Micro-Electronic Brain Implant Supervises Brain Re-Wiring

When the human brain is damaged from trauma, stroke, infection, or tumour etc., the damaged tissue does not re-grow itself spontaneously. Instead, the person must learn to compensate for the loss of function. Some brain plasticity may occur, as undamaged parts of the brain take responsibility for some of the functions which the destroyed parts previously carried out. But damaged brain does not heal.

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University intend to change that, by using implanted electronics devices which can help teach the brain how to re-wire itself to allow disconnected parts of the brain to become connected -- and functional -- again.

Pedram Mohseni, a professor of electrical engineering and computer science at Case Western Reserve University, and Randolph J. Nudo, a professor of molecular and integrative physiology at Kansas University Medical Center, believe repeated communications between distant neurons in the weeks after injury may spark long-reaching axons to form and connect.

Their work is inspired by the traumatic brain injuries suffered by ground troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.

...Mohseni has been building a multichannel microelectronic device to bypass the gap left by injury. The device, which he calls a brain-machine-brain interface, includes a microchip on a circuit board smaller than a quarter. The microchip amplifies signals, called neural action potentials, produced by the neurons in one part of the brain and uses an algorithm to separate these signals – brain spike activity - from noise and other artifacts. Upon spike discrimination, the microchip sends a current pulse to stimulate neurons in another part of the brain, artificially connecting the two brain regions.

...During the next four years, they expect to understand the ability to rewire the brain in a rat model and to determine whether the technology is safe enough to test in non-human primates. If tests show the treatment is successful in helping recovery from traumatic brain injury, the researchers foresee the possibility of using the approach in patients 10 years from now. _Eurekalert

Here is an abstract of a paper published by Mohseni in an IEEE publication from 2008:

This paper reports on the design, implementation, and performance characterization of a high-output-impedance current microstimulator fabricated using the TSMC 0.35 mum 2P/4M n-well CMOS process as part of a fully integrated neural implant for reshaping long-range intracortical connectivity patterns in an injured brain. It can deliver a maximum current of 94.5 muA to the target cortical tissue with current efficiency of 86% and voltage compliance of 4.7 V with a 5-V power supply. The stimulus current can be programmed via a 6-bit DAC with an accuracy better than 0.47 LSB. Stimulator functionality is also verified with in vitro experiments in saline using a silicon microelectrode with iridium oxide (IrO) stimulation sites. _IEEEXplore

The technology for such interventions is in the early stages. The researchers are also working on devices which can be used for a broad range of neurological and psychiatric conditions, and in conjunction with neurosurgery and standard post-surgical rehabilitation.

Eventually such devices will probably be implanted into a damaged area of brain, along with an artificial matrix seeded with a person's own stem cells and growth factors. The devices will be wired to "bridge" from healthy brain on one side of the lesion to healthy brain on other sides of the lesion (corresponding to interrupted pathways). The electronic signals will not only help guide a re-wiring of the brain, but they should also guide the re-growth of new replacement brain tissue of specific replacement types.

Anyone who has read the science fiction novel "Old Man's War" by John Scalzi, should recognise some of the intent behind the early stage, rudimentary devices being developed at Case Western -- and to see where the technology may be heading.

More on a related topic from Brian Wang

Evolution of Civilisations: Prelude to Collapse

19th Century American artist Thomas Cole's 5-part series of paintings, The Course of Empire, beautifully portrays the evolutionary rise and fall of an arbitrary civilisation in history. The theme of civilisational rise and fall has been replayed so many times that it has become a cliche -- and yet each civilisation believes itself immune to the universal mechanisms which guided the ascent and descent of its predecessors.

Perhaps the best known scholarly look at this phenomenon is Caroll Quigley's The Evolution of Civilizations. Quigley's treatment is a masterpiece of penetration, worth the time of any student of history. Such a book is more properly described as "meta-history", since it carefully examines the mechanisms behind repetitive and cyclical historical processes.

Earlier this year, John Robb took a look at Quigley's Evolution of Civilizations (TEOC), in an attempt to fit some of Quigley's ideas into his own program to modify society to create more resilient communities and societies. Robb made some unexpected discoveries in his study of Quigley, as is likely to happen to most thinkers who had not been exposed to "TEOC" before.

