evolution

Love, Actually: The science behind lust, attraction, and companionship In 1993, Haddaway asked the world, “ What is Love? ” I’m not sure if he ever got his answer – but today, you can have yours. Sort of. Scientists in fields ranging from anthropology to neuroscience have been asking this same question (albeit less eloquently) for decades. It turns out the science behind love is both simpler and more complex than we might think. Google the phrase “biology of love” and you’ll get answers that run the gamut of accuracy. Needless to say, the scientific basis of love is often sensationalized, and as with most science, we don’t know enough to draw firm conclusions about every piece of the puzzle. What we do know, however, is that much of love can be explained by chemistry. So, if there’s really a “formula” for love, what is it, and what does it mean? Total Eclipse of the Brain Think of the last time you ran into someone you find attractive. You may have stammered, your...

Some tremendous improvements have been made recently to the Metacomet section of the New England Trail The leaves are changing, the days are cooler and it's time to lace up your walking shoes for the fall hiking season. Kick off your explorations by visiting some of the awesome improvements made recently to the Metacomet section of the New England Trail (NET) in Farmington. Thanks to coordinated efforts by the Town of Farmington and Connecticut Forest & Park Association (CFPA), the trail between Rattlesnake Cliffs and Route 4 has been transformed from a segment in distress to a trail worthy of its designation as a National Scenic Trail. This summer, CFPA's summer trail crew installed over 100 feet of new boardwalk south of Route 6 on property owned by Chase Communications. The trail, which is a primary route for hikers eager to visit Will Warren's Den, Rattlesnake Cliffs and Pinnacle Rock, had been experiencing seasonal drainage issues. Consequently, the fo...

You may have noticed that the kid hiking information is pretty light around here these days. That’s because my kid hikers left me. They went down to Florida with their father to visit their extended family, I went on another trip with my extended family, and basically the hiking pickings have been slim. However, since I came back from my trip before they came back from their trip, I had a few evenings to try out some trails. My instinctive hiking selection technique is to find a mountain to climb. I realize this is a personal issue that I probably need to work out in therapy, but what it means for this blog is that many of the hikes we try are challenging. Since I didn’t have any kids left to hike with, I looked around for another option and I remembered our old dog. She’s been my hiking partner for years, but, sadly, she’s 13 now and her energy level isn’t typically up for major mountain hikes. Even if she can get up and down without trouble, she limps around sadly for da...

The app can do a whole lot more than just telling you when to turn left. Your favorite map app has a wealth of useful tricks hidden under the basics—here are some of our favorites. Nearly everyone loves  Google Maps , except those die-hards clinging to MapQuest (yes, it  still exists ) and Apple Maps. Google's navigation aide has a slew of features that make every part of your trip—planning, execution, and reliving—that much easier. But there's a lot more you can do with the app than just finding your way to the nearest subway stop: Here are a few tricks  Condé Nast Traveler 's own editors use during their own travels. Star, Star, Star Starring places proved the most popular trick around the  Traveler  office. "I star literally everything I like and want to try: restaurants, bars, coffee shops, my hair salon, my dentist, my doctor, my favorite stores, the movie theaters I like, galleries and museums, the place I get my eyebrows waxed, my friend’s apa...

Yale scientists have identified a possible neurobiological home for the spiritual experience — the sense of connection to something greater than oneself.     Activity in the parietal cortex, an area of the brain involved in awareness of self and others as well as attention processing, seems to be a common element among individuals who have experienced a variety of spiritual experiences, according to  a study published online May 29 in the journal Cerebral Cortex . “ Spiritual experiences are robust states that may have profound impacts on people’s lives,” said  Marc Potenza , professor of psychiatry, of the Yale Child Study Center, and of neuroscience. “Understanding the neural bases of spiritual experiences may help us better understand their roles in resilience and recovery from mental health and addictive disorders.” Spiritual experiences can be religious in nature or not, such as feeling of oneness in nature or the absence of self during sporting e...

Meet the Mountain Man Who Started Rescuing Trekkers When He Was Just 13 In a telephonic interview with The Better India, Ram Negi speaks to us about being a tour guide in the valley, his work, the rescues he has spearheaded over the years, and the perils of the job. He recollects, “I was a student of class 8 when I started working as a tour guide, only so that I could support my family with some income. By the time I was in class 10, my family’s financial condition had gotten worse, and I was forced to quit school to work full time.” Having grown up in the valley, Ram Negi knows every route and nook and corner of the place. This offers him a unique perspective. “I know all the trek routes that exist here. If anyone takes a wrong turn or goes wandering into another area, I can find them, one way or another. Sometimes the trekkers are lucky, and we find them quickly, while at other times some of the animals get to them before we do,” he shares. Lack of fear or is it...