The Brain—Information about the Brain 1 Introduction “I think, therefore I am.” —René Descartes, 17th-century philosopher Few of us question the crucial importance of the brain. It is vital to our existence. Our brains enable us to think, as René Descartes so skillfully pointed out nearly 400 years ago. The brain makes up only 2 percent of our body weight, but it consumes 20 percent of the oxygen we breathe and 20 percent of the energy we consume. Scientists have worked for many years to unravel the complex workings of the brain. Despite these and other significant advances in the field of brain research, most of the processes responsible for the integrated functioning of billions of brain cells remain a mystery. An essential aspect of any scientific research is communicating results to the public in a way that is easily understood. To correctly interpret the information transmitted through these venues, we need a better understanding of basic concepts related to the brain. 2 Myths and Realities about the Brain Figure 1.
free university lectures - computer science, mathematics, physics, chemistry Whether your goal is to earn a promotion, graduate at the top of your class, or just accelerate your life, lectures can help get you there. Our archives of lectures cover a huge range of topics and have all been handpicked and carefully designed by experienced instructors throughout the world who are dedicated to helping you take the next step toward meeting your career goals. Lifelong learns can turn their free time turn into self-improvement time. The online lectures on this list are more than lecture notes or a slideshow on a topic -- they were designed for audiences like you, with carefully sequenced themes and topics taught by veteran educators, and often with additional resources for your own independent study. The lectures are available to anybody, completely free of charge. Lecture courses are a valid and vital learning tool, and may be one of the best methods of learning available.
Crowd psychology Crowd psychology, also known as mob psychology, is a branch of social psychology. Social psychologists have developed several theories for explaining the ways in which the psychology of the crowd differs from and interacts with that of the individuals within it. Major theorists in crowd psychology include Gustave Le Bon, Gabriel Tarde, Sigmund Freud and Steve Reicher. This field relates to the behaviors and thought processes of both the individual crowd members and the crowd as an entity.[1] Crowd behavior is heavily influenced by the loss of responsibility of the individual and the impression of universality of behavior, both of which increase with the size of the crowd.[2][3] Origins[edit] The psychological study of crowd phenomena began in the decades just prior to 1900 as European culture was imbued with thoughts of the fin de siècle. The first debate in crowd psychology began in Rome at the first International Congress of Criminal Anthropology on 16 November 1885. See also[edit]
Nanotechnology is coming by Ralph C. Merkle, Principal Fellow, Zyvex This is the English original of an article translated into German and published in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung of Monday, September 11 2000 on page 55. In the coming decades nanotechnology could make a supercomputer so small it could barely be seen in a light microscope. Fleets of medical nanorobots smaller than a cell could roam our bodies eliminating bacteria, clearing out clogged arteries, and reversing the ravages of old age. Not long ago, such a forecast would have been ridiculed. At its heart, the coming revolution in manufacturing is a continuation of trends that date back decades and even centuries. The remarkably low manufacturing cost comes from self replication. While nanotechnology does propose to use self replication, it does not propose to copy living systems. Now that the feasibility of nanotechnology is widely accepted, we enter the next phase of the public discussion: what policies should we adopt to best deal with it?
Sciences A view of the Earth as seen by the Apollo 17 crew while traveling to the Moon on December 7, 1972. Africa, Madagascar, and the Arabian Peninsula are visible, and you can barely make out the Antarctic, shrouded in the heavy cloud cover in the southern hemisphere. Arching cloud patterns show the presence of weather fronts. Image courtesy of NASA/Apollo 17. Introduction to Social Influence, Persuasion, Compliance & Propaganda This portion of the Working Psychology website offers a brief introduction to a big topic: social influence, the modern, scientific study of persuasion, compliance, propaganda, "brainwashing," and the ethics that surround these issues. Although these topics aren't always simple (it is, after all, science), I've done my best to make this introduction interesting. Since Aristotle recorded his principles of persuasion in Rhetoric, humans have attempted to define and refine the principles of successful influence. Persuasion has been studied as an art for most of human history. The comparatively young science of social influence, however, can trace its roots to the second world war, when a social psychologist named Carl Hovland was contracted by the U.S. Social scientists attempt to support any assertion with facts. Want a few examples of how social influence works in the real world before you continue? Copyright © 2002 by Kelton Rhoads, Ph.D.
Ancient City Found in India, Irradiated from Atomic Blast - वेद Veda Radiation still so intense, the area is highly dangerous. A heavy layer of radioactive ash in Rajasthan, India, covers a three-square mile area, ten miles west of Jodhpur. Scientists are investigating the site, where a housing development was being built. For some time it has been established that there is a very high rate of birth defects and cancer in the area under construction. The levels of radiation there have registered so high on investigators' gauges that the Indian government has now cordoned off the region. Scientists have unearthed an ancient city where evidence shows an atomic blast dating back thousands of years, from 8,000 to 12,000 years, destroyed most of the buildings and probably a half-million people. The Mahabharata clearly describes a catastrophic blast that rocked the continent. A Historian Comments "Instead of mushroom clouds, the writer describes a perpendicular explosion with its billowing smoke clouds as consecutive openings of giant parasols. Bibliography 1.
Interactive Biology Interactive Biology Serendip sees the web as a tool which can make education a more interactive and exploratory process, by making freely available educational resources at a variety of levels and also, even more importantly, be making it increasingly possible to learn by doing (see Serendip's web principles and credo on education and technology). To encourage understanding and use of the web in this way, Serendip provides annotated lists of links useful for learning/teaching in a variety of areas (see Interactive Physics and Interactive Chemistry). The focus is not on course syllabi or notes but rather on materials from which individuals can learn themselves, and particularly on those with an interactive component. This list and annotations was created by Katie DiFelice. Links were last checked July 2005 by Yaena Park and August 2007 by Ashley Dawkins. Click here to jump to one of the following topics: Additional Resources Science and Education | Serendip Home |
What You Can't Say January 2004 Have you ever seen an old photo of yourself and been embarrassed at the way you looked? Did we actually dress like that? What scares me is that there are moral fashions too. If you could travel back in a time machine, one thing would be true no matter where you went: you'd have to watch what you said. It seems to be a constant throughout history: In every period, people believed things that were just ridiculous, and believed them so strongly that you would have gotten in terrible trouble for saying otherwise. Is our time any different? It's tantalizing to think we believe things that people in the future will find ridiculous. The Conformist Test Let's start with a test: Do you have any opinions that you would be reluctant to express in front of a group of your peers? If the answer is no, you might want to stop and think about that. Like every other era in history, our moral map almost certainly contains a few mistakes. Trouble What can't we say? Heresy Time and Space Prigs Why
Sentient Developments: Ranking the most powerful forces in the Universe There are a large number of forces at work in the Universe, some more powerful than others -- and I'm not talking about the four fundamental forces of nature. A force in the context I'm talking about is any phenomenon in Universe that exhibits a powerful effect or influence on its environment. Many of these phenomenon quite obviously depend on the four basic forces to function (gravity, electromagnetism, the weak interaction and the strong interaction), but it's the collective and emergent effects of these fundamental forces that I'm interested in. And when I say power I don't just mean the capacity to destroy or wreak havoc, though that's an important criteria. A force should also be considered powerful if it can profoundly reorganize or manipulate its environment in a coherent or constructive way. Albert Einstein once quipped that the most powerful force in the Universe was compound interest. 4. Black holes can also vary in size and gravitational intensity. That's a lot of pull. 3. 2.