The self-repairing machine could keep mission-critical systems working.
Computer scientists have created a revolutionary new computer that can reprogram itself if it finds a fault. The computer mimics the randomness found in nature and can instantly recover from crashes by repairing corrupted data.
Continue reading… “A revolutionary new computer that never crashes”
The “Irrelevant Sound Effect”, is all about the way background sounds can interfere with our short-term memory.
A lot of people like to listen to music while they work. Previous research suggests this is probably not a bad thing. In lab studies, people who listen to music they like, generally perform better at mental tasks afterwards, an effect that’s been attributed to boosts in mood and arousal.
Continue reading… “Music we like is more distracting than music we don’t like”
The Doctor in Doctor Who holds a sonic screwdriver.
We previously explored how science fiction movies, books, games and more inspire the technology we use today. So, what about the future? What great inventions from science fiction are in our future? What if you could ride around town in your very own landspeeder, or travel the world by simply standing on your very own teleporter pad and telling it where to send you?
Here’s a list of the top 10 most promising up and coming technological inventions inspired by science fiction.
Are plants aware?
Are plants aware? In the new book, ‘What a Plant Knows,” Daniel Chamovitz argues that a plant can see, smell and feel. It can mount a defense when under siege, and warn its neighbors of trouble on the way. A plant can even be said to have a memory. But does this mean that plants think — or that one can speak of a “neuroscience” of the flower? Chamovitz answered questions from Mind Matters editor Gareth Cook.
Continue reading… “Plants can see, smell, feel and remember but can they think?”
Daydreaming can make you smarter.
You probably won’t make it all the way through this article without thinking about something else. In fact, studies have found that our minds are wandering half the time, drifting off to thoughts unrelated to what we’re doing — did I remember to turn off the light? What should I have for dinner?
Continue reading… “People who daydream have sharper brains”
Our brains are being boggled by Google.
Our main source of memory is coming from the internet instead of our own brains, a study has concluded. In the age of Google, our minds are adapting so that we are experts at knowing where to find information even though we don’t recall what it is.
Continue reading… “Internet is our main source of memory instead of our own brains”
Sleeping on a problem makes them more upsetting.
Unpleasant experiences stay more upsetting if we sleep immediately after the event than if we digest the memory while still awake, researchers have found.
Memorizing 25,000 city streets balloons the hippocampus.
Streets in Manhattan are arranged in a user-friendly grid. Twenty dministrative districts, or arrondissements, form a clockwise spiral around the Seine in Paris. London is a different story. A map of its streets looks more like a tangle of yarn that a preschooler glued to construction paper than a metropolis designed with architectural foresight. Yet London’s taxi drivers navigate the smoggy snarl with ease, instantaneously calculating the swiftest route between any two points.
Continue reading… “London taxi drivers’ brains grow to navigate London’s streets”
Exercise benefits the brain.
Scientists in Ireland recently asked a group of sedentary male college students to take part in a memory test followed by strenuous exercise to learn more about how exercise affects the brain.
Continue reading… “How exercise strengthens the brain”
‘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.
Google holds a doodling contest for kids every year.
Google has a yearly doodling contest for kids ages k-12. Why shouldn’t teachers encourage kids to doodle while in class? Well, there seems to be a method for this madness and educational researchers from three Australian universities have shared their studies in the August 26, 2011 journal Science.
Continue reading… “Doodling may help students learn science”
The study found that women get more scared than men during horror films.
Have you ever wondered why some women get scared watching horror films while most men stay calm? It’s actually their brains which make females more likely to be terrified by the flicks, a new study has claimed.
Continue reading… “Why women get more scared watching horror movies than men”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.