Clipmarks | wildcat's 'research' clips

Searching in space and minds: New research suggests underlying link

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 15:43:46 GMT

clipped by: wildcat
clipper's remarks: Some people might be more inclined to one search mode or the other, having a lesser ability to focus on a given task or difficulty letting go of an idea. An extreme form of the exploratory cognitive style would be someone with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. An extreme form of the exploitive cognitive style would be someone with obsessive compulsive disorder.

Clip Source: www.physorg.com

New research from Indiana University has found evidence that how we look for things, such as our car keys or umbrella, could be related to how we search for more abstract needs, such as words in memory or solutions to problems.

"Common underlying search mechanisms may exist that drive our behavior in many different domains," said IU cognitive scientist Peter Todd. "If how people search in space is similar to how they search in their minds, it's a very exciting prospect to try to find the deep, underlying roots of human behavior that may be common to varied domains."

"We asked the question -- are the same mechanisms that let simpler organisms search in space for food related to how we search for things in our mind, for concepts or ideas," Todd said. "Our conclusion is that they seem to be linked at some level, which is what our priming experiment suggests."

Tags: mind, space, objects, ideas

Pioneering Research in Neuromorphic Electronics that Function Like the Biological Brain

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:36:58 GMT

clipped by: Silkweaver
clipper's remarks: The HRL team's ultimate goal is to build a low-power, compact electronic chip combining a novel analog circuit design and a neuroscience-inspired architecture that can address a wide range of cognitive abilities--perception, planning, decision making, and motor control. In the initial two phases of the SyNAPSE program, the team will translate the neuronal and synaptic functions of the biological cortex into similar microelectronic functions.

Clip Source: www.alzheimer.ca

Clip Source: www.prweb.com

HRL Laboratories, LLC, will begin pioneering research to develop electronics that will simulate the cognitive capabilities and efficiencies of the biological brain.

The daunting undertaking is part of the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency's (DARPA) SyNAPSE, or Systems of Neuromorphic Adaptive Plastic Scalable Electronics, program. HRL will lead a group of industry and university research laboratories with expertise in core areas of neuro and cognitive science in the groundbreaking research.

Despite exponential advances in computing technology over the last decade, the limitations of hardware and architecture prohibit computers from functioning independently in real-world scenarios. The goal of the SyNAPSE program is to bridge biology and electronics and establish a new paradigm for creating more intelligent machines that can interact with, react to, and actually learn from their environments.

Tags: technology, neuromorphic electronics, electronics

Mark Shuttleworth: life on Mars, Ubuntu in emerging markets

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 02:07:39 GMT

clipped by: wildcat
clipper's remarks: A great visionary, a shrewd business-human

Clip Source: arstechnica.com

He also shared his views about the future of the space program and the importance of reaching for the stars. Although he believes that manned research efforts in space are too costly and less efficient than more automated approaches, he contends that humanity's experience in space will be essential for shaping a future in which society extends beyond earth's sphere.

"A majority of our space research should be unmanned," he remarked. "But fundamentally, [experience in space] is our life boat—that's what the dinosaurs didn't have, so it's essential research."

Shuttleworth is particularly emphatic about the need to conduct more extensive research on Mars, and the potential for Mars to sustain life—a possibility that he regards as "profound" in significance.

After returning from his trip into space, he decided that he wanted to turn his attention to efforts that could have a broader positive impact.

I wanted to be sure that anything I devoted time to would potentially have a global impact

Tags: mark shuttleworth, mars, ubuntu, emerging markets

Grow New Body Parts in Your Own Abdomen

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 03:21:29 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: cloningmagazine.com

The term “stem cell research” has stirred up a great deal of controversy in recent years and this controversy is something that can be easily misunderstood. There are two major types of stem cells, embryonic and adult, and it is only embryonic stem cell research that requires the destruction of human embryos. Many people—including President Bush—object to such destruction on religious grounds. They hold that an embryo is, in essence, a human being and that destroying it for research purposes is tantamount to murder. No such objections are raised against adult stem cell research because this involves only the destruction of a few cells of living human beings. Given that many scientists see an enormous medical potential in stem cell research, work with adult stem cells is proceeding all over the world and this research is beginning to yield practical medical applications.

Adult stem cell research doesn’t involve the destruction of embryos

stem cell research is already yielding benefits

Tags: stem cells, cloning, research, benefits

Passive learning imprints on the brain just like active learning

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:44:29 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: www.physorg.com

It's conventional wisdom that practice makes perfect. But if practicing only consists of watching, rather than doing, does that advance proficiency? Yes, according to a study by Dartmouth researchers.

In a study titled "Sensitivity of the Action Observation Network to Physical and Observational Learning" published in the journal Cerebral Cortex in May 2008, Dartmouth researchers determined that people can acquire motor skills through the "seeing" as well as the "doing" form of learning.

