//www.koonmotors.com/news/strange_offbeat/mind_brain/ Quirky stories from ScienceDaily's Mind & Brain section. en-us Sun, 10 Sep 2023 22:55:48 EDT Sun, 10 Sep 2023 22:55:48 EDT 60 //www.koonmotors.com/images/scidaily-logo-rss.png//www.koonmotors.com/news/strange_offbeat/mind_brain/ For more science news, visit ScienceDaily. //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/09/230906143433.htm Football players sometimes choose jerseys with lower numbers thinking that they'll look slimmer and faster. There's a scientific basis for that belief, according to a new study. In two experiments, volunteers consistently said that images of players in jerseys numbered 10 to 19 looked thinner than players in jerseys numbered 80 to 89, even when the bodies were the same size. The finding suggests that people's previously learned associations between numbers and sizes influence their perceptions of body size. Wed, 06 Sep 2023 14:34:33 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/09/230906143433.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230831121707.htm A soft ball designed to support mental health by 'personifying' breath has been invented by a computer science student. Thu, 31 Aug 2023 12:17:07 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230831121707.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230830130817.htm Researchers used wireless neural recording and imaging devices to 'listen in' on the hippocampal brain activity of groups of Egyptian fruit bats as they flew freely within a large flight room. The researchers were surprised to find that, in this social setting, the bat's 'place' neurons encoded not only the animal's location, but also information about the presence or absence of other bats, and even the identity of bats in their path. Wed, 30 Aug 2023 13:08:17 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230830130817.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230823122623.htm Researchers make progress in developing a digital biomarker that detects early signs of Alzheimer's disease in brainwave patterns using a simple 'wearable' headband at night. Wed, 23 Aug 2023 12:26:23 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230823122623.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230823122530.htm Researchers have developed a brain-computer interface (BCI) that has enabled a woman with severe paralysis from a brainstem stroke to speak through a digital avatar. Wed, 23 Aug 2023 12:25:30 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230823122530.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230815151112.htm For those with neurological or developmental disorders compromising speech, brain machine interfaces could help them communicate. But today's interfaces are slow and, from electrodes placed on the scalp, can detect letters only. The speech generated is robotic and affectless. Neuroscientists have now shown that they can reconstruct the song a person is hearing from brain recordings alone, holding out the possibility of reconstructing not only words but the musicality of speech, which also conveys meaning. Tue, 15 Aug 2023 15:11:12 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230815151112.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230809130726.htm Researchers have developed a technique for simultaneously measuring electrical signals from 128 areas of the brain in awake rats. They have then used the information to measure what happens to the neurons when the rats are given psychedelic drugs. The results show an unexpected and simultaneous synchronization among neurons in several regions of the brain. Wed, 09 Aug 2023 13:07:26 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230809130726.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230801105016.htm Para-cresol强是一种芳香族化合物horse stable-like odor. It contributes to the off-flavor of some foods, but it is also detectable as a characteristic odorant in whiskey and tobacco, as well as in the urine of various mammals. A research team has now discovered which odorant receptor humans use to perceive para-cresol. Tue, 01 Aug 2023 10:50:16 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230801105016.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230731122233.htm Using hundreds of entries from the New Yorker magazine's Cartoon Caption Contest as a testbed, researchers challenged AI models and humans with three tasks: matching a joke to a cartoon; identifying a winning caption; and explaining why a winning caption is funny. Mon, 31 Jul 2023 12:22:33 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230731122233.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230731110750.htm The artificial intelligence language model GPT-3 performed as well as college students in solving certain logic problems like those that appear on standardized tests. The researchers who conducted the experiment write that the results prompt the question of whether the technology is mimicking human reasoning or using a new type of cognitive process. Solving that question would require access to the software that underpins GPT-3 and other AI software. Mon, 31 Jul 2023 11:07:50 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230731110750.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230728113403.htm To study play behaviors in animals, scientists must be able to authentically simulate play-conducive environments in the laboratory. Animals like rats are less inclined to play if they are anxious or restrained, and there is minimal data on the brain activity of rats that are free to play. After getting rats comfortable with a human playmate, tickling them under controlled conditions, then measuring the rats' squeaks and brain activity, a research team reports that a structure in rat brains called the periaqueductal gray is essential for play and laughter. Fri, 28 Jul 2023 11:34:03 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230728113403.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230725171940.htm Shifting from a high-pressure mindset to a curious one improves people's memory, finds new research. Study participants pre-meditating a robbery in a virtual art museum remembered more paintings than those executing the heist in-the-moment. The new findings may help address many real-world problems such as promoting vaccine uptake and climate change action, as well as inspiring new treatments for psychiatric disorders. Tue, 25 Jul 2023 17:19:40 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230725171940.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230710180451.htm Silence might not be deafening but it's something that literally can be heard, concludes a team of philosophers and psychologists who used auditory illusions to reveal how moments of silence distort people's perception of time. Mon, 10 Jul 2023 18:04:51 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230710180451.