neurophilosophy
Posts by this author
June 9, 2008
Below is a video of a recent talk given by Carl Zimmer about the evolution of the mind, at the Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, NYC.
June 8, 2008
Logo by Ricardo at My Biotech Life
Welcome to the 33rd edition of Gene Genie, the blog carnival devoted to genes and genetic diseases.
In this edition, there is a strong emphasis on cancer. There's also a focus on leukodystrophy, and a special section on personalized genetics.
Spotlight on…
June 7, 2008
This necklace comes from the Anatomica Collection by Paraphernalia, which features vintage illustrations and woodcuts printed on acrylic.
I can think of two ladies who would adore these anatomical accessories. They'd probably know which illustrations were used to make them, too.
(Via Dark Roasted…
June 7, 2008
Here's another great quote about the brain, from Ian McEwan's novel Saturday:
He's looking down at a portion of [the] brain...with its low hills and enfolded valleys of the sulci, each with a name and imputed function...Just to the left of the midline, running laterally away out of sight under the…
June 6, 2008
Photo by Einat Adar
Our feathered friends provide us with some beautiful examples of the link between brain and behaviour. In some bird species, groups of cells involved in seasonal behaviours die after they have performed their function, but are regenerated by neurogenesis as and when they…
June 5, 2008
I've just registered at Research Blogging.org, the initiative by Dave Munger to aggregate academic blog posts about peer- reviewed research. I started using the Research Blogging icon some time ago (and resumed using it on yesterday's post), but have only just gotten round to registering with the…
June 5, 2008
Some old, some new:
The Reflection of Light
Psychedelic Research
Brain Stimulant
Brain Mind & Society
NeuroScene
Neurodisorder
Neurotonics
The Neuroprotective Lifestyle
Giovanna Di Sauro
The Cortical Column
Neurology Minutiae
June 5, 2008
Researchers report today that human stem cells can rescue mice from an otherwise fatal neurological condition caused by the brain's inability to conduct nervous impulses. The findings, published in the journal Cell Stem Cell, raise the possibility of cell transplantation treatments for a number of…
June 3, 2008
Imagine listening to a piece of music, and perceiving a rattle of pots and pans instead of the harmony of the combined component sounds; or developing an insatiable desire to play the piano after being struck by lightning; or to be able to reproduce a complex piece of music after hearing only once…
June 3, 2008
MIT Tech Review reports that a San Diego-based pharmaceuticals company BrainCells Inc. is carrying out a phase II clinical trial to test the efficacy of a neurogenesis-stimulating compound as a treatment for depression.
It has been known, for about 20 years, that the brains of mammals (including…
June 3, 2008
Today sees the launch of UCL's iTunes platform, which can be used to download, among other things, lectures and seminars. There's not much material on there yet, but the university promises that highlights of UCL on iTunes U will include:
first-hand expert accounts of the history of neuroscience,…
June 3, 2008
This month's issue of IEEE Spectrum Online magazine contains an excellent special report on the singularity, the hypothetical point in time at which technology will be sufficiently advanced so as to enable the human race to transcend their biology and take their evolution into their own hands.
Some…
June 2, 2008
Following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the headquarters of the Stasi (the East German secret police) were found to contain a large room in which many thousands of "smell jars" were stored.
Each jar contained an odour sample from a suspect, collected either during interrogation, by means of…
June 2, 2008
This email from the owner of the website explains:
Gliocast is a set of software tools for visualizing fiber tracts. The emphasis is on the 3D display technologies. Gliocast includes a rudimentary model for tumor growth, but more physically realistic models can be substituted for it.
Fiber…
June 1, 2008
According to the Daily Telegraph, the new chief executive of the Independent Schools Commission, a former Rear Admiral called Chris Parry, believes that "children will learn by downloading information directly into their brains within 30 years."
