Word: normalization
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...contiguity. In one such experiment, by University of Illinois psychologist Renée Baillargeon, a hinged wooden panel appeared to pass right through a box. Baillargeon and M.I.T.'s Elizabeth Spelke found that babies as young as 31/2 months would reliably look longer at the impossible event than at the normal one. Their conclusion: babies have enough built-in knowledge to recognize that something is wrong...
...adjusting for schooling and immigration status, the results were unequivocal: being a polyglot (or at least a biglot) fights brain rot. What's not clear is why. Researchers speculate the ability to operate in two languages could - like exercise or stimulating leisure and social activity - help the brain continue normal functions even as it decays physically. Just don't expect great things from your French refresher course. The study, appearing in the February issue of Neuropsychologia, defines bilingual as "regularly using at least two languages" throughout adulthood - and there's no evidence that flipping through phrase books will help. Quel...
With that in mind, Farah is studying modafinil, a drug developed for narcolepsy that is prescribed off-label to patients with depression, ADHD or even jet lag. In the military, it's used to sharpen soldiers' alertness and cognition. Her research is attempting to determine how this chemical affects normal people. "Is there a trade-off," she wonders, "between focusing attention and reducing creativity? And if more workers use it to excel, will we have a workforce of narrow, rigid thinkers...
Finally, for a laugh or two, stop by the Silly Tasting Note Generator at gmon.com/tech/stng.shtm which spoofs pedantic wine criticism. You can instruct the program to pour out "normal silly" or "extra silly" comments--maybe even one sillier than "the tightly woven texture of pigeon flesh...
...haven't oil prices? Analysts say there are a variety of reasons, starting with the weather. The current deep-freeze in the Midwest aside, this winter has been unseasonably warm, curbing demand for heating oil. "A third of the winter season is over and we haven't seen any normal consumption patterns on the East Coast," says Irene Haas, an energy analyst with Canaccord Adams in Houston. Haas also points out that an additional 1.5 million barrels of daily oil production is slated to kick in this year from countries such as Angola, Azerbaijan, Brazil and Canada; that much...