Scientists Overclock People's Brains 314
arshadk writes with this excerpt from the BBC about researchers at Oxford University who found that inducing a small current in a subject's parietal lobe boosted their capacity for numerical learning:
"The current could not be felt, and had no measurable effect on other brain functions. As it was turned on, the volunteers tried to learn a puzzle which involved substituting numbers for symbols. Those given the current from right to left across the parietal lobe did significantly better when given, compared to those who were given no electrical stimulation. The direction of the current was important — those given stimulation running in the opposite direction, left to right, did markedly worse at these puzzles than those given no current, with their ability matching that of an average six-year-old. The effects were not short-lived, either. When the volunteers whose performance improved was re-tested six months later, the benefits appear to have persisted. There was no wider effect on general maths ability in either group, just on the ability to complete the puzzles learned as the current was applied."
sweet !! (Score:5, Funny)
K... I just cut the cord off a lamp... somerone talk me through this O.O
Love the journal name... (Score:5, Funny)
Awesome pun.
Re:Overclocking? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:sweet !! (Score:5, Funny)
hmmm... maybe I should just suck on a 9 volt battery while I am studying :/
Re:Uhhhh.... WHAT? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:My old boss used to do this too...no biggie. (Score:5, Funny)
15 minutes for a Honda Civic? What is so hard about cutting a couple of zip-ties?
Re:Uhhhh.... WHAT? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:sweet !! (Score:4, Funny)
Luckily for you there is two flavors available: Duracell and Energizer!
Re:Uhhhh.... WHAT? (Score:4, Funny)
The english-speaking participants then replied "Wakarimasen"?
Re:My old boss used to do this too...no biggie. (Score:3, Funny)
er...
Re:you can do this with drugs too (Score:3, Funny)
yes, you shouldn't do lines of coke to be better at your job
Except, of course, for those rare individuals for whom doing coke is a part of their job. Used car salesmen, comedians, politicians, that sort of thing.
Re:sweet !! (Score:1, Funny)
No, you're thinking of tea.
Re:sweet !! (Score:4, Funny)
How do you know what cat piss tastes like?
Stupid is as stupid does.. (Score:3, Funny)
pretty sure that people who offered to let scientists run current through their brains as part of a test to see how it affects learning aren't Nobel prize winners to begin with....
Re:sweet !! (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Um.. (Score:2, Funny)
Put a diode in your electrical socket, and hook yourself up.. Be sure to stream the video on the web.
Re:Overclocking? (Score:4, Funny)
Re:sweet !! (Score:3, Funny)
Re:sweet !! (Score:4, Funny)
This reminds me of that time you tried to drill a hole in your head....
Re:My old boss used to do this too...no biggie. (Score:5, Funny)
Reminds me of a Top Gear episode where they discovered that changing out an engine of a car took less time than a group of women getting ready to go out for the evening.
bah! (Score:2, Funny)
You should see how quickly people solve puzzles once you start applying current to other parts of their anatomy :-)
You're wrong (Score:2, Funny)
Too bad coffee taste like cat piss,
I actually tasted both and cat piss is a lot saltier.
Wait a second, what kind of coffee do you drink?
Re:sweet !! (Score:2, Funny)
You're right! I'll look into this and
Stim Pack has finally been researched at: Academy! (Score:2, Funny)
Scientists from Academy report that they have researched Stimpack. The Research lasted 80 time units and required funding of 100 minerals and 100 gas. Scientific community hopes that this discovery will help keep Mutalisks and Zerglings in check.
Re:LASIK, high blood pressure, gene therapy... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Uhhhh.... WHAT? (Score:1, Funny)
Do you think he just rolled up to him and said "Hey, if I drop a zero, you get ten percent!" or do you think it was more likely in the context of math and division and calculating 10% or 1/10th of another value? Such asshole asshattery from asshats like you proves the saying "God damn you are an asshat".
Re:sweet !! (Score:4, Funny)
This reminds me of that time you tried to drill a hole in your head....
That would have worked if you hadn't stopped me.
Re:Overclocking? (Score:3, Funny)
Cut one of the plugs from the power supply and run a current from right to left through the CPU?
Re:My old boss used to do this too...no biggie. (Score:1, Funny)
I believe you are refering to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24nn9SiZk4k