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This page shows you the most recent publications within this specialty of the MedWorm directory. This is page number 17.

Three Surprising Truths about Teens
A scientific expert on adolescence answers our burning questions.read more
Source: Psychology Today Parenting Center - February 20, 2013 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Christine L. Carter, Ph.D. Tags: Parenting adolescents adult roles age of menarche biological aspects brain activity brain changes burning questions emotional life faculty board good science happiness hormones hunter gatherer societies neuroscientist pediatr Source Type: news

Nasa releases footage of asteroid 2012 DA14 - video
Grainy images taken only hours after asteroid passed Earth at distance of about 17,200 miles on 15 February
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - February 20, 2013 Category: Science Tags: United States Nasa World news guardian.co.uk Asteroids Science Space Source Type: news

Ultrafast Stars Discovered Racing Through the Galaxy
Six speedy stars rocketing through space at up to 2 million miles per hour were likely ejected from the giant black hole at the Milky Way's heart, astronomers say. They represent the first known "hypervelocity stars" with masses similar to that of our sun. [More]
Source: Scientific American - Official RSS Feed - February 20, 2013 Category: Science Tags: Space,Space,Technology,Cosmology,Astrophysics,Extraterrestrial Life,Galaxies,Space Exploration,Physics,More Science Source Type: research

Winners of life science prize revealed
The first 11 winners announced as Silicon Valley billionaires pledge $50m over the next two years to reward scientific innovation
Source: FT.com - Drugs and Healthcare - February 20, 2013 Category: Pharmaceuticals Source Type: news

Nobel keeps its kudos but award from Yuri Milner and friends is fairer
The Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences gave away $33m to eleven winners, all in one fell swoopThe annual science prizes set up by Yuri Milner over the past year are worth $3m apiece. That is more than twice the cash that accompanies a Nobel prize, the awards with which they are inevitably compared. But no one goes into science for the money. Kudos and tenure? Yes.And this is where the prizes differ. The Nobel prize has a cachet that will not be surpassed in a hurry. For all its faults, and sometimes, because of them, the prizes are seen as the pinnacle of a scientific career. Unlike the Milner prizes, there is a limit on ...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - February 20, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Ian Sample Tags: The Guardian People in science Analysis Biology World news Nobel prizes Science prizes Source Type: news

Could Another Chelyabinsk-Scale Meteor Sneak Up on Us?
[caption id="attachment_11024" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Credit: ESA"] [/caption]When a 17-meter asteroid barreled into Earth's atmosphere over central Russia on February 15, releasing a powerful shock wave that injured more than 1,000 people, many observers wondered how such a momentous event could arrive unheralded. The fact is, the object that exploded in a fireball over Chelyabinsk, releasing hundreds of kilotons of energy , was small potatoes. There may be millions of comparably sized objects in the inner solar system, only a small fraction of which have been discovered. The searches to date have been f...
Source: Scientific American - Official RSS Feed - February 20, 2013 Category: Science Tags: More Science,Space,Technology Source Type: research

Traumatic Injury and Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Abstract A systematic review/meta-analysis of literature addressing a possible association between traumatic injury and onset of multiple sclerosis was conducted. Medline, Embase, Cochrane DSR, Ovid HealthStar, CINAHL, ISI Web of Science and Scopus were searched for analytical studies from 1950 to 2011. Two investigators independently reviewed articles for inclusion, assessing their quality using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Of the 13 case-control studies included, 8 were moderate quality and 5 low; of the 3 cohort studies 2 were high and 1 moderate. Meta-analysis including moderate and low quality case-control stud...
Source: The Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences - February 20, 2013 Category: Neurology Authors: Warren SA, Olivo SA, Contreras JF, Turpin KV, Gross DP, Carroll LJ, Warren KG Tags: Can J Neurol Sci Source Type: research

