The Ten Most Beautiful Experiments Also by George Johnson
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Rhythms of the Brain
Rhythms of the Brain György Buzsáki OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS Rhythms of the Brain This page intentionally left blank Rhythms of the Brain György Buzsáki 1 2006 3 Oxford University Press, Inc., publishes works that further Oxford University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education. Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With offices in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam Copyright © 2006 by Oxford University Press, Inc. Published by Oxford University Press, Inc. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016 www.oup.com Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Buzsáki, G. Rhythms of the brain / György Buzsáki. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13 978-0-19-530106-9 ISBN 0-19-530106-4 1. Brain—Physiology. 2. Oscillations. 3. Biological rhythms. [DNLM: 1. Brain—physiology. 2. Cortical Synchronization. 3. Periodicity. WL 300 B992r 2006] I. Title. QP376.B88 2006 612.8'2—dc22 2006003082 987654321 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper To my loved ones. This page intentionally left blank Prelude If the brain were simple enough for us to understand it, we would be too sim- ple to understand it. -
Millikan's Struggle with Theory
FEATURES Did the great experimentalist doctor his own findings to suit his beliefs? Perhaps not, as aclose look at his beliefs reveals. Millikan's struggle with theory Gerald Holton n 1916 Millikan published his experi by any other experimenter. rectly at the ordinates, he decided"simply I mental determination of the value of Several factors were responsible for the to cut the feet off"where those curves were Planck's constant, with remarkable preci success of the experiment, performed at trailing on too far. sion. Itwas later cited as part ofhis Nobel the Ryerson Laboratory ofthe University In short, a triumphant work by a su Prize award. But as a study of that paper ofChicago. First ofall, Millikan's use ofan perbly confident scientist, ofhighest im together with Millikan's subsequent com ingenious device he termed "a machine portance in its day, and richly deserving to ments over the years reveal, he initiallyre shop in vacuo;' assembled thanks to "the be cited as part of his Nobel Prize award fused to accept the interpretation of the skill and experience of the mechanician, in 1923, "for his work on the elementary theoretical meaning ofhis work, as seen Mr. Julius Pearson" .Essentially, the device charge ofelectricityandthe photoelectric from the perspective of a present-day allowed a rotating sharp knife, controlled effect". If historically minded scholars physicist.Yet, over time, Millikan adjusted from outside the evacuated glass contain look through that 1916 volume of the his view retroactively to accept the mean er by electromagnetic means, to clean off Physical Review inwhich Millikan's paper ing ofwhat he had done - namely to pro the surface of the metal used (sodium, appeared, they will notice that physics in vide crucial support for Einstein's heuris potassium, lithium) before exposing it to America at that time was still a mixed bag. -
Millikan Oil Drop Experiment
Experiment 4 1 Millikan Oil-Drop Experiment Physics 2150 Experiment 4 University of Colorado1 Introduction The fundamental unit of charge is the charge of an electron, which has the magnitude of 푒 = 1.60219 x 10-19 C. With the exception of quarks, all elementary particles observed in nature are found to have a charge equal to an integral multiple of the charge of an electron. (Quarks have charge 푒/3, but they are never observed as free particles). By convention, the symbol 푒 represents a positive charge, so the charge 푞 of an electron is 푞 = −푒. The first person to measure accurately the electron’s charge was the American physicist R. A. Millikan. Working at the University of Chicago in 1912, Millikan found that droplets of oil from a simple spray bottle usually carry a net charge of a few electrons. He built an apparatus in which tiny oil droplets fall between two horizontal capacitor plates while their motion is observed with a microscope. A voltage applied between the plates creates an electric field, which can exert an upward force on a charge droplet, counteracting the force of gravity. By studying the motion of a droplet in response to gravity, the electric field between the plates, and viscous drag due to the air, Millikan was able to calculate the charge on the droplet. He published data on 58 droplets and reported that the charge of an electron is 푒 = (1.592±0.003) x 10-19 C. Millikan’s value was a bit low (three 휎 below the accepted value) because he used a slightly inaccurate expression for the drag force due to air. -
Team-Fly® Power up Your Mind
