100 Very Cool Facts About The Human Body The Brain The human brain is the most complex and least understood part of the human anatomy. There may be a lot we don’t know, but here are a few interesting facts that we’ve got covered. Nerve impulses to and from the brain travel as fast as 170 miles per hour. Ever wonder how you can react so fast to things around you or why that stubbed toe hurts right away? Hair and Nails While they’re not a living part of your body, most people spend a good amount of time caring for their hair and nails. Facial hair grows faster than any other hair on the body. Internal Organs Though we may not give them much thought unless they’re bothering us, our internal organs are what allow us to go on eating, breathing and walking around. The largest internal organ is the small intestine. Bodily Functions We may not always like to talk about them, but everyone has to deal with bodily functions on a daily basis. Sneezes regularly exceed 100 mph. Sex and Reproduction Senses Aging and Death
Complexity: It’s Not That Simple Complexity theory has been around for a generation now, but most people don’t understand it. I often read or listen to consultants, ‘experts’ and media people who proffer ludicrously simplistic ‘solutions’ to complex predicaments. Since it seems most people would prefer things to be simple, these ‘experts’ always seem to have an uncritical audience. Complexity theory argues that simple, complicated, complex and chaotic systems have fundamentally different properties, and therefore different approaches and processes are needed when dealing with issues and challenges in each of these types of systems. As the diagram above illustrates, natural systems (both social and ecological) are inherently complex. Human invention, for the most part, uses biomimicry, i.e. we attempt to manufacture, to replicate mechanically, things that appear to work in nature. Natural systems are highly effective but inefficient due to their massive redundancy (picture a tree dropping thousands of seeds).
Google creates 'artificial brain' - and it immediately starts watching cat videos 16,000 processors create brain-style 'neural network' Network learns by itself to identify cat facesWorks with pool of 10 million images from YouTube By Rob Waugh Published: 08:31 GMT, 26 June 2012 | Updated: 15:12 GMT, 5 July 2012 Google has created an 'artificial brain' from 16,000 computer processors, and sat it down with an internet connection. But, there's a certain grim inevitability to the fact that the YouTube company's creation began watching stills from cat videos. The team, led by Google's Dr Jeff Dean, used the 16,000 processor array to create a brain-style 'neural network' with more than a billion connections. There's a certain grim inevitability to the fact that the YouTube company's creation began watching stills from cat videos Recognising faces: Google was able to pick out the characteristics of face and label images correctly The team then fed it random images culled from 10 million YouTube videos - and let it 'learn' by itself. Unsurprisingly, the machine focused in on cats.
Nerve Structures of the Spine Nerves control the body’s functions including the vital organs, sensation, and movement. The nervous system receives information and initiates an appropriate response. It is affected by internal and external factors (ie, stimulus). Nerves follow tracts and cross over junctions called synapses. Watch our video explaining spinal anatomy—it'll give you the big picture of how the nerves and vertebrae fit together in your spine. Central Nervous System (CNS) The Central Nervous System is composed of the brain and spinal cord. Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) The CNS extends to the Peripheral Nervous System, a system of nerves that branch beyond the spinal cord, brain, and brainstem. The PNS includes the Somatic Nervous System (SNS) and the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS). The ANS is further divided into the Sympathetic Nervous System and the Parasympathetic Nervous System. Just below the last thoracic (T12) and first lumbar (L1) vertebra the spinal cord ends at the Conus Medullaris.
Simplexity Simplexity is an emerging theory that proposes a possible complementary relationship between complexity and simplicity. The term draws from General Systems Theory, Dialectics (philosophy) and Design. Jeffrey Kluger wrote a book about this phenomenon that describes how house plants can be more complicated than industrial plants, how a truck driver's job can be as difficult as a CEO's and why 90% of the money donated to help cure diseases are given only to the research of 10% of them (and vice versa). The term has been adopted in advertising, marketing and the manufacture of left-handed screwdrivers. Design aspects[edit] Complexity tends to rise as system elements specialize and diversify to solve specific challenges.Simple interfaces tend to improve the usability of complex systems. History of the term[edit] Like most terms, it has been shaped through dialogues and discussions, in much the same way that a camel is a horse designed by committee. Education[edit] In science[edit] References[edit]
27 Science Fictions That Became Science Facts In 2012 We may never have our flying cars, but the future is here. From creating fully functioning artificial leaves to hacking the human brain, science made a lot of breakthroughs this year. 1. Quadriplegic Uses Her Mind to Control Her Robotic Arm At the University of Pittsburgh, the neurobiology department worked with 52-year-old Jan Scheuermann over the course of 13 weeks to create a robotic arm controlled only by the power of Scheuermann’s mind. The team implanted her with two 96-channel intracortical microelectrodes. 2. Once the robot figures out how to do that without all the wires, humanity is doomed. 3. Photo Courtesy of Indigo Moon Yarns. At the University of Wyoming, scientists modified a group of silkworms to produce silk that is, weight for weight, stronger than steel. 4. Using an electron microscope, Enzo di Fabrizio and his team at the Italian Institute of Technology in Genoa snapped the first photos of the famous double helix.Source: newscientist.com / via: davi296 5. 6. 7. 8. 10.