Can Ethanol from Corn Be Made Sustainable?
A new plant is rising from the fields around Emmetsburg, Iowa--one that will ferment into ethanol the cobs, stems and husks of corn from nearly 50,000 hectares of farmland. Such cellulosic ethanol offers a way to get the energy and environmental security benefits of biofuels without disrupting the food supply when the edible corn itself is used. [More]
Source: Scientific American Topic - Biotechnology - February 20, 2013 Category: Biotechnology Tags: Energy & Sustainability,Technology,Society Policy,Everyday Science,More Science,Energy Technology,Environment,Alternative Energy Technology,Biotechnology,Biotechnology,Energy Technology,Alternative Energy Technology Source Type: news

Earth As Art: 'How Did Nature Do That?'
Satellites help track storms, power the GPS signals in our cars and phones and beam TV signals around the world. But they also send back striking, totally disarming images of planet Earth.» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us
Source: NPR Health and Science - February 20, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news

Can Straw Provide China's Energy Needs?
SHANGQIU, China -- This is not the equivalent of Silicon Valley. There isn't a lab in sight or a high-tech industrial park in the area. What attracts most of the attention is a two-floor factory building with a signboard that reads "Shangqiu Sanli New Energy Demonstration." [More]
Source: Scientific American - Official RSS Feed - February 20, 2013 Category: Science Tags: Energy & Sustainability,More Science,Climate,Society Policy,Energy Source Type: research

Science News » Differences in On/Off Switches Help Explain How the Human Brain Evolved
A recent NIMH-funded study identified small regions of the genome that are uniquely regulated in human neurons, but not in primate neurons. The findings provide insight into human intellectual function and risk for human diseases, including autism and Alzheimer’s disease.
Source: National Institute of Mental Health - February 20, 2013 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Meredith Fox Source Type: news

Predictable Evolution Trumps Randomness of Mutations
Although mutations, the driver of evolution, occur at random, a study of the bacterium Escherichia coli reveals that nature often finds the same solution to the same problem again and again. [More]
Source: Scientific American - Official RSS Feed - February 20, 2013 Category: Science Tags: Evolution,More Science,Evolutionary Biology,Evolution,Biology Source Type: research

Japan: Probe Of Battery Fire On Boeing 787 Finds Improper Wiring
Japan says an auxiliary battery was improperly connected to the main battery that overheated, forcing an emergency landing.» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us
Source: NPR Health and Science - February 20, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news

If the UK stopped buying weapons, who would be the first to attack us?
Readers answer other readers' questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific conceptsIf the UK stopped all defence expenditure tomorrow, who would be the first to attack us and why?Karl Sabbagh, Newbold on Stour Warks• Post questions and answers below or email them to nq@guardian.co.uk. Please include name, address and phone number.Arms tradeWeapons technologyguardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - February 20, 2013 Category: Science Tags: The Guardian World news Technology Letters Features Weapons technology Arms trade Life and style Source Type: news

Geoffrey Coates obituary
Geoffrey Coates, the distinguished organometallic chemist, has died aged 95. In his academic research, Geoffrey worked with hazardous air- and moisture-sensitive compounds containing metal-carbon or metal-hydrogen bonds. Their study helped our understanding of chemical bonding (and of safety issues), and led to new catalysts, semiconducting materials and reagents for use in the chemical, oil, plastics and pharmaceutical industries.His authoritative book on organometallic compounds, which grew from a slim monograph to a comprehensive, two-volume third edition in a decade, greatly helped generations of students and researche...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - February 20, 2013 Category: Science Tags: Obituaries guardian.co.uk Durham University Higher education Chemistry Science Source Type: news

Philip Adey obituary
My father, Philip Adey, who has died aged 73, was a chemistry teacher turned educationist and author. He devoted the majority of his working life to researching and promoting the teaching of thinking skills in school. His work on science teaching methods produced significant gains at GCSE, not only in science but also in maths and English. The method was further developed for primary education.Philip was born in Sevenoaks, Kent. After attending Bryanston school, Dorset, he gained a BSc in chemistry and a PGCE and Academic Diploma in Education from the London Institute of Education. Appointed head of chemistry at the Lodge ...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - February 20, 2013 Category: Science Tags: King's College London Obituaries guardian.co.uk Exams Higher education GCSEs Schools Science Source Type: news

