An open forum for BIO365R
Posted in Perception, Somatosensory, Techniques, Uncategorized on Nov 3rd, 2009
Carbonation is an important quality of favorite drinks like beer and soda. In addition to the feel of bubbles bursting on the tongue, the flavor of CO2 adds to the fizz experience. Researchers have just identified the taste cells and a membrane-bound receptor responsible for tasting CO2. Using genetically-engineered mice that lack one [...]
Posted in Somatosensory on Oct 14th, 2009
For more than 100 years we have known of the “fifth” taste- that savoury numminess that is found in protein-rich foods. But we have not been able to define the specific receptor to the core of that flavour: glutamate. Many of the GPCR’s in taste buds are activated by amino acids [...]
Posted in Techniques, Vision on Oct 14th, 2009
(submitted by AJ) Colour blindness can cause mild perturbation in a person’s daily life, but there are cases where it has led to fatal mistakes. However, there are degrees to colour blindness, and many are unaware that they are failing to see certain hues at all. Mark Twain and Bill Clinton [...]
Posted in Addiction, Channels, Drugs, Memory on Jun 24th, 2009
Some of you have mastered the art of cramming for exams. But what really happens when we store a thought for a very short period of time? What are memories made of? We’ve come a long way in our understanding since Dean Martin’s 1955 hit song. After looking at single neurons in the prefrontal cortex [...]
Posted in Perception, Vision on Jun 24th, 2009
Do these lines look like they extend away from you at different angles? Actually, they’re exactly the same. You brain is fooling you…again! For more information and a few other examples of this illusion, click here.
Still trust your perception? Maybe this will change your mind. Here is the 2009 winner of the Best Visual Illusion [...]
CBS is not typically a good source for science articles, but this is a very nice read on the science of sleep. They mention some of the aspects that we talked about in class- the need for sleep, how it affects learning and memory, and perhaps most importantly, the link between sleep and attention. [...]
Posted in Cortex, Pain, Perception, Techniques on Apr 24th, 2008
A recent article in Scientific American describes one of the treatments for patients experiencing phantom limb pain. One solution mentioned was to thrust a screw driver into the apparent trouble spot. The amputee would place his prosthetic leg where his own leg used to be, and stab at it with his screwdriver. [...]
Here is a short NPR broadcast in which AJ describes her experiences with her near “perfect” memory. She can remember near everything that has happened to her, but has a poor capacity to remember facts and even historical events. A key component to her memory is the emotional content in her memories, and [...]
Posted in Perception, Vision on Jan 23rd, 2008
Magicians exploit the fact that we often don’t pay attention to what is going on around us. Even though our eyes take in everything and faithfully report what they see, the brain simply must choose what to focus on. There is too much out there to take it all in and process it. [...]
Posted in Drugs on Dec 14th, 2007
Despite what you might think, a little bit of caffeine can help you study, but a lot of caffeine will just ruin your memory. Moderate amounts of caffeine have been shown to increase spine density in hippocampal neurons. These are only in vitro studies, but I suspect that students are conducting their own [...]
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Channel N – brain science videocasts Mind Hacks