10 Steps to a better brain

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http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn9968-top-10-steps-to-a-better-brain.html?full=true#.Uw_IvtDZW2c / smart drugs food for thought Mozart effect gainful employment memory marvels sleep on it body and mind nuns on a run attention seeking positive feedback brainy education improve expand improve your mind boost boosting mental faculties studying hard reclusive book worm tricks techniques habits change changes lifestyle diet behaviour flex grey matter bestbrain cells age old mean worsening memory slower reactions fuzzy thinking age 40, honest notice noticing changes mental abilities beginning gradual decline dementia reverse slow mask cognitive enhancement on the market others on the way best-known modafinil licensed treat narcolepsy condition suddenly fall asleep notable effects health healthy people awake alert jitteriness bad concentration amphetamine amphetamines caffeine coffee produce sleep deprived sleep-deprived people perform even better well-rested unmedicated medicated sleep the normal 8 hours, and then pull a few more all-nighters with no ill effects ritalin attention deficit disorder ADD superior concentration exam exams pharmaceutical pipeline promising compounds drugs nicotinic receptors smokers exploit exploited drugs drug cannabinoid augment memory major side effects cognitive enhancers Daniele Piomelli University of California Irvine UCI study studying the body's cannabinoid system making memories less emotionally charged post-traumatic stress disorder memory unwanted effects Gary Lynch concern invent invention inventor ampakines, class of drugs how memory encoded how strong a memory trace is essence of learning rules optimise optimum optimised evolution improve improvement hidden downsides penalty disadvantge sleep-deprived preliminary studies dietary supplement industry supplementation eat eating breakfast glucose studies skipping breakfast reduce reduction reduces performance school work calories beans on toast Barbara Stewart University of Ulster UK high protein high-protein beans fibre high-fibre diet improved cognition wholemeal toast Marmite yeast extract B vitamins lunch is omelette salad choline neurotransmitter acetylcholine research researchers Boston University healthy young adults drug scopolamine block blocks acetylcholine receptors brain remember word pairs Alzheimer's disease study studies suggest boost boosting dietary intake slow age related age-related memory loss salad packed antioxidants beta-carotene vitamin vitamins C E age ageing brain damage damaging free radicals Dwight Tapp diet high in antioxidants improved cognitive skills yogurt alert stress stresses amino acid tyrosine production neurotransmitters dopamine noradrenalin study studies US military deplete depleted stress supplement supplementing intake improve alertness memory snack mid-afternoon maintain glucose levels avoid junk food highly processed cakes pastries biscuits contain trans-fatty acids implicate implicated serious mental disorders dyslexia ADHD attention deficit hyperactivity disorder autism hard evidence Society for Neuroscience San Diego, California junk food rat maze remember solutions solve solved damage mediated triglyceride cholesterol performance memory tasks improved improve improvement brains brain 60 per cent fat omega-3 fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid DHA fish brain food feed lubricate developing brain DHA dementia studies published amyloid plaques disease high-DHA diet strawberries blueberries fruit fruits improved coordination concentration short-term memory music thinking Mozart improved mathematical spatial reasoning rats ran mazes faster accurately Mozart piano sonata stimulate activity genes nerve cell nerve-cell signalling brain mental faculties feel better relax relaxation relaxed stimulate stimulation stimulated stimulus story performance boost music lessons drama lessons instruction IQ scores Rauscher spatial reasoning tests computer lessons exercise mental skills delicate precise finger movements listen listening pitch rhythm emotional dimension mental boost young children mental problem-solving abilities spatial skills memory verbal reasoning genetics working memory general intelligence short-term information storage system workbench solving mental problems calculate intermediate steps answer information general intelligence Torkel Klingberg Karolinska Institute Stockholm Sweden neural systems grow in response to training functional magnetic resonance imaging fMRI MRI brain scans brain activity working-memory training programme tasks cognitive abilities /

Psychobiotics: How gut bacteria mess with your mind

There are more bacterial cells in & on your body than there are human cells! Ten times as many, according to one estimate.¹ Bacteria are much smaller than the cells of your body, so bacteria have much less mass & take up much less space.

