KISSING
A tumblr to share photos and stories related to my book The Science of Kissing.
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I’m a long time blogger for Discover Mag, but brand new to Tumblr. So far, I’m impressed with how easy it is to navigate and share. For those not already familiar with my work, I’m a biologist turned science writer. My first book Unscientific America (co-authored by Chris Mooney) came out last year and The Science of Kissing debuts early in January. As the publication date gets closer, I’ll be using this site to share material from the book-including some details that didn’t make it into the manuscript!SoK is a look at this near universal behavior from many lenses of science. I consider why humans got started and how our bodies respond to the experience. I even bring readers into a neuroscience laboratory to see what we might discover about kissing and the brain.
This site will feature related updates and events, as well as photo submissions from readers. Anyone interested in contributing to the growing gallery of kisses from across time, space, and species should email me at srkirshenbaum@yahoo.com.
Thanks for your interest and I hope you enjoy The Science of Kissing!
XX,
SK
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If you’re in the area, come on by! This event is free and open to the public..
Nationally know conservationist to speak on literacy at NGCSU
From staff reports
October 20, 2010Sheril Kirshenbaum, a popular science expert and conservationist, is coming to North Georgia College & State University today for two presentations on information literacy.
Kirshenbaum will speak to a group of selected students in the afternoon and at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the Health & Natural Sciences Building. The evening presentation is free and open to the public.
Her book, “Unscientific America: How Scientific Illiteracy Threatens Our Future,” will be on sale outside the auditorium and Kirshenbaum will be signing copies following the evening presentation.
Information literacy is a major initiative at North Georgia and involves the ability to distinguish quality information from poor information and how to effectively use that information in academic and professional settings.
Inviting a guest speaker each year is a key component of the initiative, Ross Alexander, who serves as co-director of QEP along with Chuck Robertson, said.
“We choose speakers who can address information literacy in some sort of engaging and innovative manner. This year, we are featuring Sheril Kirshenbaum, who is an expert on the negative effect that scientific illiteracy is having upon society,” Alexander said. “Our events have been very, very successful and often draw more than 300 people.”
Kirshenbaum is a graduate of Tufts University and holds master’s degrees in marine biology and marine policy from the University of Maine. She is a research scientist with the Webber Energy Group at the University of Texas at Austin’s Center for International Energy and Environmental Policy, where she works on projects to enhance public understanding of energy issues as they relate to food, oceans and culture.
She is involved in conservation initiatives across levels of government, working to improve communication between scientists, policymakers and the public.
In addition to “Unscientific America,” she also wrote “The Science of Kissing: What Our Lips Are Telling Us.”
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While composing The Science of Kissing, I sifted through every source imaginable on the subject. I read papers on anthropology and dentistry, spoke to neuroscientists and classicists, and scanned many pop culture references as well. It’s been fascinating and fun, but one peculiar ‘trivia fact‘ I kept coming across bothered me:‘Kissing for one minute burns 26 calories.’
Preposterous of course, but I couldn’t help wonder why ‘26′ was popping up everywhere. It seemed so random. Obviously this is not in the book, but I was increasingly curious as to how and where the rumor got started.
And then I finally solved the mystery!
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With just over two months until The Science of Kissing’s debut (publication date has moved up to Jan 5), my book’s been mentioned in the brand new issue of Scientific American MIND by Ferris Jabr:
No matter how old and experienced we get, sex and romance never fail to surprise and perplex us. Three new books explore the origins of human sexuality, whether we are capable of monogamy, and why we kiss.
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In The Science of Kissing: What Our Lips Are Telling Us (Grand Central Publishing, 2011), biologist and science journalist Sheril Kirshenbaum explores all aspects of a lip lock. For instance, women usually require a kiss to feel intimate with another person, whereas men are more willing to forgo the first kiss and go straight for sex. Although scientists don’t know why we kiss, Kirshenbaum explores several possibilities, such as that kissing rekindles the intimacy we first experienced in infancy when breastfeeding.
