Is that your phone?

Is that your cell phone ringing? A neuroscience study conforms the human brain seems wired to hear familiar noises, such as a person's name or phone tone, faster than others.

Image from the cover of the current Journal Of Neuroscience depicts a mouse brain cell.

CAPTION

Society for Neuroscience

In the current Journal of Neuroscience, a team led by Anja Roye of Germany's University of Leipzig, tested familiar and unfamiliar ringtone recognition in 12 men and women wearing headphones and brain-wave-reading electroencephalograms.
"The analyzed evoked (electroencephalogram) responses were significantly increased for the personally significant sound," found the researchers.
The study volunteers recognized their own ringer about 40 microseconds sooner than unfamiliar ones. "When a stimulus matches a sound template currently held in short-term memory, i.e., the target sound, it may activate a network of distinct (brain) areas that give rise to a fast allocation of attention and trigger the associated motor-response," says the study. A similar mechanism may explain our ability to hear our own name called amid a din of conversation, the authors suggest.
Analyzing brain-wave patterns, the team suggests a "passive listening" network of brain cells reside in portions of the left side of the brain poised for familiar sounds. Asking volunteers to actively listen for familiar sounds also fired up a right-side part of the brain.
"In sum, this study provides evidence that incoming acoustic information is matched with existing memory templates representing the specific, personally significant, and behaviorally relevant stimulus," concludes the study.
In other words, we are always waiting for someone to call our name, and recognize it faster than anything else.

By Dan Vergano
Original Post

New Animals!

The Pinocchio frog and the world's smallest wallaby discovered in 'lost world'

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 8:37 AM on 18th May 2010


The world's smallest wallaby and a frog with a Pinocchio-like nose have been discovered in a remote mountain 'lost world'.
The remarkable array of new species - which also include a bat that feeds on jungle nectar, a 'gargoyle-like gecko' with yellow eyes, and a giant woolly rat - were discovered in Indonesia's Foja mountains.
The creatures were identified during a four-week survey of the rainforest wilderness by Conservation International.

The long-nosed tree frog is an entirely new species to science. It was discovered on a bag of rice at a campsite

The discoveries include several new mammals, a reptile, an amphibian and a dozen insects.
Among them were a new imperial pigeon and a tiny forest wallaby that is believed to be the smallest member of the kangaroo family documented in the world.
Conservation International said the frog's Pinocchio-like protuberance on its nose pointed upwards when it called - but leaned downwards when it was less active.
Amphibian expert Paul Oliver spotted the animal sitting on a bag of rice in the campsite from which the team were tracking species.
The Foja Mountains, classified as a national wildlife sanctuary, are in the Indonesian province of Papua on the island of New Guinea and encompass more than 300,000 hectares of pristine rainforest.

This wallaby is the world's tiniest known member of the kangaroo family. It was discovered by Kristofer Helgen of the Smithsonian Institution

Conservation International found this 'gargoyle-like' gecko with yellow eyes during a rapid survey

The international and Indonesian researchers also found a black and white butterfly related to the common monarch, a tree-mouse, a new flowering shrub and imperial pigeons with feathers that appear coloured rusty, whitish and grey.
The expedition in November 2008 is featured in the June edition of National Geographic magazine, with images of the new species captured by photographer Tim Laman.

This tree mouse is likely to be a new species and was discovered by Kristofer Helgen of the Smithsonian Institution

Wildlife discovered in Indonesia's Foja Mountains has included several new mammals such as a blossom bat

The discoveries were announced after it emerged governments had failed to meet targets to halt the loss of wildlife by 2010, which was designated the International Year of Biodiversity.
Bruce Beehler, senior research scientist at Conservation International and a member of the expedition team, said: 'While animals and plants are being wiped out across the globe at a pace never seen in millions of years, the discovery of these absolutely incredible forms of life is much-needed positive news.

This is a particularly colourful species of Imperial pigeon found in the region. The birds usually have a lighter head neck and belly and a darker back and wings

'Places like these represent a healthy future for all of us and show that it is not too late to stop the current species extinction crisis.'
Conservation International is hoping the documentation of the unique wildlife of the Foja Mountains will encourage the Indonesian government to boost long-term protection of the area.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1279090/The-Pinocchio-frog-worlds-smallest-wallaby-discovered-mountain-wilderness.html#ixzz0omM1QOYf

"50 things everyone should know how to do" challenge!

So here's the challenge: over this summer break you must complete all of the things on this list! Keep us updated as to how far you get! Whoever finishes them first gets a cookie! With no further ado here's the list!

1. Build a Fire – Fire produces heat and light, two basic necessities for living. At some point in your life this knowledge may be vital.

2. Operate a Computer – Fundamental computer knowledge is essential these days. Please, help those in need.

3. Use Google Effectively – Google knows everything. If you’re having trouble finding something with Google, it’s you that needs help.

4. Perform CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver – Someday it may be your wife, husband, son or daughter that needs help.

