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Study of How Brain Corrects Perceptual Errors Has Implications For Brain Injuries, Robotics

By Guest PostMarch 24, 2011Sciencebiological and artificial systems, brain, david bowie, david wozny, flash of light, ladan shams, mars rovers, milliseconds, NASA, perception of the sound, perceptual systems, radio static, rehabilitation from brain injuries, robotic recalibration, sensory recalibration, shams, shams and wozny, spatial map, static environments, ventriloquist illusion

“Don’t you wonder sometimes about sound and vision?” — David Bowie

New research provides the first evidence that sensory recalibration — the brain’s automatic correcting of errors in our sensory or perceptual systems — can occur instantly.

“Until recently, neuroscientists thought of sensory recalibration as a mechanism that is primarily used for coping with long-term changes, such as growth during development, brain injury or stroke,” said Ladan Shams, a UCLA assistant professor of psychology and an expert on perception and cognitive neuroscience. “It appeared that extensive time, and thus many repetitions of error, were needed for mechanisms of recalibration to kick in. However, our findings indicate we don’t need weeks, days, or even minutes or seconds to adapt. To some degree, we adapt instantaneously. (more…)

Ancient Trash Heaps Gave Rise To Everglades Tree Islands

By Guest PostMarch 24, 2011Environmentalligators, birds, carbonate, charcoal, chmura, ecological richness, Environment, everglades, florida everglades tree islands, gail chmura, garbage mounds, human artifacts, margo schwadron, maria theresia, marshes, nesting site, panthers, perched carbonate layer, prehistoric humans, shark river slough, south florida, tree island, water control systems, wildlife

SANTA FE, N.M.— Garbage mounds left by prehistoric humans might have driven the formation of many of the Florida Everglades’ tree islands, distinctive havens of exceptional ecological richness in the sprawling marsh that are today threatened by human development.

Tree islands are patches of relatively high and dry ground that dot the marshes of the Everglades. Typically a meter (3.3 feet) or so high, many of them are elevated enough to allow trees to grow. They provide a nesting site for alligators and a refuge for birds, panthers, and other wildlife. (more…)

Study Finds That Overweight People Really Are Big-Boned

By Guest PostMarch 23, 2011Scienceforensic experts, forensic science, skeletal remains, unknown remains

One of the blind spots in forensic science, particularly in identifying unknown remains, is the inability of experts to determine how much an individual weighed based on his or her skeleton. New research from North Carolina State University moves us closer to solving this problem by giving forensic experts valuable insight into what the shape of the femur can tell us about the weight of an individual. (more…)

Yahoo! Introduces Search Direct – A Simpler Way to Find Answers Fast

By Guest PostMarch 23, 2011Technologybeta, digital media company, rich answers, search direct, shashi seth, web, Yahoo, yahoo content, Yahoo! Search

*New Yahoo! search technology adds immediate, rich media content, going beyond just links*

SUNNYVALE, Calif., March 23, 2011 – Yahoo!, the premier digital media company, today announced Search Direct, which delivers answers and direct access to websites before you complete a query, hit the search button, or go to a search results page. This search innovation supports Yahoo!’s strategy to fundamentally shift the way people experience the Web – by providing the richest, most integrated content faster and more efficiently.

This new feature, currently in beta, taps into Yahoo!’s unique opportunity to combine content and structured data and to provide a rich search experience. Search Direct predicts search results as fast as a person types, character by character, and presents those results dynamically, generating a fast, simple search experience that goes beyond a list of blue links. Search Direct rolls out in a public beta to Yahoo! users across the U.S. today, and will be available in other Yahoo! products and markets later this year. (more…)

Q&A: Seeking “Real World” Solutions to Global Poverty

By Guest PostMarch 23, 2011Economybehavioral economics, brick and mortar, combat poverty, dean karlan, development economists, gates foundation, ghana, global poverty, innovations for poverty action, ipa, jacob appel, jordan goldberg, malawi, Mali, microcredit, microfinance, mobile money, uganda, wealthy nations, yale economist

In discussions of how best to solve global poverty, helping the 3 billion people living on less than $2.50 per day, development economists tend to fall into one of two camps.

One camp claims that wealthy nations contribute too few dollars to combat poverty. The other camp counters that money doesn’t guarantee poverty alleviation, and points to the $2.3 trillion spent in foreign aid over the past 50 years as evidence that throwing money at the problem won’t solve it. Despite their differences, both groups agree that some types of development interventions work better than others. (more…)

Introducing Amazon Appstore for Android

By Guest PostMarch 22, 2011Technology1-click payment, Amazon, amazon appstore, android phone, angry birds, angry birds rio, appstore for android, mikael hed, paul ryder, rovio, test drive, Twentieth Century Fox, web browser

*Customers Can Try Apps Before They Buy with New Test Drive Feature*

*Angry Birds Rio for Android Available Exclusively in the Amazon Appstore–Free for a Limited Time*

SEATTLE, Mar 22, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Amazon.com, Inc. today announced the launch of the Amazon Appstore for Android at www.amazon.com/appstore. Customers can now find, discover – test! – and buy Android apps using the convenient shopping experience that Amazon customers know and love. An innovative new feature called “Test Drive” will enable customers to test apps on a simulated Android phone. Customers control the app through their computer using a mouse.

“Test Drive lets customers truly experience an app before they commit to buying. It is a unique, new way to shop for apps,” says Paul Ryder, vice president of electronics for Amazon.com. “Our customers have told us that the sheer number of apps available can make it hard to find apps that are high quality and relevant to them. We’ve spent years developing innovative features that help customers discover relevant products. By applying these features – plus new ones like Test Drive – we’re aiming to give customers a refreshing app shopping experience.” (more…)

A Dose of Safflower Oil Each Day Might Help Keep Heart Disease at Bay

By Guest PostMarch 22, 2011Health, Scienceabdominal fat, adiponectin, cardiovascular disease, cholesterol, diabetes, glycemic control, inflammation, insulin sensitivity, linoleic acid, lipid control, metabolic syndrome, omega-3 pufas, omega-6 pufas, postmenopausal, safflower oil, triglycerides

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A daily dose of safflower oil, a common cooking oil, for 16 weeks can improve such health measures as good cholesterol, blood sugar, insulin sensitivity and inflammation in obese postmenopausal women who have Type 2 diabetes, according to new research.

This finding comes about 18 months after the same researchers discovered that safflower oil reduced abdominal fat and increased muscle tissue in this group of women after 16 weeks of daily supplementation.

This combination of health measures that are improved by the safflower oil is associated with metabolic syndrome, a cluster of symptoms that can increase risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. (more…)

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