ManDownUnder
22nd August 2005, 14:14
(from http://www.sceneandheard.ca/archive/V2_02/focus_science.htm)
Chemistry
That ecstatic high you feel when you fall in love (or lust) is thanks to phenylethylamine, or PEA, a natural chemical released by your brain — also found in chocolate.
Studies have shown that downing more than four alcoholic drinks will seriously hinder sexual arousal and performance (obviously the researchers never made it to the parking lot of their high school prom.
More than 30 elements make up semen, including a high content of Vitamin B12 (the secret to great-looking, shiny hair).
Scientists have recently found that the protein that allows sperm to attach to the egg is almost molecularly identical to snake venom (fitting, as most of the donors share other identical traits with snakes).
Studies have shown that a woman’s sense of smell increases greatly during her most fertile time of month, when estrogen production is at its peak. This acts as an erotic stimulus, allowing a woman to pick up a man’s scent. When pregnant, a woman’s sense of smell greatly decreases — which explains those bizarre food cravings.
According to Dr. Gordon Baker, author of Sperm Wars, the average ejaculation contains 1 million egg-getters, 100 million blockers and 500 million killer sperm to compete against the sperm of other men. The blockers swim slowly blocking the passage of future alien sperm, while the fast killer sperm test egg-getters. By tapping the head of an egg-getter, the killer can chemically discern an ally from an enemy. If a killer encounters another man’s sperm it injects a corrosive poison into its head, killing it. Once a killer on either side makes a kill, war begins. For about an hour, both sides swim much faster than normal killing as many rivals as possible until one side is eliminated.
Stats – The Naked Truth
Humans have more sex per conception than any other primate (rabbits have been getting a bum rap all these years).
Behaviour considered sexually deviant, like fetishism, exhibitionism, zoophilia, and not calling the next morning, is almost exclusively male.
The average North American will fall in love six times, and will have seven different sex partners in their lifetime.
Statistics show most straight men have no idea when (or if) their sexual partners climax, which is why they ask, “Was it good for you?”
Studies have proven it is much more difficult for a person to tell a convincing lie to someone they are sexually attracted to. However, it is also reported that adults tell more lies in bed then anywhere else. (Generally in response to the question “Was it good for you?”)
Australian women are statistically the most likely to have sex on the first date.
Penthouse claims that more women complain about infrequent sex then men.
According to Playboy, most men feel that the most satisfying moment for them during sex is when they make their partner orgasm.
Every day, 200 million couples have sex worldwide. That’s about 2,000 couples doing it at any given moment.
Autoerotic Asphyxiation (suffocating oneself while masturbating) kills 250-1,000 people per year.
Sex lasts an average of 10 to 20 minutes, during which the male thrusts an average of 60-120 times.
During an orgasm, the heart beats an average of 140 beats per minute.
One per cent of female subjects in studies conducted by The Kinsey Institute and Masters and Johnson, where able to climax from breast stimulation alone.
A study conducted by Masters and Johnson report that three men per 1,000 perform fellatio on themselves.
Almost every time a man dreams he becomes sexually aroused.
The most sexually active Americans are jazz fans, gun owners, and people who distrust the president.
Love Potions and Other Aphrodisiacs
In the Early Middle Ages, the standard practice to awaken sexual desire in a man was for a women to get naked, cover her body in honey and roll around in wheat. The wheat was then pulled off and milled counterclockwise. The bread dough made from this special wheat was then kneaded vigorously between the woman’s legs. Eating this bread would supposedly turn on the most frigid of men (it’s still up in the air as to whether it was the milling counterclockwise or watching a woman roll naked in honey that did the trick).
Another belief of the Middle Ages to raise a man’s libido was to put a live fish in the woman’s vagina and wait for it to die, at which point it would be cooked and served to the man to eat.
In Ancient Siberia, it was believed that the fastest way to a man’s heart was to hurl freshly killed lice at him.
A 1983 study showed men are more attracted to women with enlarged pupils. It was found that a woman’s pupils enlarge in response to a desired man’s presence, indicating sexual receptiveness.
In his book The Naked Ape, Desmond Morris claims that the practice of wearing lipstick is based on the subconscious motive of women to attract men by simulating the redness of their labia.
The Love Police
Swiss doctor S. Tissot (1728-1797) propagated the widespread belief that masturbation caused nerve damage and insanity by forcing blood to rush to the head.
In the 1800’s, many young boys were discouraged from having wet dreams by placing a metal ring lined with sharp spikes on the inner surface around their penises. A night erection would wake the wearer up in a hurry.
In the 1820’s, Dr. Weinhold of Halle der Saale sutured the penises of unmarried men with metal wire to prevent the urge for premarital sex (In 2000, men pierce their own penises with metal bars to increase the urge for premarital sex).
In 1867 doctors prescribed anesthetic drugs to women who worked with sewing machines so that they wouldn’t become sexually aroused by the vibrations.