Power Up Your Mind:Y L Learn faster,F work smarterM A E T Bill Lucas NICHOLAS BREALEY PUBLISHING Team-Fly® Power Up Your Mind Learn faster, work smarter Bill Lucas N ICHOLAS B REALEY P UBLISHING LONDON First published by Nicholas Brealey Publishing in 2001 Reprinted (twice) 2002 3–5 Spafield Street PO Box 700 Clerkenwell, London Yarmouth EC1R 4QB, UK Maine 04096, USA Tel: +44 (0)20 7239 0360 Tel: (888) BREALEY Fax: +44 (0)20 7239 0370 Fax: (207) 846 5181 http://www.nbrealey-books.com http://www.powerupyourmind.com © Bill Lucas 2001 The right of Bill Lucas to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. ISBN 1-85788-275-X British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Lucas, Bill. Power up your mind : learn faster, work smarter / Bill Lucas. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1-85788-275-X 1. Learning, Psychology of. 2. Work--Psychological aspects. I. Title. BF318 .L83 2001 153.1′5--dc21 2001035940 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording and/or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publishers. This book may not be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise disposed of by way of trade in any form, binding or cover other than that in which it is published, without the prior consent of the publishers. -
General Relativity Requires Absolute Space and Time 1 Space
CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by CERN Document Server General Relativity Requires Amp`ere’s theory of magnetism [10]. Maxwell uni- Absolute Space and Time fied Faraday’s theory with Huyghens’ wave the- ory of light, where in Maxwell’s theory light is Rainer W. K¨uhne considered as an oscillating electromagnetic wave Lechstr. 63, 38120 Braunschweig, Germany which propagates through the luminiferous aether of Huyghens. We all know that the classical kinematics was re- placed by Einstein’s Special Relativity [11]. Less We examine two far-reaching and somewhat known is that Special Relativity is not able to an- heretic consequences of General Relativity. swer several problems that were explained by clas- (i) It requires a cosmology which includes sical mechanics. a preferred rest frame, absolute space and According to the relativity principle of Special time. (ii) A rotating universe and time travel Relativity, all inertial frames are equivalent, there are strict solutions of General Relativity. is no preferred frame. Absolute motion is not re- quired, only the relative motion between the iner- tial frames is needed. The postulated absence of an absolute frame prohibits the existence of an aether [11]. 1 Space and Time Before Gen- According to Special Relativity, each inertial eral Relativity frame has its own relative time. One can infer via the Lorentz transformations [12] on the time of the According to Aristotle, the Earth was resting in the other inertial frames. Absolute space and time do centre of the universe. He considered the terrestrial not exist. Furthermore, space is homogeneous and frame as a preferred frame and all motion relative isotropic, there does not exist any rotational axis of to the Earth as absolute motion. -
Chemistry in Italy During Late 18Th and 19Th Centuries
CHEMISTRY IN ITALY DURING LATE 18TH AND 19TH CENTURIES Ignazio Renato Bellobono, CSci, CChem, FRSC LASA, Department of Physics, University of Milan. e-mail add ress : i.bell obon o@ti scali.it LASA, Dept.Dept. ofPhysics, Physics, University of Milan The birth of Electrochemistry Luigi Galvani, Alessandro Volta, and Luigi Valentino Brugnatelli From Chemistry to Radiochemistry The birth of Chemistry and Periodic Table Amedeo Avogadro and Stanislao Cannizzaro Contributions to Organic Chemistry LASA, Dept.Dept. ofPhysics, Physics, University of Milan 1737 At the Faculty of Medicine of the Bologna University, the first chair of Chemistry is establishedestablished,,andandassigned to Jacopo Bartolomeo BECCARI (1692-1766). He studied phosphorescence and the action of light on silver halides 1776 In some marshes of the Lago Maggiore, near AngeraAngera,, Alessandro VOLTA ((17451745--18271827),),hi gh school teacher of physics in Como, individuates a flammable gas, which he calls aria infiammabile. Methane is thus discovereddiscovered.. Two years laterlater,,heheis assignedassigned,,asas professor of experimental phihysicscs,,toto the UiUniversi ty of PiPavia LASA, DtDept. of PhPhys icscs,, University of Milan 1778 In aletter a letter to Horace Bénédict de Saussure, aaSwissSwiss naturalist, VOLTA introduces, beneath that of electrical capacitycapacity,, the fundamental concept of tensione elettrica (electrical tension), exactly the name that CITCE recommended for the difference of potential in an electrochemical cell. 17901790--17911791 VOLTA anticipatesanticipates,,bybyabout 10 yearsyears,,thethe GAYGAY--LUSSACLUSSAC linear de ppyendency of gas volume on tem pp,erature, at constant pressurepressure,,andandafew a fewyears later ((17951795)) anticipatesanticipates,,byby about 6years 6 years,,thethe soso--calledcalled John Dalton’s rules ((18011801))ononvapour pressure LASA, Dept.Dept. -
Tournament-9 Round 12 Tossups 1