It’s exciting as an author to see the first nod to a project that has taken years of research, experimentation, and composition. Feels surreal knowing SoK’s nearly available to share with readers! More coming soon…
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The Science of Kissing: What Our Lips Are Telling UsSheril Kirshenbaum, Grand Central, $19.99 (272p) ISBN 978-0-446-55990-4
In the vein of Stephen Pinker’s The Language Instinct, scientist Kirshenbaum examines one of humanity’s fondest pastimes. Divided into three parts, the book covers the evolutionary and cultural history of the kiss, the chemistry of kissing, and the future of kissing. In part one, “The Hunt for Kissing’s Origins,” Kirshenbaum examines the role kissing played in the Middle Ages—a businesslike kiss was employed as a legal way to seal contracts and business agreements. Many men did not know how to read and write, so their signature X was kissed to make it legal. Part two, “Kissing in the Body,” will appeal to anyone who has ever been curious about the chemical properties of butterflies in the stomach. Kirshenbaum writes just as gracefully about prostitutes in pop culture as she does the myriad of complicated biological and chemical processes that science uses to explain osculation. Part three, “Great Expectations,” covers Kirshenbaum’s personal attempt to further investigate the kiss and leaves a long list of fascinating questions that demand further research. (Jan.)
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Link reblogged from fuckyeah kissing
The awesome tumblr blog fuckyeahkissing will be giving away one copy for the best photo! Here are the details:
Hey! We’re holding our first contest on fuckyeahkissing ever! Super cool right? Yeah.
ONE winner will win this:
The Science of Kissing: What Our Lips Are Telling Us by Sheril Kirshenbaum
(which you can purchase on Amazon! More info here.)
This contest will run for 1 month, (ending December 27th).
The rules are simple: submit a picture of their best academic~ related kiss. (This means science, math, history, english, anything educational!) The winner will be selected strictly on originality, quality, and how well they followed the theme. The picture must be taken by you, or you must have permission from the owner (like if your parents took it) to use in this contest.
Submit pictures here. Please add a way to contact you (e-mail is preferred) if you win. Questions emailed to mae@thecastsite.com
Good luck!
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20 Things You Didn’t Know About Kissing!
Check out the latest issue of Discover magazine for my article about the science behind osculation (the scientific term for kissing). I’ll link to the full piece when it becomes available online…
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Link reblogged from we are the man of sun.
From my upcoming book The Science of Kissing! Have questions? Message me and I’ll choose some to answer here…
All taken from Sheril Kirshenbaum’s book The Science Of Kissing which comes out January 2011. My elementary comments in bold.
1. Human lips are different from those of all other animals because they are everted, meaning that they purse outward.
2. But we are not the only species to engage in kissing-like behaviors. Great apes press their lips together to express excitement, affection, or reconciliation.
3. Being close enough to kiss helps our noses assess compatibility. In a landmark study in Switzerland it was reported that women prefer the scents of men whose immunity-coding genes are different from their own. Mixing genes that way may produce offspring with a stronger immune system.
4. Dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with feelings of desire and reward, spikes in response to novel experiences, which explains why a kiss with someone new can feel so special. (“New love is tasteless” - ETID)
5. In some people, a jolt of dopamine can cause a loss of appetite and an inability to sleep, symptoms commonly associated with falling in love. (Oh, chemistry, stop controlling me!)
6. Dopamine is produced in the ventral tegmental area of the brain, the same region affected by addictive drugs like cocaine. (This explains a lot.)
7. In men, a passionate kiss can also promote the hormone oxytocin, which fosters bonding and attachment. (Damnit!)
8. The exchange of saliva could provide a reproductive advantage for males. During an open-mouthed kiss, a man passes a bit of testosterone to his partner. Over weeks, and months, repeated kissing could enhance a females libido, making her more receptive to sex.
9. Evolutionary-psychologists have discovered that men are far more likely to prefer sloppy tongue kisses than women. (We are nasty fools!)
10. One milliliter of saliva contains about a 100 million bacteria.
