G as in Good H as in Happy

Chez Mapusaurus

Dilys say, "Heh."

The Brain on Stress

March 30, 2006

Will Wilkinson references a study about marmoset neurogenesis -- brain plasticity and renewability.

More Thinking about Thinking

Edge article by Kevin Kelly about the impact of immensely increased data sets available via computers on the very bare bones of scientific investigation.

Someone Found...

January 28, 2006

...their notes on fusion.

Via YARGB

World's Oldest Map...

November 18, 2005

...has been found.

Known as the Soleto Map, the depiction of Apulia, the heel of Italy's "boot", is on a piece of black-glazed terracotta vase about the size of a postage stamp.

Via Croanaca

The Sparkling Dome

July 27, 2005

A guide to the night sky, by zipcode.

Via Rasmussen

Austin:

Batsongs in Austin

July 26, 2005

Lance Armstrong, and bats that live under bridges and fly in a cloud at sunset, answer "Yes!" to "Is it Austin yet?"

According to the Kono, since that time bats have rested by day and spent their evenings rushing through the night skies, trying to catch all of the bits and pieces of darkness, put them in the basket and fly them to the moon.

The lady who sews padded denim pouches for baby bats sounds a familiar note all her own, too.

Via mirabilis

More scenes of Austin. BTW, tourists were spotted on a foursome of Segways near the Capitol on Sunday around noon. Preferable to the sad carriage horses.

Or, take a surprisingly restful cruise.

Bob Sabiston via John Maeda

Fleet-of-foot Plants

More on engineering lessons from Nature.

Also chickadee 911.

 

Via mirabilis

Chickadee portrait detail thanks to Virginia's Bill Harrah.

Einstein's Brain

Stimulated by access to Einstein's exceptional brain, a diligent brain-researcher has teased out not only more male-female neurological differences, but just about put paid to doubts that the differences exist.

"The relationships that we were finding were always — and I do mean always — different for men and women"... [D]ifferences in the size of the corpus callosum were linked to IQ scores for verbal ability, but only in women. She found that memory was linked to how tightly neurons were packed, but only in men.

[In ageing,] "There is something going on in the male brain," she said, "that is not going on in the female brain."

Einstein, she was convinced, had been born with a one-in-a-billion brain.

And a child has appeared who displays more secrets, to be treated with patience as well as curiosity.

Via Richard Royce

Update:
John at Powerline asks the $50,000,000 question: Is it too late for Harvard to get its money back?

¿Es verdad¿

...Podría hablar yo español? Quizás.

Adults can be retrained to learn second languages more easily, says UCL scientist.

Via mirabilis