To B[e] or not to B[e]

post from Bad Astronomy on 05 August 2009 02:07:00 PM. © Bad Astronomy

Compared to some stars, our Sun is something of a wimp. It just sits there all by itself, shining all the time, hardly changing in temperature, brightness, or mass. But not all stars are so boring. I present to you this amazing image of the star HD[...]

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I'm Famous! My Wish to go to Antarctica is
Featured on YouTube!

post from Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted) on 05 August 2009 01:59:52 PM. © Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)

tags: Antarctica, humor, funny, streaming video

My friend, Richard Carter, made this very sweet little video to help publicize my desire to go to Antarctica as your official penguin whisperer [0:33]

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Amnesic patients with hippocampal damage show
recall deficits on the WMT

post from The Quantum Lobe Chronicles on 05 August 2009 01:22:00 PM. © The Quantum Lobe Chronicles

A recent study by Goodrich-Hunsaker and Hopkins showed that amnesic patients with hippocampal damage performed above the recommended cutoff scores on immediate and delayed recognition of the Word Memory Test (WMT), but were significantly impaired on the multiple-choice, paired associate, and free-recall subtests. The authors suggest that the hippocampal damage may be the culprit for such impairment. So how do they explain the above cutoff scores on the immediate and delayed recognition subtests? They suggest that the familiarity, simplicity, and repeated presentation of the items may have something to do with it.

A bit of an aside but related to my specific area of interest; I'd bet my meager stipend that if these patients were hooked up to an EEG machine during NREM sleep we'd observe a significant reduction in sleep spindle activity and SWS. Sleep spindles and SWS have been found to be associated with declarative memory consolidation so it'd only seem natural to see such a reduction.

Goodrich-Hunsaker NJ, & Hopkins RO (2009). Word memory test performance in amnesic patients with hippocampal damage. Neuropsychology, 23 (4), 529-34 PMID: 19586216

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Another mass murder

As I'm sure you've all heard by now, a deranged gunman went on a shooting spree in a fitness club in LA, killing 3 women and injuring 10 before blowing his own scabrous, rotting brains out. The guy was just plain nuts (in a fairly common sort of way, unfortunately), but he also left behind an online diary.

Maybe soon, I will see God and Jesus. At least that is what I was told. Eternal life does NOT depend on works. If it did, we will all be in hell. Christ paid for EVERY sin, so how can I or you be judged BY GOD for a sin when the penalty was ALREADY paid. People judge but that does not matter. I was reading the Bible and The Integrity of God beginning yesterday, because soon I will see them.

Say, that logic looks rather familiar, doesn't it?

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