How do Penguins Tell Each Other Apart?

How Animals Identify Each Other: Insights Into How The Nervous System Processes Sensory Information

ScienceDaily (Apr. 24, 2008) — The Stowers Institute's Yu Lab has published the results of large-scale imaging experiments examining how social signals are represented in the sensory system. Working with a newly-developed line of transgenic mice that expresses the genetic calcium indicator G-CaMP2, the team monitored neural activity in the vomeronasal organ (VNO), a sensory organ found in many vertebrate animals that detects pheromones.

Read Entire Article from Science Daily

New Music Review - Neptune - by The Duke Spirt

Hyper Thalamus Rating: 7.5 / 10.0


"Neptune" -- My introduction to The Duke Spirit -- was recommended to me, and I am thankful for that. After 35 years of voracious music consumption, it is still so rewarding to find something new by creative and inspired musicians - and that is certainly an apt description of the members of this pop/rock group from the U.K.

Without a doubt, the standout feature of The Duke Spirit is the singing of Liela Moss -- rich, deep and full-bodied. Sexy. She has a great instrument and she knows how to use it. I hear slight shades of Janis Joplin, Siouxie Sioux, heavier amounts of early Grace Slick, and, here and there, touches of Hope Sandoval. From the band, I hear some very early Rolling Stones and Kinks, Stax/Volt, and Motown - all well blended with a mix of the major developments in English pop music over the last 30 years. Oh - and a healthy fascination with Sonic Youth.

I hear yet another great British band that knows more about the history of American music than most Americans. This is Rock n Roll -- with a rhythm section that kicks it right on every time.

Equal parts driving and seductive, "Neptune" provides a solid listening experience with nary a clunker in the lot.

The songs are all original, and show a mature sense of song craft, featuring rich and powerful arrangements. These are musicians who know how to interpret their own material. It takes a firm grasp of the musical arts to decide where and when to use a Rock n Roll Flugelhorn.

"Neptune" is a real treat - I am very much impressed - and I recommend it whole-heartedly.

Members:
Olly Betts - Percussion, Piano, Drums, Glockenspiel, Backing Vocals
Toby Butler - Bass, Guitar, Backing Vocals, Horn Arrangements, Vox Organ
Luke Ford - Guitar, Vocals
Dan Higgins - Guitar, Autoharp, Hammond Organ, Backing Vocals, Omnichord
Liela Moss - Vocals, Organ, Harmonica, Percussion, Piano

A New Reason to be a Pot Snob

Pot Plus Alcohol Kills Young Rats' Brain Cells
Tuesday, April 22, 2008; 12:00 AM

TUESDAY, April 22 (HealthDay News) -- A combination of THC, the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, and mildly intoxicating doses of alcohol caused widespread nerve cell death in the brains of young rats, a German study finds.

Researchers from Humboldt University, Berlin, administered THC, a synthetic form of THC, ethanol, an anticonvulsant called MK-801, and phenobarbital to rats between one and 14 days old. A previous study by the same team found that ethanol and drugs such as sedatives, anesthetics and anticonvulsants caused extensive nerve cell death in the brains of young rodents. The new study was conducted to determine if cannabinoids caused similar harm.

The researchers found that THC and synthetic THC did not cause nerve cell death when administered alone but did cause cell death when given with mildly intoxicating amounts of ethanol. The combined effect increased according to the dose of THC and was strongest when the rats were seven days old.

The researchers also found that the CB1 receptor blocker drug Rimonabant reduced brain nerve cell death in rats given a combination of THC and ethanol. Rimonabant, brand named Acomplia, is an anti-obesity drug that may help treat addiction, the team noted. The fact that the drug counteracted the effect of THC and ethanol suggests that activation of CB1 receptors may be responsible for the effect that THC has on the neurotoxicity of ethanol, the researchers said.

The study was published in the journalAnnals of Neurology.

More studies are needed to examine how THC boosts alcohol's harmful effects on the developing brain, the researchers said.

