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Science of smooching
Cosmos Magazine ^ | June 2007, issue 15 | Erica Harrison

Posted on 11/06/2007 8:16:21 AM PST by SunkenCiv

Mystery still surrounds the motive for that very first kiss. As anthropologist Helen Fisher, of Rutgers University in New Jersey, notes, many species engage in behaviour that looks suspiciously similar. Snails use their antennae to caress, birds nibble beak-to-beak, and many mammals lick or gently gnaw each other. So maybe kissing is just an animal impulse? ...while chimp kisses don't get more lascivious than a quick peck, bonobous revel in sloppy, tonguey tonsil-hockey. Some trace the evolutionary origins of the kiss to mouth-to-mouth feeding of offspring, a behaviour observed in many species of birds and mammals. This could have led to kissing as a sign of affection between mother and child; a gesture that spread to other relationships. But some anthropologists point out that the people who still feed their young in this way -- the Papuans of New Guinea and the San of southwest Africa -- were strangers to kissing before Europeans arrived. For Freud, kissing was a subconscious return to infancy and suckling at the mother's breast, and many researchers since have noted the parallels.

(Excerpt) Read more at cosmosmagazine.com ...


TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: godsgravesglyphs
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To: SunkenCiv

41 posted on 11/06/2007 2:16:48 PM PST by Daffynition (The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear.)
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To: MotleyGirl70
There's a large statue of them in Sarasota, Fl.
42 posted on 11/06/2007 6:19:28 PM PST by perfect stranger
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To: SunkenCiv
"You could use a good smooch..."


43 posted on 11/06/2007 7:44:56 PM PST by Alkhin (star dust contemplating star dust)
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To: Daffynition

This thread must stay ALIVE!


44 posted on 11/07/2007 12:05:50 AM PST by ValerieTexas
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To: SunkenCiv
How do you ping these folks? Woman accused of biting off man's lip

A woman bit off her ex-boyfriend's lower lip as they were kissing in bed, likely disfiguring him permanently, authorities said. The 49-year-old man and the woman kissed several times Monday night when, without provocation, she bit off his lip and spat it out, he told King County sheriff's deputies.

Deputies were called to the house in White Center, an unincorporated suburb south of Seattle, and found the man bleeding on the porch.

"There was quite a bit of blood," sheriff's Sgt. John Urquhart said. "He could talk, but just barely."

Deputies reported finding the man's lip on the bedroom floor, covered with cat hair. Doctors at a hospital were unable to reattach the lip, and deputies said he was likely to remain disfigured.

Authorities said a 44-year-old woman in the house cursed and attacked one of the deputies with a pillow before being arrested. She was jailed on investigation of domestic violence but had not been charged.

Bail for the woman was set Tuesday at $25,000. It was unclear Wednesday whether she had a lawyer and police did not release her name.

The man and woman share the home with another couple, deputies said, though he was described as the woman's ex-boyfriend. All four of them are recovering drug addicts, deputies said.

Deputies had been called to the home an hour before the attack because the woman apparently was drunk and disruptive. At that time there was no indication of violence nor any other reason to arrest her, Urquhart said.

(This version corrects headline; woman has been jailed on investigation of domestic violence, but not charged.)

45 posted on 11/07/2007 3:31:16 PM PST by Daffynition (The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear.)
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To: Daffynition
Deputies reported finding the man's lip on the bedroom floor, covered with cat hair. Doctors at a hospital were unable to reattach the lip, and deputies said he was likely to remain disfigured. Authorities said a 44-year-old woman in the house cursed and attacked one of the deputies with a pillow before being arrested.
The cat's name was Cardinal Fang. [rimshot!]

Personally, I wouldn't have called the police until I was sure she was dead. But I'm funny about that.
46 posted on 11/07/2007 9:45:06 PM PST by SunkenCiv (Profile updated Monday, October 22, 2007. https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: Shimmer

A fantasy out in the open like this? Twll us about it please.


47 posted on 11/09/2007 9:15:36 AM PST by BlackHood55 (The Power of Love)
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To: Shimmer

He made me do it. Do what? I yearn to learn.


48 posted on 11/09/2007 9:15:37 AM PST by BlackHood55 (The Power of Love)
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To: Shimmer

I’ve still got a lot to say. How about thee?


49 posted on 11/09/2007 9:29:38 AM PST by BlackHood55 (The Power of Love)
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To: BlackHood55

Depends on what you have to say.


50 posted on 11/09/2007 9:47:52 AM PST by Shimmer
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To: BlackHood55

Tell it?? You star in it. I don’t need to tell you. you know without words, Good thing words are not needed too, since I haven’t had any words.


51 posted on 11/09/2007 9:50:27 AM PST by Shimmer
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To: Shimmer

But most important what human animals do.


52 posted on 11/10/2007 6:15:15 AM PST by BlackHood55 (The Power of Love)
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