Year: 2011
F—— Magnets, How Do They Work?
It has been said “The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not ‘Eureka!’ but ‘That’s funny…’” (Isaac Asimov), and a recent observation by a Harvard Medical School lab studying the brain chemistry of Bipolar Disorder has researchers uttering that precise phrase…as well as the one alluded to […]
Jazz in an fMRI? An Innovative Look at Creativity and the Brain
We’ve all been exposed to jazz at one time or another—whether it be the musings of an accomplished jazz pianist or the improvisational skills of a saxophone player, jazz is something that’s familiar to us. But, when enjoying such a piece of music, we may not have considered the effect it has on the musician’s […]
Connectomics is the name. Connections are the game.
You are unique, just like everyone else. Connectomics is the study of the structural and functional connections among brain cells; its product is the “connectome,” a detailed map of those connections. The idea is that such information will be monumental in our understanding of the healthy and diseased brain. Sebastian Seung thinks that a complete […]
The Science Behind Appetite
“We were hardwired to eat and eat—and particularly to eat fatty foods because we didn’t get them often,” says Sharman Russell, author of Hunger: An Unnatural History. So if you’re among the 200 million Americans who have surpassed their target weight, don’t feel so bad. Somewhere in your brain, there is a circuit for food. […]
Beefing Up Your Brain
Are you aging and senile? Do you find yourself frequently forgetting facts and misplacing objects? Are you simply dissatisfied with your cognitive strength? The Posit Science Brain Fitness Program might be right for you! As we age, our brains age with us, slowly deteriorating over time. For the fast-paced lives we now lead however, having […]
Dog Lovers, Rejoice!
Any dog lovers out there? Have you ever wanted to refute someone who claimed “dogs can’t really understand you?” PBS program Dogs Decoded: NOVA asserts the idea that dogs are able to communicate with and understand humans better than any other animal that we know of. When humans express an emotion, the right and left […]