Tournament-9 Round 12 Tossups 1. This psychologist argued that "moving toward others," "moving against others," and "moving away from others" were the three unhealthy trends. She organized the Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis after being expelled from the New York Psychoanalytic Institute. She argued against the concept of the death instinct and libido in works such as Feminine Psychology and The Neurotic Personality of Our Time. (*) For 10 points, name this psychologist, who introduced the concept of womb envy. ANSWER: Karen Horney 030-09-6-12102 2. The magnitudes of constructs of this type are related to J-coupling constants in proton NMR spectroscopy, according to the Karplus equations. One construct of this type is also known as the "dihedral" type, and applies when four or more atoms are bonded in a straight chain. For a central molecule with two sigma bonds, the magnitude of a construct of this type (*) decreases by one-third when a lone pair is present, which is the major difference between a linear and a bent molecule. For 10 points, name these figures important in molecular geometry, which come in "bond" and "torsional" varieties, and are typically measured in degrees. ANSWER: angles [or torsional angles; or bond angles; or dihedral angles] 026-09-6-12103 3. This deity trips a figure named Lit and kicks him into a pyre. This deity, assisted by some items given by Grid, defeats Geirrod, but fails to wrestle Eli, who is really Old Age. This deity cannot pick up the cat of (*) Utgard-Loki, but does make Thialfi into his apprentice. -
Introduction and Historical Perspective
Chapter 1 Introduction and Historical Perspective “ Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution. ” modified by the developmental history of the organism, Theodosius Dobzhansky its physiology – from cellular to systems levels – and by the social and physical environment. Finally, behaviors are shaped through evolutionary forces of natural selection OVERVIEW that optimize survival and reproduction ( Figure 1.1 ). Truly, the study of behavior provides us with a window through Behavioral genetics aims to understand the genetic which we can view much of biology. mechanisms that enable the nervous system to direct Understanding behaviors requires a multidisciplinary appropriate interactions between organisms and their perspective, with regulation of gene expression at its core. social and physical environments. Early scientific The emerging field of behavioral genetics is still taking explorations of animal behavior defined the fields shape and its boundaries are still being defined. Behavioral of experimental psychology and classical ethology. genetics has evolved through the merger of experimental Behavioral genetics has emerged as an interdisciplin- psychology and classical ethology with evolutionary biol- ary science at the interface of experimental psychology, ogy and genetics, and also incorporates aspects of neuro- classical ethology, genetics, and neuroscience. This science ( Figure 1.2 ). To gain a perspective on the current chapter provides a brief overview of the emergence of definition of this field, it is helpful -
DNA: the Timeline and Evidence of Discovery
1/19/2017 DNA: The Timeline and Evidence of Discovery Interactive Click and Learn (Ann Brokaw Rocky River High School) Introduction For almost a century, many scientists paved the way to the ultimate discovery of DNA and its double helix structure. Without the work of these pioneering scientists, Watson and Crick may never have made their ground-breaking double helix model, published in 1953. The knowledge of how genetic material is stored and copied in this molecule gave rise to a new way of looking at and manipulating biological processes, called molecular biology. The breakthrough changed the face of biology and our lives forever. Watch The Double Helix short film (approximately 15 minutes) – hyperlinked here. 1 1/19/2017 1865 The Garden Pea 1865 The Garden Pea In 1865, Gregor Mendel established the foundation of genetics by unraveling the basic principles of heredity, though his work would not be recognized as “revolutionary” until after his death. By studying the common garden pea plant, Mendel demonstrated the inheritance of “discrete units” and introduced the idea that the inheritance of these units from generation to generation follows particular patterns. These patterns are now referred to as the “Laws of Mendelian Inheritance.” 2 1/19/2017 1869 The Isolation of “Nuclein” 1869 Isolated Nuclein Friedrich Miescher, a Swiss researcher, noticed an unknown precipitate in his work with white blood cells. Upon isolating the material, he noted that it resisted protein-digesting enzymes. Why is it important that the material was not digested by the enzymes? Further work led him to the discovery that the substance contained carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and large amounts of phosphorus with no sulfur. -
The Physics Surrounding the Michelson-Morley Experiment and a New Æther Theory
