From: Mon 10:20 PM Subject: Science & the Natural World NewsletterTo: m42star@verizon.net November 2002 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In this issue: * Learning how to extinguish conditional responses * Strokes, Accidents and Alzheimer's: Explaining the Human Brain * The Secret Life of Bats * Tangled Up in Blue: Whale Rescues * Genetic Conflicts in Human Pregnancy ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Forward this newsletter to a friend! * Columbia University * The London School of Economics and Political Science * Cambridge University Press * The British Library * The New York Public Library * The University of Chicago * University of Michigan * American Film Institute * RAND * Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution * Victoria and Albert Museum * Science Museum * The Natural History Museum * The British Museum ~~~~~~~~~~~ IN THE NEWS ~~~~~~~~~~~ The results of a new experiment published in Nature magazine (www.nature.com) indicate that a conditioned response need not be permanent. The response can be eliminated through a process called extinction, in effect re-learning the conditioned response rather than trying to reverse it--a hypothesis first put forward by Pavlov in 1927. The findings of the study, which involved auditory fear conditioning in rats, suggest that the medial prefrontal cortex of the brain could be relevant to therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder. Learn more about the workings of the human brain and memory in "The Dynamics of Human Memory" on Fathom. Cambridge University Press author Steven Rose, professor of biology and the director of the Brain and Behaviour Research Group at the Open University, UK, offers insights into a topic that has fascinated scientists, psychologists and philosophers for centuries: http://www.fathom.com/feature/121985/1/1266 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ONLINE COURSES ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ * Free Seminar * STROKES, ACCIDENTS AND ALZHEIMER'S: EXPLAINING THE HUMAN BRAIN from Cambridge University Press explores how the human brain copes with damage. Students will the difference between short and long-term memory and some of the effects of physical damage to the brain. The seminar is free; simply follow the checkout process to enroll: http://www.fathom.com/course/21701724/1267 * Short e-Course * ANIMAL COMMUNICATION: SCENTS AND SENSIBILITY In this e-seminar, the first in a series of four on animal behavior, Columbia Biology Professor Darcy Kelley explores how the fascinating signals of pheromones are used and sensed in the animal kingdom, and whether there is any likelihood that we, too, are lured to one another by odors we can't "smell." Enroll anytime: http://www.fathom.com/course/56756000/1268 * Free Seminar * THE SECRET LIFE OF BATS Did you know that of the world's 4,800 or so species of mammals, almost one in five are bats? Learn more in this free seminar from the Natural History Museum, taught by Phil Richardson, chairman of the Bat Conservation Trust in the UK. The seminar is free; simply follow the checkout process to enroll: http://www.fathom.com/course/21701775/1269 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NEW SCIENCE & NATURE FEATURES ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ * Tangled Up in Blue: Whale Rescues Scientists, artists and even robots have teamed up to develop new techniques for freeing trapped animals. In this feature, WHOI's Stephanie Murphy discusses the latest advances in efforts to save whales from life-threatening entanglements: "When a whale is ensnared in fishing gear, the team must determine where the lines are impinging on the animal and whether it will be able to work itself free of the entanglement..." http://www.fathom.com/feature/190206/1/1270 * Genetic Conflicts in Human Pregnancy In a lecture at the London School of Economics and Political Science, David Haig, associate professor of genetics at Harvard University, explores the phenomenon of genetic conflict in human pregnancy: "I have always found pregnancy rather unusual as an evolutionary biologist.... If natural selection is so efficient at producing wonderful cases of adaptation, why do women have so many problems during pregnancy?" http://www.fathom.com/feature/122631/1/1271 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THINKING IS ENCOURAGED @ FATHOM.COM (TM) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ * * * Please do not reply to this message. If you have any questions or would like to send feedback to Fathom, please send an email to customersupport@fathom.com. * * * SUBSCRIBE: If you received this newsletter from a friend and would like your own free subscription, please go to http://www.fathom.com to sign up for any of Fathom's free monthly newsletters. CHANGE ADDRESS: Sign in at http://www.fathom.com to edit Your Account. UNSUBSCRIBE FROM ALL NEWSLETTERS: Submit your request at http://www.fathom.com/cgi-bin/unsubscribe.cgi?emailuser=m42star@verizon.net You will still be able to receive occasional emails from Fathom about special offers and learning opportunities if you requested this option in Your Account. AOL Users: If you use AOL, or any of the above links don't work, please copy and paste the entire URL address into your browser window.