Many modern historians and thinkers are contemplating whether our civilisation has reached the end-game stage. Among them is Niall Ferguson, who suggested earlier this year that the collapse of the US hegemony may occur quite suddenly and unexpectedly as a result of uncontrollable complexities inherent in the modern system.

Great powers and empires are, I would suggest, complex systems, made up of a very large number of interacting components that are asymmetrically organized, which means their construction more resembles a termite hill than an Egyptian pyramid. They operate somewhere between order and disorder -- on "the edge of chaos," in the phrase of the computer scientist Christopher Langton. Such systems can appear to operate quite stably for some time; they seem to be in equilibrium but are, in fact, constantly adapting. But there comes a moment when complex systems "go critical." A very small trigger can set off a "phase transition" from a benign equilibrium to a crisis -- a single grain of sand causes a whole pile to collapse, or a butterfly flaps its wings in the Amazon and brings about a hurricane in southeastern England. _Ferguson_February 26, 2010 "Foreign Affairs" - March/April 2010 Edition

Thomas Cole paintings courtesy of Wikipedia

The short lifespan of humans -- a matter of mere decades -- combined with a relatively low average intelligence, leads to inevitable instabilities and tendencies to the dissolution of polities over time. This is due to the way that power is actually seized, controlled, and administered at various levels of complex societies, in a short-lived, semi-intelligent species of barely advanced apes.

The type of disorder within Bosnia, Kosovo, Haiti, Iraq, Pakistan -- or any number of third world states -- that one may have observed from afar, can easily visit your home town without so much as a by-your-leave. Violent dissolution needs no excuse to intrude in a highly complex civilisation. It only needs a few tumblers to fall in the proper places, to merely get its foot in the door.

Safest and Most Dangerous Areas in the US

City-Data.com Top 101 Cities Crime Index
City to City crime comparisons
Crime stats city search
AreaVibes area scouting website

Source

Demographically, most crime in the US is committed by young black males. This is reflected by the prison populations as well as arrest records and crime reports. A glance below at the table of the safest and most dangerous cities in the US provides further corroboration.
Source for table below:

OVERALL: (369 cities)
SAFEST 25:		MOST DANGEROUS 25:
1	Newton, MA	1	Camden, NJ
2	Clarkstown, NY	2	Detroit, MI
3	Amherst, NY	3	St. Louis, MO
4	Mission Viejo, CA	4	Flint, MI
5	Brick Twnshp, NJ	5	Richmond, VA
6	Troy, MI	6	Baltimore, MD
7	Thousand Oaks, CA	7	Atlanta, GA
8	Round Rock, TX	8	New Orleans, LA
9	Lake Forest, CA	9	Gary, IN
10	Cary, NC	10	Birmingham, AL
11	Colonie, NY	11	Richmond, CA
12	Fargo, ND	12	Cleveland, OH
13	Irvine, CA	13	Washington, DC
14	Orem, UT	14	West Palm Beach, FL
15	Dover Twnshp, NJ	15	Compton, CA
16	Warwick, RI	16	Memphis, TN
17	Sunnyvale, CA	17	Dayton, OH
18	Hamilton Twnshp, NJ*	18	San Bernardino, CA
19	Parma, OH	19	Springfield, MA
20	Canton Twnshp, MI	20	Cincinnati, OH
21	Greece, NY	21	Oakland, CA
22	Simi Valley, CA	22	Dallas, TX
23	Coral Springs, FL	23	Newark, NJ
24	Port St. Lucie, FL	24	Hartford, CT
25	Centennial, CO	25	Little Rock, AR
Back to the Top *Mercer County
CITIES OF 500,000 OR MORE POPULATION: (32 cities)
Safest 10:		Most Dangerous 10:
1	San Jose, CA	1	Detroit, MI
2	El Paso, TX	2	Baltimore, MD
3	Honolulu, HI	3	Washington, DC
4	New York, NY	4	Memphis, TN
5	Austin, TX	5	Dallas, TX
6	San Diego, CA	6	Philadelphia, PA
7	Louisville, KY	7	Columbus, OH
8	San Antonio, TX	8	Nashville, TN
9	Fort Worth, TX	9	Houston, TX
10	Jacksonville, FL	10	Charlotte, NC
Back to the Top
CITIES OF 100,000 TO 499,999 POPULATION: (208 cities)
Safest 10:		Most Dangerous 10:
1	Amherst, NY	1	St. Louis, MO
2	Thousand Oaks, CA	2	Flint, MI
3	Cary, NC	3	Richmond, VA
4	Irvine, CA	4	Atlanta, GA
5	Sunnyvale, CA	5	New Orleans, LA
6	Simi Valley, CA	6	Gary, IN
7	Coral Springs, FL	7	Birmingham, AL
8	Port St. Lucie, FL	8	Richmond, CA
9	Glendale, CA	9	Cleveland, OH
10	Provo, UT	10	Dayton, OH
Back to the Top
CITIES OF 75,000 TO 99,999 POPULATION: (129 cities)
Safest 10:		Most Dangerous 10:
1	Newton, MA	1	Camden, NJ
2	Clarkstown, NY	2	West Palm Beach, FL
3	Mission Viejo, CA	3	Compton, CA
4	Brick Twnshp, NJ	4	Trenton, NJ
5	Troy, MI	5	Reading, PA
6	Round Rock, TX	6	Canton, OH
7	Lake Forest, CA	7	Youngstown, OH
8	Colonie, NY	8	Miami Beach, FL
9	Fargo, ND	9	North Charleston, SC
10	Orem, UT	10	Macon, GA*
Back to the Top *Albany, NY was erroneously listed as 10th.  It is 12th

