Yep, that's right. From Science Daily: Using short pulses from an intense laser source, scientists from Lund University Faculty of Engineering in Sweden have been able to capture an electron's motion to video for the first time. Currently, I don't have much of a background in modern physics so I'll spare you from any attempt on my part of an explanation.
Johan Mauritsson of Lund University claims that this technology can be used to corroboration of various theories. He also says, "What we are doing is pure basic research. If there happen to be future applications, they will have to be seen as a bonus."
The entire length of the video represents a single oscillation of the light. Of course, the video has been slowed so that we can observe the effects.
Showing posts with label science daily. Show all posts
Showing posts with label science daily. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Process For Storing And Erasing Long-term Memories Discovered
From Science Daily -
The question:
"Are memories recorded in a stable physical change, like writing an inscription permanently on a clay tablet?"
Their expirement:
"Dudai and research student Reut Shema, together with Todd Sacktor of the SUNY Downstate Medical Center, trained rats to avoid certain tastes. They then injected a drug to block a specific protein into the taste cortex -- an area of the brain associated with taste memory. They hypothesized, on the basis of earlier research by Sacktor, that this protein, an enzyme called PKMzeta, acts as a miniature memory "machine" that keeps memory up and running. An enzyme causes structural and functional changes in other proteins: PKMzeta, located in the synapses -- the functional contact points between nerve cells -- changes some facets of the structure of synaptic contacts.
It must be persistently active, however, to maintain this change, which is brought about by learning. Silencing PKMzeta, reasoned the scientists, should reverse the change in the synapse. And this is exactly what happened: Regardless of the taste the rats were trained to avoid, they forget their learned aversion after a single application of the drug."
Their conclusion:
("This drug is a molecular version of jamming the operation of the machine," says Dudai. "When the machine stops, the memories stop as well." In other words, long-term memory is not a one-time inscription on the nerve network, but an ongoing process which the brain must continuously fuel and maintain. These findings raise the possibility of developing future, drug-based approaches for boosting and stabilizing memory.)
The question:
"Are memories recorded in a stable physical change, like writing an inscription permanently on a clay tablet?"
Their expirement:
"Dudai and research student Reut Shema, together with Todd Sacktor of the SUNY Downstate Medical Center, trained rats to avoid certain tastes. They then injected a drug to block a specific protein into the taste cortex -- an area of the brain associated with taste memory. They hypothesized, on the basis of earlier research by Sacktor, that this protein, an enzyme called PKMzeta, acts as a miniature memory "machine" that keeps memory up and running. An enzyme causes structural and functional changes in other proteins: PKMzeta, located in the synapses -- the functional contact points between nerve cells -- changes some facets of the structure of synaptic contacts.
It must be persistently active, however, to maintain this change, which is brought about by learning. Silencing PKMzeta, reasoned the scientists, should reverse the change in the synapse. And this is exactly what happened: Regardless of the taste the rats were trained to avoid, they forget their learned aversion after a single application of the drug."
Their conclusion:
("This drug is a molecular version of jamming the operation of the machine," says Dudai. "When the machine stops, the memories stop as well." In other words, long-term memory is not a one-time inscription on the nerve network, but an ongoing process which the brain must continuously fuel and maintain. These findings raise the possibility of developing future, drug-based approaches for boosting and stabilizing memory.)
Sunday, May 13, 2007
New Research Sheds Light On Memory By Erasing It
From the Folks at Science Daily.
"For years, scientists have studied the molecular basis of memory storage, trying to find the molecules that store memory, just as DNA stores genetic memory. In an important study published this week in the Journal of Neuroscience, Brandeis University researchers report for the first time that memory storage can be induced and then biochemically erased in slices of rat hippocampus by manipulating a so-called "memory molecule," a protein kinase known as CaMKII."
John Lisman and his Lab Group have been able to confirm that CaMKII is indeed a memory molecule.
Apparantly, they saturated mouse hippocampal memory stores, and then proceeded to "attack" CaMKII which then "chemically erased" old memory stores, after which they were able to insert new memories into the synapses.
This work will pave the way for future work in Alzheimer's and other diseases in which memory loss plays an important role.
This article may be of interests to PKD fans, also. Memory may not be what was originally remembered. As soon as one floods the hippocampus with the the CaMKII, (thus we have full memory capacity) how can they then selectively target certain memories before deleting them, and inserting false memories?
"For years, scientists have studied the molecular basis of memory storage, trying to find the molecules that store memory, just as DNA stores genetic memory. In an important study published this week in the Journal of Neuroscience, Brandeis University researchers report for the first time that memory storage can be induced and then biochemically erased in slices of rat hippocampus by manipulating a so-called "memory molecule," a protein kinase known as CaMKII."
John Lisman and his Lab Group have been able to confirm that CaMKII is indeed a memory molecule.
Apparantly, they saturated mouse hippocampal memory stores, and then proceeded to "attack" CaMKII which then "chemically erased" old memory stores, after which they were able to insert new memories into the synapses.
This work will pave the way for future work in Alzheimer's and other diseases in which memory loss plays an important role.
This article may be of interests to PKD fans, also. Memory may not be what was originally remembered. As soon as one floods the hippocampus with the the CaMKII, (thus we have full memory capacity) how can they then selectively target certain memories before deleting them, and inserting false memories?
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