SONGS AND GONGS   ⏱09:59


img: Maurice van Bruggen
the neuroscience of birdsong, nobel gongs for sensory neuroscientists, the corporate world of brain-hacking and the neuroscience universe loses three stars

episode #18, 15th October 2021 #bird #song #sensation #brainhacking #loss   image source

  ⇦ listen here   ⏱09:59


  ⇨ transcript here


our main brain stories this episode...


img: Maurice van Bruggen
THE MEN WITH THE GOLDEN FINCH

the brains of three zebra finches are studied while they sing songs. each of the birds had different sequences & syllables in their song. activity in the brain's 'premotor cortex' reveals how these syllables may be strung together   [read more...]

this story was in episode #18. original article: Brown et al., 2021 (Public Library of Science Computational Biology), reported in: The Daily Mail by Ryan Morrison on 23rd September 2021 image source #bird #song #zebra #finch #electrode #syllable

rating: The Daily Mail: fact - scientific story reported well  


SOMATOSENSATIONAL

a nobel prize for the noblest of sensory systems - somatosensation - has been awarded to david julius and ardem patapoutian. the citation states: "for their discoveries of receptors for temperature and touch"   [read more...]

this story was in episode #18. reported in: The Scientist by Chloe Tenn on 4th October 2021 & The Independent by Andrew Griffin on 4th October 2021 & The Guardian by Ian Sample on 4th October 2021 #touch #pain #temperature #pressure #nobel

ratings: The Scientist: fact - scientific story reported well   The Independent: fair - scientific story mostly intact   The Guardian: fact - scientific story reported well  


BBC BREAKING: BAD SCIENCE

in the latest episode of the bbc's breaking: bad science, desperate users seek to calm their troubled minds with brain stimulation hardware. the bbc shamelessly promotes several companies trying to sell you this e-junk   [read more...]

this story was in episode #18. reported in: The BBC by Kitti Palmai on 11th October 2021 & Twitter by Vince Walsh on 11th October 2021 #brainhacking #headbands #smart #snakeoil

ratings: The BBC: fiction - no scientific story here   Twitter: fact - scientific story reported well  


GARDNER, MISHKIN, CHAUDHRI

neuroscience has lost three highly influential scientists: robert allen gardner, mortimer mishkin and nadia chaudhri   [read more...]

this story was in episode #18. reported in: The Washington Post by Emily Langer on 6th October 2021 & The Scientist by Lisa Winter on 5th October 2021 & The Scientist by Lisa Winter on 7th October 2021 #Gardner #Mishkin #Chaudhri