(no subject)

I got to meet hozed yesterday! I was not a great tour guide, but we had a nice long conversation in downtown Ann Arbor. We talked until the sun went down.

One of the nicest parts of our conversation was talking about Iowa. Sometimes I really miss that place.

(no subject)

What's your favorite Jimi Hendrix song?

(no subject)

Sleepy fruit flies provide clues to learning and memory (thanks, dsgood)

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered that a brain region previously known for its role in learning and memory also serves as the location of sleep regulation in fruit flies. Through further examination of this brain structure, researchers hope to shed light on sleep regulation and its role in memory.

Despite its importance in everyday human function, very little is known about the regulation of sleep. In search of the underlying brain region responsible for sleep regulation, senior author Amita Sehgal, PhD, Professor of Neuroscience and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Investigator, and colleagues turned their attention to the fruit fly.

"Fruit flies and humans share similar resting patterns," explains Sehgal. "Like humans, the sleeping states of fruit flies are characterized by periods of immobility over a twenty-four hour period, during which the fruit flies demonstrate reduced responsiveness to sensory stimuli."

By tinkering with the gene expression of multiple regions of the fruit fly brain, the research team was able to zero in on the adult mushroom body as the sleep center of the brain. They reported their findings in last week's issue of Nature.

( Read more... )

(no subject)

House Boots Jefferson From Committee -- he should have stepped down when he had the chance

The Don't-Bother-to-Knock Rule

Bill of No More Rights

as found in ljdemocrats

Gay/Lesbian Books Burned In Lakeview Library

That's right: in the library.

local folks

I am interested in seeing a few movies that are out. Anyone want to come with?

Cars
An Inconvenient Truth
Nacho Libre

Um, Hard Candy looks like a cult favorite in the making. It's showing at the State. And Thank You for Smoking is still showing; if you haven't seen it before and would like a companion, I wouldn't mind seeing it again.

Also, V for Vendetta is still at the dollar show at Briarwood.

(no subject)

Fossil mounds may be oldest life on Earth

thoughts on a walk

Whether I were here or not,
that birdsong has meaning outside of myself.
My existence is not intrinsic to birdsong: it lifts itself.