*new* 11Sept15 fossils -- lots of news stories
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p031j7pr
- http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/11/science/south-africa-fossils-new-species-human-ancestor-homo-naledi.html?_r=0
- http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/09/long-lost-relative-researchers-find-human-species-150910090000956.html
- http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/09/10/437249183/south-african-cave-yields-strange-bones-of-early-human-like-species
- http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/09/150910-human-evolution-change
30Aug15 Dr. Oliver Sacks, brain scientist and writer, died last week. Here are several tributes
- Dr. Oliver Sacks, Explorer of the Brain - Video - NYTimes.com http://www.nytimes.com/video/obituaries/100000003864214/dr-oliver-sacks-explorer-of-the-brain.html?emc=edit_th_20150831&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=25414714
- Oliver Sacks, Casting Light on the Interconnectedness of Life - NYTimes.com http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/08/31/arts/oliver-sacks-wrote-awakenings-and-cast-light-on-the-interconnectedness-of-life.html?emc=edit_th_20150831&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=25414714&_r=0&referrer=
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/09/01/opinion/psychology-is-not-in-crisis.html?referrer=
27Aug15 Psychologists Welcome Analysis Casting Doubt on Their Work - NYTimes.com
We've talked about the public nature of science, how experiments are knowledge until they've been published or presented. It is also possible for that published or presented work to be wrong. Here's a meta-study which reviewed 100 studies and could not replicate all of them. What does that mean? http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/08/29/science/psychologists-welcome-analysis-casting-doubt-on-their-work.html?referrer=
Joseph Traub, Who Helped Bring Computer Science to Universities, Dies at 83 - NYTimes.com http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/08/27/science/joseph-traub-who-helped-bring-computer-science-to-universities-dies-at-83.html?referrer=
It is sad to see this news on the death of what seemed to be one very intelligent man. He was definitely 10 times smarter than I will ever be. but this guy really sounds like he changed the ways of technology and through Wall street by his discoveries of algorithms. I am not to knowledgable on the study of algorithms but from the small knowledge I do have on them i know how important they are in the field of computer science and in our everyday lives and without this man who knows if we would know as much as we do about them today.
ReplyDeleteI found the life of Joseph Traub to be very interesting, especially his upbringing in Germany. We could almost look at him as an innovator as he studied computer science before there was such a thing. I find the stock market to be very appealing. I wouldve never guessed that the algorithms that are still used today to have been created so long ago. In my opinion, Traub's knowledge and ingenuity will be missed.
DeleteMr. Gebhardt,
DeleteI must agree with you that Joseph Traub was an extremely intelligent man and understood much more about the computer sciences than I ever will. Through his study of algorithms, Traub opened up many doors for later generations to continue and perfect his study's. His knowledge of the stock market and how all things connected was truely brilliant. He will be missed greatly.
Sad to see Mr. Traub die he was definitely a pioneer in computer science, i agree with everyone above that algorithms play a crucial role in society. i did not know that they were used in Wall Street and using those giant room sized computers back in the day must have been a challenge of itself. i got mad respect to Mr. Traub for doing something he loved and helping to open doors into the computer science field. i wonder what he must think about the technology we have at our fingers today, must be mind blowing to live that long and physically see the change of technology from one generation to the next.
DeleteAfter reading the article and watching the video on Dr. Oliver Sacks, I have a greater appreciation for what I learned in mental health course. The brain is such an abstract organ, constantly changing. The brain is computer of the body regulating hormones and monitoring muscle movement. Dr. Sacks spent his whole life studying and is a true inspiration for us all. The article did a beautiful job capturing his life's work and accomplishments. Sacks achieved greatness within neurology department alone. I am positive that his discoveries will lead to a many other scientists and doctors to achieve break throughs.
