Ryan Rykaczewski describes one of the most massive migrations on the planet, driven by the sun. Image by Tintinnidguy (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons 

#ExplainTheSun  - The Largest Migration on The Planet

When the brain suffers certain kinds of damage, the results can resemble something out of a B-horror flick. Consider Cotard’s syndrome (sometimes called “walking dead syndrome”), where the sufferer believes—against all available evidence—that they are actually dead. Or how about “alien hand syndrome,” where a patient’s hand goes rogue, acting against its owner’s wishes? Writer Sam Kean joins Ira to talk about the science behind some of the brain’s most ghoulish glitches, and what they can teach us about how healthy brains operate.

Discovering the Brain’s Ghoulish Glitches

Once, there was the ordinary incandescent light bulb. It shone brightly, but wasted much of the energy put into it as heat. Then came the compact fluorescent. And as costs have dropped, consumers have increasingly been switching to light-emitting diode (LED) technology for many lighting applications, in an ongoing search for a more efficient bulb. Now, in work published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, researchers report that nanophotonic devices may be able to breathe new life into old incandescent technology. Marin Soljačić and Ognjen Ilic, two authors of the study, explain how they’ve been able to “recycle” some of the incandescent bulb’s wasted heat and re-emit it as visible light, boosting efficiency.

For the Lowly Incandescent Bulb, a Ray of Hope

Science, technology, and other cool stuff from public radio's Science Friday. It's brain fun, for curious people. From WNYC Studios.

Discovering the Brain’s Ghoulish Glitches

SciFri

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