"It's been established in previous research that there are correlations in behavioral performance between active and passive learning, but in this study we were surprised by the remarkable similarity in brain activation when our research participants observed dance sequences that were actively or passively experienced,"

The study focused on the Action Observance Network (AON) in the brain

responsible for motor skills and some memory functions

Tags: education, practice, passive, active, learning

Life's Increasing Complexity Spurred Evolution of Human Brain

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 11:47:58 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: www.dailygalaxy.com

Whether it be a week ago, or a couple of thousand years ago, humans have always needed split second thinking to avoid life threatening situations. Whether it would be a sudden and cataclysmic encounter with a semi-truck, or a similar encounter with a disgruntled lion, quick thinking has always been necessary.

But we don’t always need split second thinking; sometimes we just need to take in all the information, and process it. Slowly.

According to new research from the University of Bristol, lead by Pete Trimmer, and published Tuesday in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B., those two types of thinking are completed by two separate areas of our brains.

For a long time scientists have believed that mammals have two decision making systems in their brains, each one operating at different speeds depending on the situation around them. Trimmer’s research shows that the older, more instinctual and thus less accurate thinking may have helped shape the more recent, methodical thinking.

Tags: brain, evolution, thought

Looking for the Fountain of Youth? Cut your calories

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 09:46:52 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: www.physorg.com

Want to slow the signs of aging and live longer? New Saint Louis University research suggests cutting back on calories could be a promising strategy.

Calorie restriction has long been shown to slow the aging process in rats and mice. While scientists do not know how calorie restriction affects the aging process in rodents, one popular hypothesis is that it slows aging by decreasing a thyroid hormone, triiodothyronine (T3), which then slows metabolism and tissue aging.

A new study in the June 2008 issue of Rejuvenation Research, found that calorie restriction – cutting approximately 300 to 500 calories per day – had a similar biological effect in humans and, therefore, may slow the aging process.

"Our research provides evidence that calorie restriction does work in humans like it has been shown to work in animals. The next step is to determine if this in fact slows age-related tissue deterioration. The only way to be certain, though, is to do a long-term study."

Tags: longevity, calorie restriction

'Mind's eye' influences visual perception

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 10:14:20 GMT

clipped by: wildcat
clipper's remarks: ..even a single instance of imagery can tilt how you see the world one way or another..

Clip Source: www.physorg.com

Letting your imagination run away with you may actually influence how you see the world. New research from Vanderbilt University has found that mental imagery—what we see with the "mind's eye"—directly impacts our visual perception.

"We found that imagery leads to a short-term memory trace that can bias future perception," says Joel Pearson, research associate in the Vanderbilt Department of Psychology. and lead author of the study. "This is the first research to definitively show that imagining something changes vision both while you are imagining it and later on."

"You might think you need to imagine something 10 times or 100 times before it has an impact,"

Our results show that even a single instance of imagery can tilt how you see the world one way or another, dramatically, if the conditions are right."

"These findings are important because they suggest a potential mechanism by which top-down expectations or recollections of previous experiences might shape perception itself,"

Tags: 'mind's eye', visual perception, brain, imagination

'your genes are not your fate' Ted Talks

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 05:56:48 GMT

clipped by: einbar
clipper's remarks: "Changing Your Lifestyle Can Change Your Genes
feel better, not just live longer." Dr. Dean Ornish

Clip Source: www.mostphotos.com

Clip Source: www.newsweek.com

New research shows that improved diet, meditation and other non-medical interventions can actually "turn off" the disease-promoting process in men with prostate cancer.

Clip Source: www.ted.com

Dr. Dean Ornish: Your genes are not your fate

Clip Source: www.ted.com

Dean Ornish says your genes are not your fate
03:17 Posted: Jun 2008

Clip Source: www.ted.com

Dean Ornish shares new research that shows how adopting healthy lifestyle habits can affect a person at a genetic level. For instance, he says, when you live healthier, eat better, exercise, and love more, your brain cells actually increase.

Clip Source: www.newsweek.com

my colleagues and I published the first study showing that improved nutrition, stress management techniques, walking, and psychosocial support actually changed the expression of over 500 genes in men with early-stage .

In this study

we studied gene expression in biopsies from 30 men who were diagnosed with low-risk prostate .

We found that many disease-promoting genes

were down-regulated

Quarter of the planet to be online by 2012

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 03:00:10 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: www.itnews.com.au

Researchers are predicting that one quarter of the world's population will be connected to the internet within the next four years..

According to the report by Jupiter Research, the total number of people online will climb to 1.8 billion by 2012, encompassing roughly 25 percent of the planet.

The company sees the highest growth rates in areas such as China, Russia, India and Brazil. Overall, the number of users online is predicted to grow by 44 percent in the time period between 2007 and 2012.

"Even though the emerging economies will have lower online penetration rates compared to the developed countries, Jupiter Research believes that they will ramp up the learning curve in adopting sophisticated online activities compared to the developing countries," said research director Vikram Sehgal.

The analyst firm sees Asia as an especially critical market, due to the high rate at which both its physical population and technological markets are growing.