Where do the lovely cooking aromas in your kitchen go?
Readers answer other readers' questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific conceptsThose lovely aromas in the kitchen – where do they go?They condense into a sticky film on the walls and ceiling, and if you don't wash it off, it hardens into a rancid varnish that is tougher than epoxy resin.Luce Gilmore, Cambridge They flood into my flat from the neighbour's at 2.15am, strong enough to wake me up and give me a raging appetite.IvanTigerThose lovely aromas, of frying onions, for example, are the result of molecules present in the onion leaving the cooking food and moving randomly ...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - February 20, 2013 Category: Science Tags: The Guardian World news Food & drink Books Letters Features Life and style Religion Science Source Type: news

Lobster Nebula – birthplace of stars – revealed in infrared
The new infrared view of the nebula is radically different from those seen with optical telescopesFar from Earth in the constellation of Scorpius lies the Lobster Nebula. Here, countless hot young suns are forged and glow blue, white and orange through a thin veil of interstellar dust. Great arms of gas that shine a pale shade of purple stretch out from the heart of the nebula.From a wide and distant view of the Milky Way, this animation zooms in on the Lobster Nebula, and ends with the latest image snapped by the European Southern Observatory's Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (Vista) at the Paranal Obs...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - February 20, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Ian Sample Tags: Astronomy World news guardian.co.uk Science Space Source Type: news

Vista infrared telescope peers into the Lobster Nebula – video
This animation zooms in on the Lobster Nebula, ending with the latest image snapped in infrared by the Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (Vista)
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - February 20, 2013 Category: Science Tags: Astronomy guardian.co.uk Physics Editorial Science Space Source Type: news

Photoreductive Debromination of Decabromodiphenyl Ethers in the Presence of Carboxylates under Visible Light Irradiation
Environmental Science & TechnologyDOI: 10.1021/es3045604
Source: Environmental Science and Technology - February 20, 2013 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Chunyan Sun, Wei Chang, Wanhong Ma, Chuncheng Chen and Jincai Zhao Source Type: research

Abiotic Reductive Immobilization of U(VI) by Biogenic Mackinawite
Environmental Science & TechnologyDOI: 10.1021/es304025x
Source: Environmental Science and Technology - February 20, 2013 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Harish Veeramani, Andreas C. Scheinost, Niven Monsegue, Nikolla P. Qafoku, Ravi Kukkadapu, Matt Newville, Antonio Lanzirotti, Amy Pruden, Mitsuhiro Murayama and Michael F. Hochella Source Type: research

Deposition Kinetics of Quantum Dots and Polystyrene Latex Nanoparticles onto Alumina: Role of Water Chemistry and Particle Coating
Environmental Science & TechnologyDOI: 10.1021/es303392v
Source: Environmental Science and Technology - February 20, 2013 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Ivan R. Quevedo, Adam L. J. Olsson and Nathalie Tufenkji Source Type: research

Novel Phytase from Pteris vittata Resistant to Arsenate, High Temperature, and Soil Deactivation
Environmental Science & TechnologyDOI: 10.1021/es3022073
Source: Environmental Science and Technology - February 20, 2013 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Jason T. Lessl, Lena Q. Ma, Bala Rathinasabapathi and Charles Guy Source Type: research

Of geology and shelf-stacking | Nic Bilham
Iain Duncan Smith thinks he knows who keeps our supermarkets running – but does he know what scientists really do?Iain Duncan Smith, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, was interviewed on the Andrew Marr Show last Sunday about the government's back-to-work scheme. Referring to the case of Cait Reilly, a geology graduate who had challenged the government over the legality of her work placement at Poundland, Duncan Smith said: "There is a group of people out there who think they are too good for this kind of stuff," and that "the next time somebody goes in – those smart people who say there's something wrong with t...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - February 20, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Nic Bilham Tags: Blogposts Science policy Science funding crisis guardian.co.uk Master's degrees Higher education Geology Politics Iain Duncan Smith Source Type: news

