The Life Scientists

Jan Schnupp: "Neuroscientists have long believed that the brain works by translating aspects of the external world, such as spoken words, into patterns of electrical activity. But proving that this is true by showing that it is possible to translate these activity patterns back into the original sound – or at least a fair approximation – is nevertheless a great step forward." Experiments on 15 patients showed that a computer could decipher their brain activity and play back words they heard, though at times the words were difficult to recognise. Problem: distinguishing between words a person wants to say and thoughts they would rather keep private. Full article: http://dx.doi.org/10... - Adriano from Bookmarklet

The influenza A virus genome consists of eight single-stranded negative-sense RNA (vRNA) segments. Although genome segmentation provides advantages such as genetic reassortment, which contributes to the emergence of novel strains with pandemic potential, it complicates the genome packaging of progeny virions. Here we elucidate, using electron tomography, the three-dimensional structure of ribonucleoprotein complexes (RNPs) within progeny virions. Each virion is packed with eight well-organized RNPs that possess rod-like structures of different lengths. Multiple interactions are found among the RNPs. The position of the eight RNPs is not consistent among virions, but a pattern suggests the existence of a specific mechanism for assembly of these RNPs. Analyses of budding progeny virions suggest two independent roles for the viral spike proteins: RNP association on the plasma membrane and the subsequent formation of the virion shell. Our data provide further insights into the mechanisms responsible for segmented-genome packaging into virions. - Ami Iida

"What songwriting has to do with string theory. (...) The project began as a set of 26 songs, exploring the intersection of science and philosophy. Over the years, Bryanton began to see connections between his own ideas and scientific theories across quantum physics, multiple dimensions, and superstrings, including the “Many Worlds Theory” first advanced by physicist Hugh Everett III in 1957. In time, he developed a model of the universe based on the harmonics of superstring vibrations. Before launching into the additional dimensions, Bryanton also breaks down the familiar three. (...) A kind of scientific expressionism and creative exploration of curiosity, Imagining the Tenth Dimension might not rewrite the theories of Stephen Hawking, but it is certain to give you pause." - Amira from Bookmarklet

My brain's not dimensioned for thinking about this! - Eivind

See also: The Multiverse Has 11 Dimensions http://ff.im/NJxib - Amira

The influenza A virus genome consists of eight single-stranded negative-sense RNA (vRNA) segments. Although genome segmentation provides advantages such as genetic reassortment, which contributes to the emergence of novel strains with pandemic potential, it complicates the genome packaging of progeny virions. Here we elucidate, using electron tomography, the three-dimensional structure of ribonucleoprotein complexes (RNPs) within progeny virions. Each virion is packed with eight well-organized RNPs that possess rod-like structures of different lengths. Multiple interactions are found among the RNPs. The position of the eight RNPs is not consistent among virions, but a pattern suggests the existence of a specific mechanism for assembly of these RNPs. Analyses of budding progeny virions suggest two independent roles for the viral spike proteins: RNP association on the plasma membrane and the subsequent formation of the virion shell. Our data provide further insights into the mechanisms responsible for segmented-genome packaging into virions. - Ami Iida

"Research strongly suggests that people are more creative when they enjoy privacy and freedom from interruption. And the most spectacularly creative people in many fields are often introverted. (...) They’re extroverted enough to exchange and advance ideas, but see themselves as independent and individualistic. (...) Introverts are comfortable working alone — and solitude is a catalyst to innovation. (...) The New Groupthink has overtaken our workplaces, our schools (...) In one fourth-grade classroom I visited in New York City, students engaged in group work were forbidden to ask a question unless every member of the group had the very same question. (...) Privacy also makes us productive. (...) What distinguished programmers at the top-performing companies wasn’t greater experience or better pay. It was how much privacy, personal workspace and freedom from interruption they enjoyed. (...)" - Amira from Bookmarklet

