Increased photon emission from the head while imagining light in the dark
Posted: February 28, 2014 Filed under: science | Tags: B.T. Dotta, Bókkon’s biophoton hypothesis, behavioural neuroscience, biomolecular science, biophoton, Canada, cerebral hemispheres, human brain, human studies, imagination, K.S. Saroka, Laurentian University, M.A. Persinger, neuroscience, Ontario, quantitative EEG (QEEG) visualization, science, ultraweak photon emissions Leave a comment
If you think hard about a bright light whilst sitting in a dark room, will your head emit photons? Recent research from B.T. Dotta, K.S. Saroka and M.A. Persinger at Laurentian University, Ontario, Canada, suggests the answer maybe yes. The team has, for the first time, found that “increased photon emission from the head while imagining light in the dark is correlated with changes in electroencephalographic power.”
Experimental subjects sat blindfolded in a darkened room, whilst they tried to imagine either a bright light, or a control scenario called ‘casual thinking’. An extremely sensitive photomultiplier was positioned so that it could register any photons which might be emitted from the subjects’ brains.
The tests : “…demonstrated significant increases in ultraweak photon emissions (UPEs) or biophotons equivalent to about 5 × 10−11 W/m2 from the right sides of volunteer’s heads when they imagined light in a very dark environment compared to when they did not.”
New state of matter found in chicken’s eye
Posted: February 26, 2014 Filed under: animal, science | Tags: animal, avian, bird, chemistry, chicken, developmental biology, disordered hyperuniformity, engineering, multiscale packing, optics, photoreceptor patterns, science, stem cell Leave a comment
The researchers report that the unusual arrangement of cells in a chicken’s eye constitutes the first known biological occurrence of a potentially new state of matter known as ‘disordered hyperuniformity,’ which has been shown to have unique physical properties
[…]
States of disordered hyperuniformity behave like crystal and liquid states of matter, exhibiting order over large distances and disorder over small distances. Like crystals, these states greatly suppress variations in the density of particles — as in the individual granules of a substance — across large spatial distances so that the arrangement is highly uniform. At the same time, disordered hyperuniform systems are similar to liquids in that they have the same physical properties in all directions. Combined, these characteristics mean that hyperuniform optical circuits, light detectors and other materials could be controlled to be sensitive or impervious to certain light wavelengths, the researchers report.
In the eye of a chicken, a new state of matter comes into view
“To reach this site the crocodile would have had to scale a [13-foot] completely vertical bank and then walk amongst the branches to reach the end of the tree.”
Posted: February 13, 2014 Filed under: animal, nature, photography | Tags: alligator, animal, crocodile, nature, reptile Leave a comment
Turns out crocodiles can climb trees, because of course they can.
Academy Awards: Best Visual Effects Oscar winners
Posted: February 10, 2014 Filed under: film | Tags: Academy Awards, film, Hans Zimmer, Nelson Carvajal, Oscar, retrospective, Time, VFX, visual effects, winner Leave a commentI’m a sucker for visual effects. There’s something very special about being left speechless after seeing the imaginary come to life. When done well, visual effects can overwhelm and astonish the viewer. Even more importantly, they can make the film and be an integral part of the story.
Above is a retrospective montage of Oscar winners from 1977 onwards, when a specific award category for visual effects was reintroduced with the current name, “Best Visual Effects”. Not surprisingly, it includes many of my personal favourites.
Robocop Remix
Posted: February 10, 2014 Filed under: film, music | Tags: dead or alive you're coming with me, film, Mike Relm, music, reboot, remix, Robocop Leave a commentWhile waiting for the Robocop reboot to hit the screens, here’s a remix of the awesome that is the original, courtesy of Mike Relm. Dead or alive, you’re coming with me!
Studio Pass: Kurt Ballou
Posted: February 2, 2014 Filed under: music | Tags: clinic, Converge, creativeLIVE, Gear Gods, Kurt Ballou, mixing, music, Studio Pass Leave a commentIn this two-day course, prolific producer Kurt Ballou will take you behind-the-scenes of Godcity Studios to show you exactly how the magic happens. This all-access studio pass will immerse you in every aspect of Kurt’s distinctive sound — from choosing and setting up gear, to tracking and mixing.
Kurt will show you the basic and advanced techniques he uses in his studio every day, and teach you how to apply them to your own recording — regardless of whether you’re working in a studio or at home with a DIY setup. Using anecdotes from his years behind the board, Kurt will also teach you his best practices for working with bands to extract the best and most inventive sounds.
Live class is free, you can sign up here. Miss this at your own peril.
