Older people get the big picture. According to the article, psychologists from McMaster University have discovered that the aging process improves the ability to grasp the 'big picture'. The study, published in the journal "Neuron" dispels the myth that older people perform slower and worse than younger people. According to the researchers, the results suggest that the ability of one neuron to inhibit another is reduced as we age. ... [CogNews]000000comment []


Researchers turn to brainpower to beat dementia. Announced in this release, a team of researchers from The University of Manchester will be asking members of the high-IQ society Mensa for DNA samples in what will be the world's most sophisticated study of brainpower. The research will allow the team to find genes associated with intelligence and examine how they interact with each other. ... [CogNews]000000comment []


Brain learns to anticipate risk, study claims. After the Tsunami in Asia, there were reports that aboriginal tribesmen had 'sensed' the danger in time to flee to higher ground. Although the existence of a "sixth sense" for danger is disputed by some, research from Washington University in St. Louis has found a region of the brain that serves as an "early warning system" -- monitoring environmental cues and helping to change our behavior to avoid danger. ... [CogNews]000000comment []


"A genius explains". "Tammet is calculating 377 multiplied by 795. Actually, he isn't "calculating": there is nothing conscious about what he is doing. He arrives at the answer instantly. Since his epileptic fit, he has been able to see numbers as shapes, colours and textures. The number two, for instance, is a motion, and five is a clap of thunder. 'When I multiply numbers together, I see two shapes. The image starts to change and evolve, and a third shape emerges. That's the answer. It's mental imagery. It's like maths without having to think.' "Excerpted from "A Genius Explains," interview with mathematical genius and autistic savant Daniel Tammet, written by Richard Johnson. Published in the Guardian Unlimited, Feb 12, 2005Full text available at:http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story/0,,1409903,00.html ... [CogNews]000000comment []