‘Sleep memory’ is a new, previously undefined form of memory.
According to a study by researchers at Michigan State University, even after people have gone to bed for the night their brains can carry on processing information thanks to a “separate form of memory” that processes the day’s events.
A federal study concluded in 2008, certain states have higher incidence rates of sleeplessness than others.
Functioning on a few hours of sleep isn’t just miserable, it’s dangerous, as recent news has suggested. Several air-traffic controllers were caught sleeping on the job last month, prompting the FAA to fire a few. Recent studies have proven that sleep deprivation can make people more unethical, less attractive, and can weaken problem-solving skills.
Continue reading… “30 most sleep-deprived cities in the U.S.”
Art or not art?
Culture officials in Rome are mulling a ban on “living statues”, arguing that dressing up in costume and standing on the street to solicit spare change has no artistic merit.
“Living statues demonstrate no artistic activity, to the extent that they can’t be compared to mimes, and they amount to a veritable racket,” said Federico Mollicone, deputy culture chief in Rome’s mayorship…
Continue reading… “Rome considering ‘living statue’ ban”
Information is now moveable in the brain.
This is uncanny: A Tel Aviv University team lead by Professor Matti Mintz have developed a synthetic cerebellum that can receive sensory inputs from the brain, analyze them, and return information to other parts of the brain!
The device is now working in rats, and has effectively restored lost brain functions caused by damaged tissue. However, the most important thing is that this proves that brain-to-machine communication can work in a bi-directional way, with a machine getting information from the brain, analyzing it and then talking back to the brain. As Mintz puts it…
Continue reading… “Scientists can now extract, record and return information to the brain”
UBS trader Kweku Adoboli allegedly made unauthorized trades that cost the Swiss investment bank billions.
Financial traders are more uncooperative than psychopaths, and also that they have a greater tendency for lying and risk-taking, according to a new study from a Swiss University. The new research about financial traders and their personalities may shed some light on the behavior of Kweku Adoboli, the so-called “rogue” UBS trader who allegedly lost the bank $2.3 billion through unauthorized trading.
Continue reading… “Study: Financial traders are more reckless than psychopaths”
Having kids reduces a man’s risk of heart disease by 20%.
Having children could mean healthier hearts for men. A decade-long study of 135,000 men found that those who remained child-free had a higher risk of dying from heart disease than those who ‘sowed their oats.’ Men who had children reduced their risk of heart disease by 20%.
Continue reading… “Having children reduces a man’s risk of heart disease”
Nevada is a magnet for businesses seeking secrecy.
In Nevada, the business of registering businesses is booming and the consultants in this thriving industry, many who are former felons, are aiding companies in seeking to avoid liabilty and disclosure. But many of these consultants are former felons. All of this comes at a time when Washington is calling on other nations to enforce greater transparency of financial flows.
Continue reading… “Nevada’s big bet on ‘shell’ secrecy”
The free checking account will soon be gone.
According to a survey released by Bankrate.com only 45% of non-interest bank checking accounts are free, down from 65% in 2010 and 76% two years ago. Fees, meanwhile, are rising: The average monthly fee for a non-interest account is $4.37, up 75% from a year ago.
Continue reading… “Prepare to say goodbye to the free checking account”
When Go Play! announced a competition to design an innovative playground for 1,000 refugee children along the border of Thailand and Burma, Dutch designer AnneMarie van Splunter thought of old car tires. To be specific, she thought of a playground made entirely out of reused tires on a bamboo frame, made in the shape of a tree with expanding roots…
Continue reading… “Reused tires make a squid-like playground for refugee children”
Look at all the colors.
Want to see an enduring source of scientific dispute and perplexity? Go to your refrigerator, open a carton of eggs, and look at their speckles. Bird-egg coloration has been studied for more than a century. In a review in the Journal of Avian Biology, biologists Golo Maurer and Phillip Cassey present no fewer than seven possible explanations for eggshell color. Each focuses on how colors might shape an embryo’s fate by modulating sunlight hitting its shell…
Continue reading… “The purpose of bird-egg coloration”
Futurist Thomas Frey: As I’m writing this column, there are currently 466,302 mobile apps available for the iPhone and 512,542 mobile apps available to download on an Android phone.
Continue reading… “Introducing the Perpetual Self-Updating Book”
Incentive-based health programs can motivate people to change their behaviour.
Among insurance customers who were rewarded with lower premiums for keeping fit, those who added two gym visits to their weekly routine were 13 per cent less likely to go to hospital.
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.