Tags: net, grid, online

Novelty drives choice behavior in humans

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 11:14:48 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: www.physorg.com

New research suggests that novelty drives choice behavior , even when the degree of familiarity with an option is completely unrelated to choice outcome. The research, published by Cell Press in the June 26th issue of the journal Neuron, reveals fascinating insights into the brain mechanisms that underlie the tendency to explore, and even value, unfamiliar options.

Novelty seeking can be strongly adaptive because unfamiliarity tends to be associated with uncertainty and the potential for valuable outcomes. "It can be advantageous for an animal to explore new parts of its environment because it might find valuable sources of food there," says study author Dr. Bianca C. Wittmann from University College London. In humans, this tendency is often exploited by manufacturers of everyday goods when they remarket identical products with novel packaging or advertising,

Tags: novelty, behavior, adaptaton, evolution

Project to reveal choc's DNA code

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 10:27:27 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

The chocolate company Mars has announced that it is to decode the genetic structure of the cacao tree.

The research project, which is to be done in collaboration with the US Department of Agriculture and IT firm IBM, aims to improve cocoa production.

Scientists hope the Chocolate Genome Project can assist breeding programmes.

Understanding the tree's DNA could make crop production more resistant to pests, diseases, and water shortages that may come from a warming climate.

Howard-Yana Shapiro, Mars' global director of plant science, said African farmers stood to benefit the most as they accounted for nearly two-thirds of world cocoa production.

The research would "ultimately improve cacao trees, yield higher quality cocoa and increase income for farmers", he told BBC News.

Dr Shapiro would not be drawn on whether the research might lead to genetically modified chocolate.

Tags: chocolate, dna

Catch-22: Feds cut climate research to save fuel

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 16:31:30 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: physorg.com

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has scrapped at least four trips nationwide and is shortening others "because of the increase in petroleum prices," chief spokesman Anson Franklin said Wednesday.

"We're trying to determine whether we can move some resources around to keep some missions going," Franklin said, adding that NOAA was working this week to hammer out a budget, taking into account the rising cost of fuel for the fleet.

In a June 10 e-mail to NOAA field offices and others, portions of which were obtained by The Associated Press, NOAA warned of an "approximate" $1.7 million budget shortfall due to fuel costs, and noted the agency has proposed cutting 231 ocean research days for the year.

"I only dread to look ahead to 2009 if we do not get funding relief for fuel and marine operations," read the e-mail sent by John Oliver, a NOAA deputy assistant administrator.

Tags: climate research, saving, fuel

Top Pentagon Scientists Fear Brain-Modified Foes

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:14:24 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: blog.wired.com

There's concern in some corners of the U.S. military about "enemy activities in sleep research," neuro-pharmaceutical performance enhancement, and "brain-computer interfaces." And it's not coming from the Pentagon's scientific fringe, or from some tin-hat kook with a Defense Department badge. The celebrated scientists on the Pentagon's most prestigious scientific advisory panel, JASON, are the ones worried about adversaries' ability "to exploit advances in Human Performance Modification, and thus create a threat to national security."

In a recent report, unearthed by Secrecy News, the JASONs are recommending that the American military push ahead with its own performance-enhancement research -- and monitor foreign studies -- to make sure that the U.S.' enemies don't suddenly become smarter, faster, or better able to endure the harsh realities of war than American troops.

The JASONs are particularly concerned about (and excited by) new drugs that promote "brain plasticity"

Tags: mind, brain, enhancement, performance

Cloaking Device Concept Moves Beyond Theory

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 15:18:19 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: www.livescience.com

Applied mathematician Graeme Milton dreams up new materials, develops mathematical formulas to describe them and leaves it to others to construct and demonstrate their novelties and usefulness in a laboratory.

While many of his theoretical musings are published in peer-reviewed journals, his research on a superlens with the ability to hide or “cloak” an object is too similar to cloaking devices portrayed in Star Trek and Harry Potter to stay buried in the annals of academia.

The concept of a superlens came originally from Sir John Pendry in 2000 — although Milton and his colleagues Nicolae Nicorovici and Ross McPhedran conducted closely related studies back in 1994 — and the concept has been studied extensively. Yet no one had realized the cloaking properties until they were discovered through the research by Milton’s team.

“We’re along way off from the Star Trek device but some of the experimental results achieved so far are surprising and exciting,” Milton noted.

Tags: cloaking device, superlens

Clipmarks | wildcat's 'research' clips

Searching in space and minds: New research suggests underlying link

Pioneering Research in Neuromorphic Electronics that Function Like the Biological Brain

Mark Shuttleworth: life on Mars, Ubuntu in emerging markets

Grow New Body Parts in Your Own Abdomen

Passive learning imprints on the brain just like active learning

Life's Increasing Complexity Spurred Evolution of Human Brain

Looking for the Fountain of Youth? Cut your calories

'Mind's eye' influences visual perception

'your genes are not your fate' Ted Talks

Dean Ornish says your genes are not your fate

Quarter of the planet to be online by 2012

Novelty drives choice behavior in humans

Project to reveal choc's DNA code

Catch-22: Feds cut climate research to save fuel

Top Pentagon Scientists Fear Brain-Modified Foes

Cloaking Device Concept Moves Beyond Theory