Science!

[ella_beth]

Greetings!
Something cool I did today. Across the office, one of my co-workers posed a question half aloud: "Who was that scientist that did those genetic experiments with peas?"
Not even thinking I replied, "Mendel." (As if I knew the answer. As if it were part of my daily life. As if I had to answer the who's who of science everyday. As if someone

Comments

[imbecamiel]

Ha! Oh, that's awesome. Go, unexpected science knowledge! ;D And it is just intriguing. We know, obviously, that our minds contain a lot more on various subjects than we might imagine at any given moment, even if we think we've forgotten what we learned... but it makes you wonder how often we brush off a gut reaction on something like that, when it's really our brain trying to remind us of something we can't consciously put together.

Hee, and I was just delighted when I heard that story about the Ethiopian kids and the tablets. It's partly a testament to how intuitive the designs for many of them have become, but even more I think it shows just how much we often keep ourselves from discovering or solving, just because we're afraid to try things. Kids like that, not afraid they'll mess something up, or do it "wrong", can just take off in amazing ways.

[ella_beth]

Hurrah for untapped brain potential! It really is so fascinating to me how much we don't know about our own brains and how they work. I can think of at least three studies this year on brain activity and response locations versus what the researchers expected to happen.

Like, last month when I heard on NPR that researchers had discovered when a subject was remembering a song, the brain also tapped into areas that are normally used for muscle memory. (especially for musicians, which makes a lot of sense, when you think about it) Or that listening to music we enjoy releases some of the same dopamine reactions as chocolate, sex or drugs! WILD