The article continues that Parry told the Times…
June 1, 2008
From Lithographische Abbildungen nebst Beschreibung der vorzuglicheren alteren und neueren chirurgischen Werkzeuge und Verbande, nach dem Handbuche der Chirurgie von Chelius geordnet, und am Schlube mit einer systematischen Zusammenstellung sammlicher abgebildeter Geratschaften versehen, by…
June 1, 2008
In the first installment of The ScienceBlogs Book Club, which was launched today, Carl Zimmer discusses his new book, Microcosm, with John Dennehy, Jessica Snyder Sachs and PZ Myers.
The discussion of the book will take place in the comments section of the book club blog, and will continue until…
May 30, 2008
SciCurious has written an interesting post about Sigmund Freud's experiments with cocaine.
Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, was also a pioneer of psychopharmacology; as well as being one of the first to scientifically investigate the properties and effects of cocaine, he also played a key role…
May 30, 2008
Encephalon 46 is now online at The Neurocritic's blog, and contains lots of fantastic neuroscience blogging, including posts on Senator Ted Kennedy's brain tumour, phantom supernumery limbs, and anti-drug vaccines.
The previous edition, at PodBlack Blog, also contains plenty of good reading…
May 29, 2008
Neuroscientists at the University of Pittsburgh report that they have successfully trained monkeys to feed themselves using a robotic arm controlled by a brain-computer interface (BCI). The study has been covered extensively in the media, and I've written quite a lot about these devices in the…
May 27, 2008
New research shows that a protein found in green algae can partially restore visual function when delivered into the retina of blind mice, taking us one step further towards genetic therapy for various conditions in which the degeneration of retinal cells leads to imapired vision or complete…
May 26, 2008
From this online gallery of modern and vintage psychiatric drug adverts.
COCAINE TOOTHACHE DROPS Instantaneous Cure! Price 15 Cents. Prepared by the Lloyd Manufacturing Co. 219 Hudson Ave., Albany, N.Y. For sale by all Druggists. (Registered March 1885.)
Cocaine is the new…
May 25, 2008
This clever 2-minute film was produced by the Korean electronics firm Samsung, as part of their promotion for a new product called the SOUL mobile phone.
Related:
Interior design optical illusions
The left brain/right brain myth
May 25, 2008
Here's a beautiful quote by the great neurophysiologist Sir Charles Sherrington (1857-1952), from his 1941 book Man on His Nature:
Swiftly the brain becomes an enchanted loom where millions of flashing shuttles weave a dissolving pattern, always a meaningful pattern though never an abiding one; a…
May 22, 2008
Via Street Anatomy comes this recent case report from Acta Neurochirurgica, of a man who had a paintbrush stuck into his brain - bristly end first - during a fight, but didn't realize until 6 hours later, when he went to hospital complaining of a headache! Even more remarkably, any brain damage…
May 21, 2008
The WBUR/NPR programme On Point has a very interesting interview with Jill Price (right), a 42-year-old woman from Los Angeles who has a "non-stop, uncontrollable and automatic" episodic memory.
Known in the scientific literature as A.J., Price is the first documented case of hyperthymestic…
May 20, 2008
Four representations of Phineas Gage, from Macmillan, M. (2006). Restoring Phineas Gage: A 150th Retrospective. J. Hist. Neurosci. 9: 46-66. [Abstract]
Here's some more neurohistory from the Beeb: following on from last week's episode of In Our Time, which featured a discussion about the…
May 17, 2008
The brain is an organ of staggering complexity, consisting of hundreds of billions of cells (and tens of thousands of different cell types) which form millions of specialized circuits that are organized into thousands of discrete areas. Neuroscientists have a number of methods for investigating…
May 15, 2008
Four years ago this week, leading neuroscientists and psychologists convened at Columbia University for the Brain and Mind Symposium, "to discuss the accomplishments and limitations of reductionist and holistic approaches to examining the nervous system and mental functions".
Speakers included the…
May 13, 2008
The procedure known as trepanation, in which a hole is scraped or drilled in the skull, is an ancient form of neurosurgery that has been performed since the late Stone Age. Exactly why ancient peoples performed trepanation has remained a matter of debate: some researchers argue that it was…