MIND Reviews: Neuro-Economic Boom

Does sex really persuade us to buy a product? Why do economies slip into depressions? And how much do we let our emotions influence our decision making? A spate of new books tries to answer these and other questions about how we make our choices, why they are sometimes so far off the mark and what their consequences are.

Animal Spirits--How Human Psychology Drives the Economy, and Why It Matters for Global Capitalism (Princeton University Press, 2009) examines the relation between economic fluctuations and psychological forces. Economists George Akerlof and Robert Shiller explore how “animal spirits”--the term coined by economist John Maynard Keynes to describe levels of consumer confidence--lie at the core of such questions as why there is unemployment and why minorities are often particularly poor.

More Animals Seem to Have Some Ability to Count

Scientists have been skeptical of claims of mathematical abilities in animals ever since the case of Clever Hans about 100 years ago. The horse, which performed arithmetic and other intellectual tasks to delighted European audiences, was in reality simply taking subconscious cues from his trainer. Modern examples, such as Alex the African grey parrot, which could count up to six and knew sums and differences, are seen by some as special cases or the product of conditioning.

Recent studies, however, have uncovered new instances of a counting skill in different species, suggesting that mathematical abilities could be more fundamental in biology than previously thought. Under certain conditions, monkeys could sometimes outperform college students.

100 Years Ago: Punch Cards and the Census

SEPTEMBER 1959 RADIATION -- “What should the citizen conclude about ionizing radiation? Ionizing radiation has always been with us and will be for all foreseeable time. Our genetic system is probably well adjusted by natural selection to normal background radiation. Added radiation will increase the frequency of mutations; most of these will be harmful. Exposure to radiation in large amounts will increase malignant disease; small amounts may possibly do the same. In view of these potentially harmful effects every reasonable effort should be made to reduce the levels of ionizing radiation to which man is exposed to the lowest levels that can reasonably be attained. As to fallout from nuclear-weapons tests, the citizen will conclude that it contributes in a small way to world-wide levels of radiation. For this reason alone the tests should be discontinued. --George W. Beadle”

Phone Networks Reveal Relationships

[ The following is an exact transcript of this podcast. ]

How do you know if someone’s your friend? Ask your cell. Because your phone knows who your friends are. Sometimes even before you do. Or so says a report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . [More]


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Open-Source Textbooks a Mixed Bag in California

As California moves forward with the first open-source digital textbook program in the nation this fall, the best content seems a lot less like Wikipedia and a lot more like traditional publishing. [More]


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News Scan Briefs: Killer Smile

Killer Smile A toxin that forces a condemned victim to smile really seems to exist. The Greek bard Homer coined the term "sardonic grin" after ceremonial killings that supposedly took place in Sardinia, where Phoenician colonists gave to elderly people who could no longer take care of themselves and to criminals an intoxicating potion that put a smile on their face. (They were then dropped from a high rock or beaten to death.) Scientists at the University of Eastern Piedmont in Italy and their colleagues think they now have identified the herb responsible: hemlock water dropwort ( Oenanthe crocata ), which is common on Sardinia, where it is popularly known as "water celery." Their analysis revealed the presence of highly toxic chemicals in the plant that could make facial muscles contract into a grimace, or rictus. The finding appears in the May 22 Journal of Natural Products .   --Charles Q. Choi

Swimming In Spacetime and Other Stories

The transcript of this podcast wil be posted in two to three weeks.

Scientific American Editor in Chief Mariette DiChristina and staff editor Kate Wong talk about the contents of the August issue, including articles on some of the odd consequences of general relativity, life as a Neanderthal, and the latest research on celiac disease. [More]


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Why is it hard to "unlearn" an incorrect fact?

Why is it that once you learn something incorrectly (say, 7 X 9 = 65), it seems you never can correct your recall? --J. Kruger, Cherry Hill, N.J.

Hypersphere Exotica: Kervaire Invariant Problem Has a Solution!

Relax. Until recently, lurking in the dark recesses of mathematical existence, there might have been a really weird sphere of 254 dimensions, or 510, or 1,022. In fact, for all you knew, you might have had to worry about weird spheres when visiting any space with numbers of dimensions of the type 2 k - 2.

Not anymore. "We can all sleep a bit better tonight," joked mathematical physicist John Baez of the University of California, Riverside, in his blog. Baez was referring to the announcement made by mathematicians Michael Hopkins of Harvard University, Michael Hill of the University of Virginia and Douglas Ravenel of the University of Rochester that they had cracked a 45-year-old question known as the Kervaire invariant problem. If confirmed, their result puts the finishing touch to a glorious piece of 1960s mathematics: the classification of "exotic," higher-dimensional spheres. The Kervaire problem was a major stumbling block in understanding multidimensional spaces, and its solution could have implications in equally exotic fields of physics such as string theory.

