October 3, 2006, 9:28 PM CT

Williams Syndrome, The Brain And Music

Children with Williams syndrome, a rare genetic disorder, just love music and will spend hours listening to or making music. Despite averaging an IQ score of 60, a number of possess a great memory for songs, an uncanny sense of rhythm, and the kind of auditory acuity, than can discern differences between different vacuum cleaner brands.

A study by a multi-institutional collaboration of scientists, published in a forthcoming issue of NeuroImage, identified structural abnormalities in a certain brain area of people afflicted with Williams syndrome. This might explain their heightened interest in music and, in some cases, savant-like musical skill.

Professor Ursula Bellugi, director of the Laboratory for Cognitive Neuroscience at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies the central hub of this unique scientific alliance explains, "Understanding the connections between missing genes, the resulting changes in brain structure and function, and ultimately behavior may help us to reveal how the brain works".

The current study is just the latest chapter in a story that's been unfolding for quite some time gaining increasing momentum in recent years. It all started when Bellugi reached out across disciplines and assembled a team of experts under the umbrella of a Program Project from the National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development to help her trace the influence of individual genes on the development and functioning of the brain.........

Posted by: Tom      Permalink         Source

October 3, 2006, 8:54 PM CT

Can Math Professor Predict New York Yankees Victory?

The New York Yankees have better than a 3 in 4 chance of defeating the Detroit Tigers in their best of 5 series beginning tonight, said Bruce Bukiet, PhD, associate professor in the department of mathematical sciences at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT).

Bukiet's mathematical model, which was reported in the journal "Operations Research," computes the probability of a team winning a game against another team with given hitters, bench, starting pitcher, relievers and home field advantage.

In the other American League (AL) match-up, Bukiet said that the Minnesota Twins have a 71 percent chance of defeating the Oakland A's. "So, it looks as if the AL Championship series will have the Yankees facing the Twins," he added.

In the National League, the teams are more evenly matched. The Los Angeles Dodgers have a 58 percent chance of defeating the New York Mets, while the San Diego Padres have a 62 percent chance of defeating the St. Louis Cardinals.

Bukiet, an avid Mets fan, said that winning the first game can change a team's fortunes markedly. If the Mets win the first game, their chances of advancing increase from 42 percent to 62 percent. If the Cardinals win in the first game, their chances of winning, as per Bukiet, improve 38 percent to 57 percent.........

Posted by: Jim      Permalink         Source

October 3, 2006, 5:21 AM CT

Reintroducing Megafauna To North America

Dozens of megafauna (large animals over 100 pounds) such as giant tortoises, horses, elephants, and cheetah went extinct in North America13,000 years ago during the end of the Pleistocene. As is the case today in Africa and Asia, these megafauna likely played keystone ecological roles via predation, herbivory, and other processes. What are the consequences of losing such important components of America's natural heritage?

In the recent issue of The American Naturalist, a group of 12 ecologists and conservationists provide a detailed proposal for the restoration of North America's lost megafauna. Using the same species from different locales or closely related species as analogs, their project "Pleistocene Rewilding" is conceived as carefully managed experiments in an attempt to learn about and partially restore important natural processes to North American ecosystems that were present for millennia until humans played a significant role in their demise 13,000 years ago.

"Over the past 30 years, more and more evidence suggests that if we lose large animals from ecosystems, they often collapse and biodiversity, along with society, are the ultimate losers," says Josh Donlan (Cornell University). "For millions of years, large animals were the norm all over the world we should start thinking about reintroducing these large animals and restoring these important processes back to ecosystems".........

Posted by: Ashley      Permalink         Source

October 2, 2006, 9:55 PM CT

Theater In Maya Political Organization

Magnificent stone sculptures of Classic Maya culture (AD 250-900) have long fascinated archaeologists and the general public alike. But what did the scenes depicted in these monuments mean in their society? In an article to appear in the October 2006 issue Current Anthropology, Takeshi Inomata (University of Arizona) argues that these images usually show acts of public performance conducted by rulers, revealing the prominent role which state theater played in Maya political organization.