"Brainstorming sessions are one of the worst possible ways to stimulate creativity. (...) Decades of research show that individuals almost always perform better than groups in both quality and quantity, and group performance gets worse as group size increases. (...) The one important exception to this dismal record is electronic brainstorming, where large groups outperform individuals;... more... - Amira

"Physics has definitely avoided what were traditionally considered to be foundational physical questions, but the reason for that goes back to the foundation of quantum mechanics. The problem is that quantum mechanics was developed as a mathematical tool. Physicists understood how to use it as a tool for making predictions, but without an agreement or understanding about what it was telling us about the physical world. And that’s very clear when you look at any of the foundational discussions. (...) Sean Carroll for example is very adamant about saying that time is real. You have others saying that time is just an illusion, that there isn’t really a direction of time, and so forth. I myself think that all of the reasons that lead people to say things like that have very little merit, and that people have just been misled, largely by mistaking the mathematics they use to describe reality for reality itself. If you think that mathematical objects are not in time, and mathematical... more... - Amira from Bookmarklet

"What people haven’t seemed to notice is that on earth, of all the billions of species that have evolved, only one has developed intelligence to the level of producing technology. Which means that kind of intelligence is really not very useful. It’s not actually, in the general case, of much evolutionary value. We tend to think, because we love to think of ourselves, human beings, as... more... - Amira

What a beautiful video! - Ken Morley

"More than 500 million years ago, single-celled organisms on Earth’s surface began forming multi-cellular clusters that ultimately became plants and animals. (…) The yeast “evolved” into multi-cellular clusters that work together cooperatively, reproduce and adapt to their environment—in essence, they became precursors to life on Earth as it is today. (…) How one-celled organisms made the switch to living as a group, as multi-celled organisms.” (…) Analysis showed that the clusters were not just groups of random cells that adhered to each other, but related cells that remained attached following cell division." - Amira from Bookmarklet

"That was significant because it meant that they were genetically similar, which promotes cooperation. When the clusters reached a critical size, some cells died off in a process known as apoptosis to allow offspring to separate. (...) “A cluster alone isn’t multi-cellular,” “But when cells in a cluster cooperate, make sacrifices for the common good, and adapt to change, that’s an... more... - Amira

"It’s important to note that more complex doesn’t necessarily mean better. (...) Evolution only leads to increases in complexity when complexity is beneficial to survival and reproduction. Indeed, simplicity has its perks: the more simple you are, the faster you can reproduce, and thus the more offspring you can have. Many bacteria live happy simple lives, produce billions of offspring,... more... - Amira

"Scientists' greatest pleasure comes from theories that derive the solution to some deep puzzle from a small set of simple principles in a surprising way. These explanations are called "beautiful" or "elegant". Historical examples are Kepler's explanation of complex planetary motions as simple ellipses, Bohr's explanation of the periodic table of the elements in terms of electron shells, and Watson and Crick's double helix. Einstein famously said that he did not need experimental confirmation of his general theory of relativity because it "was so beautiful it had to be true." Since this question is about explanation, answers may embrace scientific thinking in the broadest sense: as the most reliable way of gaining knowledge about anything, including other fields of inquiry such as philosophy, mathematics, economics, history, political theory, literary theory, or the human spirit. The only requirement is that some simple and non-obvious idea explain some diverse and complicated set of phenomena." - Amira from Bookmarklet

"We have no ways to directly observe molecules and what they do -- Drew Berry wants to change that. At TEDxSydney he shows his scientifically accurate (and entertaining!) animations that help researchers see unseeable processes within our own cells." - Amira from Bookmarklet

