...The brain is the most complex structure that is embodied in the nature of our universe. Millions and millions of neurons work together to make every human being different in the way they act, eat, and think. In this novel, Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain by David Eagleman, the neuroscientist digs deeper into the many nooks and crevices of the most powerful organ in the body. “Three pounds of the most complex material we’ve ever discovered in the universe. This is the mission control center that drives the whole operation, gathering dispatches through small portals in the armored bunker of the skull” (Eagleman 1). The many aspects of the brain allow Eagleman to venture through these ideas in his novel which all make an individual think how something so wondrous could...
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...“Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain”, by David Eagleman is a bestselling non-fiction book that divulges into questions we have always wondered. Throughout the book, the main question we explore is that considering we only have access to a very little portion to the brain, which we consider our conscious mind, what does the rest do? Eagleman answered this question in an understandable and mind-blowing way that made reading this book a wondrous experience. We always thought that our consciousness was what was really running the show, but through this book we realize that that could not be even more wrong. The rest of our brain that we cannot gain access too is what is really doing all the work. So many interesting points are made in this...
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...The Brain I chose to learn more about psychology and the advances made in neuroscience. I specifically read Carl Zimmer’s article in National Geographic called, “Secrets of the Brain.” I was able to learn about Van Wedeen’s research and the new technologies being used that are allowing us to discover more about how the brain actually works. It is a very interesting article because it is written first hand by Carl Zimmer, as he is being “experimented” on by Wedeen. Neurological discoveries are significant to me because I am able to expand my knowledge of the brain and apply these findings into my own life. Wedeen discovered a way to “grid” the brain by using a fMRI scanner. This scanner is able to trace white matter patterns in the brain, and therefore can record the brain as it is in action. This has “helped reveal networks involved in all manner of thought processes, recognizing faces, to enjoying a cup of coffee, to remembering a traumatic event,” Zimmer explains. The brain has always been a huge mystery to the scientific/medical community, so being able to understand a little more about how it works, signals, and organizes is a very big deal! Not only is it...
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...The video I watched was a lecture given by Carol Barnes about aging of the brain. The video was part of a special lecture for the Arizona University. There are many mysteries of the brain. This can date back all the way through history. One example is the Egyptian God Thoth. He was in charge of governing memory and wisdom. Aristotle believed new impressions remain in young age and the surface of the brain as we age is no longer. This makes me wonder if people in history were questioning the longevity of the brain why has it taken so long to understand the concept now? The idea can be very scientific but the common conception is when we are over 50 years we become senescent, which leads to being senile, and having dementia. Today we can contribute this idea to genetics, environment, and life style. The idea of diseases such as Alzheimer’s is based on a change in brain pathology. As we age there is change taking place in memory and learning, which does not mean you are senile or have a cognitive disease. There are many influences someone puts on themselves that can contribute to the decline in brain health. This includes smoking, using too much alcohol, and...
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...years ago females brains were very hard to study and most researches were examining males' brains only. Nowadays new technologies are available which helped revealing many brains secrets in both genders. This essay will explain how each sex differs from the other. The most important secret that scientists have brought to light is that males and females' brains are actually different in structure. Jill Goldstein (2001), student of Harvard medical school found that some parts of the frontal lobe are proportionately larger in females than males. More studies have showed that the limbic cortex is also larger in females than males and so is the hippocampus which has to be proven larger in females. On the other hand, Goldstein found out that males' brains have slightly larger brain areas than females such as: the parietal cortex. Furthermore, researches suggested that females' chances of getting depression are more than males. Maybe this is why females tend to experience pain more likely than males. A study started by Ann Murphy and Jeff Mogil says that this exact difference is due to the circuits each gender uses to block pain. However, these differences have affected medicine positively. It is now approved that certain medicines like Nalbuphine can suppress the pain in females while on testing it on males it could increase the pain. Scanning machines witnessed new improvements. Neuroscientists are now able to see what is really going on inside each gender's brain. All this is...
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...The secret dangers of Cell Phone Usage Introduction Cell phones are incredible pieces of innovation and they are used everywhere in the world for communication. According to statistical data, The International Telecommunication Union reported that there were 6.8 billion mobile phone users in 2013. The leading countries were China, India and the USA respectively. However, in recent years, there have been increasing reports on the health risks that users of cell phones are exposed to. The danger can be avoided if necessary measures are taken. The aim of this essay is to evaluate these health risks. Increases risk of poor vision Staring at the phone over a long period leads to poor vision among users due to exposure to blue-violet light that it produces. Also, the screens of these devices are usually smaller compared to those of computers; hence, users are more likely to strain and squint their eyes while reading messages or scrolling the phone’s features. Users using cell phone application features such as internet, Whatsapp, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram are at a high risk of acquiring eye problems due to prolonged periods of use. Brain damage According to recent research, long-term use of cell phones may lead to brain damage. This is because of extended exposure to electromagnetic radiation, which is absorbed by the brain tissue hence leading to acute brain damage. An individual suffering from brain damage usually has headache and poor memory. Use of earphones...
