MOTION MOUNTAIN

the story of the brain 255
Challenge 254 s
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Researchers have tentative linked gene defects to the propensity to forget things in everydaylife.However,
one can question whether an error in the DRD2 gene is really the cause
for forgetting where the car keys are.
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Many switches has three states; one could call them ‘-1’,‘0’,‘1’.Thus,buildingcomputers
basedon ‘trits’ insteadof ‘bits’ isarealisticoption.Whyarethereno27-tritcomputers?
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The neurotransmitters that influence moods are still a topic of intense research. Such
researchhas shownthat a specificpeptide called hypocretin or also orexin leads to high
alertness, to increases appetite and above all to good mood. Whether this really is the
‘happiness hormone’, as is sometimes claimed, still has to be tested.
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In 2015, for the first time, lymphatic vessels have been discovered in the brain: both
an entry and an exit of lymphatic liquid exist. This astonishing discovery by Antoine
Louveau and his collaborators might well change the way researchers tackle Alzheimer’s
disease, autism, multiple sclerosis and many other neuro-immunediseases.
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In2015, ‘speedcells’ have been discovered inside brains. These cells are part of the navigation
system of the brain, and fire with a frequency that is proportional to the proper
speed of the organism. These cells thus have the same role as the speedometer in a car.
Completing the understanding the navigation system of the brain is one of the present
challenges of research.
Motion Mountain – The Adventure of Physics copyright © Christoph Schiller June 1990–November 2015 free pdf file available at www.motionmountain.net