Bluesky Facebook Reddit Email

How our senses combine to give us a better view of the world

Researchers found that adding a visual or auditory signal can increase the perception of an electrical stimulus, even if it's not initially detected. Multisensory integration plays a crucial role in this process, modifying peripheral systems to enhance our understanding of the world.

Apple iPhone 17 Pro

Apple iPhone 17 Pro delivers top performance and advanced cameras for field documentation, data collection, and secure research communications.

Study shows difficult to read instructions decrease motivation

A study found that participants who received exercise instructions in a difficult font were less motivated to engage in regular exercise, whereas those who received easy-to-read instructions were more willing to adopt the habit. Similarly, a recipe with a hard-to-read format led to lower willingness to attempt making sushi compared to ...

In game of tennis, seeing isn't always believing

A universal bias in visual perception affects tennis referees, leading to more incorrect calls of balls being out than in. This bias can be exploited by players, who may focus on challenging 'out' calls for an advantage.

What was I doing? Interruptions can change purchase decisions

A new study finds that brief interruptions can alter purchasing decisions, causing a shift from detail-oriented, price-conscious thinking to goal-oriented, price-insensitive consideration. Participants who were interrupted in decision-making processes prioritized qualities like satisfaction and desirability over feasibility and price.

SAMSUNG T9 Portable SSD 2TB

SAMSUNG T9 Portable SSD 2TB transfers large imagery and model outputs quickly between field laptops, lab workstations, and secure archives.

Sight, sound processed together and earlier than previously thought

Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have discovered that auditory and visual information are integrated in the brain before being sent to the cortex. The findings suggest that hearing and vision may be more closely linked than previously believed, with implications for understanding how we perceive the world around us.

Hearing changes how we perceive gender

A Northwestern University study found that tones of voices can alter visual processing, suggesting a direct input from early auditory processing to visual perception. Researchers used pure tones to test whether sounds can influence perception of face gender, with results showing bias towards male or female faces based on tone frequency.

Brain cells work differently than previously thought

Researchers found that axon stimulation can increase signal transmission to the cortex, suggesting a new mechanism for brain processing. This discovery may lead to treatments for psychiatric disorders where brain cells communicate incorrectly.

Kestrel 3000 Pocket Weather Meter

Kestrel 3000 Pocket Weather Meter measures wind, temperature, and humidity in real time for site assessments, aviation checks, and safety briefings.

Getting older provides positive outlook

Research by Michael Kisley and Stacey Wood found that older adults exhibit a better balance in processing emotional information, as they tend to pay equal importance to both positive and negative images. This change in emotional priorities develops gradually from age 18 to 80.

Associative memory -- learning at all levels

Scientists have successfully traced associative learning to early stages of the visual processing pathway, suggesting a more general property of the brain. By training monkeys to associate objects with specific signals, researchers found that neurons in the middle temporal area responded to both the original stimulus and the associated...

Folic acid supplementation may improve cognitive performance

A new study published in The Lancet found that folic acid supplementation can improve memory and information processing speed in older adults. Researchers randomly assigned participants to receive either 800 micrograms of folic acid daily or a placebo for 3 years, with significant improvements observed in those receiving the supplement.

DJI Air 3 (RC-N2)

DJI Air 3 (RC-N2) captures 4K mapping passes and environmental surveys with dual cameras, long flight time, and omnidirectional obstacle sensing.

Acoustic noise contains valuable geophysical information

Researchers at Delft University of Technology and the Colorado School of Mines have developed a unified theory to extract meaningful signals from acoustic noise. This theory enables the determination of parameters in flowing media, viscous media, and electrokinetic coupling parameters of porous reservoir rock.

Evidence that subliminal is not so 'sub'

Researchers found that subliminal words can produce a priming effect, where subjects respond faster on tasks related to either the visual or auditory word. TMS applied to specific brain areas disrupted this priming effect, demonstrating top-down processing of subliminal information.

