Men sometimes buy luxury cars partly based on the response from women. Now here comes the science to back up that behavior. British psychologist, David Moxon has performed a study for auto insurer Hiscox which says that the revving of a luxury car engine is sexually arousing to women. His research involved having 40 adults listen to recordings from Maserati, Lamborghini and Ferrari engines using the sound of a Volkswagen Polo for contrast. His team used saliva samples to measure the level of testosterone before and after listening to each car.

Moxon found that all the women had a significant increase in testosterone levels after listening to the Maserati engine but only half of the men marked an increase. By contrast the Volkswagen Polo led to a decrease in testosterone for some in the study. So maybe instead of putting on soft music when you want to get romantic you might want to try the throaty rumble of a Porsche instead.

Could the Kavli prize someday have the same cachet as the Nobel prize? That's what industrialist Fred Kavli is hoping for. The 80-year-old multimillionaire has created what he believes will be the prize to win in the modern age. The Kavli Foundation rewards research in nanoscience, astrophysics and neuroscience, the three scientific fields he believes are most beneficial to the happiness and survival of the human race. Kavli's foundation has established research institutes at Harvard, Yale, Stanford and 12 other universities.

On Wednesday the first Kavli Prizes in Astrophysics, Nanoscience and Neuroscience were handed out to seven winners, from the UK, Sweden, the Netherlands, Japan and the US. Each will receive a scroll, medal and a share of the $1,000,000 prize for each subject. The astrophysics prize was awarded jointly to Maarten Schmidt, of the California Institute of Technology, US, and Donald Lynden-Bell, of Cambridge University, UK, both of whose work underpins our understanding of quasars. The nanoscience recipients are Louis E. Brus, of Columbia University, US, and Sumio Iijima, of Meijo University in Japan, who share the nanoscience prize for their respective discoveries of colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals, also known as quantum dots, and carbon nanotubes. The neuroscience prize went to three scientists who collectively have deciphered the basic mechanisms that govern the development and functioning of the networks of cells in the brain and spinal cord. Pasko Rakic, of the Yale University School of Medicine, in the US, explained how the neurons in the embryonic brain arrange themselves during development into the complex, densely interconnected circuitry of the adult cerebral cortex. Thomas Jessell, of Columbia University, US, has revealed the chemical signals behind the differentiation of early progenitor cells into the complex assembly of different types of neurons that make up neuronal circuits. Sten Grillner, of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden showed how neural circuits in mammalian spinal cords generate motor commands for rhythmic movements such as locomotion. His lamprey model is seen as the first and so far only vertebrate neuronal system controlling an integrated function that is understood at a molecular and cellular level.

Kavli's company Kavlico, which developed sensors for military and civilian aircraft, the space shuttle and automobiles, was sold in 2000 for $345 million and currently his real estate holdings have an estimated value of about $300 million.

[via LA Times]

The world is made up of molecules, millions of different microscopic configurations constantly coming together to form everything from brain chemicals to chocolate. The right molecules can do a lot in the way of helping us get through life by making us feel better (chocolate!) to helping us focus (acetylcholine) or be more creative (seratonin). Made with Molecules jewelry is a combination of art and science, with each design representing a particular molecular inspiration. Made with recycled materials and from local sources, each piece also comes with an informational card with an explanation of the science behind the design.

As I recently relearned when I became sick this week, your health is your most important commodity. One potential way of protecting it just might come from a firm in Cambridge, Massachusetts called Knome. Knome will offer you, for a hefty $350,000, the chance to look at your DNA structure. While other companies let you see some of your genes for more modest prices, Knome is the only company that checks out all three billion letter pairs in your genome. Unfortunately, scientists don't fully know how genes interact to produce a particular disease so this isn't the magic key to the fountain of youth. But what it does offer you is the ability to stay current on future genetic discoveries as they become available. It is a chance to be at the very forefront of medicine.

Also, the for-profit company is taking on just 20 clients, meaning that you would join an elite club of people who have had direct knowledge of their entire genetic code. The information provides complete details on your ancestry and heritage as well. Knome keeps your information confidential and your genome is yours to manage as you like.

[via Forbes]

It's all about technology today, and everything needs a power cord or a battery pack -- except this beauty. It's the Phonofone II from Science + Sons, and it's designed to give you full and resonating modern sound but with a touch of nostalgic beauty. The Phonofone II works using only passive amplification techniques, which means no power source needed. All you have to do is connect the earbuds from your iPod or other mP3 player and you'll instantly get all the rich room-filling sound you could want. Handmade of white ceramic, $840.


Via Style.com

Are genetically-modified wine grapes in our future? Researchers at UC Davis and the University of Adelaide, Australia have found an enzyme that help turn vitamin C into tartaric acid which plays an important role in winemaking. Wine won't be replacing orange juice for your Vitamin C needs any time soon but it is an interesting step as the art of winemaking and science begin to inform each other. Tartaric acid has an effect on the taste of the grape and therefore the flavor of wine. In the future it may be possible to manipulate the genes of the grapes in order to create Vitamin C rich grapes.

Would you trust the business of tasting wine to a computer? CNN has an article on how computer models may may help identify good wine and help winemakers create better vintages. Lorenz Biegler, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University has been working with industry scientists in Chile to create mathematical formulas that could automate the fermentation process. By figuring out how the yeast cell behaves they can determine how to replicate the process.The goal is to make winemaking more efficient and of course profitable. So far the research has been on white wines only. Reds are more complex and therefore difficult to analyze. Similar computerized systems are used at chemical plants, oil refineries and pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities but winemaking has always been seen as more of an art of craft than a science. It doesn't seem like a computer is going to take the place of a master vinter anytime soon but technology may have a greater role in winemaking in the future.

[via Slashdot]