Postage Stamps Overlook Earth's Tiny Creatures
What can postage stamps tell us about biodiversity conservation? When Andr? Nem?sio isn't studying biology, he collects stamps. Andr? and his colleagues Diana Seixas and Heraldo Vasconcelos recently cataloged the animals represented on hundreds of thousands of postage stamps for sale on Delcampe and eBay . They found that 60% of stamps feature birds or mammals, even though birds and mammals represent less than 1% of all known animals. If someone studied the diversity of life through stamps," Andr? told me, "he or she would reach the conclusion that birds and mammals are the dominant species on earth, that elephants are pe...
Source: Scientific American - Official RSS Feed - February 20, 2013 Category: Science Tags: Energy & Sustainability,More Science,Evolution Source Type: research

The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food
Inside the hyperengineered, savagely marketed, addiction-creating battle for American “stomach share.”
Source: NYT Health - February 20, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: By MICHAEL MOSS Tags: Obesity Procter & Gamble Company PG NYSE Pepsico Inc PEP NYSE Food General Mills Inc GIS NYSE Consumer Behavior Cadbury Plc CBY NYSE Coca-Cola Company KO NYSE Sugar Campbell Soup Company CPB NYSE Diet and Nutrition Addiction (Psy Source Type: news

5 Tips to Treat Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Scientific American presents House Call Doctor by Quick & Dirty Tips . Scientific American and Quick & Dirty Tips are both Macmillan companies. [More]
Source: Scientific American - Official RSS Feed - February 20, 2013 Category: Science Tags: Health,More Science,Everyday Science,Biology,Health Source Type: research

Upstream Battle: Fishes Shun Modern Dam Passages, Contributing to Population Declines
Fishes may not need bicycles, as Gloria Steinem once suggested , but elevators and ladders can come in handy. Since the 1960s the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has required dam builders to install state-of-the-art fish passages on public waterways to help shad, salmon and other species make their annual spring journeys upriver to spawn. Hydropower dams have built inclined water channels called ladders that fishes could swim through or elevators that use caged buckets to lift fish up and over the dam. Although these passages are monitored to ensure that fishes use them, a new study by ecologists and economists shows...
Source: Scientific American - Official RSS Feed - February 20, 2013 Category: Science Tags: Energy & Sustainability,Environment,Society Policy,Ecology,Energy Sustainability,Biology,More Science Source Type: research

Do Low Doses of BPA Harm People?
[More]
Source: Scientific American - Official RSS Feed - February 20, 2013 Category: Science Tags: Energy & Sustainability,Health,Society Policy,Energy Sustainability,More Science,Biology,Everyday Science Source Type: research

Practice SciencePractice Science
This review examines important new initiatives aimed at collecting practice data utilizing outcome-based methodology, with a special focus on the National Neurosurgery Quality and Outcomes Database. Neurosurgical Focus
Source: Medscape Today Headlines - February 20, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Neurology & Neurosurgery Journal Article Source Type: news

What do TV screens, bullet-proof vests and soap all have common? | Athene Donald
They all work because of liquid crystallinity, a structure in which molecules are aligned without being packed regularlyMany people will be familiar with the idea that our TV screens are "LC" (liquid crystal) displays – but what are liquid crystals exactly? And how does they relate to why soap is effective at cleaning us? If you know what a liquid is (key properties include that it flows and changes shape to fit the container in which it sits), and have a memory of copper sulphate crystals at the bottom of a test-tube from school chemistry lessons, the idea of a liquid crystal may seem a bit odd. It is, however, a well-d...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - February 20, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Athene Donald Tags: Blogposts guardian.co.uk Geology Science Source Type: news

Everyday chemicals 'pose threat to health'
Conclusion The media headlines, while a little sensationalist, did reflect the WHO/UNEP conclusion that EDCs do present a threat to human health, and that measures to reduce this threat should be considered. The report stops short of saying that EDCs definitely cause specific conditions, but it described the evidence as very strong in some cases. Ultimately, this report tackles risks on a nationwide scale, so it didn't predict individual risk from exposure to EDCs. This will vary tremendously from person to person. Similarly, it did not deal with how we can reduce our exposure to EDCs, or whether this is advisable. Inste...
Source: NHS News Feed - February 20, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Lifestyle/exercise QA articles Source Type: news

