Pimples take center stage in the brain, in this new study: “Enjoyment of Watching Pimple Popping Videos: An fMRI Investigation,” Albert Wabnegger, Carina Höfler, Thomas Zussner, Harald H Freudenthaler, Anne Schienle, Behavioural Brain Research, vol. 402, March 26, 2021, 113129. The authors, at the University of Graz, Austria, explain: We administered a total of 96 […]
Tag: brain
The Precuneus and Anterior Cingulate Gyrus of Professional Comedians
This study attempted to see if there is something funny in the brains of professional comedians. The study is: “Mapping the ‘Funny Bone’: Neuroanatomical Correlates of Humor Creativity in Professional Comedians, Jacob Brawer and Ori Amir, Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, epub 2021. (Thanks to Emine Kidjo for bringing this to our attention.) Here are […]
Instability of an Unsteered Bicycle
A moving bicycle, when no one is riding it, is more stable than many people expect, but it is not completely stable. Here’s a curious look into the how and why of that: “It Takes Two Neurons to Ride a Bicycle,” Matthew Cook, at Caltech, demonstration at NIPS 4 (2004). Cook explains: Past attempts to […]
Recent progress in ‘Brain in a Vat’ studies
Philosophers (and others) have been pondering the implications of the ‘Brain in a Vat’ conundrum for many years. Possibly longer. And the pondering has not stopped – here is a (partial) list of recent ponderings. ● Do You Know That You Are Not a Brain in a Vat? Logos & Episteme, Volume 5, Issue 2, 2014, […]