Triple-Decker Weekly, 100

Ketamine, a chemical used as an anaesthetic for horses and as an illegal party drug, can produce “remarkable changes” in severely depressed patients who are not helped by existing treatments, according to a new study. Oxford university researchers reported encouraging results from a clinical trial in the Journal of Psychopharmacology. Some patients who had been severely depressed for years, despite multiple antidepressants and talking therapies, responded rapidly to intravenous infusions of ketamine. […] The Oxford team has given more than 400 ketamine infusions to 45 patients and is now looking for ways to sustain the initial benefits, which faded in most of the patients. Although ketamine is a banned substance – and about to be upgraded by the Home Office from Class C to Class B – the Oxford patients did not show the ill effects, such as bladder problems and memory loss, which make it a dangerous drug of abuse. The doses used to treat depression are much lower than some people take illegally. Even so, most patients experienced a shortlived “dissociative” effect, with feelings that they were disconnecting from their body, as the drug was being infused. It did not produce euphoric feelings. [FT]

Results suggest that a perceiver can accurately gauge the real intelligence of men, but not women, by viewing their faces in photographs

Which couples who meet on social networking sites are most likely to marry?

Women do not apply to 'male-sounding' job postings

Reasoning is generally seen as a means to improve knowledge and make better decisions. However, much evidence shows that reasoning often leads to epistemic distortions and poor decisions. [PDF]

There are clear differences between how our brains respond to genuine and fake laughter

Does the unconscious know when you’re being lied to?

Levels of psychopathic traits among Mafia members who have been convicted of a criminal offense

The Empathetic Capacity of Psychopaths and its Neurological Implications

Selfies Linked to Narcissism, Addiction and Mental Illness, Say Scientists [Thanks Tim]

How does stress affect your public speaking skills?

‘Homo’ is the only primate whose tooth size decreases as its brain size increases

Radiolab: If you could wipe mosquitoes off the face of the planet, would you?

Why do snakes have two penises?

The idea that flies don’t like stripes dates back at least to 1930.

Study shows restaurant reviews written on rainy or snowy days, or very cold or hot days, are more negative than those written on nice days.

You Can Now Search Yelp Using Emojis