Saturday, June 24, 2006

intelligence Music thought to enhance intelligence, mental health and immune system. A recent volume of the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences takes a closer look at how music evolved and how we respond to it. Contributors to the volume believe that animals such as birds, dolphins and whales make sounds analogous to music out of a desire to imitate each other. This ability to learn and imitate sounds is a trait necessary to acquire language and scientists feel that many of the sounds animals make may be precursors to human music. read more [Science Blog -] 11:42:15 PM    comment

depression Brain function and negative thinking linked to late-onset depression. Late-onset depression, which first emerges in people aged 60 and over, is linked to a decline in the brain's executive functions that leads to repetitive, negative thought patterns a new study reveals. Executive functions are those that enable people to plan and control their thoughts and actions. read more [Science Blog -] 11:39:49 PM    comment

language processing Robot Dogs Evolve Their Own Language. [Slashdot] 11:37:20 PM    comment