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...Increased Stress Most of us already know that stress damages your brain and body in numerous unpleasant ways. When the body is under stress, muscles tense. Muscle tension is fundamentally an automatic reaction to stress – it is your body's way of defending against pain and injury. Subsequently, lying contributes to your body’s stress level, as you do it so habitually throughout the day, you need to consider the long-term impact of your continuous lying on your overall health. The day-to-day damage isn't normally obvious, but it readily exists in the frequent health issues you will encounter throughout your life. With stress, your muscles tense up and release physical and chemical tension when the stress subsides. Chronic stress may cause muscles in your body to be in a relatively constant state of readiness...
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...Powerful Sleep – Secrets of the Inner Sleep Clock by Kacper M. Postawski, PowerfulSleep.com Copyright © 2004 PowerfulSleep.com All 1 Rights Reserved Powerful Sleep – Secrets of the Inner Sleep Clock by Kacper M. Postawski, PowerfulSleep.com Table of Contents Disclaimer: ________________________________________________________________5 Introduction _______________________________________________________________6 The Popular Myth about Sleeping ________________________________________________ 6 Recent “Eye Opening” Discoveries ________________________________________________ 7 How Much Sleep Do You Really Need? ____________________________________________ 7 The Mystery of Quality Sleep ____________________________________________________ 7 Chapter 1: Sleep Mechanics __________________________________________________9 What is Sleep, and Why Do We Sleep? __________________________________________9 Your Crash Course on Brain Waves ______________________________________________ 9 The 5 Stages of Sleep ___________________________________________________________ 9 Sleep Cycles __________________________________________________________________ 11 How Important is Deep Sleep? __________________________________________________ 13 How Important is REM Sleep? __________________________________________________ 13 So what is Quality Sleep?_______________________________________________________ 14 Chapter 2: The Inner Sleep Clock_____________________________________________15 ...
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...Allen Dulles was appointed the director of the CIA in 1953, during a time when tensions were running high in the United States. There was a war, the Korean war, which was coming to an end. American POW’s were returning home, what some considered to be, brainwashed. Events such as war crimes were reported by some GI’s. They also stated that germ warfare was carried out, but the United States claimed that was false. Some GI’s did not return home to the United States at all due to supposedly being brainwashed. Men returning home from Korea were said to be returning as a shell, in which, Dulles blamed on “Soviet brain perversion techniques”. Dulles felt as though they were using chemical agents, hypnosis or other means of brain warfare. American...
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...was Suggest podia, or Accelerated Mastering. Basically, certain musical pieces can tap into the vast capabilities that remain dormant in the brain. Music is effective, and since the beginning of time (pretty much) proof has been uncovered that show a link between music and human behavior. The Early Beginnings Music dates back to the Predynastic Period (3100 BCE) of Egypt. Depictions of different instruments have been found etched out in ruins, and documents state that music was a critical piece in Egyptian culture. The Egyptians declare their God Thoth (frequently known as "Master of Balance") discovered music. All the secrets of the world were recorded by way of music. Therefore, it is no shock that songs have hidden unknowns directly linking to the brain. At one time Ancient Egypt was a barbaric society. It was the God Osiris who grew to become King, and through his appreciation of songs he civilized the nation. No matter where he went, his musicians were sure to follow. Music filtered the lands of Ancient Greece through quite a few different functions within society. It was incorporated in several customs being part of the school curriculum, and utilized for sheer entertainment. Many early Greek philosophers spoke of the distinct connection amongst songs and character. Amazing that from 600 AD awareness that music impacted the brain was flourishing. In accordance with Aristotle music conveys emotion....
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...Why We Dream and What Our Dreams Mean There are several theories to why people have the dreams they have. Yet there are no definitive answers to this age old question. One theory is the Evolutionary Theory which states that we dream to practice responses to threatening situations. Cognitive scientist has shown that our amygdala (the fight-or-flight piece of the brain) fires more than normal when we're in REM sleep the time in sleep when we dream. So even though your body is not moving it is practicing the fight or flight response. Another theory is to organize the brain. Everyday our minds are filled with new information both consciously and unconsciously. This theory suggests dreaming is a way to file away key information and discard meaningless data. It helps keep our brains organized and optimizes our learning. There is yet another theory that suggests dreams help to solve problems or cope with trauma. Based on the intensity of our emotions, we will generate dreams to cope with certain situations. Although, scientists generally seem to agree that dreaming is a form of thinking during sleep. I decided to keep track of my dreams over a three week time period so that I could analyze how many times I had a certain dream and to find out what the dreams meant. It is very interesting to see what is going on in my subconscious. I went to dreammoods.com to find out what the meanings were. In one dream I was pregnant with not a human child but puppies. At this site...