Good information? It's not all about the brain

A new study by Olaf Sporns and Max Lungarella provides insight into how the brain operates and sheds light on its evolution. The researchers created a mathematical framework that quantifies the relationship between neural and behavioral processes, revealing that the brain and body are interconnected.

Rigol DP832 Triple-Output Bench Power Supply

Rigol DP832 Triple-Output Bench Power Supply powers sensors, microcontrollers, and test circuits with programmable rails and stable outputs.

Stock performance tied to ease of pronouncing company's name

A new study by Princeton University researchers found that stocks with easily pronounced names tend to perform better in the short term. The effect was strongest shortly after initial public offerings (IPOs), with fluently named stocks earning up to $333 more than disfluent ones over a year.

Brain study considers motor function, cognition with alcohol consumption

A study published in NeuroImage found that alcohol selectively suppresses cognitive activity in the frontal and posterior parietal brain regions, leading to poor coordination. This suppression is due to impaired feedback processing in brain areas critical for updating mental models for motor action.

Nikon Monarch 5 8x42 Binoculars

Nikon Monarch 5 8x42 Binoculars deliver bright, sharp views for wildlife surveys, eclipse chases, and quick star-field scans at dark sites.

Salk research challenges concept that motion perception is all black and white

A new study by Salk researchers reveals a previously unknown connection between the neural pathways responsible for color and fine detail perception and those involved in motion processing. This discovery challenges the long-held assumption that sensory information about color is relatively unimportant for detecting moving objects.

Polar neutrino observatory takes a big step forward

The IceCube project is a collaborative effort of over 30 scientific organizations, including the US National Science Foundation and more than a dozen US universities. The $272-million detector will use 4,200 light-sensing modules to sample high-energy neutrinos from space, excluding types like those from the sun.

Mood affects young and old differently, study finds

Researchers found that older adults are more likely to attribute actions to individuals alone when in a negative mood, while younger adults consider situational factors. This suggests that older adults may struggle with processing external information in negative emotional states.

How we view ourselves affects perception of products and brands

Researchers found consistent differences between Singaporeans and Americans regarding brand associations, with implications for consumer behavior across diverse cultures. The study highlights the need for more research on the impact of self-view on brand evaluation.

In the mind's eye: How the brain makes a whole out of parts

A team of researchers at Johns Hopkins University has discovered that neurons in the brain's visual center respond to different components of a shape and fit them together like a puzzle to create an image. The brain constructs an internal representation of an object from disparate pieces, allowing for quick recognition of objects.

GoPro HERO13 Black

GoPro HERO13 Black records stabilized 5.3K video for instrument deployments, field notes, and outreach, even in harsh weather and underwater conditions.

Consumer, meet brand. Brand, meet consumer.

A new study explores the role of relationships between people and products, finding that communal relationships lead to faster recognition of broad features, while exchange relationships facilitate more accurate recognition of detailed features. The research highlights the importance of highlighting expected features in a relationship ...

CalDigit TS4 Thunderbolt 4 Dock

CalDigit TS4 Thunderbolt 4 Dock simplifies serious desks with 18 ports for high-speed storage, monitors, and instruments across Mac and PC setups.

Out of sight, out of mind? Not necessarily

A study published in PNAS found that even when the primary visual cortex is temporarily shut down, the brain can still process visual information unconsciously. Researchers used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to induce temporary blindness in nine volunteers with normal vision.

Tiny computers go where no computer has gone before

Researchers at Queen's University Belfast have successfully used molecular information processors to perform logic operations and process information in spaces a few nanometres across. This breakthrough harnesses the principle of photo-induced electron transfer, mimicking the process of photosynthesis.

Some really are better with names than faces, study shows

Researchers discovered that children with Nonverbal Learning Disability (NLD) struggle to recognize faces, particularly immediately after seeing them. The study's findings open up new avenues for research into this condition, which affects less than 1% of the population.

Garmin GPSMAP 67i with inReach

Garmin GPSMAP 67i with inReach provides rugged GNSS navigation, satellite messaging, and SOS for backcountry geology and climate field teams.

