This blog is about science. This blog is not about politics. Science is not about politics. At least it’s not supposed to be. If you’ve ever received modern medical care, like taking antibiotics or having surgery or getting an x-ray or MRI or blood test, you’ve benefited from science. If you’ve ever talked on a phone or used a computer or flown on an airplane, … Continue reading
In my last post I wrote about attending a workshop where we debated whether it will ever be possible to “solve the brain”. I suggest you read that post before diving into this one. In this post I’ll summarize our discussions about what tools are needed in order to solve the brain and whether collecting more data is all it will take. To recap, our … Continue reading
As I wrote in my last post, the Janelia workshop I recently attended included a series of debates designed to stimulate discussion of broad topics in neuroscience. These debates were thought-provoking and super fun, especially the part where my side crushed the opposition (kidding). So I wanted to write up a couple of posts about some of the issues we discussed that I found the … Continue reading
Last week I attended a Junior Scientist Workshop at the Janelia Research Campus on “Neural Circuits and Behavior”. When I applied for this workshop I had no idea what it was going to be like, but I assumed it would be basically like a normal conference except that only postdocs and students would be invited. Uhh, nope. It was nothing like any conference I’ve ever … Continue reading
Some people have a great sense of direction. Even after wandering around town all day, stopping for lunch and perusing some stores and taking a few detours to compare which coffee shop looks the best, they still know exactly how to get back. Then there are those of us who get turned around and have to consult Google Maps every time we get out of … Continue reading
I’m sure you’ve been wondering where I’ve been. (At least I’d like to think I’ve been missed!) Well, for the last two months I’ve been in stuck the hellhole that is known as applying for the NIH K99/R00 grant. Now that my grant was just submitted and I can forget all about it, clearly the first thing I decided to do was to spend a … Continue reading
Welcome to Brain Bits, where I highlight important or interesting recent news in the world of neuroscience. I know guys, I’ve been falling behind in writing full-length posts because I’ve been incredibly busy this semester, but I thought some Brain Bits would at least tide you over for now. In store for today: revolutionizing scientific publishing, how your different senses interact, a new method for studying human brain … Continue reading
Welcome to Brain Bits, where I highlight important or interesting recent news in the world of neuroscience. In store for today: recording the activity of an entire moving brain, sensing different types of touch, optogenetics trials in humans, and more! Neuroscientists have long dreamed of recording the activity of every neuron in the brain at the same time: since everything the brain does is … Continue reading
Ever wondered why you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? It’s the same reason why you can’t pick up a new language nearly as fast as your kid, or why your grandparents suck at typing. (Sorry Grandma.) It’s also the reason why sports stars or piano virtuosos are usually folks who have been practicing since they were barely out of the womb. Young brains … Continue reading
Welcome to Brain Bits, where I highlight important or interesting recent news in the world of neuroscience. In store for today: why every brain cell may be unique, a call for national brain observatories, simulating your brain in a supercomputer, and more! In 2012, a group of six prominent neuroscientists proposed a large-scale brain mapping project that formed the basis for President Obama’s BRAIN … Continue reading