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...figures are enormous compared to other health issues of this century (Buckholtz, 2012). There is little effort on the aims of scientist and criminal law that would have them working together and that is treading cautiously. Brain Imaging has come into light in the past decade or two that shows structural and functional deficiencies in the frontal and temporal lobes. These frontal and temporal lobes regulate aggression. Some say there is a gene some call the “warrior gene” which is aggressive. The actual name is MAOA. Some are using this as a defense when a person is being tried for a violent crime. Also research of violent and aggressive psychopathic individuals have proven that several biological markers do exist and these are; lowered heart rate, abnormal EEG, multiple abnormalities in right temporal lobes and greater abnormalities in left temporal lobes. Scientist have also discovered prefrontal damage encourages; risk taking, irresponsibility, rule-breaking, emotional and aggressive outburst, argumentative, violent criminal acts, loss of self-control, immaturity, lack of tact, inability to modify and inhibit behavior appropriately, poor social judgment and violence. Our genetics is a set of building blocks that dictate among other things how our brains are built, function and get wired together. Every thought, emotion or...
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...Timothy Leary is a person who in the 1960’s displayed intellectual bravery while telling the rest of the world to “think for yourself, and question authority”(How to Operate Your Brain). President Nixon even called him “the most dangerous man in America”. Timothy Leary is largely famous for his sacramental use of LSD. However, Leary would first conduct experiments at Harvard University[->0] under the Harvard Psilocybin Project[->1] before being fired because of the controversy surrounding his research. Despite the negative reaction by mainstream America, Leary continued to pursue his research and experimentation with psycho- active compounds, writing several books including Exo-Psychology in 1977. Leary says “Throughout human history, as our species has faced the frightening, terrorizing fact that we do not know who we are, or where we are going in this ocean of chaos, it has been the authorities, the political, the religious, the educational authorities who attempted to comfort us by giving us order, rules, regulations, informing, forming in our minds their view of reality. To think for yourself you must question authority and learn how to put yourself in a state of vulnerable, open- mindedness; chaotic, confused, vulnerability to inform yourself” (How to Operate Your Brain). Famous for his...
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...news to refer to information or analysis, provided by government agencies on matters of national interest or state security. Who is the information, intelligence or the analysis of knowledge provided to? It goes to the government of the day, and it’s usually gathered, and given, in secret. To quote from the American secret service, the CIA or Central Intelligence Agency: "We are the eyes and ears of the nation and at times its hidden hand." Britain's security service, MI5, says it exists to protect national security, using techniques such as surveillance, or following people, and listening to their conversations. We most often hear about the activities of intelligence agencies when things go wrong, or their work crosses into the political arena. You'll hear talk of intelligence agents, secret service people, spies, or, very informally, spooks. You'll also hear intelligence used in other news stories, stories about human intelligence, or how clever we are; whether there's intelligent life on other planets, another reference to the ability of the brain; and artificial intelligence, which refers to the problem-solving abilities of computers. Now, I wonder if they know how to keep a secret. News Words bbclearningenglish.com © British Broadcasting Corporation 2010 Page 1 of 1...
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...Museum ‘Love Lace’ 30 July 2011 – July 2013 Stereotypes are being challenged universally. The ‘Love Lace’ exhibition is a contemporary collection of artworks challenging the misconceptions of lace, exhibited in Sydney’s Powerhouse museum. Over 130 artists from 20 different countries have explored lace in a range of new and interesting ways and unanimously showing the significance of space in art. The exhibition as a whole engages in laces pre-perceived fragility, using it to ironically represent power and strength through the works and their meaning. This is seen through the layout of the exhibition, the campaign like advertisements, understanding the context and in particular three of the artworks; ‘Cheongsam’ by Elise Benjamin, ‘Secret Forest’ by Karen Richards and ‘Marriane’s Memories’ by Jane Thean. Walls of adverts before the exhibition walkway gives the audience a sense of the power created by the ‘Love Lace’ exhibition. The manipulation of clichéd lines, ‘Make Lace Not War’ and ‘Not Just A Thread’, engages the viewer and emits a feeling of purpose, as this is very campaign like. Contrast of red, white and black colours and the weight of the writing also give the exhibit an urgency and significance along with attracting the eyes to the bold adverts. This in itself is already challenging the popular belief of delicate lace. The horseshoe layout of the exhibition allows the audience to be directed throughout in a clear and comfortable manner, as they are forced...
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