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230705154051.htm New research suggests artificial intelligence can match the top 1% of human thinkers on a standard test for creativity. Wed, 05 Jul 2023 15:40:51 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230705154051.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/06/230620113739.htm New research has revealed everyone's brain has a 'pain fingerprint' that varies from person to person. Tue, 20 Jun 2023 11:37:39 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/06/230620113739.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/06/230615183202.htm Scientists have discovered human brain signals traveling across the outer layer of neural tissue that naturally arrange themselves to resemble swirling spirals. Thu, 15 Jun 2023 18:32:02 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/06/230615183202.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/06/230615183122.htm Numerous visual illusions are caused by limits in the way our eyes and visual neurones work -- rather than more complex psychological processes, new research shows. 星期四,2023年6月15日18:31:22美国东部时间 //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/06/230615183122.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/06/230608120857.htm A study looking at how the human brain reacts to traveling outside Earth's gravity suggests frequent flyers should wait three years after longer missions to allow the physiological changes in their brains to reset. Thu, 08 Jun 2023 12:08:57 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/06/230608120857.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/06/230606111647.htm A research team recently invented a novel, wireless, skin-interfaced olfactory feedback system that can release various odours with miniaturized odor generators (OGs). The new technology integrates odors into virtual reality (VR)/augmented reality (AR) to provide a more immersive experience, with broad applications ranging from 4D movie watching and medical treatment to online teaching. Tue, 06 Jun 2023 11:16:47 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/06/230606111647.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/06/230601160232.htm Scientists have identified the neurons that are activated when perceiving others, as well as the neurons that represent value information associated with others in the CA1 region of the hippocampus using a novel social recognition experiment. Thu, 01 Jun 2023 16:02:32 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/06/230601160232.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/05/230531150131.htm 超过一个世纪,researchers have thought that the patterns of brain activity that define our experiences, hopes and dreams are determined by how different brain regions communicate with each other through a complex web of trillions of cellular connections. Now, a study has examined more than 10,000 different maps of human brain activity and found that the overall shape of a person's brain exerts a far greater influence on how we think, feel and behave than its intricate neuronal connectivity. Wed, 31 May 2023 15:01:31 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/05/230531150131.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/05/230525141526.htm As robots assume more roles in the world, a new analysis reviewed research on robot rights, concluding that granting rights to robots is a bad idea. Instead, the article looks to Confucianism to offer an alternative. Thu, 25 May 2023 14:15:26 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/05/230525141526.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/05/230501164006.htm Neuroscientists discovered anatomical changes that occur in the white matter of visual-processing areas of the brain, in children who have congenital cataracts surgically removed. Mon, 01 May 2023 16:40:06 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/05/230501164006.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/04/230426103811.htm Scientists found parallels between the neural circuitry that guides locomotion in sea slugs and in more complex animals like mammals. Wed, 26 Apr 2023 10:38:11 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/04/230426103811.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/04/230421195040.htm Scientists have demonstrated nanowire networks can exhibit both short- and long-term memory like the human brain. Fri, 21 Apr 2023 19:50:40 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/04/230421195040.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/04/230420135331.htm Marijuana (cannabis) is well known for giving people the 'munchies.' Not only does it make people want to eat more, but it also makes them crave the tastiest, most high-calorie foods. Now a new study shows that well-studied nematode worms (C. elegans) react to those chemicals known as cannabinoids in precisely the same way. Thu, 20 Apr 2023 13:53:31 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/04/230420135331.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/04/230417142405.htm Research with a unique, perhaps one-of-a-kind individual, shows that you can comprehend and use tactile language and metaphors without relying on previous sensory experiences. These findings challenge notions of embodied cognition that insist that language comprehension and abstract thought require direct memory of such sensations. Mon, 17 Apr 2023 14:24:05 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/04/230417142405.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/04/230410132157.htm Brain scans taken during table tennis reveal differences in how we respond to human versus machine opponents. Mon, 10 Apr 2023 13:21:57 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/04/230410132157.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/04/230404114216.htm 一种错觉涉及一个隐藏的拇指混淆帽uchin and squirrel monkeys for the same reason it does humans -- it misdirects expected outcomes of actions they can carry out. However, marmosets have five equidistant digits, and were rarely fooled by the magician. The research adds to evidence that animals struggle to predict movements outside of their own 'biomechanical ability'. Tue, 04 Apr 2023 11:42:16 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/04/230404114216.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/04/230403100311.htm A linguistic bias in the English language that leads us to 'improve' things by adding to them, rather than taking away, is so common that it is even ingrained in AI chatbots, a new study reveals. Mon, 03 Apr 2023 10:03:11 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/04/230403100311.