Too much science

OK, I saw some interesting science things over the week and thought I'd combine them in one post, but before I was able to

get to posting, I saw more science things so now it's... too much science!

1) Skunk cabbage maintains its temperature of about 20 C even on freezing days! That's better than some mammals I know! From a recent Physics News Update.

2) Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex takes a serious (tho not truly scientific) look at issues that may arise during the attempted mating of a Kryptonian male and a human female. An excerpt: Electroencephalograms taken of men and women during sexual intercourse show that orgasm resembles 'a kind of pleasurable epileptic attack.' One loses control over one's muscles. Superman has been known to leave his fingerprints in steel and in hardened concrete, accidentally. What would he to to the woman in his arms during what amounts to an epileptic fit?

3) From a bastion of real science comes On the Effectiveness of Aluminum Foil Helmets: an empirical study, which was sent to me by meine ziegefrau. Just a few days after I got that, I got an email from The Art Historian Oftentimes Known as 'Balls,' with a well-written rebuttal.

4) in the slightly related realm of technology comes this story about a machine-based pumpkin-tossing contest, brought to my attention by Madame Spork, a pumpkin aficionado.