Simon DeDeo: For a Lifetime of Scientific Curiosity, the Sky's the Limit

His finalist year: 1996

His finalist project: Taking measurements to determine the rotation of the Milky Way Galaxy

From a Pre-Teen Mind, a Robot That Solves Rubik's Cube

When the Rubik's Cube burst on the scene in the U.S. in 1980, it sparked a fascination with the puzzle that continues to this day, even among fans born decades after the Cube's debut. Except that, instead of humans attempting to "speed cube" to a solution in less than 10 seconds, many Rubik's Cube fans today build robots to do it for them. This A.I.-enthusiasm offers the added challenge of not only solving the puzzle but also of creating a robot that can physically manipulate the cube based on that solution. [More]


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Movie Magic ( Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs ), Part 3

In this series of episodes, we talk to many of the scientists at Blue Sky Studios, which created the Ice Age series of animated features, including the recently released Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs . In episode 3, we hear from co-director Mike Thurmeier, art director Mike Knapp and head of lighting Andew Beddini. Special thanks to Hugo Ayala. Web sites related to this episode include www.blueskystudios.com and www.iceagemovie.com  

Podcast Transcription

Movie Magic ( Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs ), Part 2

In this series of episodes, we talk to many of the scientists at Blue Sky Studios, which created the Ice Age series of animated features, including the recently released Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs . In episode 2, we hear from the research and development team about their backgrounds, the kinds of technical challenges they face and the ways they use math and computers to solve those problems. Web sites related to this episode include www.blueskystudios.com ; www.iceagemovie.com ; www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=magic-and-the-brain

Podcast Transcription

Movie Magic ( Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs ), Part 1

In this series of episodes, we talk to many of the scientists at Blue Sky Studios, which created the Ice Age series of animated features, including the recently released Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs . In episode 1, we hear from company founders Carl Ludwig and Eugene Troubetzkoy and senior research associate Hugo Ayala. Web sites related to this episode include www.blueskystudios.com and www.iceagemovie.com

Podcast Transcription

DNA Sudoku

A 2,000-year-old math theorem, along with Sudoku , may soon help researchers untangle DNA at blazing speeds. [More]


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Grassoline: Biofuels beyond Corn (preview)

By now it ought to be clear that the U.S. must get off oil. We can no longer afford the dangers that our dependence on petroleum poses for our national security, our economic security or our environmental security. Yet civilization is not about to stop moving, and so we must invent a new way to power the world’s transportation fleet. Cellulosic biofuels--liquid fuels made from inedible parts of plants--offer the most environmentally attractive and technologically feasible near-term alternative to oil.

Biofuels can be made from anything that is, or ever was, a plant. First-generation biofuels derive from edible biomass, primarily corn and soybeans (in the U.S.) and sugarcane (in Brazil). They are the low-hanging fruits in a forest of possible biofuels, given that the technology to convert these feedstocks into fuels already exists (180 refineries currently process corn into ethanol in the U.S.). Yet first-generation biofuels are not a long-term solution. There is simply not enough available farmland to provide more than about 10 percent of developed countries’ liquid-fuel needs with first-generation biofuels. The additional crop demand raises the price of animal feed and thus makes some food items more expensive--though not nearly as much as the media hysteria last year would indicate. And once the total emissions of growing, harvesting and processing corn are factored into the ledger, it becomes clear that first-generation biofuels are not as environmentally friendly as we would like them to be.

The Science of Economic Bubbles and Busts (preview)

It has all the makings of a classic B movie scene. A gunman puts a pistol to the victim’s forehead, and the screen fades to black before a loud bang is heard. A forensic specialist who traces the bullet’s trajectory would see it traversing the brain’s prefrontal cortex--a central site for processing decisions. The few survivors of usually fatal injuries to this brain region should not be surprised to find their personalities dramatically altered. In one of the most cited case histories in all of neurology, Phineas Gage, a 19th-century railroad worker, had his prefrontal cortex penetrated by an iron rod; he lived to tell the tale but could no longer make sensible decisions. Cocaine addicts may actually self-inflict similar damage. The resulting dysfunction may cause even abstaining addicts to crave the drug any time, say, the thudding bass of a techno tune reminds them of when they were stoned.

Even people who do not use illicit drugs or get shot in the head have to contend with the [More]

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Why Aren't More Women Tenured Science Professors?

Women who apply for tenure-track positions at top-tier research universities in math and sciences these days have a slightly better chance of landing the job than their male colleagues, says a new study funded by the National Science Foundation. [More]


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Stimulus Funds for Science Raise Concern about Misconduct

One unintended side effect of Congress’s intense efforts to jump-start the U.S. economy is the threat of fraud. Earl Devaney, chair of a newly appointed federal watchdog agency, the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, has warned that without precautionary measures, as much as 7 percent of the stimulus package will end up in the hands of bad actors. Apply Devaney’s math to the $31 billion being spent on science--by the National Institutes of Health, NASA, the Departments of Commerce and Energy, and the National Science Foundation (NSF) combined--and stimulus funds represent an unprecedented boost not only for science, but also, potentially, for science fraud.

Under the stimulus bill, formally known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, various science-funding agencies will enjoy a substantial uptick in their budgets. But they are under pressure to dole out the new funds quickly on “beaker ready” projects. The risk of scientific misconduct has generally been considered to be less than 1 percent, but the size of the disbursements and the added reporting requirements (namely, quarterly status reports and updates on job creation) could tempt researchers to cut corners or even fake aspects of applications. Meanwhile at the agencies, the urgency to spend could take precedence over monitoring. “We’re not going to know until it happens. It probably is occurring,” concedes Patricia Dalton of the Government Accountability Office.