"With the use of behavioral and stereological techniques, such studies would explore whether acute changes reflect permanent neuronal loss and lead to behavioral deficits," they concluded. "The results of the acute studies have interesting potential therapeutic implications for including the use of CB1 receptor antagonists for preventing brain damage in fetuses and neonates exposed to ethanol, sedative and/or anticonvulsant drugs."

The German group noted that marijuana is among the most commonly used illicit drugs by women during their childbearing years. There's growing concern that use of marijuana, either alone or in combination with other drugs, during pregnancy may harm fetal brain development.

More information

The March of Dimes has more about the dangers of drinking during pregnancy.

SOURCE:Annals of Neurology, news release, April 2008

Resources:
Go Here for the NIDA's Sheet of Marijuana Facts

Book Review -- I Am America (And So Can You)

Hyper Thalamus Rating: 6.0 / 10.0



"I am no fan of books. And chances are, if you're reading this, you and I share a healthy skepticism about the printed word. Well, I want you to know that this is the first book I've ever written, and I hope it's the first book you've ever read. Don't make a habit of it."

And so begins, "I Am America (And So Can You)," by Stephen Colbert, of the Comedy Channel's "Colbert Report." If you are unfamiliar with Mr. Colbert's show, or if you have a difficult time processing extreme irony, then this book will be of little value to you.

On the other hand, If you are familiar - perhaps too familiar - with Mr. Colbert's week-nightly performance as a hyper-surreal Bill O'Reilly/Sean Hannity-type conservative pundit, then you will want to check out his book. Colbert uses the medium effectively, and there are bits of humor that could only work in print: graphs, charts, stickers, coupons, illustrations, photos, and marginal asides abound. In Colbert's brand of meta-humor, the very concept of the "Book" becomes a target of satire, and I will give major Kudos for the creativity involved.

But I will also point out one caveat: the persona that Stephen Colbert has developed for his "act" is ESSENTIAL for an accurate reading of this book. I do not think that this book will work for most readers who cannot see and hear Mr. Colbert performing this book in their minds as they read. In that sense, it is only for the true fan.

I have not yet heard the audio CD version, but I will go out on a limb and speculate that perhaps that may be the best way to enjoy this material. Or - you could make Stephen really happy, get the audio version, and use it to follow along with the print copy that you've also purchased.

According to the credits, the audio version is read partly by Stephen Colbert, but also contains segments which are read by the other writers involved. You could look at it as a down-side that Colbert doesn't read it all himself, until you look at the other people involved: Paul Dinello, Kevin Dorff, Greg Hollimon, Evie McGee, David Pasquesi, Amy Sedaris, Allison Silverman, Bryan Stack, and Jon Stewart. With this line-up of comedic talent, the audio book does indeed have entertainment potential.

In short, if you love the whole Colbert thing, then you should check out "I Am America." But, if you're willing to go that far with your credit card, then you might just want to go for the audio version.

In any case, I'll leave you with one final testimony:

"A great read! I laughed, I cried, I lost 15 pounds! I cannot recommend this book highly enough!" -- Stephen Colbert --

Movie Review -- Superbad

Hyper Thalamus Rating: 6.5 / 10.0



You remember those guys from your high school, right? Those guys who were inseparable - who did everything together? Sat at the same table for lunch, sat next to each other in class, looked to each other for validity on every topic? Everyone just wanted them to admit they were gay for each other and go get a room already? Sure - we ALL knew those guys.

Heck, I was one of those guys. That's why I relate to Superbad. Not because this relationship continues today. My high school friend is not my next door neighbor or anything. To be truthful, I'm not even sure where in the world he lives. I barely know that he is still alive at all. Unlike Seth and Evan - the two protagonists of Superbad - my pal and I DID go off to college together. We even roomed together, and over the course of our freshman year at Michigan State University, discovered that we didn't have nearly as much in common as we had always thought we did. Turns out that the little world we grew up in pushed us toward each other, and once we got out of that world and into a much bigger world, the pressure dropped considerably and we discovered that there were actually other human beings on Earth whose company we enjoyed and, ultimately, preferred.

