Neuroscience
An article from last week's New York Times describes the importance of the color red, just in time for Valentine's Day. In How Do We See Red? Count the Ways Natalie Angier talks about various meanings of the color red, including "shades of life, death, fury, shame, courage, anguish, pride", and not only for humans:
"Red is the premier signaling color in the natural world, variously showcasing a fruitful bounty, warning of a fatal poison or boasting of a sturdy constitution and the genes to match."
Angier quotes Dr. Nicholas Humphrey, a philosopher at the London School of Economics and the author of Seeing red : a study in consciousness: "Our visual system was shaped by colors already in use among many plants and animals, and red in particular stands out against the green backdrop of nature," he said. "If you want to make a point, you make it in red."
Happy Valentine's Day!
- Piggy Smarts!
New in the world of pig cognition research, interesting results: Pigs Prove to Be Smart, if Not Vain By NATALIE ANGIER The New York Times Published: November 10, 2009 "Recent discoveries from the nascent study of pig cognition offered evidence that pigs...
- Dopamine
A Molecule of Motivation, Dopamine Excels at Its Task By NATALIE ANGIER The New York Times Published: October 27, 2009 "A view has emerged to counter the image that a neurotransmitter is the little Bacchus of our brain." Read the article...
- The Cns And Stress
From The New York Times: Brain Is a Co-Conspirator in a Vicious Stress Loop By NATALIE ANGIER Published: August 18, 2009 "Chronic stress changes the brain, but relaxation can change it back." Read the full article...
- Towards Scientific Literacy
Steven Pinker reviews Natalie Angier's The Canon : A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science in last Sunday's New York Times Book Review, using the review to promote general scientific literacy. Pinker starts with some examples of scientific...
- Synethesia, The Stroop Effect, And ... Football?
According to last Wednesday's New York Times, NFL players might be able to choose jersey numbers beyond the numbering system devised in the 1970s. This requires, for example, that linebackers can have numbers in the 50s, and quarterbacks may select...
Neuroscience
Seeing Red
An article from last week's New York Times describes the importance of the color red, just in time for Valentine's Day. In How Do We See Red? Count the Ways Natalie Angier talks about various meanings of the color red, including "shades of life, death, fury, shame, courage, anguish, pride", and not only for humans:
"Red is the premier signaling color in the natural world, variously showcasing a fruitful bounty, warning of a fatal poison or boasting of a sturdy constitution and the genes to match."
Angier quotes Dr. Nicholas Humphrey, a philosopher at the London School of Economics and the author of Seeing red : a study in consciousness: "Our visual system was shaped by colors already in use among many plants and animals, and red in particular stands out against the green backdrop of nature," he said. "If you want to make a point, you make it in red."
Happy Valentine's Day!
- Piggy Smarts!
New in the world of pig cognition research, interesting results: Pigs Prove to Be Smart, if Not Vain By NATALIE ANGIER The New York Times Published: November 10, 2009 "Recent discoveries from the nascent study of pig cognition offered evidence that pigs...
- Dopamine
A Molecule of Motivation, Dopamine Excels at Its Task By NATALIE ANGIER The New York Times Published: October 27, 2009 "A view has emerged to counter the image that a neurotransmitter is the little Bacchus of our brain." Read the article...
- The Cns And Stress
From The New York Times: Brain Is a Co-Conspirator in a Vicious Stress Loop By NATALIE ANGIER Published: August 18, 2009 "Chronic stress changes the brain, but relaxation can change it back." Read the full article...
- Towards Scientific Literacy
Steven Pinker reviews Natalie Angier's The Canon : A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science in last Sunday's New York Times Book Review, using the review to promote general scientific literacy. Pinker starts with some examples of scientific...
- Synethesia, The Stroop Effect, And ... Football?
According to last Wednesday's New York Times, NFL players might be able to choose jersey numbers beyond the numbering system devised in the 1970s. This requires, for example, that linebackers can have numbers in the 50s, and quarterbacks may select...