Brain-training to improve memory boosts fluid intelligence

Brain-training efforts designed to improve working memory can also
boost scores
in general problem-solving ability and improve fluid intelligence,
according to
new University of Michigan research.

"Considering the fundamental importance of fluid intelligence in
everyday life
and its predictive power for a large variety of intellectual tasks and
professional success, we believe that our findings may be highly
relevant to
applications in education," U-M psychology researchers Susanne Jaeggi
and Martin
Buschkuehl concluded.

The research is detailed in this week's Proceedings of the National
Academy of
Sciences (PNAS).

New research shows consistency in synaesthetic experiences

A quirky psychological phenomenon known as "grapheme-color
synaesthesia"
describes individuals who experience vivid colors whenever they see,
hear, or
think of ordinary letters and digits. A hallmark of synaesthesia is
that
individuals seem to be idiosyncratic in their experiences. That is,
most
synesthaetes will consistently see the same colors accompanied with
specific
graphemes, but few of these experiences appear to be shared with other
synesthetes.

What are we talking about?

Many helpful Links and Video links at end of post.

http://lhcconcerns.com/

In May of 2008 the largest, most expensive scientific experiment, The Large
Hadron Collider will be completed. This mechanical behemoth located along
the French and Swiss border with a total estimated circumference of 17 miles
will be the most powerful particle accelerator in existence. The principal
behind a particle accelerator is that by speeding up the smallest elements
of matter and then colliding them together that they can be broken down
further into even smaller fundamental particles, just as Atoms were once
thought to be the smallest units, so then were Quarks(Up and Down),
Electrons, and Protons discovered.

The Large Hadron Collide is hoped to discover what is referred to as the
"Higgs Boson". Although a theoretical scalar particle theorized by Peter
Higgs in 1974, it is actually a member of the standard model, and it is
believed that the Higgs Boson is what gives matter "mass". To achieve the
observation of the Higgs Boson, the LHC will be smashing these Hadrons
(specifically Protons) together at speeds almost unimaginable to the average
person, at near c( .99999999 %% the speed of light).

From the Telegraph:

"
Albert Hofmann
Last Updated: 2:07AM BST 30/04/2008
Albert Hofmann, who died on Tuesday aged 102, synthesised lysergic
acid diethylamide (LSD) in 1938 and became the first person in the
world to experience a full-blown acid trip.

Albert Hofmann
The day, April 19 1943, became known among aficionados as “Bicycle
Day” as it was while cycling home from his laboratory that he
experienced the most intense symptoms.

Hofmann was working as a research chemist in the laboratory of the
Sandoz Company (now Novartis) in Basel, Switzerland, where he was
involved in studying the medicinal properties of plants. This
eventually led to the study of the alkaloid compounds of ergot, a
fungus which forms on rye.

Concrete examples don't help students learn math, study finds

A new study challenges the common practice in many classrooms of
teaching
mathematical concepts by using "real-world," concrete examples.
Researchers led
by Jennifer Kaminski, researcher scientist at Ohio State University's
Center for
Cognitive Science, found that college students who learned a
mathematical
concept with concrete examples couldn't apply that knowledge to new
situations.

But when students first learned the concept with abstract symbols,
they were
much more likely to transfer that knowledge, according to the study
published in
the April 25 issue of the journal Science.

NYT
April 29, 2008

Basics
Noble Eagles, Nasty Pigeons, Biased Humans

By NATALIE ANGIER

The other day I glanced out my window and felt a twinge of revulsion
delicately seasoned with indignation. Pecking at my bird feeder were
two brown-headed cowbirds, one male and one female, and I knew what
that meant. Pretty soon the fattened, fertilized female would be
slipping her eggs into some other birds’ nest, with the expectation
that the naïve hosts would brood, feed and rear her squawking,
ravenous young at the neglect and even death of their own.

NYT
April 29, 2008

Essay

A Great Pox’s Greatest Feat: Staying Alive
By MARLENE ZUK

The findings were hardly earth-shaking. They dealt with an obscure
bacterial infection found in an equally obscure group of natives in
Guyana. Nonetheless, they made headlines.

Why? Because the disease was syphilis. The new research suggested that
syphilis originated as a skin ailment in South America, and then
spread to Europe, where it became sexually transmitted and was later
reintroduced to the New World.

The origin of syphilis has always held an implied accusation: if
Europeans brought it to the New World, the disease is one more symbol
of Western imperialism run amok, one more grudge to hold against
colonialism. Sexually transmitted diseases have always taken on
moralistic overtones — they seem like the price of pleasure. We tell
ourselves that if we can just make everyone behave responsibly, we can
halt the attack.

338r

National Trust saves badgers but angers farmers· Officials question
case for killings in TB hotspots

http://tinyurl.com/5zvp3u
· Decision is blow to pilot scheme planned for Wales
James Meikle The Guardian, Monday April 28 2008 Article historyAbout
this articleClose This article appeared in the Guardian on Monday
April 28 2008 on p5 of the UK news section. It was last updated at
11:44 on April 28 2008.
A badger cub in its den. The National Trust said it would not
cooperate with culls unless they were backed with legal force.
Photograph: Steve & Ann Toon/Corbis

Officials at the National Trust say they do not plan to cooperate with
the forthcoming badger cull in Wales and others that may follow in
England, potentially creating a significant hurdle for the government.

In a move likely to infuriate some farmers, leaders of the 3.5
million-member organisation, which owns and manages large tracts of
land, say they do not believe there is a scientific case for killing
badgers in hotspot areas of cattle TB.

1. Everyone is religious.
Did you ever notice that people often give their opinions about
religion but then caveat it by saying, “But I’m not a theologian”?
Well, the truth is everyone’s a theologian. Some are more informed
theologians than others, but everyone has some set of religious
beliefs. If we define religion as someone’s explanation of ultimate
reality—the origin, operation, meaning, and destiny of all things—
then
everyone is religious, including atheists. While some people
devoutly
believe that God is the cause of all this, others are just as devout
in support of an atheistic explanation or that of some other
religious
worldview. Even those who are devoutly agnostic or indifferent have
taken a religious position. It’s not that they’ve never thought
about
an explanation for ultimate...

http://fish.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/french-theory-in-america-part-two/

great stuff