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My picks from ScienceDaily

By clock on August 27, 2007.

Mouse Vision Has A Rhythm All Its Own:

In the eyes of mammals, visual information is processed on a daily schedule set within the eyes themselves--not one dictated by the brain, according to a new report in the journal Cell. The researchers found in mice that the eyes' normal rhythmic response to light requires only that a molecular "clock" inside the retina go on ticking. The retina is a layer of nerve tissue covering the back of the eyeball, which is often likened to the film in a camera; without it, images can't be captured.

How Snakes Survive Starvation:

Starving snakes employ novel survival strategies not seen before in vertebrates, according to research conducted by a University of Arkansas biologist. These findings could be used in conservation strategies to determine the health of snake populations.

Giant Panda Can Survive:

The giant panda is not at an "evolutionary dead end" and could have a long term viable future, according to new research involving scientists from Cardiff University.

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And this, just in, linked to from Science Daily:

Physiologist Benjamin Libet dead at 91

DAVIS, Calif., Aug. 27 (UPI) -- Physiologist Benjamin Libet, whose studies of the mind cast doubt on the concept of free will, has died at his home in Davis, Calif.

The 91-year-old said the brain responds to an external command before the person makes any conscious decision, suggesting that free will is a rationalization produced by the mind after the fact to explain its actions, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday.

He even wrote a book on the subject in 2004 called "Mind Time: The Temporal Factor in Consciousness."

Neurobiologist Dr. Robert W. Doty of the University of Rochester said of the book: "his is almost the only approach yet to yield any credible evidence of how conscious awareness is produced by the brain. Libet's work is unique and speaks to questions asked by all humankind."

Libet is survived by his wife Fay; two sons, Julian Mayer Libet and Dr. Ralph Arnold Libet; and two daughters, Moreen Lea Libet, and Gayla Bea Libet.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International. All Rights Reserved.