Q&A: Rachad Farah outlines his vision for UNESCO
If elected director-general of UNESCO, Rachad Farah will put southern hemisphere science at the heart of its agenda, he tells SciDev.Net.
Source: SciDev.Net - February 20, 2013 Category: Global & Universal Source Type: news

'It is like my own limb': First British person to undergo a hand transplant gives operation a resounding thumbs up
It was the operation seemingly straight out of the pages of an Edgar Allan Poe novel, so would Britain's first hand transplant prove to be a success?
Source: The Independent - Science - February 20, 2013 Category: Science Tags: Science Source Type: news

Using GM Plants To 'Grow' Medicines
Scientists say amending an EU directive on GMOs could help stimulate innovation in making vaccines, cheaper pharmaceuticals and organic plastics using plants. In a paper to be published in Current Pharmaceutical Design, six scientists from the US and Europe compare risk assessment and regulation between the two continents. They will run a web chat on the subject with Sense About Science from 12-1 on Wednesday 20th February. In the EU, plant-made pharmaceuticals have to be authorised in the same way as GM agricultural crops...
Source: Health News from Medical News Today - February 20, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Immune System / Vaccines Source Type: news

Tech Giants Form Health-Science Prize
Russian tech investor Yuri Milner said he has joined with Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg and Google co-founder Sergey Brin to create a new $3 million prize for health-science research.
Source: WSJ.com: Health - February 20, 2013 Category: Pharmaceuticals Tags: PAID Source Type: news

Study Offers New Insight Into Dogs Fear Responses To Noise
A study has gained new insight into domestic dogs' fear responses to noises. The behavioural response by dogs to noises can be extreme in nature, distressing for owners and a welfare issue for dogs. The research by academics from the School of Veterinary Sciences at the University of Bristol, and funded by the RSPCA, is published in Applied Animal Behaviour Science. The study provides an important insight into dogs' fear of noises, and could improve our understanding of behavioural signs of fear or anxiety...
Source: Health News from Medical News Today - February 20, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Veterinary Source Type: news

Restoring Voluntary Control Of Locomotion After Severe Spinal Cord Injury
In the lab, rats with severe spinal cord injury are learning to walk - and run - again. Last June in the journal Science, Gregoire Courtine, of the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), reported that rats in his lab are not only voluntarily initiating a walking gait, but they were sprinting, climbing up stairs, and avoiding obstacles after a couple of weeks of neurorehabilitation with a combination of a robotic harness and electricalchemical stimulation...
Source: Health News from Medical News Today - February 20, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Neurology / Neuroscience Source Type: news

Genetically Modified Crops Are Overregulated According To Food Science Expert
It has been almost 20 years since the first genetically modified foods showed up in produce aisles throughout the United States and the rest of the world, but controversy continues to surround the products and their regulation. Bruce Chassy, a professor emeritus of food science and human nutrition at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, believes that after thousands of research studies and worldwide planting, "genetically modified foods pose no special risks to consumers or the environment" and are overregulated...
Source: Health News from Medical News Today - February 20, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Genetics Source Type: news

Electric Vehicle Deployment - Where Should We Be Today?
Guest Post by Tali Trigg [More]
Source: Scientific American - Official RSS Feed - February 20, 2013 Category: Science Tags: Energy & Sustainability,Technology Source Type: research

Antimicrobial peptides from plants: stabilization of the γ core of a tomato defensin by intramolecular disulfide bond
Cysteine‐containing antimicrobial peptides of diverse phylogeny share a common structural signature, the γ core, characterized by a strong polarization of charges in two antiparallel β sheets. In this work, we analyzed peptides derived from the tomato defensin SolyC07g007760 corresponding to the protein γ core and demonstrated that cyclization of the peptides, which results in segregation of positive charges to the turn region, produces peptides very active against Gram negative bacteria, such as Salmonella enterica and Helicobacter pylori. Interestingly, these peptides show very low hemolytic activity and thus repres...
Source: Journal of Peptide Science - February 20, 2013 Category: Biochemistry Authors: C. Avitabile, R. Capparelli, M. M. Rigano, A. Fulgione, A. Barone, C. Pedone, A. Romanelli Tags: Special Issue Article Source Type: research

