Why People Hate Themselves

Sad Child

In her informative yet entertaining book, “Unworthy: How to Stop Hating Yourself,” Anneli Rufus tells this story:

Accepting his third annual Teacher of the Year award, Jeremy gazed out at an auditorium packed with wildly applauding children, parents, and colleagues. Silently he mourned. I was supposed to get my doctorate. I should be famous by now, not teaching fourth grade. I was supposed to have made earthshaking discoveries. It was expected of me. And I failed.

Codependency: What Being Addicted to Someone Means

couples-tattoos-heart-chains

Codependency is sometimes referred to as relationship addiction. It may not be the easiest to define so here are three definitions, which are a mix and match from what I found online:

A psychological condition or a relationship in which a person is controlled or manipulated by another who is affected with a pathological condition — typically narcissism or addiction. 

In broader terms, codependency is also defined as “an emotional, psychological, and behavioral condition that develops as a result of an individual’s prolonged exposure to, and practice of, a set of oppressive rules.” 

Unexpected Stem Cell Factories Found Inside Teeth

Flexible. Nerve cells sometimes spontaneously transform into stem cells inside teeth, researchers have discovered. PASIEKA/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/CORBIS
Flexible. Nerve cells sometimes spontaneously transform into stem cells inside teeth, researchers have discovered. PASIEKA/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/CORBIS

Development is typically thought to be a one-way street. Stem cells produce cells that mature into specific types, such as the neurons and glia that compose nervous systems, but the reverse isn’t supposed to happen. Yet researchers have now discovered nervous system cells transforming back into stem cells in a very surprising place: inside teeth. This unexpected source of stem cells potentially offers scientists a new starting point from which to grow human tissues for therapeutic or research purposes without using embryos.

The Five Most Poisonous Substances: From Polonium to Mercury

Feared for a good reason. viperskin, CC BY-NC-SA
Feared for a good reason. viperskin, CC BY-NC-SA

With the announcement of an inquiry into the murder of Alexander Litvinenko, talk of poisons is back in the news. There are many articles with lists of the most poisonous substances, which are often gathered based on their acute toxicity as measured by something called LD50. But acute toxicity is only one factor that needs to be considered, and relying solely on LD50 or similar measures is overly simplistic.