“It [writing] has enormous meta-cognitive implications. The power is this: That you cannot only think in ways that you could not possibly think if you did not have the written word, but you can now think about the thinking that you do with the written word. There is danger in this, and the danger is that the enormous expressive and self-referential capacities of the written word, that is, the capacities to keep referring to referring to referring, will reach a point where you lose contact with the real world. And this, believe me, is very common in universities. There’s a technical name for it, I don’t know if we can use it on television, it’s called “bullshit.” But this is very common in academic life, where people just get a form of self-referentiality of the language, where the language is talking about the language, which is talking about the language, and in the end, it’s hot air. That’s another name for the same phenomenon.” - Amira from Bookmarklet

"It was easy to get in. She just went there, jumped over the fence and got right into the heart of the complex through a series of tunnels and pipes, which was very surprising. After all, this is an active industrial installation that belongs to one of the top manufacturers of liquid-fuel rockets in the world. Their engines power the modern Soyuz, the Zenit 3SL, and the Angara and Baikal launch vehicles. Heck, their RD-180 engine powers the first stage of the Atlas V, an American rocket. More importantly, they have specially strong ties to the Russian military. And yet, she found nobody. No guards, no security. Nothing. Just a few CCTV cameras here and there in rooms packed with huge machinery. While some of these zones look decrepit and abandoned, the factory is active. In fact, the government is really pissed off about Lana's adventure. The authorities have sent her letters saying that her situation will get "much worse" if she keeps posting photos from the factory. But Lana doesn't... more... - The Real sofarsoShawn from Bookmarklet

The coolest part IMO is her Star Wars-like pics: "This shot is absolutely spectacular. It looks like an abandoned core in the Death Star." Click the link to embiggen, it rocks! http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets... - The Real sofarsoShawn

very cool - WarLord

"A Brief History of Time was Morris’s first film as a director-for-hire (he was recruited by Steven Spielberg for Amblin Entertainment), which created some difficulties, but Morris was pleased with the outcome. He later said, “It’s actually one of the most beautiful films I ever shot.” The film won the Grand Jury Prize for Documentary Filmmaking and the Documentary Filmmaker’s Trophy at the Sundance Film Festival. In 1992 Morris told the New York Times Magazine that A Brief History of Time was “less cerebral and more moving” than anything he had worked on before. “This feeling of time, of aging, of mortality combined with this search for the most basic and deep questions about the world around us and ourselves,” Morris said, “is pretty persuasive stuff.” http://www.openculture.com/2012... - Amira

To be honest have to admit I already knew that former #Mathlete's we rule:) - The Real sofarsoShawn

This one was a logistical nightmare, but we overcame it. - Graham Steel

"Celebrity claims have a particular kind of reach. They boast a large share of high-impact broadcast and social media followed by the longevity of weekly and monthly magazines which then float around indefinitely in doctors' waiting rooms. Once uttered, their views go viral and global, and it is hard to mount an effective response, especially on subjects like vaccine safety." - The Real sofarsoShawn from Bookmarklet

and Jonah's whale also spit too, sooo hate that, it's like make up your mind, what is it spit or swallow? And it's good for your skin ;) #ThingsStraightGuySayToGetChicksToSwallow - The Real sofarsoShawn

"If we think that humans have evolved as social learners, we might be surprised to find out that being social learners has made us less intelligent than we might like to think we are. And here’s the reason why. (...) I can choose among the best of those ideas, without having to go through the process of innovation myself. So, for example, if I’m trying to make a better spear, I really have no idea how to make that better spear. But if I notice that somebody else in my society has made a very good spear, I can simply copy him without having to understand why. (...) We like to think we’re a highly inventive, innovative species. But social learning means that most of us can make use of what other people do, and not have to invest the time and energy in innovation ourselves. (...) As our societies get larger and larger, there’s no need, in fact, there’s even less of a need for any one of us to be an innovator, whereas there is a great advantage for most of us to be copiers, or followers.... more... - Amira from Bookmarklet

Thanks for pointing this book, Ruchira! I still have in mind Malcolm Gladwell's "Outliers" - an interesting study of what determines the "success" and redefines the word "genius" (from a more sociological context). http://www.amazon.com/Outlier... - Amira