Anatomical terms of location Standard anatomical terms of location deal unambiguously with the anatomy of animals, including humans. Furthermore, the terms are not language-specific, so with little or no translation, they can be understood by all zoologists. While these terms are standardized within specific fields of biology, there are unavoidable, sometimes dramatic, differences between some disciplines. For example, differences in terminology remain a problem that, to some extent, still separates the terminology of human anatomy from that used in the study of various other zoological categories. Introduction[edit] Unique anatomical terminology is used to describe humans and other animals. The vertebrates and Craniata share a substantial heritage and common structure, so many of the same terms are used to describe location. For humans, one type of vertebrate, anatomical terms may differ from other forms of vertebrates. Standard anatomical position[edit] A jellyfish of the Chrysaora species. Combined terms[edit] Bone
ParadigmOfComplexity The last few decades have seen the emergence of a growing body of literature devoted to a critique of the so-called “old” or “Cartesian-Newtonian” paradigm which, in the wake of the prodigious successes of modern natural science, came to dominate the full range of authoritative intellectual discourse and its associated worldviews. Often coupled with a materialistic, and indeed atomistic, metaphysics, this paradigm has been guided by the methodological principle of reductionism. The critics of reductionism have tended to promote various forms of holism, a term which, perhaps more than any other, has served as the rallying cry for those who see themselves as creators of a “new paradigm.” At the forefront of such a challenge, and in many ways the herald of the new paradigm, is the relatively new movement of transpersonal psychology. In taking seriously such experiences, transpersonal theory has been compelled to transcend the disciplinary boundaries of mainstream psychology. C.
100 Incredible Lectures from the World's Top Scientists Posted on Thursday June 18, 2009 by Staff Writers By Sarah Russel Unless you’re enrolled at one of the best online colleges or are an elite member of the science and engineering inner circle, you’re probably left out of most of the exciting research explored by the world’s greatest scientists. But thanks to the Internet and the generosity of many universities and online colleges, you’ve now got access to the cutting edge theories and projects that are changing the world in this list below. If you’re looking for even more amazing lectures, check out our updated list for 2012 with more talks from great minds. General Let the world’s top scientists explain exactly how they do their job when you listen to these lectures. Science and Engineering From materials science to the study of thermodynamics, learn more about the science of engineering here. WTC Lecture – collapse of WTC Buildings: Steven E. Biology and Medicine Chemistry Physics and Astronomy Earth and Environment Technology Science and Business
Anatomical terms of motion In general, motion is classified according to the anatomical plane it occurs in. Flexion and extension are examples of angular motions, in which two axes of a joint are brought closer together or moved further apart. Rotational motion may occur at other joints, for example the shoulder, and are described as internal or external. Other terms, such as elevation and depression, refer to movement above or below the horizontal plane. Many anatomical terms derive from Latin terms with the same meaning. Classification[edit] Motions are classified after the anatomical planes they occur in, although movement is more often than not a combination of different motions occurring simultaneously in several planes. Apart from this motions can also be divided into: Linear motions (or translatory motions), which move in a line between two points. The study of movement is known as kinesiology. Abnormal motion[edit] General motion[edit] Flexion and extension[edit] Abduction and adduction[edit] Rotation[edit]
Human Systems Dynamics untitled What are Legitimate Reasons to Not Have Sex? Sometimes you have to say no to sex—even when you’re ready and rarin’ to go! These are seven good reasons not to have sex.