So, why does Superbad resonate with me again? Well, because there was a time when all of that was different. And Superbad isn't necessarily about the bondings that create a life-long friendship (although it could be). Superbad is more specifically about a certain segment of life when anything is possible and rapid shifts to your personal paradigm are occuring daily. High school is at once a magical time and a horrible time. I wouldn't want to re-live it for anything, but a movie like Superbad allows one to look back at it with some fondness and remember that there were some good things about it. Superbad is about coming of age and getting some glimmer of hope that, in spite of our worst anxieties, everything might turn out okay after all.

In a nutshell, Seth and Evan (Jonah Hill & Michael Cera) are two weeks away from graduating high school. Seth is putting pressure on both of them to get girls for the Summer so they can get all practiced up on their sexual techniques before they have to start college. As Seth puts it, they don't want to enter college so inexperienced sexually that women might find out they, "Suck dick at fuckin' pussy."

Their super nerdy friend, Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), has just informed them that he is going to get a fake I.D. at lunch, and meantime, through a twist of fate, Seth gets invited to a party hosted by Jules - a girl he "really wants to get with." Hoping to impress, Seth promises to supply alcohol for the entire party. Seth and Evan are now dependant on Fogell's ability to wield his new fake I.D. which bestows upon him the name of "McLovin." Epic adventures ensue.

Superbad is super funny and contains enough heartfelt pathos to make it more than just a stupid teenager movie. It's a stupid teenager movie with some redeeming social intelligence. The three principal actors all put in fine, funny performances, and the 70's funk soundtrack is great fun listening.

Superbad was written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, and ---- hey, wait a minute ---- Seth and Evan. I wonder if those guys. . . ? You think? Geez, they should get a room already.

Movie Review -- Death Proof

Hyper Thalamus Rating: 6.5 / 10.0




Written / Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
Released: 31 May 2007

Last things first -- let's talk about the soundtrack. For some reason, many folks think this is the best, and possibly only redeeming, feature of Death Proof. I don't really agree that it's the only thing this movie's got going on, but in typical Tarantino fashion Death Proof does have a killer soundtrack, featuring the following play-list of tunes:

The Last Race - Jack Nitzsche
Baby It's You - Smith
Paranoia Prima - Ennio Morricone
Jeepster - T. Rex
Staggolee - Pacific Gas & Electric
The Love You Save - Joe Tex
Good Love, Bad Love - Eddie Floyd
Down In Mexico - The Coasters
Hold Tight! - Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich
Sally and Jack - Pino Donaggio
It's So Easy - Willy Deville
Riot in Thunder Alley - Eddie Beram
Chick Habit - April March

This is a fine collection of vintage tracks - well worth the price of the CD to have them all on one disc. In particular, I for one had never heard this version of "Baby, It's You" and really enjoyed the Groovy take. "Hold Tight!" is related to some Pete Townshend trivia which is covered in the film's dialog. And "Chick Habit", which plays along to the final credits, is a fine choice for summing up the moral of the story.

As I said, many people think the soundtrack is the saving grace of Death Proof, and the film has been unabashedly trashed in many circles. While I agree that it has its weak points and that Planet Terror (the other "Grind-house" feature) far outshines it, I also feel that Death Proof has been undeservedly bashed.

I have watched Death Proof one time, and will admit that halfway in, I was having doubts and reservations. As many people have complained, I too felt the first sequence dragged on with a lot of sub-Quentin-standard dialog. It seemed wooden, trite and full of effort. Not all of it - but enough to notice. Even so, I kept watching as I was still having FUN with it. And of course, smokin' hot females with long tan legs packed into very tight shorts does not hurt its watch-ablility.

Then the second sequence begins, and without giving too much away, let's just say that things get twisted, humor and madness ensue, and whole film ends off by being a heck of a lot of good clean fun (okay - maybe not clean).

I do think a lot of folks have forgotten that FUN is the point of this movie. It's not supposed to be Casablanca, or Gone With the Wind. I love those movies too, but if that's what you want, seek elsewhere. Death Proof is violent, silly, and full of foul language - no doubt about it. It features a Hollywood stereotype of a misogynist who kills women - but somehow, through the magic of storytelling, it is also a girl's movie.

I'll recommend Planet Terror more - but I DO recommend Death Proof if you are prepared to accept it in the spirit it was made.