August 31, 2007
Category: Neuroscience
A fundamental question for neuroscientists is how the activity in neuronal circuits generates behaviour. The nematode worm Caenhorhabditis elegans is an excellent model organism for studying the neural basis of behaviour, because it is small, transparent, and has a simple...
Posted by Mo at 7:08 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
August 30, 2007
Category: Art
A caricature of me, aged about 4, by Bahgat Osman (1931-2001). During the 1960s and '70s, Osman was Egypt's most outstanding political cartoonist. He was a close friend of my father's, and I have vivid memories of him from...
Posted by Mo at 3:12 PM • 4 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Neuroscience
I was contacted by Craig J. Phillips earlier this year, but neglected to mention the comment he posted at my old blog. Craig posted this comment here several days ago: I am a traumatic brain injury survivor and a master's...
Posted by Mo at 2:09 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
August 29, 2007
Category: Technology
This mechanical prosthetic arm, developed by Michael Goldfarb and his colleagues of the Center for Intelligent Mechatronics at Vanderbilt University, is powered by a pencil-sized rocket that burns pressurized liquid hydrogen peroxide. The reaction, which is catalyzed by iridium-coated...
Posted by Mo at 1:26 PM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Psychology
Beliefnet.com has an interview with Martin Seligman. (Don't click on the link if you can't bear promises of finding "eternal joy with Jesus' word," or - worse - ads for live psychic readings.) Seligman is a highly influential psychologist. A...
Posted by Mo at 11:15 AM • 7 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Neuroscience
Alzheimer's Disease is the most common form of age-related dementia, affecting an estimated 25 million people worldwide.The pathological hallmarks of this condition, which were described 100 years ago by the German pathologist Alois Alzheimer, consist of plaques of amyloid...
Posted by Mo at 10:00 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Neuroscience
This paper appeared in the February 1999 issue of the Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences: Phantom erection after amputation of penis. Case description and review of the relevant literature on phantoms. Fisher C. M., Neurology Service, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston...
Posted by Mo at 6:00 AM • 6 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Miscellaneous
To celebrate the fast-approaching 500,000th reader comment, ScienceBlogs is running a contest. To enter, all you need to do is post a comment on any of the blogs in the SB network, using a valid email address. Alternatively, you can...
Posted by Mo at 5:46 AM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
August 28, 2007
Category: Animal Behaviour
(Fleur Champion de Crespigny) Researchers at the University of Exeter have found that female bruchid beetles (Callosobruchus maculatus, above) mate when they are thirsty. Evolutionary biologist Martin Edvardsson kept some female bruchids with, and others without, access to water....
Posted by Mo at 2:59 PM • 8 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Neuroscience
Multitasking refers to the simultaneous performance of two or more tasks, switching back and forth between different tasks, or performing a number of different tasks in quick succession. consists of two complementary stages: goal-shifting, in which one decides to divert...
Posted by Mo at 9:22 AM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