It should be noted that in the US, males are far more likely to commit crime than females. Juvenile males are more likely to commit crime than middle aged and older males. And black males commit more crime than hispanic males who commit more crime than white males who commit more crime than asian males.

One scholar's look at some of the reasons for the demographic discrepancies.

Keep in mind that in the US, neighboring cities may have drastically different crime rates. Even different parts of the same city may present distinctly different pictures in terms of crime and predation. Persons who live in these areas can tell you which areas are safer than others -- although it often seems that college professors, journalists, and politicians would rather choke on their own political correctness than to tell the truth about crime.

The crime rates of Europe and Canada have changed to reflect an increasing diversity, even as crime rates across much of the US have declined to reflect a changing population pyramid (fewer youths proportionately) -- and perhaps to reflect tougher sentencing laws.

Below you can see population "diversity" by county across the US. You may be told that any correlation between crime rates and specific types of diversity are purely coincidental. But if you are making a choice as to where to locate yourself and your family, you may want to do more digging.

The point of this article is to keep a clear head when traveling and relocating. Political correctness may help you get elected, but it can also get you killed if you take it too seriously. Unfortunately, many of the same problems associated with crime and diversity in the US are beginning to be a problem in Holland, Sweden, France, parts of Canada, and even parts of Australia.

Cultivate situational awareness, and always carry at least 10 concealed weapons at all times.
;-)

If You're Feeling a Bit Down, This May Cheer You Up

via Impactlab

The reason why watching the Earth turned into a seething mass of flame may cheer you up is by comparing the way things are with how bad things could be. Things could always be worse.

This Japanese video has been on the web for years, but with a Japanese language narration. The National Film Board of Canada has kindly provided English language narration with expert commentary.

You might also think about how your local chapter of the Society for Creative Apocalyptology might plan ahead in order to survive such a disaster. For this exercise, you are not allowed to flee to an extraterrestrial refuge.

Obama Pelosi: Pretending the US has No Budgetary Crisis

NG

The Obama Pelosi regime would like us to believe that 1 $trillion deficits are a normal way to run a country, and that nothing bad will happen as a result. As $trillion upon $trillion is piled onto the national debt, anyone with a functioning brain has to understand that interest rates on the debt will necessarily rise -- to keep the investors interested, as they notice that the dollar keeps getting weaker and the US is losing its edge economically, militarily, diplomatically.

Where the two political parties accept trillion dollar deficits, The Tea Party demands draconian change in our system of governance. They recognize the need for the coming Great Deconstruction. _NewGeography

NG

You can't blame the Cato Institute for trying to grab a little of the enthusiasm coming from the grass roots Tea Party movement.