Analyzing plazas where a number of stone monuments are placed, Inomata suggests that extensive gathering places were a crucial concern in Maya city planning. The spaces were designed to accommodate all of, or a substantial part of, the entire kingdom's population.

Wearing ostentatious feathered headdresses and elaborate costumes, Maya kings danced in these large plazas in front of a large audience. These mass spectacles were occasions in which the general populace shared the experience of witnessing rulers engaged in culturally charged ritual performances, explains Inomata. However, this also meant that rulers were under constant evaluation by their subjects.

"Large-scale theatrical events gave physical reality to a community and helped to ground unstable community identities in tangible forms through the use of symbolic acts and objects," Inomata writes. "The centrality of rulers in communal events suggests that the identities of a Maya community revolved around the images of supreme political leaders. Large gatherings also gave the elite an opportunity to impose their ideologies and cultural values on the rest of society through performances".........

Posted by: William      Permalink         Source

September 28, 2006, 4:53 AM CT

The Last King of Scotland.

Michael Joshua Rowin opens Reverse Shot's round on The Last King of Scotland at indieWIRE: "What starts out as an awkward, wide-eyed bildungsroman and travelogue transforms (through more untamed verve than directorial precision) into a frantic, disorienting tragedy about the seduction of power, one that would make proud this film's not-so-unlikely pair of guardian angels, Joseph Conrad and Oliver Stone." Neither Keith Uhlich nor Nicolas Rapold agree.

From Greencine.........

Posted by: Gina      Permalink         Source

September 28, 2006, 4:46 AM CT

Mel Gibson Screens and Talks About Apocalypto

Anything new from Mel Gibson is news. Lately he has been very silent. Read this blog post the movie blog.

We haven't heard much from Mel Gibson over the last little while (for obvious reasons). As far as I'm concerned the guy should be in jail for risking killing people and himself for driving drunk. but oh well. the laws in North America are totally screwed when it comes to stuff like that. But now Mel is out and about again screening his new film Apocalypto, which I'm dying to see by the way.

Love or hate Mel Gibson, you have to admire a guy who puts his own neck and money on the line with his projects. He seems to do films these days that people love telling him won't work and that people will avoid seeing in the theaters. It's neat seeing a guy make his own movie, with his own money and have no one to answer to.........

Posted by: Gina      Permalink         Source

September 27, 2006, 9:27 PM CT

Finger Length Ratio May Predict Women's Sporting Prowess

The difference between the lengths of a woman's index and ring fingers may indicate her sporting prowess, suggests research published ahead of print in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

The finding supports other research indicating a possible link between this ratio and fertility, vulnerability to serious disease, intellectual ability, certain personality traits, and musical talent.

Most of the sporting research in this area has so far focused exclusively on men.

The researchers base their findings on x ray pictures of the right and left hands of 607 female twins, whose average age was 53. Most were right handed.

The second to fourth finger ratio was calculated by dividing the length of the index (second) finger by that of the (fourth) ring finger.

Study participants were also asked to rank their highest achievement in a wide range of individual and team sports, since the age of 11.

Participation levels were highest for swimming, cycling, tennis and running in descending order.

The association with finger ratio was highest for running, soccer, and tennis. The highest achievement in any sport was strongly linked to a low second to fourth finger ratio. Running ability was particularly associated with a low (male pattern) ratio.........

Posted by: Tom      Permalink         Source

September 27, 2006, 8:25 PM CT

Airbags, Antilock Brakes Not Likely To Reduce Accidents

Scientists have determined that airbags and antilock braking systems do not reduce the likelihood of accidents or injuries because they may encourage more aggressive driving, thwarting the potential benefits of such safety features.

The behavior responsible for this seeming paradox is called the offset hypotheses, which predicts that consumers adapt to innovations meant to improve safety by becoming less vigilant about safety, said Fred Mannering, a professor of civil engineering at Purdue University.

"When antilock brakes were first introduced, insurance companies noticed that the accident rates for those cars increased," he said. "We decided to see whether the offset hypothesis could explain this phenomenon".

