Science Fact Friday - Tapetum Lucidum!

Physics is an eternal chaos. You have to adapt to this condition and like it or you become mathematician.

Theoretical Physicist (via scienceprofessorquotes)

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The Neuroscience of Serial Murder

Why do serial killers commit heinous acts of murder? The answer may be found in the reward center of our brains, or the Nucleus Accumbens. This is where dopamine is created. When you eat sugar, snort cocaine, snack on chocolate, or have sex, that reward center is triggered and dopamine is released. This chemical conveys the feeling of pleasure, reinforcing those prior indulgences you’ve engaged in. If a serial killer has linked sex with torture, killing, or dismemberment, his brain is sending him a signal, making him feel rewarded for his behavior. It’s the same feeling we may get from eating some chocolate ice cream after a long day or a really good orgasm. A serial killer’s brain reinforces his behavior, telling him that whatever he is doing is good and that he should keep doing it. This may explain why serial killers often do not stop until they are caught.

The memory part of the brain may also hold clues for anxiety and depression

The hippocampus is a seahorse-shaped structure located deep inside the brain. As part of the limbic system, it plays an important role in memory processing and spatial cognition, including how mammals learn to understand and navigate their environment.

The hippocampus is an area of the brain commonly linked with memory and dementia.

But new U of T Scarborough research finds that it may also yield important clues about a range of mental health illnesses including addiction, anxiety and depression.

The research, authored by a team of neuroscientists, found that a specific part of the hippocampus could play an important role in emotional regulation, a finding that calls into question our understanding of how exactly this part of the brain works.

“What this shows is that we may need to rethink how the hippocampus processes information,” says Rutsuko Ito, an associate professor in the Department of Psychology.

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How does chemistry help make fingerprints at crime scenes visible? Here are four key methods! More info/high-res image: http://wp.me/p4aPLT-1Xb

Don’t let anyone tell you that physics isn’t poetry; the only difference is that for us, the universe is the page on which we spill our souls.

- Physicists-need-love-too, 3.57 am (via physicists-need-love-too)

Mimosa pudica is an herb of the pea family and is known for its compound leaves that fold inward and droop when touched or shaken. This defense mechanism protects the leaf from harm and allows for reopening a few minutes later. 

Here, more useless knowledge for your Friday.

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Nictitating Membrane: a transparent or translucent third eyelid present in some animals that can be drawn across the eye for protection and to moisten it while maintaining vision 

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