Study traces neural wiring of a running mouse Cornell researchers have identified a group of spinal cord nerve cells that manages running in mice. In the process they have illuminated an interesting step in mouse evolution: When you're being chased by a hawk, you're better off scampering than galloping, even though galloping is faster. Described in the April 17 online issue of the journal Nature Communications, the research is part of an ongoing effort to learn more about locomotion in animals, essentially by creating a wiring diagram of the locomotor networks in the spinal cord, said Ronald Harris-Warrick, professor of neurobiology and behavior. Walking and running share common but overlapping processes in most animals. To overcome the challenges of observing neural activity in the mouse spinal cord, the researchers used various methods, including painstakingly inserting microscopic electrodes into single nerve cells and electrically stimulating nerves to simulate signals from the brain.
The Art of Letting Bad Things Happen (and Weapons of Mass Distraction) The menu in the Slovak Republic: full-contact video below. Long time no see! I just landed back in CA from a long overdue mini-retirement through London, Scotland, Sardinia, Slovak Republic, Austria, Amsterdam, and Japan. Some unpleasant surprises awaited me when I checked in on the evil e-mail inbox. I always do. Here are just a few of the goodies that awaited me this time: -One of our fulfillment companies has been shut-down due to the president’s death, causing a 20%+ loss in monthly orders and requiring an emergency shift of all web design and order processing. -Missed radio and magazine appearances and upset would-be interviewers. -More than a dozen lost joint-venture partnership opportunities. It’s not that I go out of my way to irritate people — not at all — but I recognize one critical fact: oftentimes, in order to do the big things, you have to let the small bad things happen. What did I get in exchange for temporarily putting on blinders and taking a few glancing blows?
Saudade Saudade (European Portuguese: [sɐwˈðaðɨ], Brazilian Portuguese: [sawˈdadi] or [sawˈdadʒi], Galician: [sawˈðaðe]; plural saudades)[1] is a Portuguese and Galician word that has no direct translation in English. It describes a deep emotional state of nostalgic or profound melancholic longing for an absent something or someone that one loves. Moreover, it often carries a repressed knowledge that the object of longing may never return.[2] A stronger form of saudade may be felt towards people and things whose whereabouts are unknown, such as a lost lover, or a family member who has gone missing. Saudade was once described as "the love that remains" after someone is gone. In Portuguese, "Tenho saudades tuas" (European Portuguese) or "Tenho saudades de você" (Brazilian Portuguese), translates as "I have saudade of you" meaning "I miss you", but carries a much stronger tone. In Brazil, the day of Saudade is officially celebrated on 30 January.[3][4] History[edit] Origins[edit] Definition[edit]
15 Forgotten Facts About William Shakespeare He was baptized on April 26, 1564: Most baptisms at the time took place between 3 and 4 days of birth, so historians posit Shakespeare’s birth at roughly April 22nd or 23rd, though gravitate more towards the latter. His day of death – April 23rd, 1616 — and age listed on his gravesite (53) both add credence to the theory. The baptism itself took place at the parish church in Stratford-on-Avon, and many question the true religious leanings of the Shakespeare family. Many whispers of Catholicism pepper his oeuvre, though he lived during oppressively Protestant times, and his daughters allegedly received a Catholic education much like their grandfather.
Can meditation change your brain? Contemplative neuroscientists believe it can CNN Belief Blog - CNN.com Blogs From CNN's Dan Gilgoff: Can people strengthen the brain circuits associated with happiness and positive behavior, just as we’re able to strengthen muscles with exercise? Richard Davidson, who for decades has practiced Buddhist-style meditation – a form of mental exercise, he says – insists that we can. And Davidson, who has been meditating since visiting India as a Harvard grad student in the 1970s, has credibility on the subject beyond his own experience. A trained psychologist based at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, he has become the leader of a relatively new field called contemplative neuroscience - the brain science of meditation. Over the last decade, Davidson and his colleagues have produced scientific evidence for the theory that meditation - the ancient eastern practice of sitting, usually accompanied by focusing on certain objects - permanently changes the brain for the better. “Strengthening neural systems is not fundamentally different,” he says.
Friends with cognitive benefits: Mental function improves after certain kinds of socializing (PhysOrg.com) -- Talking with other people in a friendly way can make it easier to solve common problems, a new University of Michigan study shows. But conversations that are competitive in tone, rather than cooperative, have no cognitive benefits. "This study shows that simply talking to other people, the way you do when you're making friends, can provide mental benefits," said psychologist Oscar Ybarra, a researcher at the U-M Institute for Social Research (ISR). Ybarra is the lead author of the study, which is forthcoming in the peer-reviewed journal Social Psychological and Personality Science. For the study, the researchers examined the impact of brief episodes of social contact on one key component of mental activity—executive function. In previous research, Ybarra has found that social interaction provides a short-term boost to executive function that's comparable in size to playing brain games, such as solving crossword puzzles. Explore further: Lashing out at your spouse?
