The G-Spot Exists; White Potatoes Don't Make You Fat

Rebecca Greenfield

Discovered: The G-spot exists, white potatoes aren't making you fat, sunshine as heart attack treatment and at first, unemployment makes us happier. 

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  • The G-spot exists. This finding has caused quite the debate. One vagina-less man writing for Gizmodo refutes the finding, presenting some literature in the very same journal that questions the G-spot's existence. Though, he doesn't think it matters much. (Says the man who definitely does not have a G-spot!) Sister site Jezebel has a similar, more frustrated post, with the writer describing all the times science has gotten hopes up only to crush those hopes. In any case, this one paper says it exists. "This study confirmed the anatomic existence of the G-spot, which may lead to a better understanding and improvement of female sexual function," explains researcher Adam Ostrzenski. Not only does it exist, it's very teeny-tiny, measuring 8.1 to 33 mm. With such a bitty size, it's not wonder the thing's so elusive. [Journal of Sexual Medicine]

  • White potatoes aren't making you fat. That whole South Beach/Atkins thing, which convinces weight-loss seeking Americans to forgo the starchy goodness has a little explaining to do. As long as they are baked, boiled or mashed, potatoes have no link to obesity, Type 2 diabetes or systemic inflammation. "One of the purposes of this study was that we hypothesized demographic factors – particularly socioeconomic status – might be associated with both potato consumption and the prevalence of obesity and diabetes. Therefore we controlled for these factors," explains researcher Adam Drewnowski. Once he controlled for those things, the link disappeared. [The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology]

  • Sunshine as a heart attack treatment? We're all for any science that recommends outside time, but this sounds too unbelievable "The study suggests that strong light, or even just daylight, might ease the risk of having a heart attack or suffering damage from one," says researcher Tobias Eckle. "For patients, this could mean that daylight exposure inside of the hospital could reduce the damage that is caused by a heart attack," he continues. It gets even odder, too. The connection between light and heart-health lies in our circadian rhythm -- yeah, that internal clock that gives us jet lag. "The circadian clock is regulated by proteins in the brain. But the proteins are in other organs as well, including the heart," explains the report. Light provides the right kinds of proteins for post-heart attacks. [CU]

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  • At first, unemployment makes us happier. For about 2 to 3 months, the unemployed experience a gradual improvement in mental health. And then it's downhill from there. That's actually a longer window of happiness than we'd expected. But guess it depends on one's financial ability. Lena Dunham's character on Girls, for example, isn't handling her unemployment too well. And we all know TV is just like real life. Also, interestingly, those who did more intense job searches, were happier overall. [WSJ]