Using 20 years of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from tens of thousands of brain imaging experiments, computational neuroscientists Hava Siegelmann and a postdoctoral colleague at the University of Massachusetts have created a geometry-based method for massive data analysis to reach a new understanding of how thought arises from brain structure. The authors say…
UV Index Definition
Alongside the day’s high and low temperatures, weather reports generally contain a UV alert for a particular time. But what does it actually mean – and what should you do about it? Ultraviolet light is a form of radiation invisible to the human eye. Ultraviolet wavelengths of sunlight are made up of UVB, which has…
How Nanoparticles Give Electrons Away
Whether it is in catalytic processes in the chemical industry, environmental catalysis, new types of solar cells or new electronic components, nanoparticles are everywhere in modern production and environmental technologies, where their unique properties ensure efficiency and save resources. The special properties of nanoparticles often arise from a chemical interaction with the support material that…
Imaging Metal-impregnated Neurons With Spectral Confocal Microscopy
Researchers have discovered a new method of visualizing neurons that promises to benefit neuroscientists and cell biologists alike by using spectral confocal microscopy to image tissues impregnated with silver or gold. Rather than relying on the amount of light reflecting off metal particles, this novel process involves delivering light energy to silver or gold nanoparticles…
How Different Cultures Experience And Talk About Pain
Many things contribute to how we experience and express pain. Gender, age, education, socioeconomic status, the relative power of the participants in the conversation, and whether the person in pain is speaking in their mother tongue or another language all affect a person’s experience of pain. Each of these factors can have a crucial impact…
What If The Five Senses Are Really Just One?
Ask even the youngest schoolchild how many senses we have and she’ll tell you five: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. Neuroscientist Don Katz thinks this might be wrong. The correct answer, he says, will most likely turn out to be one. For nearly a decade, Katz, an associate professor of psychology at Brandeis University,…
Kindness, Charitable Behavior Influenced By Amygdala
The amygdala, a small structure at the front end of the brain’s temporal lobe, has long been associated with negative behaviours generally and specifically with fear. But new research from Michael Platt, the James S. Riepe University Professor in the psychology, neuroscience and marketing departments at the University of Pennsylvania, along with Steve Chang from…
Helping Others Eases The Effects Of Stressful Days
Providing help to friends, acquaintances, and even strangers can mitigate the impact of daily stressors on our emotions and our mental health, according to new research published in Clinical Psychological Science. Study author Emily Ansell of the Yale University School of Medicine explains : “Our research shows that when we help others we can also…
Humans Evolved To Get Better Sleep In Less Time
Humans get by on significantly less sleep than our closest animal relatives. The secret, according to a new study of slumber patterns across 21 species of primates, is that our sleep is more efficient. Researchers from Duke University scoured the scientific literature and compiled a database of slumber patterns across hundreds of mammals including 21…