Easily digestible tech news... http://www.techdirt.com/ en-us http://www.techdirt.com/images/td-88x31.gifhttp://www.techdirt.com/ Mon, 17 Dec 2012 17:00:00 PST Michael Ho http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120504/17564318790/dailydirt-figuring-out-forgetfulness.shtml http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120504/17564318790/dailydirt-figuring-out-forgetfulness.shtml

We know now that memories are stored in specific neurons because genetically engineered mice with light-activated neurons can be made to recall (or forget) when those neurons are activated (or removed). The ethics of "Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind" technology might be a serious discussion soon. [url]

Marijuana is well-known to have side effects that impair memory functions, but the mechanism hasn't been studied extensively until recently. THC doesn't have much effect on neurons, but instead affects astroglia cells -- interfering with how neurons communicate with each other. [url]

The formation of long-term memories in our brains seems to occur during sleep, transferring from the hippocampus to the neocortex. The communication between these two areas of the brain will be important to study for finding out more about memory storage processes, and we've only started to discover how memories work. [url]

Memory foraging is just one way to think about how our brains recall memories. People tend to remember things in clusters, and knowing this could lead to better ways for people to learn or recall items -- or to build virtual brains that more closely mimic how human brains actually work. [url]

If you have some more free time, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post.

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]]> urls-we-dig-up http://www.techdirt.com/comment_rss.php?sid=20120504/17564318790 Thu, 13 Dec 2012 17:00:00 PST Michael Ho http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20101108/03303411758/dailydirt-learning-more-about-our-brains.shtml http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20101108/03303411758/dailydirt-learning-more-about-our-brains.shtml

Studies of human brains and closely related primate brains have shown some differences that could point to specific genes responsible (or at least relevant) for the evolution of brain intelligence. Next stop, planet of the apes, folks. [url]

Software can track what you've learned by constantly quizzing you, and apparently the best time to review something you want to memorize is right before you're about to forget it. Use it or lose it... and now you can precisely quantify when you're about to lose it. [url]

Brain imaging techniques could replace IQ tests someday by predicting intelligence based on "global brain connectivity" that seems to correlate with the ability to perform challenging tasks. Taking the SAT in the future might not involve number 2 pencils, but instead a few hours in an MRI machine.... [url]

If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post.

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]]> urls-we-dig-up http://www.techdirt.com/comment_rss.php?sid=20101108/03303411758 Tue, 27 Nov 2012 17:00:00 PST Michael Ho http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20101022/04202511540/dailydirt-help-mathophobic.shtml http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20101022/04202511540/dailydirt-help-mathophobic.shtml

Some people experience physical pain when presented with difficult math problems, but it's not doing the math itself that hurts -- it's the anticipation of doing the math. Fortunately, math anxiety can be overcome with various techniques, just like other phobias. [url]

Correlation isn't causation, folks, but a small study showed that 20 people did better at some math problems while smelling rosemary oil. These researchers should probably sniff some of their aromatherapy oils while doing the statistical analysis of this work.... [url]

Math ability can be predicted by fMRI scans that measure the strength of communication between the left and right hemispheres in the brain. If there is a causal link, impaired math abilities could be improved with training tasks aimed at coordinating brain activity. [url]

If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post.

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]]> urls-we-dig-up http://www.techdirt.com/comment_rss.php?sid=20101022/04202511540 Mon, 22 Oct 2012 17:00:00 PDT Michael Ho http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100924/10290211154/dailydirt-mans-best-friends.shtml http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100924/10290211154/dailydirt-mans-best-friends.shtml Bowlingual for translating dog barks into human languages, and here are just a few more interesting links on human-dog relationships.

• Researchers are using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to try to understand what dogs are thinking. Two dogs have been trained to stand completely still while their brains are scanned, and one of the dogs is a squirrel-hunting dog -- so maybe these neuroscientists will be able to see what part of a dog's brain activates when someone says, "Squirrel!" [url]
• Doggelganger is a fun way to match up people and dogs that are up for adoption. Dogs and their owners are supposed to grow to look like each other, but what if facial recognition software made it possible for you to adopt a dog that already looked like you from the start? [url]
• Does neutering pets cause any kind of depression for our beloved domesticated animals? Vets may want to change the way they make pets sterile if enough pet owners are convinced that there's even a possibility of post-neutering depression. [url]

If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post.