ReplyDeleteI read about Dr. Oliver Sacks and I understand how he related different studies to each other, but how is it physically possible for a human being to love chemistry? I took chemistry last year and it seemed like the more questions I asked, the more confused and disoriented I became. I have the utmost respect for those who can study a chemical reaction or the equations that are included in chemical processes without a problem. And on top of his appreciation for chemistry, he was also able to make groundbreaking discoveries in psychology and other fields of medicine. Definitely a life well lived.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy chemistry. I am taking it now and it definitely is a lot harder than chemistry in high school. There are definitely more questions I have been asking and you have to make sure all chemical equations are balanced and know the amount of protons and electrons in an atom. It seems so much more complicated now. I do not know how Dr. Oliver Sacks kept his chemistry work straight while discovery new things. After reading the article on Dr. Oliver Sacks, to me, it seemed like he just loved life. He enjoyed jellyfish, volcanoes, photography, periodic tables, and especially writing. This just seems like a mix of random things that he had a passion for. He seems to have just loved nature and chemistry so much which helped him be successful. I admire him for that.
DeleteI also read the article and watched the video about Dr. Oliver Sacks. I found it very interesting how compassionate Dr. Sacks was for all of his patients and his true dedication to his work. Sacks states that he doesn't want to just hear about what his patients are experiencing, but he want to experience it first hand. I agree that he lived a great life, with all his success and discoveries.
DeleteI also read the Dr. Oliver Sacks article and found it amazing how he can love chemistry that much. I took chemistry last year and I was more than confused on how to balance some of those equations and how to understand all of that information. Dr. Sacks had to have loved learning considering his interest in so many different complicated things. I am very impressed with someone who can enjoy a life filled with so much learning and i definitely think he spent a life well lived too.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI read the article and watched the accompanying video about Dr. Oliver Sacks who was a prominent and extremely influential mind in the field of Neurology. I found it interesting how Dr. Sacks' work aimed at showing that his patients were not simply "scientific curiosities", but rather actual people who were dealing with disorders that made them unable to function in everyday society. I thought it was also interesting that the article cited sources that speculate that many of history's greatest artists might have coped with certain types of disabilities. (E.g. Mozart potentially having Tourette’s syndrome.) This could be taken as evidence to support the claim by Einstein that "Everyone is a Genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree it will live its whole life believing it is stupid." I believe that the studies conducted by Dr. Sacks have inspired and will continue to inspire generations to come, and as a result will further advance the field of Neurology.
ReplyDeleteTommy,
DeleteI completely agree with you! I really liked how you included Dr. Sacks "scientific curiosities". We all have our flaws and graces, we should not discriminate against those who are different and have special needs. I liked how you incorporated Einstein's quote as well it ties into the statement you were making.
I read the article titled "Psychology is not dead." This was a very interesting read as they talked about reproducing experiments that have been ran in the past. One of the more interesting parts of the read is when they discussed what happened when they came to a different conclusion then that of the originally ran experiment. What was so intriguing about this particular part was that they didn't throw the experiment out when it was proven wrong. They just concluded that there were other variables that had impacted the results. They go on to explain that this is particularly true in psychology experiments.
ReplyDeleteI think its incredible as to how it is 2015 and we are still finding a new species. This is a huge discovery for the advancement of science and evolution. What is mind blowing is how many bones they found down there. Is there anyway they could find out if the bones are from related parties? Maybe a family lived down there?? This discovery certainly makes you think, what else is out there that we haven't found? Could there be more undiscovered species?
ReplyDeleteI read the New York Times Article titled, "Homo Naledi, New Species in Human Lineage, Is Found in South African Cave." I found this article very interesting, and was looking forward to reading more about the fossil findings after discussing them in class. This story relates to our fundamental and powerful concepts of scientific reasoning, and scientists are able to determine that the Homo Naledi is a new hominin species. I think this article is so interesting because I thought everything that was going to be found to make new discoveries would have been discovered by now, and that if there was a whole species missing that scientist would at least have an idea of it. I also find it to be interesting because it is a new member of the prehuman family.
ReplyDelete