Habits Of Attention Molds Brain To Focus On Important Sounds

The Quiet Brain Of The Athlete by Gretchen Reynolds.  The New York Times.  December 18, 2019.

Pain As Part Of The Story Of The Person Who Suffers From It, Not Just A Physical Phenomenon

Is Pain A Sensation Or An Emotion?  by Haider Warraich.  The New York Times.  March 16, 2019. 

Many Americans Smell Odors That Are Not There

That Stinks!  One American In 15 Smells Odors That Aren't There.  National Institute On Deafness And Other Communication Disorders

What We Don't Understand About Pleasure

Why Scientists Are Battling Over Pleasure by Heather Murphy by Heather Murphy.  The New York Times.  April 10, 2018. 

Shape Of Ears Impact How We Hear

How The Shape Of Your Ears Affects What You Hear by Veronique Greenwood.  The New York Times.  March 6, 2018. 

Multiple Sense Loss In Older Adults Occurs Frequently And Has Many Implications

Problems With Senses May Predict Older Adults' Overall Health, Ability To Function.  American Geriatrics Society/Science Daily.  October 4, 2017. 

Rational Hedonism For Your Health

Hedonism Is Good For Your Health by Desiree Kozlowski.  The Conversation/CNN.  September 12, 2017. 

Creating New Senses; Five Is Not Enough Some Say

Beyond The Five Senses by Matthew Hutson. The Atlantic.  July/August 2017. 

Newly Developed Artificial Skin Senses Touch And Heat

Artificial Skin Senses Touch And Heat by Mo Constandi.  The Guardian.  November 16, 2015. 

A Software Upgrade For Hearing; New Device Aids Move From Merely Restoring Loss Toward Surpassing Ordinary Human Abilities

Conjuring Images Of A Bionic Future by Farhad Manjoo.  The New York Times.  April 23, 2014.

Using Cochlear Implant To Deliver Gene Therapy And Regrow Auditory Nerves; Other Neurological Disorders Possible Targets For Newly-Developed Therapy

Hearing quality Restored With Bionic Ear Technology Used For Gene Therapy;  Re-growing Auditory Nerves.  Science Daily.  April 23, 2014.

Parkinson's and depression are also possible targets for new therapy.

New Understanding Of The Mechanism of Touch May Offer Key to Aging, Development Of Smart Prosthetics

Scientists Discover Key Cells Involved In Touch Sensation by Honor Whiteman.  Medical News Today.  April 7, 2014.

Feeling Capability In An Artificial Hand

Artificial Hand Lets Amputee Feel Objects by Elizabeth Landau.  CNN.  February 6, 2014.

(1)  Measurement of tension in the _____________ of this bionic hand allowed the sensors to _________________.

(2)  To make certain that the electrical signal could be understood by the nervous system, the researchers used a computer _____________ to turn the signal into an impulse the sensory nerves could understand.

(3)  Longterm the researchers hope for a system that is completely ______________ and uses a small ________ instead of an algorithm.

Drug To Treat Sleep Disorder In The Blind

FDA Approves Hetlioz To Treat Sleep Disorder In Blind Individuals by Jaleesa Baulkman.  University Herald.  February 1, 2014.

(1)  This drug is the first to treat the sleep disorder caused by a completely blind person's inability to __________________________________________________.

Taste Modifications and Obesity Linked

Does Obesity Reshape Our Sense Of Taste?  Science Daily.  November 21, 2013.

(1)  While it has been shown in research studies that obesity can lead to alterations in the ______ and in the _______________, the study recounted here is the first to ________________________.

(2)  Why is it important to understand the relationship between taste, appetite, and obesity?

Designing Scent Into Environments For Therapeutic Results

Scent And The City by Lance Hosey.  The New York Times.  October 25, 2013.

Presents a proposal to create what the author calls "medicinal urbanism."

Malaria Parasite Boosts Mosquitoes' Sensitivity For Human Odors

Malaria Parasite Lures Mosquito To Human Odour by Rebecca Morelle.  BBC News:  Science and Environment.  May 16, 2013.

(1)  In 2010 there were _______ million cases of malaria with __________ deaths.

(2)  ______ is the most affected continent with _____% of malaria deaths occurring there.

(3)  Understanding how mosquitoes respond to human orders could help with efforts to ____________ and improve _________ techniques.

(4)  Smelly _______ were used in the research study.

(5)  Infected insects, according to the study, were ________ times more likely to be lured toward a human scent.

3D Printed Bionic Ear Created At Princeton, Melds Biology And Electronics

Printable Functional "Bionic" Ear Melds Electronics And Biology.  Science Daily.  May 1, 2013.

If you are like me, you would like to remember more of what you read.  I find that I remember an article better if (1) I am looking for something specific or (2) I am surprised.  Read these, what I call, motivated-reading questions to help you remember more effectively.

(1)  What are the four components used by scientists to create the bionic ear?

(2)  What is the new approach to integrating electronic materials with biological materials?

(3)  How is a tooth "tattoo" related to bionic ear?

(4)  Define "cybernetics" and explain its potential.

(5)  What problem did 3D printing solve in creating a bionic ear?

(6)  This was the first time that researchers demonstrated that __________________.

(7)   What is one of the possible uses of sensors integrated into biological tissues?

(8)   Does the current bionic ear use acoustic sounds?

(9)  What are the two most surprising facts you learned from this article?

Specially-Designed Video Game Effectively Treats Lazy Eye In Adults

Video Game Treatment For Lazy Eye Restores 3D Vision by Emily Chung.  CDC News.  April 23, 2013.

Lazy eye, amblyopia, has been thought to be all but untreatable in adults.  To develop a new approach, researchers created video games that can only be played with both eyes.  As a result, the strong eye could not suppress the communication of the weak eye and  the brain.  This suppressed communication is thought to be  the cause of lazy eye.

Touch Can Be Louder Than Words

Louder Than Words by Rick Chillot.  Psychology Today.  March 11, 2013.

Touch is a sense capable of great nuance and is dependent on the emotional, social, and physical context.  Touch is a language whose meaning is only vaguely understood.  Touch begins before birth inside the womb, continues in childhood where the level of comfort with touch is often established.  In childhood the massage can bring important benefits.  Touch is influenced by the entire cultural context including religion, climate, and clothing styles.  Touch influences bonding and team success, perhaps by lowering stress hormones.  Touch brings mutual benefits, with the person touching received benefits as well as the person touched.  With mutual benefits of touching, it is not surprising that touching plays an important role in relationships, a role that varies according to the stage of that relationship.  In social relationships, touch often conveys dominance or lack of dominance.  In social situations, it is important to consider context and expectations.  Consolation is probably the most appropriate time for touch.