Dolphins Can Call Each Other, Not by Name, But by Whistle
The discovery that a dolphin can imitate the signature whistle of another offers a glimpse of how these marine mammals converse
Source: ScienceNOW - February 20, 2013 Category: Science Source Type: news

Insurance for Global Catastrophes, Whether Asteroids or Climate Change
It's hard to miss an asteroid the size of a truck exploding with all the force of a nuclear bomb. Such a space rock boiled across the sky near Chelyabinsk in southern Russia on February 15. [More]
Source: Scientific American - Official RSS Feed - February 20, 2013 Category: Science Tags: Energy & Sustainability,Physics,Society Policy,Cosmology,Astrophysics,Space Exploration,Environment Source Type: research

[Editors' Choice] Fighting Disease with Autophagy
A peptide that induces autophagy has beneficial effects in cellular responses to viruses and the accumulation of protein aggregates.
Source: Signal Transduction Knowledge Environment - February 20, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Nancy Gough (mailto:ngough at aaas.org) Source Type: news

[Podcast] Science Signaling Podcast: 19 February 2013
Male-type gut microbiota are associated with an increase in testosterone that protects mice from developing type 1 diabetes.
Source: Signal Transduction Knowledge Environment - February 20, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Jayne S. Danska and Annalisa M. VanHook Source Type: news

[Perspective] Allosteric Regulation of PKM2 Allows Cellular Adaptation to Different Physiological States
Regulation of the metabolic enzyme PKM2 enables cells to switch from a growth-promoting to an energy-producing state.
Source: Signal Transduction Knowledge Environment - February 20, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Dan Y. Gui, Caroline A. Lewis, Matthew G. Vander Heiden Source Type: news

[Research Article] T Cell Activation Results in Conformational Changes in the Src Family Kinase Lck to Induce Its Activation
T cell activation involves the conformational activation of the tyrosine kinase Lck.
Source: Signal Transduction Knowledge Environment - February 20, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Anja Stirnweiss, Roland Hartig, Steffi Gieseler, Jonathan A. Lindquist, Peter Reichardt, Lars Philipsen, Luca Simeoni, Mateusz Poltorak, Camilla Merten, Werner Zuschratter, Yury Prokazov, Wolfgang Paster, Hannes Stockinger, Thomas Harder, Matthias Gunzer, Source Type: news

Individual differences in mental rotation: what does gesture tell us?
Abstract Gestures are common when people convey spatial information, for example, when they give directions or describe motion in space. Here, we examine the gestures speakers produce when they explain how they solved mental rotation problems (Shepard and Meltzer in Science 171:701-703, 1971). We asked whether speakers gesture differently while describing their problems as a function of their spatial abilities. We found that low-spatial individuals (as assessed by a standard paper-and-pencil measure) gestured more to explain their solutions than high-spatial individuals. While this finding may seem surprising, fine...
Source: Cognitive Processing - February 20, 2013 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Göksun T, Goldin-Meadow S, Newcombe N, Shipley T Tags: Cogn Process Source Type: research

Twisting space: are rigid and non-rigid mental transformations separate spatial skills?
Abstract Cognitive science has primarily studied the mental simulation of spatial transformations with tests that focus on rigid transformations (e.g., mental rotation). However, the events of our world are not limited to rigid body movements. Objects can undergo complex non-rigid discontinuous and continuous changes, such as bending and breaking. We developed a new task to assess mental visualization of non-rigid transformations. The Non-rigid Bending test required participants to visualize a continuous non-rigid transformation applied to an array of objects by asking simple spatial questions about the position of...
Source: Cognitive Processing - February 20, 2013 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Atit K, Shipley TF, Tikoff B Tags: Cogn Process Source Type: research