5. Drive a Manual Transmission Vehicle – There will come a time when you’ll be stuck without this knowledge.

6. Do Basic Cooking – If you can’t cook your own steak and eggs, you probably aren’t going to make it.
Edit:: this includes chocolate chip cookies (http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/specialty/nth-detail-occc.aspx) 

7. Tell a Story that Captivates People’s Attention – If you can’t captivate their attention, you should probably just save your breath.


8. Win or Avoid a Fistfight – Either way, you win.

9. Deliver Bad News – Somebody has got to do it. Unfortunately, someday that person will be you.

10. Change a Tire – Because tires have air in them, and things with air in them eventually pop.

11. Handle a Job Interview – I promise, sweating yourself into a nervous panic won’t land you the job.

12. Manage Time – Not doing so is called wasting time, which is okay sometimes, but not all the time.

13. Speed Read – Sometimes you just need the basic gist, and you needed it 5 minutes ago.

14. Remember Names – Do you like when someone tries to get your attention by screaming “hey you”?

15. Relocate Living Spaces – Relocating is always a little tougher than you originally imagined.

16. Travel Light – Bring only the necessities. It’s the cheaper, easier, smarter thing to do.

17. Handle the Police – Because jail isn’t fun… and neither is Bubba.

18. Give Driving Directions – Nobody likes driving around in circles. Get this one right the first time.

19. Perform Basic First Aid – You don’t have to be a doctor, or genius, to properly dress a wound.

20. Swim – 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered by water. Learning to swim might be a good idea.

21. Parallel Park – Parallel parking is a requirement on most standard driver’s license driving tests, yet so 
many people have no clue how to do it. How could this be?

22. Recognize Personal Alcohol Limits – Otherwise you may wind up like this charming fellow.
 
23. Select Good Produce – Rotten fruits and vegetables can be an evil tease and an awful surprise.

24. Handle a Hammer, Axe or Handsaw – Carpenters are not the only ones who need tools. Everyone should have a basic understanding of basic hand tools.

25. Make a Simple Budget – Being in debt is not fun. A simple budget is the key.

26. Speak at Least Two Common Languages – Only about 25% of the world’s population speaks English. It would be nice if you could communicate with at least some of the remaining 75%.

27. Do Push-Ups and Sit-Ups Properly – Improper push-ups and sit-ups do nothing but hurt your body and waste your time.

28. Give a Compliment – It’s one of the greatest gifts you can give someone, and it’s free.

29. Negotiate – The better deal is only a question or two away.

30. Listen Carefully to Others – The more you listen and the less you talk, the more you will learn and the less you will miss.

31. Recite Basic Geography – If you don’t know where anything is outside of your own little bubble, most people will assume (and they are probably correct) that you don’t know too much at all.

32. Paint a Room – The true cost of painting is 90% labor. For simple painting jobs it makes no sense to pay someone 9 times what it would cost you to do it yourself.

33. Make a Short, Informative Public Speech – At the next company meeting if your boss asks you to explain what you’ve been working on over the last month, a short, clear, informative response is surely your best bet. “Duhhh…” will not cut it.

34. Smile for the Camera – People that absolutely refuse to smile for the camera suck!

35. Flirt Without Looking Ridiculous – There is a fine line between successful flirting and utter disaster. If you try too hard, you lose. If you don’t try hard enough, you lose.

36. Take Useful Notes – Because useless notes are useless, and not taking notes is a recipe for failure.

37. Be a Respectful House Guest – Otherwise you will be staying in a lot of hotels over the years.

38. Make a Good First Impression – Aristotle once said, “well begun is half done.”

39. Navigate with a Map and Compass – What happens when the GPS craps out and you’re in the middle of nowhere?

40. Sew a Button onto Clothing – It sure is cheaper than buying a new shirt.

41. Hook Up a Basic Home Theater System – This isn’t rocket science. Paying someone to do this shows sheer laziness.

42. Type – Learning to type could save you days worth of time over the course of your lifetime.

43. Protect Personal Identity Information – Personal identity theft is not fun unless you are the thief. Don’t be careless.

44. Implement Basic Computer Security Best Practices – You don’t have to be a computer science major to understand the fundamentals of creating complex passwords and using firewalls. Doing so will surely save you a lot of grief someday.

45. Detect a Lie – People will lie to you. It’s a sad fact of life.

46. End a Date Politely Without Making Promises – There is no excuse for making promises you do not 
intend to keep. There is also no reason why you should have to make a decision on the spot about someone you hardly know.

47. Remove a Stain – Once again, it’s far cheaper than buying a new one.

48. Keep a Clean House – A clean house is the foundation for a clean, organized lifestyle.

49. Hold a Baby – Trust me, injuring a baby is not what you want to do.

50. Jump Start a Car – It sure beats walking or paying for a tow truck.

The original blog includes very helpful, how-to links if you're stuck on where to start! (click on the title to find it)  Ready, set, go!!!

bisous!

~Ara