Posts categorized Science & Technology

Rochester scientists say they have an alternative to the standard explanation for why order matters when the human mind processes information. Ting Qian and Richard Aslin explain that our tendency to detect patterns is built into our cognitive processes, even when it’s at the risk of overestimating the importance of such patterns. (photo by Flickr user redwoodphotography made available under CC BY-ND 2.0)

An interdisciplinary team of University neuroscientists and neurosurgeons has used a new imaging technique to show how the human brain heals itself in just a few weeks following surgical removal of a brain tumor.

The University is again sponsoring the annual FIRST LEGO League Championship Tournament, in which the top 36 regional teams of six- through 16-year-olds will compete to design and build robots that can turn doorknobs, shoot soccer balls, or complete an obstacle course.

“Simulated molecular clouds are beautiful, intricate, and ever-changing — properties that make them ideal candidates for high-powered visualization,” wrote PhD student Erica Kaminski about her award-winning images.

How long can a technological civilization last? Will human-caused climate change or species extinctions threaten its collapse or can industrial development continue without restrictions? In a new paper, two astrophysicists argue that these questions may soon be resolvable scientifically.

The University has received a second patent for an implantable biosensor that can provide physicians with real time information on their patients’ health.

Recent studies have showed that the color red tends to increase our attraction toward others, feelings of jealousy, and even reaction times. Now, new research shows that female monkeys also respond to the color red, suggesting that biology, rather than our culture, may play the fundamental role in our “red” reactions.

Noted anthropologist Stefan Helmreich will provide insights on how scientists are studying waves in nature to understand phenomena as diverse as the social sciences and climate change.

Elika Bergelson, a newly-appointed research assistant professor in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, focuses on understanding how babies learn words between 6-to 18-months old. Funding from the NIH recognizes Bergelson as one of the nation’s “exceptional early career scientist” and will help her pathbreaking work advance more quickly.

Given the widespread attention regarding the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa, four Medical Center faculty with expertise in viral infections field questions about the outbreak, the nature of pandemics, vaccines, and what a U.S. outbreak might look like.