Now it appears they have psychoactive effects as well:

http://forums.thechaniproject.com/topic/6743-psychobiotics-how-gut-bacteria-mess-with-your-mind/
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¹ Scientific American: “Humans Carry More Bacterial Cells than Human Ones”, https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/strange-but-true-humans-carry-more-bacterial-cells-than-human-ones/

/ influence gut bacteria emotion feeling feeling emotions felt stomach bug gut bacteria positive positively influence mood behaviour raising possibility new ways neurobehavioural disorders depression obsessive-compulsive disorder OCD obsessive compulsive disorder acquire intestinal microbes immediately after birth live important symbiotic relationship bacteria gut cells body mass weight mind brain bacteria vast array of genes produce producing hundreds thousands of chemicals influence your brain bacteria produce same molecules brain signalling dopamine serotonin gamma-aminobutyric acid GABA brain predominantly made of fats produced metabolic activity of bacteria absence gut bacteria brain structure function are altered mice reared raised germ-free germ free environment no exposure to bacteria alterations memory emotional state behaviour show autistic patterns of behaviour focus focusing inanimate objects other mice behavioural change driven alteration alterations underlying brain chemistry example dramatic changes in serotonin transmission changes key molecules brain derived brain-derived neurotrophic factor fundamental role forming new synapses probiotics health benefit Russian biologist Élie Metchnikoff region Bulgaria consumed fermented food live longer psychobiotics mental health benefit mental-health benefit California Institute of Technology Pasadena bacterium Bacteroides fragilis behavioural gastrointestinal deficits mouse model of autism Bifidobacterium infantis animal model of depression gut bacteria influence the brain mechanism mechanisms bacterium Lactobacillus rhamnosus dairy products potent anti-anxiety effects animals works changing expression GABA receptors brain changes mediated vagus nerve connects brain gut nerve severed no effect anxiety GABA receptors psychobiotic treatment L. rhamnosus alleviate OCD obsessive compulsive disorder behaviours behaviour GABA receptors brain synthesise release GABA evidence gut bacteria brain altering alter immune system manufacture of short-chain fatty acids short chain fatty acids /

Netflix "Drone To Home" spoof of Amazon's flying drone delivery idea (video)

Maybe-serious drone delivery ideas from Amazon & another in Australia were reported on these pages previously. / Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos correspondent Charlie Rose 60 Minutes interview mystery room Amazon offices revealed secret R&D project Octocopter drone drones fly packages directly to your doorstep in 30 minutes audacious plan Bezos says requires more safety testing FAA Federal Aviation Administration approvals delivery-by-drone Amazon Prime Air available customers 4 to 5 four five years Charlie Rose story Amazon PR team octocopters octocopter pick up packages small yellow buckets Amazon’s fulfillment centers whiz through air deliver items individual customers 30 minutes hit the buy button online Amazon.com octocopter package delivery safe safety safely deliver text book books Sydney Australia University students student bookshop book shop /

Australian car-share service GoGet is working on a self-driving car with University of New South Wales

Credit: GoGet/Gizmodo Australia

http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2014/02/aussie-car-share-service-goget-is-working-on-a-self-driving-car/ / Australia Australian big country city cities urban suburban sub-urban car sharing services big urban centres owning a car doesn’t really make sense future car sharing services service GoGet self driving self-driving car research project Toyota Yaris hatchback named Ethel outfitted self driving self-driving sensor tech study roads road how human drivers treat their cars car details autonomy autonomous car against the law in Australia car with no driver Australian motoring car sharing fleet project undertaken partnership partner partnering partnered UNSW University of New South Wales autonomous cars car reality campus /

Cost of renewable energy — the news is good

Durabilty of wind turbines has been queried. Suggestion being, that they are unreliable, so maintenance costs & so, ultimately, the cost of the electicity they produce, is high. A recent study says otherwise:

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1090506_long-lived-clean-power-wind-turbines-last-25-years-study-says

