I just saw the most divine figure in a paper from 1974: In the 'swinging room' experiment, which investigates whether vision or the vestibular system is dominant in early balance, Lee and Aronson of the University of Edinburgh successfully made infants fall over 33 percent of the time. Now that's empiricism I can get behind... … Continue reading Making toddlers fall over (for science, you monster)
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The Best form of Defence is a Tax (Adviser)
As a self-employed author, tax and accounting is definitely the second largest administrative overhead (after chasing freelance clients for invoice payments.) I set aside Friday afternoons to deal with my finances - largely because I'm pretty written out by then, and partly because I don't think it's a great idea to email anyone after 2 … Continue reading The Best form of Defence is a Tax (Adviser)
It’s (K) Complex
Figure - fictionalised neural activity showing stage two NREM activations - public domain image by Wikipedia User Neocadre K-complexes are patterns of activity in which the voltage across the scalp rises then drops. K-complexes seem to kick off a period of reduced firing between neurons, perhaps because of the massive changes in the neuron’s polarity. … Continue reading It’s (K) Complex
Copyright, licenses, and reversion (oh my!)
[Note that this blog post dates from October 2019. After strenuous work by the Society of Authors and its equivalents around the world, EU member states should transpose laws that make rights reversion a matter of statute under thanks to the new Copyright Directive. That means that authors in EU member states will have reversion … Continue reading Copyright, licenses, and reversion (oh my!)
Natural short sleepers – best. Mutation. Evah
There are some extraordinary people who can get by on about three-quarters of the amount of sleep that the rest of us need. One particular family has a mutation that allows them to function normally on just six-and-a quarter hours of sleep per 24 hour period. This family was studied by geneticists, who found that … Continue reading Natural short sleepers – best. Mutation. Evah
Emma Byrne, Science Writer and Broadcaster 