The scientists analyzed motor vehicle data from the state of Washington over a five-year period beginning in 1992.

"We used that time period because that's when airbags started getting introduced very rapidly, and we wanted to track the same drivers over that time frame to see whether the new safety features reduced their accident and injury rate," Mannering said. "Our findings suggest that the offset hypothesis is occurring and that it is sufficient to counter the modest technological benefits of airbags and antilock brakes".

A research paper detailing the study's findings was published earlier this year in the Journal of Risk and Uncertainty. The paper was authored by Clifford Winston, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution; Vikram Maheshri, a doctoral student at the University of California, Berkeley; and Mannering.........

Posted by: Jim      Permalink         Source

September 26, 2006, 8:57 PM CT

Cars Of The Future

They looked incongruous as they pulled past the Chevrolets and Toyotas in East lot--an antique Stanley Steamer, a yellow-striped city bus, a motorcycle with a passenger seat made from a diner's counter stool, a tanker with a bucolic scene painted on the side and dozens more. In they rolled, horns honking amid the occasional deep "ooooh-gah" of the steam car's Klaxon.

The AltWheels caravan of 46 environmentally friendly vehicles had arrived at MIT's Stata Center amphitheater.

AltWheels--the second New England event of its kind--is an all-volunteer, multiday, multivenue event designed to raise public awareness of commercially available vehicles that provide alternatives to the gasoline-powered automobile.

"Even though the price of fuel dropped 20 cents, there's a need for this," MIT Chancellor Phillip L. Clay told the crowd of drivers, inventors and curious onlookers. "With Ford and others, MIT works hard with industry to advance fuel and energy research. This caravan represents the work of many at MIT".

John Heywood, director of the MIT Sloan Automotive Laboratory, said he's been involved in the automotive field "a long time, but it's never been this lively and exciting".

As the Hood blimp circled overhead, a crowd milled around the vehicles--some ordinary in appearance, others that seemed out of place on a city street. There was the Moonbeam, which Maine inventor Jory Squibb called "an experiment in resource-stingy transportation." A tiny three-wheeled contraption built from secondhand motorcycle parts, the Moonbeam gets up to 100 mpg, and Squibb uses it for 90 percent of his travel needs. Retired electrical engineer David K. Nergaard drove his circa-1890 Stanley Steamer, a steam-powered vehicle that attracted a covey of MIT students who peered at its parts as they puzzled out its principles.........

Posted by: Jim      Permalink         Source

September 26, 2006, 7:14 PM CT

Smallest Multimedia Computer

Nokia today introduced the Nokia N75, its smallest multimedia computer, offering digital music playback, quality photography, telephony and rich internet communication. The Nokia N75 provides a complete multimedia experience in a thin and elegant clamshell, while utilizing Nokia's renowned ease of use.

"By combining people's entertainment and leisure needs into the Nokia N75, Nokia is affecting the lifestyles of mobile device users in a positive way. With all its features and beautiful design, the Nokia N75 keeps your life connected and it's far easier and more enjoyable to just have one device to carry around, and still keep ahead of the game!" said Nigel Rundstrom, vice president of Multimedia Sales for Nokia in North America.

Soundtrack to your life

The Nokia N75 music experience excels even with the device closed. The digital music player has easy controls on the cover of the device, and the reflective 1.36" color cover display guides you to your music, which is always just a button press away. Supporting a multitude of different formats, including MP3, M4A, AAC, and WMA, the advanced digital music player includes an equalizer, playlist, shuffle and repeat features for a direct connection to compatible online music services. When you connect the Nokia N75 to your compatible PC, a mere tap on the music key acts as an instant link to music stored. The PC-mobile synchronization redirects your favorite tunes straight to the Nokia N75, which can store up to 1,500* individual tracks on an optional 2GB microSD card. In addition to playing downloaded music and ripped cds, the Nokia N75 also includes a stereo FM radio, allowing you to listen to your favorite talk or music radio stations through your compatible headphones or through the integrated 3D stereo speakers.........

Posted by: Tom      Permalink         Source