The Cato Institute has offered a website dedicated to downsizing the federal government. Cato outlines clear and concise methods to reduce spending and deconstruct the various departments of government as the Tea Party is demanding. Cato’s author, Chris Edwards, envisions the elimination of entire branches of the federal government by “devolving” various programs to the states.

The annual savings proposed by the Cato Institute study total more than $400 billion per year. Some call the recommendations draconian and outrageous. Yet the savings represent just 11% of current spending – a critical way to adjust to the new realities of the deconstruction.

_NewGeography

It is amazing that cutting just $400 billion a year in federal spending could be called draconian and outrageous. Yet Obama Pelosi has the media, academia, and the punditry so bamboozled by flamboyant over-spending that any ideas of fiscal responsibility are immediately seen as unacceptable.

The US is in trouble. Its leadership is taking the nation on a path of suicidal insanity, and most of the population of the US is so dependent upon the federal government that breaking away from the addiction will cause real pain to tens of millions of people, at least. But they will live, if the rehabilitation and recovery is done carefully and judiciously. If nothing is done to stop the train wreck currently in progress, however, it is certain that large numbers will die -- and not just in the US.

Giulio Tononi's Theory of Consciousness

The New York Times recently did a piece on University of Wisconsin neuroscientist Giulio Tononi, which like most mainstream treatments of science failed to penetrate at all closely to the core. Instead, one would need to read this 2004 paper by Tononi to understand a bit of what Tononi wants to achieve.

Tononi has collaborated with Nobel Prize winning scientist Gerald Edelman on a number of books and studies. So you might think that Edelman's theory of consciousness would have influenced the younger Tononi's development of his own theory of consciousness.

There are bound to be similarities between Tononi and his mentor Edelman, but Tononi seems to be cutting his own path through the wilderness of consciousness. Unlike Edelman or Antonio Damasio -- another famous cognitive scientist -- Tononi does not appear to be as aware of his own body and the crucial role the body plays in generating consciousness.

Tononi's theory of consciousness penetrates more deeply into neurobiological realities than the philosophical work of David Chalmers and than the computational neurophilosophical work of Paul or Patricia Churchill. Yet it seems as if Tononi remains largely "stuck in his head" when attempting to tease the roots of consciousness.

Consciousness is extremely complex, but it is often made far more complicated than it needs to be. One of the favourite bugaboos of "philosophers of mind" is "qualia," or experiential quanta. Philosophers such as Chalmers enjoy riding mental merry-go-rounds such as qualia, because it provides them with arcane areas of expertise and plenty of material to publish -- regardless of any lack of practical significance in the real world. Academia is academia, and "publish or perish" says nothing about grounded relevance to the actual world. (For an interesting "party crashing" of some of the sensory phenomena related to qualia, see this [via commenter Loren])

And yet consciousness cannot mean anything unless it is indeed grounded to the real world. And consciousness cannot ground to the world by means of words. Even the best verbal metaphors of mentation cannot connect consciousness to physical existence. This failure of words is often the takeoff point for computational neurophilosophers and neuroscientists and theoreticians of sophisticated computational neural networks including Bayesian approaches.

But to be brutally honest, most scholars of consciousness do not even give lip service to the bare necessities of the physical underpinnings of conscious awareness and higher level consciousness. What about Tononi? I'm not sure yet. He showed a lot of promise in his earlier collaborations with Edelman. His "Integrated Information" theory of consciousness suggests some interesting possibilities, but so far I have not seen the necessary connecting, or grounding, of the mental processes with the bodily processes -- which are absolutely crucial.

Human or Zombie? The Answer May Surprise You

SD

Can you focus your mind on the things that need doing, or does your mind seem to focus itself on whatever pops up? Humans spend most of their lives immersed in everyday trance states -- almost indistinguishable from the mental states of zombies. It happens when the mind goes on auto-pilot, and may occur on the road, at work, in a lecture, or almost anywhere the mind feels safe enough to "zone."

Mindfulness is the opposite of a trance zone. Mindfulness is on the human end of the spectrum, with trance zones being on the zombie end. If a child is raised well, she will be the master of her attentional apparatus rather than the zombie slave. But if she is like most children, she will grow up to join the zombie horde of like-minded consumers of the trite and stylish fads of the mainstream.