Masturbation was considered the ultimate pathological perversion by Victorian English Society, and was to be prevented at all costs. A nurse in 1908 patented a cage like device complete with sharp spikes, which was placed over the genitals of young boys and locked by a key, chastity belt style.
The inventor of the Graham cracker, Sylvester Graham (1794-1851), was a strict vegetarian who believed eating meat and spices would cause a person to desire sex; a pastime he did not advocate. In fact, Graham suggested people keep intercourse to a minimum – 12 times a year at the most.
John Harvey Kellogg (of Cornflakes fame) was completely disgusted by sex, never even consummating his own marriage. He wrote several books that argued that sex caused physical debilitation and moral degeneracy. Later, Kellogg opened a treatment centre for men who’s sexual excess had rendered them sickly and weak. Believing meat and a rich diet would only heighten a man’s libido, Kellog developed a special food bland enough to avoid any sensual stimulation: Special K.
Paging Dr. Love for the medical 411
When sexually aroused many people suffer from Bride’s Nose or Honeymoon Catarrh, a condition characterized by sneezing and a runny nose.
A male fetus is capable of an erection in the last trimester.
In the mid-1400’s, it was believed that committing incest on a church alter was an effective prevention from the plague.
The official medical term for a hickey is Passion Purpura
Dr. David R. Reuban, author of Everything you always wanted to know about sex but where afraid to ask, claims that frequent sex in middle age can help prevent the effects of arthritis. Apparently sex stimulates the adrenal glands which produce cortisone, alleviating the painful and degenerative symptoms.
Ancient Wisdom
Pliny, the elder of Ancient Rome, suggested wearing a charm made from the worms of a hairy spider during intercourse to prevent pregnancy.
In the Kama Sutra, author Mallangia Vatsyayana suggested eating Palash flower blossoms as contraception. In the 1960’s, a medical study researched the effect of this method on rats and found it to be 80 per cent effective.
Aristotle stated that a man with a small penis was more virile and fertile than a larger endowed man, because the sperm had a smaller distance to travel and was therefore more “hot and potent”. Furthermore, Aristotle insisted that a small penis was more attractive than a large, clumsy one (I guess it’s no big mystery where on the size spectrum Aristotle lay).
The Ancient Greeks and Egyptians believed that the vein on the third finger of the hand led straight to the heart, earning it the name Vena Amoris. This is why today a wedding ring is worn on this finger.
A Christian polemist, Tertullian, believed that a person was conceived at the exact moment of ejaculation and therefore, fellatio was cannibalism (masturbation was just skydiving).
Chemistry
That ecstatic high you feel when you fall in love (or lust) is thanks to phenylethylamine, or PEA, a natural chemical released by your brain — also found in chocolate.
Studies have shown that downing more than four alcoholic drinks will seriously hinder sexual arousal and performance (obviously the researchers never made it to the parking lot of their high school prom.
More than 30 elements make up semen, including a high content of Vitamin B12 (the secret to great-looking, shiny hair).
Scientists have recently found that the protein that allows sperm to attach to the egg is almost molecularly identical to snake venom (fitting, as most of the donors share other identical traits with snakes).
Studies have shown that a woman’s sense of smell increases greatly during her most fertile time of month, when estrogen production is at its peak. This acts as an erotic stimulus, allowing a woman to pick up a man’s scent. When pregnant, a woman’s sense of smell greatly decreases — which explains those bizarre food cravings.
According to Dr. Gordon Baker, author of Sperm Wars, the average ejaculation contains 1 million egg-getters, 100 million blockers and 500 million killer sperm to compete against the sperm of other men. The blockers swim slowly blocking the passage of future alien sperm, while the fast killer sperm test egg-getters. By tapping the head of an egg-getter, the killer can chemically discern an ally from an enemy. If a killer encounters another man’s sperm it injects a corrosive poison into its head, killing it. Once a killer on either side makes a kill, war begins. For about an hour, both sides swim much faster than normal killing as many rivals as possible until one side is eliminated.
Stats – The Naked Truth
Humans have more sex per conception than any other primate (rabbits have been getting a bum rap all these years).
Behaviour considered sexually deviant, like fetishism, exhibitionism, zoophilia, and not calling the next morning, is almost exclusively male.
The average North American will fall in love six times, and will have seven different sex partners in their lifetime.
Statistics show most straight men have no idea when (or if) their sexual partners climax, which is why they ask, “Was it good for you?”
Studies have proven it is much more difficult for a person to tell a convincing lie to someone they are sexually attracted to. However, it is also reported that adults tell more lies in bed then anywhere else. (Generally in response to the question “Was it good for you?”)
Australian women are statistically the most likely to have sex on the first date.
Penthouse claims that more women complain about infrequent sex then men.
According to Playboy, most men feel that the most satisfying moment for them during sex is when they make their partner orgasm.
Every day, 200 million couples have sex worldwide. That’s about 2,000 couples doing it at any given moment.
