Does the head remain briefly conscious after decapitation (revisited)? A Straight Dope Classic from Cecil's Storehouse of Human Knowledge June 12, 1998 Dear Cecil: In the answer about the guillotine in your online archive, you say that "the fatal blow induces immediate unconsciousness." In actuality, the human head does remain conscious fifteen to twenty seconds after decapitation. — Joel Brusk, via AOL Dear Joel: Let's see. A lot of people disputed my claim that victims of the guillotine blacked out immediately. Not likely. But let's return to the original question, appalling though it may be: Is a severed head aware of its fate? It doesn't get any better. Is it possible? Then I received a note from a U.S. My friend's head came to rest face up, and (from my angle) upside-down. I've spoken with the author and am satisfied the event occurred as described. — Cecil Adams
3D map of human brain is the most detailed ever - health - 20 June 2013 The folds, creases and intricate internal structures that make up the human brain are being revealed in unprecedented detail. A new three-dimensional map called BigBrain is the most detailed ever constructed, and should lead to a more accurate picture of how the brain's different regions function and interact. Until now, the precise placement of the neurons that make up our brain circuitry has been difficult to map, largely because the human brain's surface is covered with folds and creases. Slicing a brain exposes only two dimensions, so it is often unclear where and how the cells within these folds are organised in three-dimensional space. To make the new map, Katrin Amunts of the Jülich Research Centre in Germany and her colleagues embedded a 65-year old woman's brain in wax, sliced it into more than 7400 sections each 20 micrometres thick – one-fifth of the width of a human hair – and made digital images of the slices, also at a resolution of 20 micrometres. Tour de force
Mind-reading monkey brains look similar to ours - life - 15 June 2013 MONKEYS may have a primitive version of the human ability to put ourselves in another's shoes. Intelligent animals such as apes can intuit others' intentions, suggesting they have some theory of mind capability. To study this difference, Rogier Mars of the University of Oxford and colleagues scanned 36 people's brains. Next, the researchers scanned 12 macaque brains for a similar pattern of connections. That doesn't necessarily mean the structures share a function, Mars says. Laurie Santos of Yale University says the structural differences may one day tell us why non-human primates lack the ability to think about others' beliefs. This article appeared in print under the headline "Monkeys in other monkeys' shoes" New Scientist Not just a website! More From New Scientist Celery power (New Scientist) Did US spy satellites track Malaysia Flight MH370? Star dust casts doubt on recent big bang wave result (New Scientist) Giant solar farm uses molten salt to keep power coming (New Scientist)
BREAKTHROUGH: DMT Found in the Pineal Gland of Live Rats In a major breakthrough in consciousness and psychedelic studies, Cottonwood Research Foundation has published a paper (soon to appear in the Journal Biomedical Chromatography) documenting the presence of DMT in the brains of living rats. For decades researchers have hypothesized that DMT may be one of the neurochemicals responsible for consciousness, dreams and visionary experiences. It’s certainly responsible for these and ever weirder experiences for those who have smoked it or taken Ayahuasca. Now we have clear proof of DMT being manufactured in the living Pineal Glands of rats, and that the genes responsible for this exist in the Pineal Gland and Retina! From the press release: We’re excited to announce the acceptance for publication of a paper documenting the presence of DMT in the pineal glands of live rodents. More info at Cottonwood Research Foundation
3D map of human brain is the most detailed ever - health - 20 June 2013 The folds, creases and intricate internal structures that make up the human brain are being revealed in unprecedented detail. A new three-dimensional map called BigBrain is the most detailed ever constructed, and should lead to a more accurate picture of how the brain's different regions function and interact. Until now, the precise placement of the neurons that make up our brain circuitry has been difficult to map, largely because the human brain's surface is covered with folds and creases. Slicing a brain exposes only two dimensions, so it is often unclear where and how the cells within these folds are organised in three-dimensional space. To make the new map, Katrin Amunts of the Jülich Research Centre in Germany and her colleagues embedded a 65-year old woman's brain in wax, sliced it into more than 7400 sections each 20 micrometres thick – one-fifth of the width of a human hair – and made digital images of the slices, also at a resolution of 20 micrometres. Tour de force
Banishing consciousness: the mystery of anaesthesia - health - 29 November 2011 Read full article Continue reading page |1|2|3 I WALK into the operating theatre feeling vulnerable in a draughty gown and surgical stockings. Two anaesthetists in green scrubs tell me to stash my belongings under the trolley and lie down. I smile weakly and ask for a gin and tonic. I have had two operations under general anaesthetic this year. What they didn't tell me was how the drugs would send me into the realms of oblivion. The development of general anaesthesia has transformed surgery from a horrific ordeal into a gentle slumber. That is starting to change, however, with the development of new techniques for imaging the brain or recording its electrical activity during anaesthesia. Consciousness has long been one of the great mysteries of life, the universe and everything. Altered consciousness doesn't only happen under a general anaesthetic of course - it occurs whenever we drop off to sleep, or if we are unlucky enough to be whacked on the head. Lock and key Promoted Stories
Rubber Hand Trick Reveals Brain-Body Link | Wired Science The rubber hand illusion is more than a vaguely creepy parlor trick. It’s a window into relationship between our mental and physical self-conception. During the illusion, a participant’s hand is hidden, and a rubber hand positioned so that it appears as her own. She knows that it’s fake — but when both hands are stroked simultaneously, what’s seen and felt becomes blurred. Suddenly the rubber hand literally feels like it belongs to her. Scientists have now shown that the hidden hand’s temperature drops during the illusion: its effects aren’t simply mental, but physical as well, and could even hint at as-yet-unknown processes of disease. "These findings show that the conscious sense of our physical self, and the physiological regulation of our physical self, are linked," write a team of researchers led by Oxford University’s G. At first, this may seem a retelling of mind-body linkage: embarrassment causes blushing, fear a burst of strength. Video: New ScientistImage: PNAS See Also:
Is 'Numerosity' Humans' Sixth Sense? Whether it's determining the number of ships on the horizon or the number of cookies in a jar, the human brain has a "map" for perceiving numbers, new research shows. Topographical maps of the human brain are known to exist for the primary senses, such as sight, hearing and touch, but this is the first time such a map has been found for numerosity, or number sense. The map's layout allows for the most efficient communication among neurons doing similar tasks. Studies in monkeys have shown that certain neurons in the parietal cortex, located at the back of the brain beneath the crown of the hair, became active when the animals viewed a specific number of items. "Scientists have suspected an ordered mapping of numbers for a long time," said Andreas Nieder, a neurobiologist at the University of Tübingen in Germany, who was not involved in the study. Dots on the mind Different sites on the brain's surface respond ma ximally to different numbers of visually- presented items. The thinking brain
Banishing consciousness: the mystery of anaesthesia - health - 29 November 2011 Read full article Continue reading page |1|2|3 I WALK into the operating theatre feeling vulnerable in a draughty gown and surgical stockings. Two anaesthetists in green scrubs tell me to stash my belongings under the trolley and lie down. "Can we get you something to drink from the bar?" I smile weakly and ask for a gin and tonic. I have had two operations under general anaesthetic this year. What they didn't tell me was how the drugs would send me into the realms of oblivion. The development of general anaesthesia has transformed surgery from a horrific ordeal into a gentle slumber. That is starting to change, however, with the development of new techniques for imaging the brain or recording its electrical activity during anaesthesia. Consciousness has long been one of the great mysteries of life, the universe and everything. It was a Japanese surgeon who performed the first known surgery under anaesthetic, in 1804, using a mixture of potent herbs. Lock and key More From New Scientist