Scientific American - Math

Ask the Brains: Are our Brains Constantly Making Subconscious Calculations?

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST

Is it true that when we drive, walk or reach for something our brain performs calculations? Is this ability learned or innate? --Helena Larks, San Francisco [More]

How Hard Has the Recession Hit Environmental Activist Groups?

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

Dear EarthTalk: Is it true that environmental non-profits have been hit hard by the economic downturn, and has this had an impact on their effectiveness? -- Bridget W., Bainbridge Island, WA

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Happy (2 5 x 3 - 1)th birthday to Martin Gardner

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:45:00 EST

Longtime Scientific American columnist Martin Gardner turns 95 Wednesday, and a profile in Tuesday's New York Times honors the mathematical proselytizer who, tireless as ever, marks the milestone himself with the publication of a new book. [More]

Mathematician sees a Yankees-Dodgers World Series, but don't pop that bubbly yet

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:35:00 EST

The National League Championship Series gets under way this evening when the Los Angeles Dodgers host the Philadelphia Phillies, and tomorrow the American League follows suit as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim visit the New York Yankees. [More]

Bird Moves: Dancing with the Starlings

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST

Researchers have long assumed that humans were the only animals that could dance--even our close primate relatives cannot keep a steady beat or be taught to move to a rhythm. But new evidence shows that birds can dance, revealing that the mysterious ability could be a by-product of vocal learning.

Aniruddh Patel of the Neurosciences Institute, Adena Schachner of Harvard University and their colleagues studied several birds, among them a cockatoo that dances to the Backstreet Boys’ “Everybody.” When Patel sped up or slowed down the song, the bird adjusted its moves to match the tempo, eliminating the possibility that it was in sync with the music by chance. Intrigued, Schachner and her colleagues started searching YouTube for videos of other dancing animals. They found 15 bopping species (14 parrot and one elephant) that also share an additional trait: the capability to imitate sounds. That correlation suggests our musical ability grew out of the vocal learning system instead of being “a special-purpose ability,” Patel says.

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Pirate Economics?: Captain Hook Meets Adam Smith

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EST

Will Turner : “If we can outrun her, we can take her. We should turn and fight.” Captain Jack Sparrow : “Why fight when you can negotiate?” [More]

More Animals Seem to Have Some Ability to Count

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EST

Scientists have been skeptical of claims of mathematical abilities in animals ever since the case of Clever Hans about 100 years ago. The horse, which performed arithmetic and other intellectual tasks to delighted European audiences, was in reality simply taking subconscious cues from his trainer. Modern examples, such as Alex the African grey parrot, which could count up to six and knew sums and differences, are seen by some as special cases or the product of conditioning.

Recent studies, however, have uncovered new instances of a counting skill in different species, suggesting that mathematical abilities could be more fundamental in biology than previously thought. Under certain conditions, monkeys could sometimes outperform college students.

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100 Years Ago: Punch Cards and the Census

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EST

SEPTEMBER 1959 RADIATION -- “What should the citizen conclude about ionizing radiation? Ionizing radiation has always been with us and will be for all foreseeable time. Our genetic system is probably well adjusted by natural selection to normal background radiation. Added radiation will increase the frequency of mutations; most of these will be harmful. Exposure to radiation in large amounts will increase malignant disease; small amounts may possibly do the same. In view of these potentially harmful effects every reasonable effort should be made to reduce the levels of ionizing radiation to which man is exposed to the lowest levels that can reasonably be attained. As to fallout from nuclear-weapons tests, the citizen will conclude that it contributes in a small way to world-wide levels of radiation. For this reason alone the tests should be discontinued. --George W. Beadle”

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The Origin of Zero

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 06:00:00 EST

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Phone Networks Reveal Relationships

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 01:15:08 EST

[ The following is an exact transcript of this podcast. ]

How do you know if someone’s your friend? Ask your cell. Because your phone knows who your friends are. Sometimes even before you do. Or so says a report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . [More]

Open-Source Textbooks a Mixed Bag in California

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:30:00 EST

As California moves forward with the first open-source digital textbook program in the nation this fall, the best content seems a lot less like Wikipedia and a lot more like traditional publishing. [More]

