Lanuage Development in Infants

Thanks to Paul:

This article talks about how babies just over a year old are able to distinguish between language and non language sounds. Even though some can not speak yet, they can often interpret the meaning of the language being thrown at them. This may not seem that impressive seeing as babies learn to talk shortly after this period in their lives. However, the most exciting part of the study shows that these infants are using the same areas of the brain as a fully developed adult would. By the time a baby is first learning words, this area of the brain is already fully functional. This experiment was very similar to the one we looked at in class, where an MRI is used to look at which areas of the brain are associated with creativity. Scientists were able to use MRI's to determine that baby's use the same areas of the brain as adults to process language.

Ah, what is up with Time?

Thanks to Danny:

Time: the stubbornly persistent illusion

It is obvious but still worth mentioning that when we deal with time in physics, as with height and voltage, we are really dealing with the change in time. Robert Lanza, a Wake Forest University scientist, shares his thoughts on time, the mind, and immortality, with a little help from Emerson, Einstein, Hawking, and Zeno.

Spread of Epidemics

Thanks to Matthew:

Research Into Best Sleep Patterns

Thanks to Leah:
This video explores the amount of sleep humans need to experience
"complete wakefulness", something that modern day society seems to
work against. Our internal body clocks initially know the amount of
sleep we need to function to the best of our abilities, but we adjust
them to fit our schedules and our priorities. Studies have shown that
ideal sleep patterns for maximum wakefulness during the day do not
follow the normal patterns we observe (a chunk of sleep during the
night), but rather favor two different chunks of sleep per night, with
an hour or two of meditative quiet in between.

A Talk on One Way to Look at Complex Networks

Thanks to Anja:

Often when I am faced with a difficult problem, I find the best way to go about approaching it is to break down the complexity of it by highlighting each simple aspect. This is a really interesting video because it explains how the mind can make sense of complicated pieces of information. The best way to simplify something that appears harder than it is would be to start with what you already know. This video does a great job of explaining and applying this method.

Electric Cars Making Economic Sense

Thanks again to Alex F (he's on a roll!):
This is Shai Agassi's vision for electric cars to become practical and make economic sense by changing how we think about cars and the energy used to power them. He discusses a plan that is being implemented in Israel, Denmark, Australia, Hawaii, and the San Francisco Bay Area, and concludes that the choice we must make must be monumental, it must be an ultimatum--all or nothing--and it must be the correct moral choice.

Going wireless with Energy Distribution

Thanks to Alex F:
In this video Eric Giler shows off new technology from MIT that through the use of magnetic fields and resonance allows a wireless transfer of electrical power. This could revolutionize how our household electronics are used and potentially eliminate the necessity of batteries.

Creativity in Education? Not so much

Thanks to Judah:
This week in Psychology, we watched and discussed a TED talk by Sir Ken Robinson about creativity in our education system. Robinson argues that our current education system does not teach creativity in the way it should, rather teaching everyone to be university professors. In reality, very few of us will become university professors, and I completely agree that our system of educations must change. Everyone has their talents and some people do not need to learn to a test. However, in one sense Robinson is mistaken. Robinson does not acknowledge the necessity of creativity in a university professor’s life. Robinson does not communicate through his talk the idea that in order to innovate and in order to make the many scientific discoveries that those university professors make, the professors must be creative. The computer wasn’t invented by sticking to the same old ideas. Einstein would never have discovered relativity if he hadn’t been creative enough to think about what it would be like to travel at the speed of light. I doubt Robinsons disagrees with me, however in his talk he does not discuss this idea.

Robinson claims that, “All children are born artists, the problem is to remain artists as we grow up." I completely agree and I believe that we need to build that creativity instead of diminishing it. Parents have a tendency to tell kids to give up their dreams at early ages because they’re not realistic. I think as a society we need to change this mentality. If you’re good at dancing, then dance. If you’re good at singing, sing. This does not mean that if you’re good at math, you shouldn’t pursue it because it’s “not creative” (though I would argue it requires as much creativity as any other subject). Every subject is equally important. In a society where we have nearly 7 billion people, not everyone has to be the same. In 1000 years will people look back on us for only our technological advancements or will they look back on us for our art, music, theatre… etc. I think, as I’m sure Sir Ken Robinson does, that we have the potential to be remembered for all of that, and it will require a fundamental revolution in the way we value occupations and achievements.

Now what does this have to do with physics? I think that scientists also do not stress creativity in the way that they should. Just as Einstein used his imagination to become Time Magazine’s Man of the Century, so must we all. Scientists in any established field have thought of everything inside of the box. In order to make novel discoveries one must think outside of it. Science teachers today do not emphasize the importance of imagination. Discoveries in science align perfectly with Robinson’s definition of creativity, “the process of having original ideas that have value.” The problem with today’s students is that they see the “create” part of the definition, but don’t see what’s necessary to get there. No innovation has ever been made without a failed attempt beforehand. Everyone makes mistakes. Do you think Thomas Edison invented the light bulb on his first try? No, but he kept at it and got it right. Students today see everything as a grade where they have to get it right the first time. We need to radically change our system to discourage this mentality or creativity will die with the current generation.

The Brain on Jazz and Rap - How does the Brain do Creativity?

This is an interesting look at fMRI studies of the brains of musicians, both rap and jazz, who perform both learned, memorized music and improvised music. What is the difference in the brain when we step things up to the level of creative performance, such as improvisation in jazz or free-style rap? Check it out, as this is one of the initial studies into creativity and the brain.

Where the world is heading - An Economic Phase Transition from Hyperconsumption to Collaborative Consumption

I found this TED talk very interesting. One can certainly see a change in how people interact with each other due to the Internet and global wireless communications, and I think Rachel Botsman presents a strong argument for a phase transition from a hyperconsumption economy (I believe this term comes from Thomas Friedman) to a collaborative consumption model.