Human Body – Page 74

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Intelligence as a Cosmic Reality

February 6, 2011

The “I” in SETI takes “Intelligence” seriously. It requires that intelligence is a recognizable, quantifiable property of nature. The origin of intelligence is a question that separates theists from materialists – whether it is a fundamental or emergent property. Before engaging that question, it might be instructive to see how scientists who are not necessarily […]

Health

Hikers Stay Healthy, Happy, Sharp-minded

January 27, 2011

A study at the University of Toronto reinforces the growing body of evidence that being active outdoors is good for you. PhysOrg printed an interview with Guy Faulkner, in the Physical Education faculty at U of Toronto, who shared that exercise not only provides physical benefits; it beats depression and appears to slow the onset […]

Amazing Facts

Amazing Mammals

January 25, 2011

As the Superbowl approaches, millions of spectators will enjoy the feats of our own sports heroes. But what if animals put on games with their capabilities? Human athletes would find it hard to compete. Swimming: A polar bear performed a phenomenal feat of endurance swimming, reported the BBC News. According to a zoologist who observed […]

Biomimetics

Has Biomimetics Surpassed Biology?

January 21, 2011

An article on Science Daily announced an invention that is “Better Than the Human Eye: Tiny Camera With Adjustable Zoom Could Aid Endoscopic Imaging, Robotics, Night Vision.” While true that human eyes do not have zoom lenses, how does the comparison hold up? The invention both imitates and surpasses human vision in some […]

Amazing Facts

Molecules as Traffic Cops

January 19, 2011

One of the cutting-edge developments in cell biology and genetics is the realization that there are networks of molecules that are regulated by other molecules. Some molecules stimulate growth while others repress it. The dynamic interplay between signals, hormones, repressors and other processes somehow leads to “homeostasis” – a dynamic balance that is responsive to […]

Biomimetics

The Brain as the Computer Robots Need

January 15, 2011

A mind is a terrible thing to waste, especially once you realize how incredibly powerful it is. In some ways it’s like a computer that needs maintenance; in other ways, it is too powerful to describe in machine language. Here are a few mind matters to mind because it matters: Reboot to clear the ringing: […]

Amazing Facts

Brain Synapse Machinery Is Finely Tuned

December 23, 2010

The New York Times published a brief article on brain facts that is astonishing, when you think about all that goes on in thinking. Nicholas Wade reported on a new inventory of the proteins involved in the synapses, the key junctions between neurons. The research team, led by Seth Grant of the Sanger Institute near […]

Health

Are You Too Clean?

December 8, 2010

You shower, you put on clean clothes, you wash your hands with antibacterial soap, you keep the house spic and span, you work in a clean office – and you set yourself up for disease and depression. That’s what some scientists are proposing with the “hygiene hypothesis.” By depriving yourself of access to your bacterial […]

Amazing Facts

Boggle Your Brain

November 19, 2010

A new animation of a trip through a brain shows mind-boggling complexity in more detail than ever before. The animation, posted by freelance journalist Elizabeth A. Moore on CNET News, represents years of work by Stanford University School of Medicine. Using green fluorescent protein in a mouse brain to light up synapses, and photographing the […]

Amazing Facts

Windows into the Mind

November 3, 2010

What would it be like to see things for the first time? You can watch the reaction on Live Science #1 and Live Science #2. Blind patients were implanted with a microchip that allowed them, for the first time, to roughly sense the visual input of objects in front of them. Amazing as it was, […]

Amazing Facts

Automatic Turnstiles Found in the Cell

October 25, 2010

One of the things students learn about in high school biology classes is active transport: the ability to control flow through a semi-permeable membrane. Contrary to osmosis, in which the flow goes naturally from high concentration to low concentration, cell membranes employ active mechanisms to push or pull the molecules through their membranes according to […]

Bible and Theology

Mind Matters

October 22, 2010

The conundrum of how reasoning could have emerged by an undirected evolutionary process persists. Atheists and materialists are convinced that natural selection is up to the task, while theists strongly disagree and use human rationality as evidence for creation by an intelligent source (usually God). Perhaps a few recent findings can illuminate on the options. […]

Amazing Facts

Brain Rewires for Lost Senses

October 11, 2010

Born without vision or hearing? The brain can apparently rewire itself to accommodate the loss, reported the BBC News. Dr Stephen Lomber, who led research published in Nature Neuroscience, said: The brain is very efficient, and doesn’t let unused space go to waste. The brain wants to compensate for the lost sense with […]

Darwin and Evolution

The Evolution of Speech, and v.v.

September 23, 2010

The brain just got more complex – that is, the part that helps us speak. “Complex brain landscape controls speech,” reported PhysOrg, discussing findings by German researchers that show Broca’s region, implicated in speech disorders when damaged, appears to be “a much more complexly structured centre of language than was previously believed.” Not just a […]

Human Body

China Suffers 30 Years of Misguided Malthusian Idea

September 18, 2010

China has had a “one-child policy” for 30 years this week. This policy has caused untold grief for many families desiring children, and has resulted in unexpected demographic problems – such as aging of the population, not enough brides for young men, and enormous numbers of abortions. Two articles in Science this week explored the […]

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