News Scan Briefs: Killer Smile

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 08:00:00 EST

Killer Smile A toxin that forces a condemned victim to smile really seems to exist. The Greek bard Homer coined the term "sardonic grin" after ceremonial killings that supposedly took place in Sardinia, where Phoenician colonists gave to elderly people who could no longer take care of themselves and to criminals an intoxicating potion that put a smile on their face. (They were then dropped from a high rock or beaten to death.) Scientists at the University of Eastern Piedmont in Italy and their colleagues think they now have identified the herb responsible: hemlock water dropwort ( Oenanthe crocata ), which is common on Sardinia, where it is popularly known as "water celery." Their analysis revealed the presence of highly toxic chemicals in the plant that could make facial muscles contract into a grimace, or rictus. The finding appears in the May 22 Journal of Natural Products . --Charles Q. Choi

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Swimming In Spacetime and Other Stories

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 23:45:08 EST

Scientific American Editor in Chief Mariette DiChristina and staff editor Kate Wong talk about the contents of the August issue, including articles on some of the odd consequences of general relativity, life as a Neanderthal, and the latest research on celiac disease. Plus, we'll test your knowledge of some recent science in the news.

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Why is it hard to "unlearn" an incorrect fact?

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 09:00:00 EST

Why is it that once you learn something incorrectly (say, 7 X 9 = 65), it seems you never can correct your recall? --J. Kruger, Cherry Hill, N.J.

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Hypersphere Exotica: Kervaire Invariant Problem Has a Solution!

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EST

Relax. Until recently, lurking in the dark recesses of mathematical existence, there might have been a really weird sphere of 254 dimensions, or 510, or 1,022.* In fact, for all you knew, you might have had to worry about weird spheres when visiting any space with numbers of dimensions of the type 2 k - 2.

Not anymore. "We can all sleep a bit better tonight," joked mathematical physicist John Baez of the University of California, Riverside, in his blog. Baez was referring to the announcement made by mathematicians Michael Hopkins of Harvard University, Michael Hill of the University of Virginia and Douglas Ravenel of the University of Rochester that they had cracked a 45-year-old question known as the Kervaire invariant problem. If confirmed, their result puts the finishing touch to a glorious piece of 1960s mathematics: the classification of "exotic," higher-dimensional spheres. The Kervaire problem was a major stumbling block in understanding multidimensional spaces, and its solution could have implications in equally exotic fields of physics such as string theory.

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Simon DeDeo: For a Lifetime of Scientific Curiosity, the Sky's the Limit

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 12:00:00 EST

His finalist year: 1996

His finalist project: Taking measurements to determine the rotation of the Milky Way Galaxy

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From a Pre-Teen Mind, a Robot That Solves Rubik's Cube

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 12:10:00 EST

When the Rubik's Cube burst on the scene in the U.S. in 1980, it sparked a fascination with the puzzle that continues to this day, even among fans born decades after the Cube's debut. Except that, instead of humans attempting to "speed cube" to a solution in less than 10 seconds, many Rubik's Cube fans today build robots to do it for them. This A.I.-enthusiasm offers the added challenge of not only solving the puzzle but also of creating a robot that can physically manipulate the cube based on that solution. [More]

Movie Magic ( Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs ), Part 3

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 01:00:08 EST

In this series of episodes, we talk to many of the scientists at Blue Sky Studios, which created the Ice Age series of animated features, including the recently released Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs . In episode 3, we hear from co-director Mike Thurmeier, art director Mike Knapp and head of lighting Andew Beddini. Special thanks to Hugo Ayala. Web sites related to this episode include www.blueskystudios.com and www.iceagemovie.com

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Movie Magic ( Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs ), Part 2

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 13:18:08 EST

In this series of episodes, we talk to many of the scientists at Blue Sky Studios, which created the Ice Age series of animated features, including the recently released Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs . In episode 2, we hear from the research and development team about their backgrounds, the kinds of technical challenges they face and the ways they use math and computers to solve those problems. Web sites related to this episode include www.blueskystudios.com ; www.iceagemovie.com ; www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=magic-and-the-brain

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Movie Magic ( Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs ), Part 1

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:57:08 EST

In this series of episodes, we talk to many of the scientists at Blue Sky Studios, which created the Ice Age series of animated features, including the recently released Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs . In episode 1, we hear from company founders Carl Ludwig and Eugene Troubetzkoy and senior research associate Hugo Ayala. Web sites related to this episode include www.blueskystudios.com and www.iceagemovie.com

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