Living snails can be converted into fuel cells with special enzyme-coated electrodes. Placing the two electrodes through the animal’s shell allows the conversion of glucose to electrons at one end, and at the other end, the electrons are donated to the positive ions ciriculating the in the snail’s hemolymph (the snaily version of blood).
The electrodes do not harm the snail, and can generate a voltage of 0.53V. It is possible future medical devices may use such a method for generating self-sustaining electrical power.
If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music. … I get most joy in life out of music.” —Albert Einstein
What Life Means to Einstein: An Interview by George Sylvester Viereck, for the October 26, 1929 issue of The Saturday Evening Post.
This trend, named “Eroom’s law” (Moore’s law in reverse), shows us that the pharmaceutical industry is dying at an exponential rate.
Over the last 60 years, the number of new drugs per billion dollars spent on research, has halved every 9 years.
Our science is improving. Our technology is improving. Our managerial progress improves also. All this, and yet our ability to create new drugs is diminishing…
In an article written in 1965, Gordon E. Moore, the co-founder of Intel described a trend he observed. He noticed that from 1958 to 1965, the doubling of the number of transistors on microchips occurred every two years.
At the time, he only thought it would continue for at least 10 more years. He could have no idea that that this same trend would continue to be upheld today.
Currently, the most powerful microprocessors represent the equivalent brainpower of a mouse. If Moore’s law continues to hold up, we’ll have the computing power of a human brain on a microchip sometime around 2022. And if that’s not scary enough, fast forward to 2060. By then a single computer chip would have more computing power than all of humanity combined!
“Music-evoked frisson” is the shivering sensation down the spine when listening to music. It is associated with a pleasant tingling feeling, and goosebumps. However, not all listeners experience musical frisson, it is a feeling of which only about 50% of people are familiar with.
It has been observed that music-evoked frisson is more likely reported in female listeners over male listeners. In addition, those who experience chills are more likely to be less adventurous and thrill-seeking (making them more sensitive). Futhermore, the perception of chills is also correlated with musical interest.
Scientists have found that during music-evoked frisson, the amygdala (area of the brain associated with fear), is first activated, and then strongly inhibited. The initial activation of the amygdala causes the goosebumps and sensation of thrills. The following burst of inactivation is due to the cortex analyzing the music and concluding that there is nothing to be afraid of, and by doing so overrides the amygdala it and transforms the fear response into something positive.
So what is it in music that causes chills? It turns out that large increases in volume is the most important correlate of the chills. In addition, broadening of the frequency range (addition of low bass/high treble) is also correlated with chills. Musical corellates such as entry of additional instruments, voices, or melodies, and abrupt changes in tempo or rhythm can also bring out chills. It is interesting to note also that, sad music is twice as likely as happy music to elicit frisson.
For examples of pieces of music that are known to commonly elicit frisson, listen to:
