoes of his words. To find out more, check out my lead story in the Science Times section of the New York Times today.

And for more information, check out these recent reviews–

The Evolution of Petal Identity

Reconstructing the ancestral angiosperm flower and its initial specializations

The meaning of Darwin’s ‘abominable mystery’
Reconstructing the ancestral female gametophyte of angiosperms: Insights from Amborella and other ancient lineages of flowering plants

Originally published September 8, 2009. Copyright 2009 Carl Zimmer.

Radiolab and parasites. A match made in parasitic heaven. If you haven’t discovered this excellent radio program, check out the first episode of their sixth season. During the first 20 minutes of the show, I persuade the hosts of the show, Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, that parasites are not degenerate or evil, but rather sophisticated creatures that have a huge influence on humanity and the entire natural world (the basic message in my book, Parasite Rex). The rest of the show delves into some particularly cool parasite tales. Check it out.

Originally published September 8, 2009. Copyright 2009 Carl Zimmer.

Berg writes, “I’m a big fan of quantum mechanics (regardless of how little I truly understand it), so getting a tattoo of Schrodinger’s cat seemed like a no-brainer. It’s on my right forearm, which means it ends up being a good conversation starter after a quick handshake. Either people get what it is right away, or I have the pleasure of explaining ‘No, it’s not two cats fornicating, it’s one superpositioned cat,’ which is fun in its own right. Huzzah!”

Click here to go to the full Science Tattoo Emporium.

Originally published September 5, 2009. Copyright 2009 Carl Zimmer.

…about the recent goings-on at Bloggingheads. If you don’t want to listen to an hour and 15 minutes of discussion about how a couple of creationists ended up on Wright’s site, he has also distilled his comments in writing, here in a discussion forum.

I deeply appreciate all the comments and emails people sent to ask me to reconsider my decision to part ways with Bloggingheads. But it’s not as if I’ll be vanishing from sight. In fact, I plan to explore new ways to write and talk about science (details to come).

We writers don’t disappear so easily.

Originally published September 5, 2009. Copyright 2009 Carl Zimmer.