Today's 60 Second Science Podcast is brought to you by the Felco Pneumatic Pruning Shears (not for use on actual neurons):
Immune System Keeps Your Brain Tidy Too
Full transcript after the jump...
Continue reading 'Immune System Keeps Your Brain Tidy Too [podcast]' >
Dr. R. Quian Quiroga, of the University of Leicester Department of Engineering, is in your head. Actually his machines are just watching what's in your head. In 2005 he showed that specific neurons were fired when subjects were shown different pictures of Halle Berry or just letters from her name, but not for pictures of anyone else. (The test was apparently, and less excitingly, conducted with more mundane images, like that of the Sydney Opera House and other famous landmarks.) Now he's following up on that research and looking at those specific neurons to predict what the test subject is thinking.
Continue reading 'Scientists can read your mind. Stop thinking about Halle Berry.' >
As a kid, I was always terrible with the whole "Magic Eye" drawing thing. I used to sit at the little kiosk in the mall, guessing wrong answers until I drew a crowd. Once I couldn't hear my guesses over the laughter, I ran away to cry under the dress rack in Dillard's.
Maybe that's why I'm so pleased this Motion-Induced Blindness optical illusion works on me. While staring at the center dot, the three other points will simply disappear at different intervals before your eyes.
Continue reading 'Blind-spot optical illusion almost as fun as 'shrooms' >
Today's 60 Second Psych podcast is brought to you by free will:
Full transcript after the jump...
