Why do we yawn? Maybe to keep our brains cool.

I learned this from National Geographic:

[Gary] Hack and co-author Andrew Gallup, of Princeton University, propose that yawning causes the walls of the maxillary sinus to expand and contract like a bellows, pumping air onto the brain, which lowers its temperature. Located in our cheekbones, the maxillary are the largest of four pairs of sinus cavities in the human head. Like a computer, the human brain is "exquisitely" sensitive to temperature and must stay cool to work efficiently . . . "

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Robin Ince on the Magic of Science

I sometimes hear that science is a threat because it turns humans into "machines," and otherwise removes the magic of life.   I've sometimes had a fleeting thought of this type, for instance, while first encountering "Terror Management Theory" (I got over it). Does science ruin the magic of life? In this entertaining TED monologue, BBC radio show host Robin Ince argues more science teaches us about the astonishing behavior of the universe, the more we stand in awe. Understanding does not remove the wonder or the joy.  He offers many anecdotes and thought experiments.  For instance, one of the atoms that is now part of you was once part of Napoleon's knee;  "We are all totally recyclable."

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Two new DI site enhancements

I've recently installed two new plugins that DI readers might find useful. I certainly do. A) DI now has an enhanced search function. It looks exactly like the previous search box (see arrow immediately below), but it will now search for more than the text of posts. It will also search for comment text, comment authors, categories and tags. The plug-in that allows this expanded search is called "Search Everything." B) If you'd like to receive email notifications when future comments are approved regarding a particular post, you can do that by checking a little box beneath the field where you leave your own comment (though there is also an option to follow comments even if you don't wish to leave a comment). The WordPress plugin that allows this magic is called Subscribe to Comments Reloaded. These are two examples of why I really appreciate the WordPress blogging platform.   There is a huge community of people who develop plugins. This site runs with the help of 31 active plugins, and it has become a rather simple process to add or customize most of these plugins.

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