Good news for solar too:

http://us4.campaign-archive2.com/?u=afd7d419b8ad8bf6117ea1def&id=5c736bc48c&e=19c9911ba4 / photo voltaic photovoltaic PV renewable green non-renewable finite resource windmill wind mill blade clean energy wind power solar reliable source electricity durability durable investment turbines generator generators replace repalcement new study Imperial College Business School London 25 years upgraded upgrade replace replaced reseaarch researchers survey surveyed onshore wind farm United Kingdom U.K. local wind speed data NASA Illinois Wind Farm NASA data compare comparison compared wind speed recorded turbines at each farm formula calculate how wear and tear affected affect machine machines machines' output crunch crunching the numbers researchers research researcher concluded conclude conclusion expected lifespan of 25 years upgrades upgrade needed study found oldest wind turbines produce three quarters three-quarters of their original output 19 years in operation equates similar performance electricity generating generation electricity-generating gas turbines new research also refutes refute previous claim average electric power electricity output wind turbines decrease decreases decreasing one third after 10 years conclusion wind turbines operate for long periods of time major repairs replacement newer designs design authors author study investment wind farms farm wind generated generate generation wind-generated power reduce environmental impact electric cars cleaner clean energy source plug-in plug in carbon footprint cars car electric vehicle EV Honda wind turbines turbine energy Marysville Ohio plant vehicle production greener sustainable renewable energy alternate alternative /

Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone announced at MWC Barcelona (video)

Credit: Samsung/Boy Genius Report

• 3GB RAM
• 2,800 mAh battery
• 16-megapixel rear-facing camera with 0.3 second autofocus(!), selective focus & realtime HDR
• 2-megapixel front-facing camera
• 5.1-inch Super AMOLED display
• 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution
• 2.5GHz quad-core processor
• Android 4.4 KitKat
• faster downloads
• water & dust resistant to IP67 standard
• fingerprint scanner
• S Health 3.0 fitness app including pedometer, diet records, exercise records & heart rate monitor
• range of colours



More, including slide show:

http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/mobiles/samsung-reveals-galaxy-s5-with-fingerprint-scanner-heartrate-monitor-20140225-33dnj.html

Bad news: won't be available until 11 April 2014. / Mobile World Congress Samsung fans take taken the wraps off Galaxy S5 surprises specifications specs phone go design perspective Samsung same winning formula Galaxy S III Galaxy S4 new device home button designed design designer maximize screen real estate Samsung’s gorgeous display technology water resistant water-resistant feature features fingerprint scanner similar Apple iPhone 5s four different colors color colour colours charcoal Black shimmery White electric Blue copper Gold S Health 3.0 fitness related fitness-related software personal fitness tracker user users monitor manage behavior additional tools pedometer diet exercise records new built in built-in heart rate monitor pricing price device announced press release /

Wheelchair-bound woman walks again with a 3D printed exoskeleton (video)

One more area where the prototyping & micro-scale manufacture capability of 3D printing will make unique devices possible & economically feasible.

http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2014/02/wheelchair-bound-woman-walks-again-with-a-3d-printed-exoskeleton/ / technology health fitness 1992 Amanda Boxtel suffered skiing accident paralysed from the waist down doctors doctor never walk again world world’s first 3D printed exoskeleton ability climb out of her wheelchair walk once again Ekso-Suit fully bespoke 3D Systems data full body scan print custom designed design tailor tailored custom-tailored pieces fit exactly Amanda’s body mechanical components EksoBionics provide automation allowing safe safely use her legs pair of canes waking stick sticks walk around 3D scanning print printer printing technologies make making Amanda’s exoskeleton Scott Summit senior director for functional design 3D Systems 3D-printed parts bumping into bony prominences abrasion abrasions sense of touch sensation in her legs tiny skin injuries can become dangerously infected before they’re found comfortable fit isn’t just a nicety safety necessity exoskeletons 3D printing print individualized fit technology test testing tester exoskeleton design help paralysed patients patient walk again EksoBionics test pilots designer designing design process courage courageous robot-assisted robot assisted /