In fact, most people fall into a number of destructive thought patterns and habits. Once the instigating thought or event occurs, it can be almost impossible to turn the mind away from the compelling grip of the habitual pattern. Mental exhaustion can easily set in after just a few seconds of such struggle, leaving the person defeated, falling once again into the same pattern.

It is possible to learn self-control, even as an adult who was not carefully trained as a child. But it generally takes more work than most people are willing to put in. The challenge for therapists and counselors is to make such late training of attention and executive functions fun. The alternative is a life of zombie trance zoning, leading to self-defeating habits.

Interestingly, the brain wave patterns of persons in hypnotic trance are different from the wave patterns of someone in a deep meditative state (PDF). I suspect that the wave pattern would be even more complex for persons specifically trained in mindfulness meditation.

We all have brains, but they do not all work the same. Very rarely do they work at optimal levels, regardless of the genetic and environmental advantages we may have been given.

Are you human or zombie, in the way you spend most of your time? What about your children? Would you spend $200,000 to send a zombie child to university, to concentrate on queer ethnic studies and semiotic basket weaving -- between binge drinking, fornicating, and academic lobotomising? If you did, what sort of person would he turn out to be?

De Obama Dolla Goin' "Cheep Cheep Cheep!"

Gold has been surging of late, and yesterday it hit an all-time high of roughly $1,280/ounce. Supply/demand theory would likely say that demand for the yellow metal is outstripping supply, but this would be mistaken thinking.

Instead, gold is expensive right now because the dollar is cheap. _RCM

The price of gold has risen to record levels recently, in terms of the US dollar. But pricing things in terms of the US dollar can be deceiving if one does not correct for government-induced shrinkage.

Unique among commodities, nearly every ounce of gold ever mined is still with us today. In numerical terms, there are roughly 148,000 metric tons of gold on earth, and the supply of newly discovered gold each year usually works out to 2,000 metric tons.

The above-mentioned stock/flow disparity explains neatly why gold has been used as a money measure for thousands of years. Lacking any major industrial purposes that lead to its consumption like oil, gold discoveries are merely additive to the global stock, and with new, annual discoveries very small relative to the total supply, the price of gold is enormously stable in real terms.

To put it more simply, when the price of gold fluctuates it's a signal of dollar (the currency in which it's priced) instability, as opposed to a gyrating price of the metal itself. And with gold presently more expensive in dollars that it's ever been in history, the most monetary of all metals is signaling that the dollar is the weakest it's ever been.

The culprit for the dollar's decline is pretty basic. Despite the fact that the Federal Reserve issues dollars, it's the U.S. Treasury that is the dollar's mouthpiece, and just last week Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner signaled his and the Obama administration's preference for a weaker greenback. _RealClearMarkets

By similar logic, the current price of oil is not nearly as high as you might think, given the amazing, the shrinking, Obama dollar (it be cheep, mon!).

The cheap dollar is not the main cause of the dismal outlook for the US economy, but it doesn't help. As the hyper-leveraged, hyper-regulated US economy tries desperately to find a way out of its government-induced and bottomless recession (you don't believe those government numbers, do you?), the Obama Pelosi regime simply passes new legislation to shut any peepholes of economic sunshine that may remain.

Remember: no matter what the Fed decides on interest rates, US interest rates will be headed up. Otherwise, no one will buy US debt in the near to intermediate future. That would only leave the printing press to pump out the Obama dollas as payment for goods and services rendered. But remember: One trillion multiplied by zero still equals zero.

Homemade High Voltage Coilgun: When Timeout Is Not Enough

Raising a bright and willful child is not always easy. For the times when a timeout does not convince the little tyke to conform to the plan, a shock from a high voltage coil will often do the trick. And if not? A rubber-tipped metallic projectile fired from this homemade coilgun will almost certainly induce compliance. Particularly if you emphasise that the rubber tip can always be removed. ;-)

Oh, about the unconventional child-rearing practises above? Just kidding. I have always been more of a Montessori custodian myself.

From Makezine via Popsci

Genes and IQ: The Connection is Real, But Complex

Robert Plomin, at King's College London, is reporting on a study of 4,000 British children which suggests that over 200 genes are responsible for superior reasoning ability and IQ. More:

SCIENTISTS have identified more than 200 genes potentially associated with academic performance in schoolchildren.