The physics surrounding the Michelson-Morley experiment and a new æther theory Israel P´erez Department of Applied Physics, CINVESTAV, M´erida, Yucat´an,M´exico Abstract From the customary view the Michelson-Morley experiment is used to expose the failure of the aether theory. The key point in this experiment is the fringe shift of the interference pattern. Regularly, the fringe shift calculations are only presented from the perspective of the inertial frame where the one-way speed of light is anisotropic which gives a partial vision of the problem. In a spirit of revision of these facts we have meticulously analyzed the physics behind them. As a result, an angular effect which is based on Huyghens principle and plays a fundamental role in the reflection of light waves at moving mirrors is incorporated. Moreover, under the assumption of a null result in the experiment, on the one hand, the fringe shift conditions demand actual relativistic effects; on the other, it is confirmed that Maxwell's electrodynamics and Galilean relativity are incompatible formulations. From these two points at least three inertial theories follow: (1) the special theory of relativity (SR), (2) a new aether theory (NET) based on the Tangherlini transformations and (3) emission theories based on Ritz' modification of electrodynamics. A brief review of their physical content is presented and the problem of the aether detection as well as the propagation of light, within the context of SR and the NET, are discussed. Despite the overwhelming amount of evidences that apparently favors SR we claim that there are no strong reasons to refuse the aether which conceived as a continuous material medium, still stands up as a physical reality and could be physically associated with dark matter, the cosmic background radiation and the vacuum condensates of particle physics. -
Jewels in the Crown
Jewels in the crown CSHL’s 8 Nobel laureates Eight scientists who have worked at Cold Max Delbrück and Salvador Luria Spring Harbor Laboratory over its first 125 years have earned the ultimate Beginning in 1941, two scientists, both refugees of European honor, the Nobel Prize for Physiology fascism, began spending their summers doing research at Cold or Medicine. Some have been full- Spring Harbor. In this idyllic setting, the pair—who had full-time time faculty members; others came appointments elsewhere—explored the deep mystery of genetics to the Lab to do summer research by exploiting the simplicity of tiny viruses called bacteriophages, or a postdoctoral fellowship. Two, or phages, which infect bacteria. Max Delbrück and Salvador who performed experiments at Luria, original protagonists in what came to be called the Phage the Lab as part of the historic Group, were at the center of a movement whose members made Phage Group, later served as seminal discoveries that launched the revolutionary field of mo- Directors. lecular genetics. Their distinctive math- and physics-oriented ap- Peter Tarr proach to biology, partly a reflection of Delbrück’s physics train- ing, was propagated far and wide via the famous Phage Course that Delbrück first taught in 1945. The famous Luria-Delbrück experiment of 1943 showed that genetic mutations occur ran- domly in bacteria, not necessarily in response to selection. The pair also showed that resistance was a heritable trait in the tiny organisms. Delbrück and Luria, along with Alfred Hershey, were awarded a Nobel Prize in 1969 “for their discoveries concerning the replication mechanism and the genetic structure of viruses.” Barbara McClintock Alfred Hershey Today we know that “jumping genes”—transposable elements (TEs)—are littered everywhere, like so much Alfred Hershey first came to Cold Spring Harbor to participate in Phage Group wreckage, in the chromosomes of every organism. -
Harvey Fletcher and Henry Eyring: Men of Faith and Science
Edward L. Kimball Harvey Fletcher and Henry Eyring: Men of Faith and Science The year 1981 saw the deaths of Harvey Fletcher and Henry Eyring, men of great religious faith whose superb professional achievements placed them in the first ranks of the nation's scientists. (See Steven H. Heath's "The Reconcilia- tion of Faith and Science: Henry Eyring's Achievement," this issue.) Both could be said to have had simple religious faith — not because they were un- complicated people incapable of subtlety, but because their religious character was early and firmly grounded in a few fundamentals. This freed them from a life of continuing doubt and struggle. The two men, seventeen years apart in age, had a kind of family relation- ship. Henry Eyring's uncle Carl Eyring (after whom BYU's Eyring Science Center is named) married Fern Chipman; Harvey Fletcher married her sister Lorena. After their spouses died, Harvey Fletcher and Fern Chipman Eyring married. As a result, Henry Eyring called him Uncle Harvey. But that was not unique. Nearly everyone else did, too. Harvey Fletcher was born in 1884 in a little frame house in Provo, Utah. Among his memories are attending the dedication of the Salt Lake Temple and shaking President Wilford Woodruff's hand. As a young boy, he recited a short poem at a program in the Provo Tabernacle; and after he finished, Karl G. Maeser, principal of the Brigham Young Academy, stopped him before he could resume his seat, put his hand on Harvey's head, and said, "I want this congregation to know that this little boy will one day be a great man." Instead of being pleased, Harvey was bothered; he perceived it as a prediction of politi- cal leadership, which he did not want.