Did the choosy female create the Viagra niche?

Humans are in a relatively unique position among other mammals in that the modern human entirely lack a penis bone. Although many other mammals, including some of our primate cousins can achieve erections with the assistance of a bone, the human erection must be completely accomplished physiologically using a vascular hydrostatic system. Consequently, the human erection appears to be prone to dysfunction. Without effective treatment, erectile dysfunction virtually annihilates the ability to reproduce, and therefore the widespread incidence of erectile dysfunction appears to present an evolutionary paradox. Why is a trait that effectively disables reproductive success so widespread? If the health factors associated with erectile dysfunction are considered in an evolutionary context, it appears the loss of the penis bone and the fragility of the human erection may have been mediated by female choice.

The Product of Choice

Image by Justin See

The ability to think freely is considered by many, one of the essences of the human mind. Yet from a scientific and philosophical perspective the notion of free will is merely an illusion. Findings from neurobiology are increasingly bringing into the spotlight the role of consciousness and responsibility, and have given rise to the emerging field of law concerned with neurology – Neurolaw. As the pace of new discoveries in the sciences of the mind continues to accelerate we must not loose touch of what it means to choose and be responsible.

Making of morals in ‘The Lab of Life’

Image by AyG - Flickr

A new post in the lab of life, ‘The making of morals‘ by Emma Lawrance features some of my responses from an interview I did for her blog. It briefly summaries  how I believe the scientific method as a way of asking questions can help us answer the most pressing questions regarding well-being and how we may find bearing on a moral compass – a topic saliently covered by Sam Harris in The Moral Landscape. Today,   ten years on from the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the aftermath that continues as a result of the response, we continue to witness the direct consequences of conflicting human values. If we cannot converge on universal values based on well-being and flourishing that are evidence based, then archaic practices and doctrines with greed and ignorance will surely guarantee unnecessary suffering.

A few interesting points have been raised in Emma’s post and in the comments that followed that I will attempt to cover in my next post, ‘The product of choice’.

My road paved with science

Someone new in the science communication world, Emma Lawrance has posted a blog about me, A road paved with science. Check out all her posts in The Lab of Life where she has interviewed budding young scientists about what they are doing and how they got there.