25 Must-Try iPhone Web Apps Despite my thoughts on “Web Apps on Mobile Devices: Yay or Nay?”, there are some great web apps for the iPhone or iPod Touch that you definitely might consider trying out. With the power of the internet and the ease of multitouch on the iPhone, web apps certainly have a lot to offer, especially with today’s advancing web technologies. I’ve rounded up 25 of the best web apps for the iPhone, many of which are my personal favorites. And, of course, be sure to add yours to the list by leaving a comment at the end. Mobile Web App Directories If you’d like to browse more web apps than what you see here, be sure to check out the following two directories. OpenAppMkt has an iPhone optimized interface to make it easy to find new web apps straight from your phone. OpenAppMkt Gmail 1. About Gmail: Start Gmail, compose emails and read recently read messages while offline. iPhone Link Google Docs 2. About Google Docs Mobile: View your documents from anywhere on your iPhone. iPhone Link Google Calendar 3. 4.
Moving illusions: Brain-tricking motion Cookies on the New Scientist website close Our website uses cookies, which are small text files that are widely used in order to make websites work more effectively. To continue using our website and consent to the use of cookies, click away from this box or click 'Close' Find out about our cookies and how to change them Log in Your login is case sensitive I have forgotten my password close My New Scientist Look for Science Jobs Moving illusions: Brain-tricking motion (Image: Loren Winters/Getty) Movement in our field of vision can drastically affect the way our brain perceives the world around us. Impossible objects made real Computers can now turn "impossible" pictures like those of M. Fascinating spiral makes eyes at you Spirals can make men lose themselves in a woman's eyes. Now you see it, now you don't Moving backgrounds can trick the eyes into making objects disappear. Lopsided line-up A trick of the brain can make stationary objects shift out of line. Most read This week's issue Subscribe Death
The Widow Of TheManor www A urelia was left behind when her husband, James, a ship’s captain, jumped to his own death from the bow of his ship. His friend had told her that James had succumbed to the Sirens calling him from below. She was driven mad by grief. Hollow & hopeless, she wandered the enormous, empty house, wringing her hands & praying that her husband would return one more time. Prayers turned to curses & her mind started to twist. Sunshine became too much to bear & she would sleep until the sun started to set. Her kitchen overflowed with herbs & talismans. She used different types of divination to find signs & clues that might point to her husband’s ghost. Aurelia would spend hours at her husband’s grave every night. The house seemed rattled by thunder & falling branches all the time. She would scream at the merciless God that had taken him from her, clawing at the wallpaper & breaking down, sobbing naked on the floor. One day while gazing into the steam from a pot of herbs, she had a vision.
Top Ten Places to Live in the World What does your ideal home look like? — Credit: d gypsy! (via Flickr) If you could live anywhere in the world, where would that be? Before we get to our list of our picks for the top ten places to live, let’s start by figuring out what makes a location a good choice in the first place. What would your ideal hometown look like? The key is finding the top places for you to live. If you have children, your top places to live might include towns with plenty of safe playgrounds and entertainment. — Credit: Sam Howzit (via Flickr) Here are some of the biggest things you might consider when trying to determine the top places to live. Weather — Most of us probably have climates that we like better than others. Now let’s get to our original list of the top ten places to live. There are many factors that make the place we live the place we love to call home. Healthcare and Tolerance – Amsterdam, The Netherlands Meuse River, The Netherlands Best Place for Singles – New York City, USA Malta Virginia
Paperback Notebooks ACCESSORIES Written by Katie on October 25, 2010. Permalink Ooo, take a look at paperbacknote.com for a whole selection of blank notebooks with covers from second hand paper back books. “Our notebooks are made with second hand paper-back book covers containing stitch-bound blank sheets, allowing the book to open flat.
Procrastination You Are Not So Smart The Misconception: You procrastinate because you are lazy and can’t manage your time well. The Truth: Procrastination is fueled by weakness in the face of impulse and a failure to think about thinking. Netflix reveals something about your own behavior you should have noticed by now, something which keeps getting between you and the things you want to accomplish. If you have Netflix, especially if you stream it to your TV, you tend to gradually accumulate a cache of hundreds of films you think you’ll watch one day. Take a look at your queue. Psychologists actually know the answer to this question, to why you keep adding movies you will never watch to your growing collection of future rentals, and it is the same reason you believe you will eventually do what’s best for yourself in all the other parts of your life, but rarely do. A study conducted in 1999 by Read, Loewenstein and Kalyanaraman had people pick three movies out of a selection of 24. You weigh yourself. How would you pick? Links:
Alexander McCall Smith on Writing Concisely