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]]> urls-we-dig-up http://www.techdirt.com/comment_rss.php?sid=20100924/10290211154 Thu, 13 Oct 2011 17:00:00 PDT Michael Ho http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100513/0854049411/dailydirt-slowly-piecing-together-how-brain-works.shtml http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100513/0854049411/dailydirt-slowly-piecing-together-how-brain-works.shtml

Scientists at UC Berkeley have started to develop a method that could reconstruct mental images using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure the brain activity of volunteers. Reconstructed videos aren't exactly high definition reproductions, but they vaguely match up to the videos that the volunteers are shown. [url]

The placebo effect (for pain) has been shown to involve cannabinoid receptors in the brain. The study suggests that people are capable of creating their own natural opiate-like chemicals with some training. [url]

After a professor of neuroscience developed synesthesia and started to actually feel sounds, there's a bit more interest in discovering how the sense of touch is related to hearing. Come on, feel the noise. Girls, rock your boys. [url]

To discover more interesting articles on the human mind, check out what's currently floating around the StumbleUpon universe. [url]  

By the way, StumbleUpon can recommend some good Techdirt articles, too.

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]]> urls-we-dig-up http://www.techdirt.com/comment_rss.php?sid=20100513/0854049411 Tue, 9 Aug 2011 17:00:00 PDT Michael Ho http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100418/2324339056/dailydirt-braiiins.shtml http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100418/2324339056/dailydirt-braiiins.shtml

UCSD researchers have studied the Uncanny Valley to find that human brains like it when their expectations are met -- human-like movements should be accompanied by humans. Conversely, brains don't like to be fooled. [url]

Using electroencephalography (EEG), there might be a way to predict the development of autism before the age of three. Earlier diagnoses could then lead to more effective treatments... [url]

To learn about consciousness, it might be helpful to figure out how the brain goes into un-consciousness. Just stick about 32 electrodes on a bunch of people's heads, give them all some anesthetics, and watch their brain activity for patterns. Lather. Repeat. [url]

An fMRI brain scanner that can read people's intentions sounds like an awesome tool. Rock Paper Scissors will never be the same. [url]

To discover more interesting articles on the human mind, check out what's currently floating around the StumbleUpon universe. [url]  

By the way, StumbleUpon can recommend some good Techdirt articles, too.

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]]> urls-we-dig-up http://www.techdirt.com/comment_rss.php?sid=20100418/2324339056 Tue, 8 Mar 2011 17:00:00 PST Michael Ho http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110217/11073713152/dailydirt-baby-language-development.shtml http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110217/11073713152/dailydirt-baby-language-development.shtml dogs and babies have been promising easy conversations with our loved ones who aren't quite able to speak intelligibly. (There are even apps for it.) The reality, though, isn't quite like the talking dogs in the movie Up. But maybe some day, if folks keep working on the technology for it.... Here are some projects that might help out.

• MIT scientist, Deb Roy, has recorded thousands of hours of audio and video of his son's life, in order to analyze it and learn how babies develop cognitive skills like language. And based on this experiment, Roy is taking time off to develop similar video/audio analytics software that can track commercial TV shows and social media interactions..? [url]
• Priscilla Dunstan claims to have discovered the five universal words that all babies know how to say. In practice, though, trying to decode these sounds is probably pretty close to a game of rock-paper-scissors-lizard-spock. [url]
• Studying babies by putting their little heads in fMRI machines sounds like an awesome research project. And maybe fMRI scans will quantify whether or not there really are five universal baby words. [url]
• There's an app for translating baby cries -- offering translations for the "five" different types of baby cries: hungry, sleepy, annoyed, stressed or bored. The source code is probably just a pseudo-random number generator.... [url]
• To discover more interesting baby-related content, check out what's currently floating around the StumbleUpon universe. [url]  

By the way, StumbleUpon can recommend some good Techdirt articles, too.

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]]> urls-we-dig-up http://www.techdirt.com/comment_rss.php?sid=20110217/11073713152 Fri, 7 Dec 2007 04:10:00 PST Mike Masnick http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20071206/225457.shtml http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20071206/225457.shtml impacted the brains of children as monitored using fMRI equipment. The end result was basically that there was an effect -- but it was basically what you'd expect. Violence made stimulated parts of the brain corresponding to being "emotional," which is what anyone would expect. Slashdot is now reporting on a similar study that really doesn't seem all that different (even if the press release about it claims that there hasn't been such evidence "until now"). Basically, the finding shows that when viewing violent media, the part of the brain that suppresses inappropriate aggression is less active. Again, though, that seems perfectly reasonable. If you're witnessing violence, it seems perfectly natural that your brain would prepare you to be ready for violence yourself if needed. What it doesn't show is that it actually does make you more violent. Unlike some research, this seems like perfectly good research and the researchers don't seem to be pretending it says more than it actually does. However, for those looking to support the idea that violent video games makes people violent, they won't find it here (unless they extrapolate out well beyond what the study covers).

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]]> been-there,-done-that? http://www.techdirt.com/comment_rss.php?sid=20071206/225457