Autoerotic Asphyxiation (suffocating oneself while masturbating) kills 250-1,000 people per year.
Sex lasts an average of 10 to 20 minutes, during which the male thrusts an average of 60-120 times.
During an orgasm, the heart beats an average of 140 beats per minute.
One per cent of female subjects in studies conducted by The Kinsey Institute and Masters and Johnson, where able to climax from breast stimulation alone.
A study conducted by Masters and Johnson report that three men per 1,000 perform fellatio on themselves.
Almost every time a man dreams he becomes sexually aroused.
The most sexually active Americans are jazz fans, gun owners, and people who distrust the president.
Love Potions and Other Aphrodisiacs
In the Early Middle Ages, the standard practice to awaken sexual desire in a man was for a women to get naked, cover her body in honey and roll around in wheat. The wheat was then pulled off and milled counterclockwise. The bread dough made from this special wheat was then kneaded vigorously between the woman’s legs. Eating this bread would supposedly turn on the most frigid of men (it’s still up in the air as to whether it was the milling counterclockwise or watching a woman roll naked in honey that did the trick).
Another belief of the Middle Ages to raise a man’s libido was to put a live fish in the woman’s vagina and wait for it to die, at which point it would be cooked and served to the man to eat.
In Ancient Siberia, it was believed that the fastest way to a man’s heart was to hurl freshly killed lice at him.
A 1983 study showed men are more attracted to women with enlarged pupils. It was found that a woman’s pupils enlarge in response to a desired man’s presence, indicating sexual receptiveness.
In his book The Naked Ape, Desmond Morris claims that the practice of wearing lipstick is based on the subconscious motive of women to attract men by simulating the redness of their labia.
The Love Police
Swiss doctor S. Tissot (1728-1797) propagated the widespread belief that masturbation caused nerve damage and insanity by forcing blood to rush to the head.
In the 1800’s, many young boys were discouraged from having wet dreams by placing a metal ring lined with sharp spikes on the inner surface around their penises. A night erection would wake the wearer up in a hurry.
In the 1820’s, Dr. Weinhold of Halle der Saale sutured the penises of unmarried men with metal wire to prevent the urge for premarital sex (In 2000, men pierce their own penises with metal bars to increase the urge for premarital sex).
In 1867 doctors prescribed anesthetic drugs to women who worked with sewing machines so that they wouldn’t become sexually aroused by the vibrations.
Masturbation was considered the ultimate pathological perversion by Victorian English Society, and was to be prevented at all costs. A nurse in 1908 patented a cage like device complete with sharp spikes, which was placed over the genitals of young boys and locked by a key, chastity belt style.
The inventor of the Graham cracker, Sylvester Graham (1794-1851), was a strict vegetarian who believed eating meat and spices would cause a person to desire sex; a pastime he did not advocate. In fact, Graham suggested people keep intercourse to a minimum – 12 times a year at the most.
John Harvey Kellogg (of Cornflakes fame) was completely disgusted by sex, never even consummating his own marriage. He wrote several books that argued that sex caused physical debilitation and moral degeneracy. Later, Kellogg opened a treatment centre for men who’s sexual excess had rendered them sickly and weak. Believing meat and a rich diet would only heighten a man’s libido, Kellog developed a special food bland enough to avoid any sensual stimulation: Special K.
Paging Dr. Love for the medical 411
When sexually aroused many people suffer from Bride’s Nose or Honeymoon Catarrh, a condition characterized by sneezing and a runny nose.
A male fetus is capable of an erection in the last trimester.
In the mid-1400’s, it was believed that committing incest on a church alter was an effective prevention from the plague.
The official medical term for a hickey is Passion Purpura
Dr. David R. Reuban, author of Everything you always wanted to know about sex but where afraid to ask, claims that frequent sex in middle age can help prevent the effects of arthritis. Apparently sex stimulates the adrenal glands which produce cortisone, alleviating the painful and degenerative symptoms.
Ancient Wisdom
Pliny, the elder of Ancient Rome, suggested wearing a charm made from the worms of a hairy spider during intercourse to prevent pregnancy.
In the Kama Sutra, author Mallangia Vatsyayana suggested eating Palash flower blossoms as contraception. In the 1960’s, a medical study researched the effect of this method on rats and found it to be 80 per cent effective.
Aristotle stated that a man with a small penis was more virile and fertile than a larger endowed man, because the sperm had a smaller distance to travel and was therefore more “hot and potent”. Furthermore, Aristotle insisted that a small penis was more attractive than a large, clumsy one (I guess it’s no big mystery where on the size spectrum Aristotle lay).
The Ancient Greeks and Egyptians believed that the vein on the third finger of the hand led straight to the heart, earning it the name Vena Amoris. This is why today a wedding ring is worn on this finger.
A Christian polemist, Tertullian, believed that a person was conceived at the exact moment of ejaculation and therefore, fellatio was cannibalism (masturbation was just skydiving).