Those schoolchildren possessing the "right" combinations achieved significantly better results in numeracy, literacy and science.

The finding emerged from a study of more than 4000 British children to pinpoint the genes and genetic combinations that influence reasoning skills and general intelligence.

One of its main conclusions is that intelligence is controlled by a network of thousands of genes with each making just a small contribution to overall intelligence, rather than the handful of powerful genes that scientists once predicted.

The researchers believe their work could eventually lead to genetic tests to predict babies' academic potential.

"This kind of research could help us develop genetic tests to predict which kids are at risk of developing problems with their schooling, so that we could intervene to help them," said Robert Plomin, professor of behavioural genetics at the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London, who will describe his work today at a meeting of the Royal Society.

_Australian

Scientists have known for years how important gene patterns are to the development of the brain. Specific gene variants can have a crucial effect on the wiring of the brain, and on the speed and efficiency of brain functioning. Individual genes have been identified, which are felt to have an influence on human intelligence, but it is the larger pattern of gene combinations which must be studied and understood.

Human intelligence and cognition are too complex to rely on any one gene. But the computational methods to make sense out of the massive interplay of the hundreds of genes which may affect intelligence have not always been available, or trustworthy.

But slowly, as scientists learn to study the interactions of hundreds of genes, the relationship between human intelligence and gene variants can become more clear. It is an important area of study. Only by thoroughly understanding how our genes make us what we are -- in partnership with our environment -- can we find the best ways to grow into the sort of humans who can boldly step into the hazardous future, and go where things are really scary. But in a good way.

Energy and the Wealth & Poverty of Nations

Image Source via Robert Hargraves

Energy is the crucial factor which determines how well a people can live. In fact, the availability of energy also determines how many people can live comfortably in a given area. Leftists in the faux environmental movement want to shut down energy so as to eliminate at least 90% of the humans currently living on Earth.

Giving society cheap, abundant energy ... would be the equivalent of giving an idiot child a machine gun. - Paul Ehrlich, ``An Ecologist's Perspective on Nuclear Power'', May/June 1978 issue of Federation of American Scientists Public Issue Report

If you ask me, it'd be a little short of disastrous for us to discover a source of clean, cheap, abundant energy because of what we would do with it. We ought to be looking for energy sources that are adequate for our needs, but that won't give us the excesses of concentrated energy with which we could do mischief to the earth or to each other."
—Amory Lovins, The Mother Earth - Plowboy Interview, Nov/Dec 1977, p. 22 _YVY_via_SeekerBlog

ImageSource

The map above is a look at world poverty by nation. The image below is a graphic look at global electric power production by region and nation. The comparison is stark.

ImageSource

With an abundant and relatively inexpensive source of energy, the Earth could comfortably support ten times the current human population of Earth -- living in health and prosperity. But such a large population would want to utilise the third dimension for both living and agricultural space. If they had the energy, it would be simple.

The political left, of course, is taking the opposite tack of energy starvation. Choking off energy supplies will force a rapid and drastic population shrinkage across the third world -- via famine, sickness, war -- and across the developed world via a further dropping of already-low birthrates.

It is clear that Mr. Obama is taking the low road of energy starvation at this particular crossroads. It is the easy and mindless choice, thus it is the one he chooses.

The best choice is to breed a tougher breed of human -- a pioneer breed who is eager to take up the challenge of the vast spaces beyond the current limits of human habitation and expansion. More on that topic later.

Converting Oil Rigs to Idyllic Diving Resorts

SeaVentures Dive Resort

When you first discover the underwater wonderland of a thriving tropical coral reef, you will understand why people fly thousands and tens of thousands of miles for the experience. Off the east coast of Malaysian Borneo sits an abandoned oil rig that has been converted into a diving resort -- Seaventures. People come from Britain, Japan, China, and a few from the US.

"So far as we know, we're the only ones in the world using an oil rig as a hotel and diving platform," said Suzette Harris, the Singaporean owner. Her father-in-law, a regional Malaysian official, bought the rig in Singapore in 1988 (there, she said, "you can buy a used drilling platform just like you can buy a used boat."). He had it towed into Borneo waters.