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/03/230330102400.htm Artificial intelligence technologies like ChatGPT are seemingly doing everything these days: writing code, composing music, and even creating images so realistic you'll think they were taken by professional photographers. Add thinking and responding like a human to the conga line of capabilities. A recent study proves that artificial intelligence can respond to complex survey questions just like a real human. Thu, 30 Mar 2023 10:24:00 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/03/230330102400.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/03/230321112550.htm Researchers explore how anatomical variations in a speaker's vocal tract affect speech production. Using MRI, the team recorded the shape of the vocal tract for 41 speakers as the subjects produced a series of representative speech sounds. They averaged these shapes to establish a sound-independent model of the vocal tract. Then they used statistical analysis to extract the main variations between speakers. A handful of factors explained nearly 90% of the differences between speakers. Tue, 21 Mar 2023 11:25:50 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/03/230321112550.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/03/230315143836.htm Researchers report abnormalities in functional neural networks of dogs diagnosed with anxiety. The study shows that compared with healthy dogs, those with anxiety exhibit stronger connections between the amygdala and other regions of the anxiety network. The findings might also help reveal how functional connections between anxiety-related regions of the brain are altered in cases of human anxiety disorders. Wed, 15 Mar 2023 14:38:36 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/03/230315143836.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/03/230313215023.htm Great apes deliberately spin themselves in order make themselves dizzy -- findings which could provide clues about the role of altered mental states for origins of the human mind. Mon, 13 Mar 2023 21:50:23 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/03/230313215023.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/03/230309124944.htm Fast gamers are more intelligent: Intelligence can be predicted through virtual reality games. Thu, 09 Mar 2023 12:49:44 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/03/230309124944.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/02/230228075739.htm A 'biocomputer' powered by human brain cells could be developed within our lifetime, according to researchers who expect such technology to exponentially expand the capabilities of modern computing and create novel fields of study. Tue, 28 Feb 2023 07:57:39 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/02/230228075739.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/02/230223181803.htm The boundaries between biology and technology are becoming blurred. Researchers have now successfully grown electrodes in living tissue using the body's molecules as triggers. The result paves the way for the formation of fully integrated electronic circuits in living organisms. Thu, 23 Feb 2023 18:18:03 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/02/230223181803.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/02/230223132833.htm Sensing a hug from each other via the internet may be a possibility in the near future. A research team recently developed a wireless, soft e-skin that can both detect and deliver the sense of touch, and form a touch network allowing one-to-multiuser interaction. It offers great potential for enhancing the immersion of distance touch communication. Thu, 23 Feb 2023 13:28:33 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/02/230223132833.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/02/230221132157.htm About 25 woolly sheep who seasonally -- for the past two years -- leave barns to nibble on lawns at various central campus locations, are doing much more than mowing, fertilizing and improving the ecosystem. The sheep also are improving people's mental health. Tue, 21 Feb 2023 13:21:57 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/02/230221132157.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/02/230214153905.htm 科学家开发了一种低脂配方chocolate that can be printed on a 3D printer in pretty much any shape a person can conceive, including a heart. Tue, 14 Feb 2023 15:39:05 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/02/230214153905.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/02/230202112654.htm Researchers show that brain organoids -- clumps of lab-grown neurons -- can integrate with rat brains and respond to visual stimulation like flashing lights. Thu, 02 Feb 2023 11:26:54 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/02/230202112654.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230130103022.htm Researchers have combined low-power chip design, machine learning algorithms, and soft implantable electrodes to produce a neural interface that can identify and suppress symptoms of various neurological disorders. Mon, 30 Jan 2023 10:30:22 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230130103022.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230124192602.htm Humans retain an understanding of gestures made by other great apes, even though we no longer use them ourselves, according to a new study. Tue, 24 Jan 2023 19:26:02 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230124192602.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230112113201.htm Researchers have created the first highly mature neurons from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), a feat that opens new opportunities for medical research and potential transplantation therapies for neurodegenerative diseases and traumatic injuries. Thu, 12 Jan 2023 11:32:01 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230112113201.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230112113153.htm Researchers have created an artificial organic neuron that closely mimics the characteristics of biological nerve cells. This artificial neuron can stimulate natural nerves, making it a promising technology for various medical treatments in the future. Thu, 12 Jan 2023 11:31:53 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230112113153.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230112113143.htm Brain structures which could predict an individual's predisposition to accidental awareness under anaesthetic have been identified by neuroscientists. Thu, 12 Jan 2023 11:31:43 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230112113143.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230109112750.htm Students sometimes pull an all-nighter to prepare for an exam. However, research has shown that sleep deprivation is bad for your memory. Now, neuroscientists have discovered that what you learn while being sleep deprived is not necessarily lost, it is just difficult to recall. Together with his team, he has found a way to make this 'hidden knowledge' accessible again. Mon, 09 Jan 2023 11:27:50 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230109112750.