This episode of our exclusive series investigates why exactly those fluffy-animal videos are so compelling
Posted 02.12.2009 at 2:31 pm
1 Comment
Are you a puppy!? Are you a cutest little puppernaut?! Are you a special one? Why are you so little? How did you get so cute and small? Why are you so cute? Why are you so cute!
No, seriously -- why?
John Pavlus and Christopher Mims, also known as Small Mammal, are here again with the latest episode of The Science of YouTube, the Popular Science video series that humanely anesthetizes YouTube videos, deftly dissects them, and labels their exposed organs for all to enjoy.
Want to learn more about breakthroughs in electronics, medicine, nanotech, and more?
Subscribe to Popular Science today, for less than $1 per issue!
Subscribe to Popular Science today, for less than $1 per issue!
1 Comment
To comment, please Login.
|
|
|
|
|
|
July 2013: The Future Of Flight
The incredible innovations, like drone swarms and perpetual flight, bringing aviation into the world of tomorrow. Plus: today's greatest sci-fi writers predict the future, the science behind the summer's biggest blockbusters, a Doctor Who-themed DIY 'bot, the organs you can do without, and much more.
.jpg)
Popular on Popsci
Most Commented
Science
- What Happens To Women When They're Denied Abortions?
- How Will Police Regulate Stoned Driving?
- How I Survived A Week Without Food
- Infographic: This Is What's Causing Climate Change
- The Energy Fix: Engineering Triumphs Over Wave And Tidal Forces
- 8 Awesome Things We Learned About Bill Nye From His Reddit AMA
- Same-Sex Marriage Doesn't Affect Opposite-Sex Marriage Rates, Study Finds
- How Not To Be A Dad: The Latest Science Of Male Birth Control
- In Ancient Ice, Clues That Scientists Are Underestimating Future Sea Levels
- Only 5 Percent Of People Wash Their Hands Correctly
Most Emailed
Science
- Before Directing 'District 9,' Neill Blomkamp Illustrated For Popular Science
- First Known Four-Quark Particle Pops Up In Japanese Collider
- Director Neill Blomkamp's Illustrations For Popular Science
- What Happens In Your Brain When You Try To Do Impressions
- Where To Hide When The Ecopocalypse Hits [Infographic]
- Want To Study A Dragonfly? Put A Teeny Backpack On It
- The World's Only Known White Gorilla Was The Result Of Incest
- Excerpt From '2312'
- Kids With Autism May Not Enjoy The Sound Of The Human Voice
- Common Sweetener Could Help Treat Parkinson's Disease
Most Viewed
Science
- Before Directing 'District 9,' Neill Blomkamp Illustrated For Popular Science
- First Known Four-Quark Particle Pops Up In Japanese Collider
- Director Neill Blomkamp's Illustrations For Popular Science
- What Happens In Your Brain When You Try To Do Impressions
- Where To Hide When The Ecopocalypse Hits [Infographic]
- Want To Study A Dragonfly? Put A Teeny Backpack On It
- The World's Only Known White Gorilla Was The Result Of Incest
- Excerpt From '2312'
- Kids With Autism May Not Enjoy The Sound Of The Human Voice
- Common Sweetener Could Help Treat Parkinson's Disease
Online Content Director: Suzanne LaBarre | Email
Senior Editor: Paul Adams | Email
Associate Editor: Dan Nosowitz | Email
Assistant Editor: Colin Lecher | Email
Assistant Editor: Rose Pastore | Email
Contributing Writers:
Kelsey D. Atherton | Email
Francie Diep | Email
Shaunacy Ferro | Email
Today on PopSci.com
.JPG)
Copyright © 2012 Popular Science
A Bonnier Corporation Company. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
Last year, UK neuroscientists identified a specific signature in the brain most aptly described as the "awwww" response--the response that Lorenz hypothesized.
The researchers used magnetoencephalography to look at the entire brain with a high time resolution and visual detail to detect the response. They identified a specific response when test subjects were shown unfamiliar infant faces. The signature was not present with adult faces.
That warm feeling in your belly comes much faster than you might think--around a 7th of a second--after you see those adorable creatures. The researchers believe that this is far too fast to be conscious.
The article is freely available, albeit highly technical, from the Public Library of Science.
http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0001664