Art
sb admin | November 16, 2007
Anti-drug ad parody that's also an anti-drug ad itself. This is Your Brain on Heroin: Any Questions?.
omnibrain | November 15, 2007The one... the only... Jesus made from Sushi and Chopsticks!
Actually... that's a cucumber for the head, ginger for the body, and shrimp fins (or whatever they're called) for the legs. I tried to make a crown out of onion but it didn't work too well.
I ate the body of Christ afterwards. That makes me religious right?!
pharyngula | November 11, 2007Here I am, rooming with that space case, Phil Plait, and what should appear on the astronomy photo of the day but a cosmic cephalopod, a picture of Comet Holmes that has a resemblance to a cartoon octopus.
Perhaps this is a sign of reconciliation? That the savage enmity between two science blogs shall be soothed? That the ferocious competition between the best science blog on the web and the blog that tied with a junk science site shall be at an end? That disparate disciplines can find common ground in the beauty of the natural universe?
Naaah, I hope not. The rivalry is too much fun.
pharyngula | November 10, 2007
Since everyone on the planet is sending me this, I'd better post it. Besides, it's pretty!
neurophilosophy | November 9, 2007
The cover of the current issue of Neuron features this brainland map, by Sam Brown, a cartographer based in New Zealand. Printed A3, A2 and A1 sized copies of the map can be purchased from Unit Seven.
...created from a reference photo of a real human brain which was used to build the 3D terrain. This digital elevation model was then used to create contour line data, relief shading and to plan where the roads and features should be placed for map compilation. Real New Zealand public domain data was then added for the surrounding islands.
I've just written an essay about Axon Turning…
sb admin | November 8, 2007
A depiction of delusional parasitosis in Dave Kellett's webcomic Sheldon. DP, a fixed delusion in which one believes s/he is infested with bugs despite no evidence, was famously described in Philip K. Dick's A Scanner Darkly. Superblogger and psychologist Vaughan Bell wrote a nice article on the subject, check it out.
Thanks again, Dave, for permission to share your comic (with slightly modified layout to make it blog-friendly).
neurophilosophy | November 7, 2007
The introductory chapter of Manic-Depressive Illness: Bipolar Disorders and Recurrent Depression, by Frederick K. Goodwin and Kay Redfield Jamison, provides an excellent description of how Emil Kraepelin first classified manic depression (or bipolar disorder) and related conditions in the late 19th century, and how his work has influenced the way in which psychiatrists treat these illnesses today.
Kraepelin (1856-1926, right), who is considered to be the founder of modern psychiatry, was the first to distinguish between manic depression and schizophrenia, which were at the time both…
voltagegate | November 7, 2007Heather finally printed the follow up to her cellular self portrait (links to the first print), this time using plant cells. I particularly like the difference in movement between the prints.
A week from this Friday she's having her senior art show, which we are both looking forward to. She put up her banner yesterday and postcards are being distributed:
If you're in the area, feel free to stop by next week, check out some unique, science inspired art, have a cupcake and a cream puff (homemade of course), drink some yummy coffee and BS with me and Heather about art and science. Should be a…
pharyngula | November 7, 2007
I'm disappointed in Cory Doctorow. Look at the caption he put on this image:
I'm pretty taken with the sculptural work of Rune Olsen, which revels in a kind of twisting, arching form that lodges somewhere between titillating and disgusting.
I looked all over…so where's the 'disgusting'?
pharyngula | November 6, 2007Here's a cool idea: pick a color palette for your website by sampling photomicrographs. There are some nice color samples there; I think I'd go with something along the lines of a DIC image of a zebrafish embryo, which would have lots of blues, a few weakly saturated yellows, and an occasional flare of gold from the birefringence. Time for a site redesign! If I had any time, that is.
omnibrain | October 31, 2007
Ahh Halloween - when neuroscientists find all sorts of fake brains for sale and recipes to create them. This is our yearly reposting of the greatest brain recipe of all time.
This recipe was inspired by the one Alton Brown did a few years back. I liked the idea but wasn't thrilled with the recipe, so I came up with my own. By the way, I would suggest getting this mold - it looks a lot more lifelike.
Panna Cotta (brain style) with Pomegranite Sauce
Get the recipe below the fold!
1 cup milk
5 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
4 cups heavy cream
1 cup + 1 Tb sugar, divided
pinch salt
2 Tablespoons…
sb admin | October 31, 2007Another in the hilarious vintage BBC Look Around You series, this is 4 - Ghosts. Bwa-ha-ha.
sb admin | October 26, 2007
Dave Kellet jokes about a visual illusion the visual pop-out phenomenon, in his webcomic Sheldon. Click the cropped image to see the full comic strip. Thanks Dave!
[Thanks, T.N. for the correction. Two blog posts about it here and here.]
omnibrain | October 24, 2007
Pneumatic Anatomica by ~freeny on deviantART
I really like how the hemispheres of the brain are forced to be especially separated by the physical structure of the balloon dog. I wonder if there are any behavioral implications?
-via boingboing- and here's the original.
The artist says this:
Artist's Comments
After months of observations, dissections and a 25 minute intro to clown school, I have finally successfully mapped the inter workings of the domestic balloon dog.
NEWS! This piece will be featured in the next issue of "Hi Fructose" magazine.
grrlscientist | October 24, 2007tags: art, Rufino Tamayo, Tres Personajes, discarded masterpiece
"Tres Personajes" (1970) by Mexican artist, Rufino Tamayo (1899-1991).
Oil on canvas with marble dust and sand worked into the paint.
Image: Sotheby's [slightly larger view].
I am one of those people who pokes through other people's garbage in search of treasures. This isn't difficult to do in Manhattan because people conveniently discard their trash on the sidewalk, where garbage men come to pick it up at some point during the day. My favorite place to look through trash is on Manhattan's Upper West Side (UWS) because the…
pharyngula | October 23, 2007Street Anatomy highlights the most frequently viewed medical animation ever: an illustration of the difficult path for childbirth. It's too bad it doesn't show the effect on the kid in much detail — our babies all came out with the most astonishingly pointy heads from all the squishing and squeezing, but they still ended up normal. Mostly. I think.
sb admin | October 23, 2007You're seeing other ScienceBlogs readers donate, now join the love train*.
A rare serious post from Steve explains The Real Mozart Effect and why we should support music education with DonorsChoose. Playing an instrument has cognitive and developmental benefits.
That reason formed an episode of The Simpsons, too: Lisa's Sax. Homer wants to buy an air conditioner but Lisa needs help to nurture her brain with more than Springfield Elementary has to offer. Unsure what to do, he walks out of Moe's toward It Blows, with $200 in his pocket. He sees a music store and says, "Musical instrument?…
pharyngula | October 17, 2007Is there any circumstance under which a manly gentleman like myself can wear a lovely enamel cloisonne pin?
Is it OK if the pin is of an an octopus armed with guns and knives?