Comments sought on draft federal IT security standard

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released a draft federal IT security standard, FIPS Publication 200, to aid in FISMA compliance. The document provides guidelines for minimum security requirements and a risk-based approach for selecting security controls.

NYU psychology researchers show how attention enhances visual perception

Researchers found that involuntary attention improves performance in simple, early visual processing tasks by increasing neural activity in areas of the brain responding to attended stimuli. The study used fMRI to map brain activity while observers performed a task with cues to attract their attention.

When looking isn't seeing: Is cockpit design flawed?

Research suggests that combining features into one object can improve reaction times, but this approach may not always work. Dr. Greg Davis's studies found that stimulation of a second brain pathway, the magnocellular-dorsal process, enhances performance for multi-object displays.

Researchers induce temporary blindness to learn more about vision

Researchers induced temporary blindness in six volunteers with normal vision to study how the brain processes visual information for basic eye movements. The results show that part of the older visual system still functions by encoding visual information unconsciously.

Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation, USB-C)

Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation, USB-C) provide clear calls and strong noise reduction for interviews, conferences, and noisy field environments.

Study provides new insights about brain organization

Researchers mapped rat brain activity, finding that cells in sensory borders share information from multiple senses. The discovery may explain how individuals adapt to sensory loss and improve their remaining senses.

Davis Instruments Vantage Pro2 Weather Station

Davis Instruments Vantage Pro2 Weather Station offers research-grade local weather data for networked stations, campuses, and community observatories.

Georgia Tech researchers use lab cultures to control robotic device

Researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology are developing computing systems that mimic human brain function using lab-grown neurons. The team has created a robotic device called Hybrot, which moves based on brain signals from rats, aiming to advance prosthetic limbs and self-driving cars.

Pre-term infants slower than full-terms at processing information

Pre-terms exhibit significantly slower processing speed at recognizing new faces, a skill linked to intelligence and academic achievement. The study suggests pre-terms' slower processing speed is rooted in infancy and may be related to medical risks such as respiratory distress syndrome.

The brain gets the big picture

Researchers used fMRI to study how the brain processes visual patterns. They found that a higher area of the brain recognizes patterns and sends a message back down to lower areas to stop responding, allowing for better detection of new or different items. This improved ability can enhance the brain's overall processing efficiency.

Sky & Telescope Pocket Sky Atlas, 2nd Edition

Sky & Telescope Pocket Sky Atlas, 2nd Edition is a durable star atlas for planning sessions, identifying targets, and teaching celestial navigation.

Paper discusses circuitry for quantum computing

The paper proposes an experimentally realizable circuit and an efficient scheme to implement scalable quantum computing. Researchers aim to overcome two major stumbling blocks: preparing, manipulating, and measuring fragile quantum states and controlling connectivity between many qubits.

Attention acts as visual glue

A recent brain mapping experiment provides significant new support for the theory that attention is the glue that cements visual information together, helping to solve the 'binding problem' in neuroscience. The study found increased activity in the parietal region when individuals were presented with multiple objects at once.

Prenatal alcohol exposure affects visual processing

A study found that prenatal alcohol exposure differentially affects visual and auditory attention in adolescents, with dysmorphic individuals showing a specific deficit in visual processing. The results suggest that attention is not uniformly affected, and knowledge of these patterns may aid in the development of remediative programs.

Transferring traits can lead to comic result: Psychologist

Researchers found that people unconsciously transfer traits from speakers to other humans and even inanimate objects. Using psychology students as volunteers, the study confirmed that spontaneous trait transference is an automatic brain process.

Anker Laptop Power Bank 25,000mAh (Triple 100W USB-C)

Anker Laptop Power Bank 25,000mAh (Triple 100W USB-C) keeps Macs, tablets, and meters powered during extended observing runs and remote surveys.

Aging brain

Research by University of Michigan cognitive neuroscientist Patricia Reuter-Lorenz found that older adults activate both hemispheres of the brain to perform memory and information processing tasks. This bi-hemispheric processing may help compensate for age-related short-term memory and mental speed declines.