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230105151355.htm Researchers describe a previously unknown component of brain anatomy that acts as both a protective barrier and platform from which immune cells surveil the brain for infection and inflammation. Thu, 05 Jan 2023 15:13:55 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230105151355.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230105151247.htm Brain-computer interface companies like Neuralink are in the news a lot these days for their potential to revolutionize how humans interact with machines, but electrodes are not the most brain-friendly materials -- they're hard and stiff, while brains are soft and squishy, which limits their efficacy and increases the risk of damaging brain tissue. A new hydrogel-based electrode developed at the Wyss Institute solves that problem by providing a tunable, conductive scaffold that human neurons and other cell types feel right at home in. Not only does the scaffold mimic the soft, porous conditions of brain tissue, it supported the growth and differentiation of human neural progenitor cells (NPCs) into multiple different brain cell types for up to 12 weeks. The achievement is reported in Advanced Healthcare Materials. Not only can the new electrode be used to study the formation of human neural networks in vitro, it could enable the creation of implantable devices that more seamlessly integrate with a patient's brain tissue, improving performance and decreasing risk of injury. Thu, 05 Jan 2023 15:12:47 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230105151247.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/12/221228130406.htm Taking Hong Kong's famous Peak Tram up to Victoria Peak offers stunning views of its central business district, Victoria Harbor, and the surrounding islands. But a team of international scientists has recently discovered that the trams winding journey provides a previously unrecognized situation where our vertical perception gets distorted. Wed, 28 Dec 2022 13:04:06 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/12/221228130406.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/12/221220165217.htm No matter how egotistical, power hungry or greedy the person is, many of us are still attracted to their dark side -- in part because we suspect some may have a redeeming quality. A recent study found that both adults and children more often reported that villains were inwardly good than that heroes were inwardly bad. Tue, 20 Dec 2022 16:52:17 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/12/221220165217.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/12/221215104536.htm Enhancing the virtual experience with the touch sensation has become a hot topic, but today's haptic devices remain typically bulky and tangled with wires. Researchers have now developed an advanced wireless haptic interface system, called WeTac, worn on the hand, which has soft, ultrathin soft features, and collects personalized tactile sensation data to provide a vivid touch experience in the metaverse. Thu, 15 Dec 2022 10:45:36 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/12/221215104536.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/12/221212140804.htm By breaking the laws of physics in a virtual reality environment, researchers find that changing the location of a virtual assistant's voice in specific ways can be used as a tool to build rapport with customers. Mon, 12 Dec 2022 14:08:04 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/12/221212140804.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/12/221209094732.htm Wearing a face mask can temporarily disrupt decision-making in some situations, a new study of chess players has found. The study analyzed almost three million chess moves played by more than eight thousand people in 18 countries before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and found wearing a mask substantially reduced the average quality of player decisions. Fri, 09 Dec 2022 09:47:32 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/12/221209094732.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/12/221205104150.htm Lying to another person to get the better of them in a financial negotiation might win you more money, but you are likely to end up feeling guilty and less satisfied with the deal than if you had been honest, according to new research. Mon, 05 Dec 2022 10:41:50 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/12/221205104150.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/11/221128161957.htm The surprising findings point to another possible role for oligodendrocyte precursor cells. 星期一,2022年11月28日16:19:57 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/11/221128161957.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/11/221125132137.htm According to a new study, fossils of a tiny sea creature with a delicately preserved nervous system solve a century-old debate over how the brain evolved in arthropods, the most species-rich group in the animal kingdom. Combining detailed anatomical studies of the fossilized nervous system with analyses of gene expression patterns in living descendants, they conclude that a shared blueprint of brain organization has been maintained from the Cambrian until today. Fri, 25 Nov 2022 13:21:37 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/11/221125132137.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/11/221123193702.htm A newly compiled dataset quantitatively captures witchcraft beliefs in countries around the world, enabling investigation of key factors associated with such beliefs. Wed, 23 Nov 2022 19:37:02 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/11/221123193702.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/11/221118160305.htm Researchers discuss how mimicking sleep patterns of the human brain in artificial neural networks may help mitigate the threat of catastrophic forgetting in the latter, boosting their utility across a spectrum of research interests. 星期五,2022年11月18日16:03:05 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/11/221118160305.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/11/221118114824.htm A mind-controlled wheelchair can help a paralyzed person gain new mobility by translating users' thoughts into mechanical commands. Researchers now demonstrate that tetraplegic users can operate mind-controlled wheelchairs in a natural, cluttered environment after training for an extended period. Fri, 18 Nov 2022 11:48:24 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/11/221118114824.htm