Links for 2007-08-27 [del.icio.us]

• Monkeys Use Baby Talk With Infants
  via ParentDish
  

  "Humans aren't the only animals to use baby talk when speaking to offspring—rhesus monkeys also go "gaga" over babies, new research says.
  "Puerto Rico's female rhesus monkeys make unique vocalizations to interact with infants to get their attention, the study finds."

• Outrageous Oreo Crunch Brownies Recipe - Culinary in the Desert: How much for that brownie in the window?
  
  These look intense (brownies with oreos baked in), and the recipe makes a big batch of brownies. I think I need to wait for a big event with potluck to try this recipe out.
• Dreena's Vegan Recipes: Banana Oat Bundles
  

  "A cross between a cookie and a mini-muffin, these bundles are a tasty, wholesome treat that are fast to prepare and can be enjoyed hot from the oven, or cooled to pack in lunches!"

  These are wheat free too. They sound a little like a more grown up version of the cookies I made for my daughter when she was just starting to eat and banana and oats where two of her few foods.
• Wheat Free Chocolate Chip Cookies :: Vegan Recipe Database
  
  I like to have some wheat and dairy free recipes around so that I can make treats for all my friends so I plan to give these a try. I like that the recipe doesn't require lots of obscure ingredients in place of wheat flour (just oat flour, and there's also a little flax meal).
• Study Shows Infant Intuitive "Mind Reading" | Scientific Blogging
  

  "The findings indicate that the mental structures and the psychological reasoning skills allowing us predict other’s behavior are in place at a very young age and their development does not entirely rely upon the environment or associative learning mechanisms."

• Why Is Heart Disease Prevalent In Diabetics? Maybe Abnormal Fat Metabolism | Scientific Blogging
• Why We Have Trouble Distinguishing Faces Of Other Races | Scientific Blogging
• Organic veggies: are they really better than conventionally grown? | Scientific Blogging
  Well, yes. That's basically the answer, although some are more better than others!
• Domesticating Biotechnology in the 21st Century | Scientific Blogging
• The Fenton Reaction, Bad Iron And Alzheimer's | Scientific Blogging
• Does a Summertime Baby Mean a Myopic Child? | Scientific Blogging
  

  "If your child is born in the winter or fall, it will have better long-range eyesight throughout its lifetime and less chance of requiring thick corrective glasses, predicts a Tel Aviv University investigation led by Dr. Yossi Mandel, a senior ophthalmologist in the Israel Defense Forces Medical Corps."

Links for 2007-07-13 [del.icio.us]

• Psychology Today: Ten Politically Incorrect Truths About Human Nature
  I saw the link at the new mom blog
  "Human behavior is a product both of our innate human nature and of our individual experience and environment. In this article, however, we emphasize biological influences on human behavior, because most social scientists explain human behavior as if evolution stops at the neck and as if our behavior is a product almost entirely of environment and socialization. In contrast, evolutionary psychologists see human nature as a collection of psychological adaptations that often operate beneath conscious thinking to solve problems of survival and reproduction by predisposing us to think or feel in certain ways."
• Blossom dress on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
  While looking at knitting pictures on Flickr I saw this incarnation of a Magknits pattern I'd thought of knitting in the past and forgotten all about. It's a cute wrap dress/top for infants. The sizes only go up to 6-9 months and my daughter's one now but perhaps if I fiddle with the gauge or something I can make one that would still fit her.
  
• Humpty Dumpty falls from favour - Times Online
  "now the traditional nursery rhyme, in all its gruesome, bloody detail, is in danger of dropping out of modern culture. A survey suggests that 40 per cent of parents with young children cannot recite a single popular rhyme all the way through."
  While I'm not always reciting or singing nursery rhymes to my daughter my husband and I can certainly remember plenty. Actually, when reading through Mother Goose we found we knew extra bits for some I seem to remember! I know my mum sings nursery rhymes to my little girl while she's here too. Of course we're fans of traditional music, crafts etc. around here so that's not entirely surprising.
  
• Raspberry chocolate verrine - vegalicious -delicious vegan food and more
  Chocolate and Raspberry, how can you go wrong?
• How Prevalent Are Antibiotics In Organic Foods? Scientific Blogging
An article reporting on a study looking at plant uptake of antibiotics.
"Plant uptake was evaluated in a greenhouse study involving three food crops: corn, lettuce, and potato. Plants were grown on soil modified with liquid hog manure containing Sulfamethazine, a commonly used veterinary antibiotic. This antibiotic was taken up by all three crops. Concentrations of antibiotics were found in the plant leaves. Concentrations in plant tissue also increased as the amount of antibiotics present in the manure increased. It also diffused into potato tubers, which suggests that root crops, such as potatoes, carrots, and radishes, that directly come in contact with soil may be particularly vulnerable to antibiotic contamination."
And because organic crops use manure for fertilizer this raises potential problems for organic foods.