No one would confuse the result with a luxury hotel. The 25 tiny guest rooms, although spotlessly clean, resemble those on a cruise ship that has seen better days. A visitor's room had a rusty metal locker without hangers to serve as a closet, and the reading lights and shower water heater didn't work. The air smelled from the oil powering the generators. For recreation, an employee band every few nights blasted rock music into the hours when one might have wanted to sleep. Meals were far from haute cuisine, although fresh and bounteous. A three-day, two-night scuba-diving package for $516, per-person double occupancy, includes room, meals, transfers, equipment rental and guarantees of a morning of three dives at Sipadan Island. _WSJ_via_ImpactLab

Not exactly luxury accomodations, but the surroundings should more than make up for the spartan lodgings.

Similar abandoned oil rigs sit idle around the world, when they could be put to very good use.

Underwater Paradise

For example, in the Gulf of Mexico off the US coast, there are many dozens of abandoned rigs that the Obama administration is demanding be dismantled and hauled away as trash. What a waste -- and by an administration that prides itself on its hope and change! Why not help to institute positive change, and turn the abandoned rigs into thriving ongoing concerns? It is easy to create artificial reefs which attract entire new ecosystems. Why not make it a part of an overall plan to rejuvenate the Gulf economy -- after the Obama Pelosi devastation and mismanagement following the BP oil spill?

Unfortunately, the O-P regime seems to be more concerned with destroying the ability of energy companies to make profits and stay in business, than it is with creating a thriving and prosperous nation. Too, too bad.

Emory's Smart New Mice are Cognitive Knockouts

Image Source

The hippocampus plays a key role in our ability to remember what happens to us, and in navigating our way through the world around us. There is a great deal about the hippocampus which remains unknown. Consider the hippocampal area CA2, pictured above. Recent research from the medical school at Emory University has found that in mice, knocking out a gene (RGS14) radically changes the activity of hippocampal CA2 -- leading to mice with markedly enhanced spatial learning and object recognition abilities, when compared with their littermate controls.

Here is more:

Mice with a disabled RGS14 gene are able to remember objects they'd explored and learn to navigate mazes better than regular mice, suggesting that RGS14's presence limits some forms of learning and memory.
The results were published online in the Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Since RGS14 appears to hold mice back mentally, John Hepler, PhD, professor of pharmacology at Emory University School of Medicine, says he and his colleagues have been jokingly calling it the "Homer Simpson gene."
RGS14 is primarily turned on in one particular part -- called CA2 -- of the hippocampus, a region of the brain known for decades to be involved in consolidating new learning and forming new memories. However, the CA2 region lies off the beaten path scientifically and it's not clear what its functions are, Hepler says.
RGS14, which is also found in humans, was identified more than a decade ago. Hepler and his colleagues have previously shown that the RGS14 protein can regulate several molecules involved in processing different types of signals in the brain that are known to be important for learning and memory. They believe RGS14 is a key control protein for these signals. _SD

Although the researchers have not identified any problems in the RGS14 knockout mice in terms of development or behaviour, it is too early to know whether such a simple gene knockout procedure in humans would be safe or effective -- for purposes of cognitive enhancement.

The finding is intriguing in the sense that the deletion of a single gene can have such a profound effect on the cognitive prospects of a mouse. A mutation in the right place could have the same result, in terms of improved learning. How many similar transformational surprises are waiting in the human genome?

We should not expect that any environmental intervention could come close to achieving a similar transformation of these specific cognitive skills as the genetic deletion achieved. Considering the somewhat conservative nature of evolution since the last great extinction event, it is unlikely that we have evolved in a way to take the greatest advantage of the potentials of our brains. In other words, our brains are likely to have many such genetic tweaks that are waiting to be discovered, to give us a leg up on our present and future challenges.

At this time it is still possible to envision a "next level" of human development. But such a hypothetical plane of development can only be reached by genetic means. How radical must such a transformation be? That depends upon where one starts. If humans continue on the present descent into Idiocracy, there will come a time when it will be too late to reverse the trend.

The easiest choice is to go back to sleep. Because, if you choose to be awake, the things you are forced to experience may be more than you can bear.

H/T Brian Wang

More on the "molecular conspiracy against plasticity" occurring in CA2