As I prepare for the APS Convention towards the close of this month, I am reminded of the farsighted wisdom of William James on instructing teaching and research in Psychology.
Psychology is a hub science(TM)
Here is what we are reading today:
“Dr. Kim Dong of Houston’s Memorial Hermann hospital performed a brain tumor resection surgery on a young adult patient Wednesday morning. The operation was a routine one for him, but this time it came with a catch: His every move was live tweeted by hospital staff, with graphic photos and video posted to Twitter and other platforms along the way.”
“Despite the fact that forgetting is normal, exactly how we forget—the molecular, cellular, and brain circuit mechanisms underlying the process—is poorly understood.
Now, in a study that appears in the May 10, 2012 issue of the journal Neuron, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have pinpointed a mechanism that is essential for forming memories in the first place and, as it turns out, is equally essential for eliminating them after memories have formed.”
“…Unfortunately, in the academic world—where much of today’s scientific innovation takes place—researchers are encouraged to maintain the status quo and not “rock the boat.” This mentality is pervasive, affecting all aspects of scientific research from idea generation to funding to the training of the next generation of scientists.”
“”Santino,” a male chimpanzee at Furuvik Zoo in Sweden, is devising increasingly complex attacks against zoo visitors.
At first Santino was famous for throwing rocks and other projectiles at visitors who annoyed him. Now he has improved his technique, which requires spontaneous innovation for future deception. Researcher Mathias Osvath, lead author of a paper about Santino in PLoS ONE, explained what the clever chimp did:
“After a visitor group had left the compound area, Santino went inside the enclosure and brought a good-sized heap of hay that he placed near the visitor’s section, and immediately after that he put stones under it,” Osvath said.”
“Fido’s expressive face, including those longing puppy-dog eyes, may lead owners to wonder what exactly is going on in that doggy’s head. Scientists decided to find out, using brain scans to explore the minds of our canine friends.
The researchers, who detailed their findings May 2 in the open-access journal PLoS ONE, were interested in understanding the human-dog relationship from the four-legged perspective.”
“Since about 2,000 years ago (fewer than 100 generations), the human population has experienced an explosive growth after 8,000 years of moderate exponential growth.
This recent accelerated growth has created more genetic mutations and rare gene variants, which may play a role in boosting the risks of complex diseases in which genes play a role, say Cornell researchers in the May 11 issue of the journal Science.”
“The website offers a new way for people to learn more about how the brain works, how it drives thought and behavior, and its role in brain diseases and disorders. In this welcome message, Nicholas Spitzer, inaugural BrainFacts.org editor-in-chief, distinguished professor of biology at the University of California, San Diego, and co-director of the UCSD Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind, talks about this new opportunity to reach people.”
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6 Comments
christucker · May 11, 2012 at 7:12 pm
“tweeting live brain surgery!”
Wow, I cannot believe that twitter is actually being used to publically display brain surgery. I have mixed feelings about this. I think it is incredible that we have the technology to share a live recording of a brain surgery with the internet world. This can inspire aspiring kids to study hard to one day become brain surgeons. On the other hand, I feel that this is going very far in sharing privacy. I don’t know if they got the patient’s consent (I’m almost 100% sure they did) but something here just doesn’t feel right to me. This is still a serious condition that is being treated and it feels like it’s turning into a reality show or a drama. A tumor is still a tumor and this kind of approach to it seems like it is making it into a show and possibly cutting out its seriousness.
LyudmilaFeldsher · May 12, 2012 at 2:39 pm
I actually read the article about tweeting brain surgery. This is crazy!! I’ve always been curious about neurosurgery and what goes on and the fact that there is a step by step process available through twitter is really cool. Every photograph and description is amazing. More surgeons should do this.
nicoleboughton · May 15, 2012 at 2:09 am
Dr. Freberg, I just heard the webinar by your authoring partner, John Cacioppo! What a wonderful and informative survey of your journey over the last decade! Huge Congratulations on your accomplishment! I think the integration of the historical and present day technologies in this ever expanding field is brilliant. I think I should take intro to psych all over again!!! Rock Chicago!
Laura Freberg · May 15, 2012 at 12:47 pm
Thanks so much, Nicole. It has truly been an honor to work with John.
mpakele · May 16, 2012 at 8:48 pm
The article “Reading a dogs thoughts” was really interesting! It’s crazy to think that this is the first time we have ever gotten an image of a dog’s brain that wasn’t sedated. The results about the same reward center as a human lighting up is exactly what I would expect they would find, but it is still very cool to now have the science to back it up. It is no surprise that dogs pay very close attention to human signals, but through research it will be interesting to see just how much they understand. I agree that dogs and humans share a special bonded relationship, and I think this is the beginning of research that can further explain this bond.
kdevlugt · May 29, 2012 at 9:59 pm
“tweeting live brain surgery!”
I can’t believe that I just watched real brain surgery, through twitter. I’m delighted and totally grossed out!
At iFixit we do live teardowns of new electronic devices, like the iPad, pulling it apart and showing people that’s inside. BUT THIS, this is a whole different level. On one hand, it seems to cheapen the idea of surgery by bringing to the level of #JustinBieber<3Selena. But that's my only protest. This is an amazing educational tool and an opportunity for the layman to ask an expert questions, in a "relaxed" environment, about a complicated process happening before their eyes.
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