Happy February 29th!

For some of you, this is the first real-day anniversary of your birth that you will have had in four years. The question for some is “What’s the reason for a “leap year?” One answer is that Leap Years are needed to keep our modern day Gregorian Calendar in alignment with the Earth's revolutions around the sun. It takes the Earth approximately 365.242199 days—or 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds—to circle once around the Sun. This is called a tropical year. However, the Gregorian calendar has only 365 days in a year, so if the calendar didn't add a day on February 29 nearly every 4 years, the world would lose almost six hours off the calendar every year. After only 100 years, the calendar would be off by approximately 24 days. A similar February won't come again in the current generation’s because this February has  four Sundays, four Mondays, four Tuesdays, four Wednesdays, four Thursdays, four Fridays, and four Saturdays. This only happens once every 823years. So, enjoy it!

Origin of Phrases, 2

1.      Barrels of Oil: When the first oil wells were drilled they had made no provision for storing the liquid so they used water barrels. That is why, to this day, we speak of barrels of oil rather than gallons.

2.      Sleep Tight: Early beds were made with a wooden frame. Ropes were tied across the frame in a criss-cross pattern. A straw mattress was then put on top of the ropes. Over time the ropes stretched, causing the bed to sag. The owner would then tighten the ropes to get a better night's sleep. Also, those straw mattresses were full of bugs, so thus the expression: "Good night, sleep tight, and don't let the bed bugs bite."

Arizona’s Javelina, 2

My brain got some additional stimulation as it learned about the Arizona Javelinas, creatures that may be descendants of collared peccaries that lived with the ancient Mayas in South America. Apparently they migrated north (the javelinas, not the Mayas), walking on only two toes of each foot. (They have three toes on their hind feet and four toes on their front feet. They are quite nimble—can leap six feet and jump up bout two feet—and gallop up to 25 miles an hour. Of course they leave behind them a cloud of dust and their distinctive javelina ‘perfume.’ About two feet in height, a full-grown javelina averages about three feet in length and can weigh between 40-50 pounds. Cute but do not feed them and remember they cannot be domesticated . . .If you want to see more pictures of javelinas, you may want to check out this URL.

http://www.jenniferjo.com/javelinas_pictures_1.htm

Arizona’s Javelina

Visiting good friends in Tucson, Arizona,gave my brain some stimulation as I was introduced to the Arizona javelina (have-a-leen-a) or peccary. Oh my! I thought they were members of the pig family. While they are part of the same order of mammals as pigs (along with deer, antelope, and the hippopotamus), they are in different families (Tayassuidae for peccaries vs Suidae for pigs and hogs). Javilenas eat prickly pear cactus and somehow the cacti and other spiny plants hurt neither mouth or digestive system. Go figure! Speaking of sensory systems, javelinas, are very nearsighted, which means they live primarily in a world of scents and sounds. They grunt, growl, bark, squeal, chuckle, and click their teeth when communicating with each other. And speaking of kinesthesia, they tend to squirt musk when they are startled. Bobcats, mountain lions, and black bears are among their predators. More tomorrow.

Understanding the Brain, 2

To the reasons for understanding more about the brain, provided by The National Science Foundation and the BRAIN Initiative, I would add this. Everything starts in the brain. When you understand more about brain function in general and your brain in particular, you are giving yourself the opportunity to ‘use your brain by design.’ Life is basically trial and error—with the hope that you learn from your mistakes, avoid making the same ones in the future, and realize fewer negative outcomes and far more positive outcomes. None will ever understand brain function completely, in general or more specifically to one’s own brain. However, when you can make decisions and exhibit behaviors that give you positive outcomes (as opposed to negative outcomes), everyone benefits. Therefore, I plan on learning as much about brain function as I can for as long as I live . . .

Understanding the Brain

At a recent seminar I was asked: “Why we need to understand the brain anyway?” It reminded me of a similar question on the National Science Foundation home page under “Understanding the brain: The National Science Foundation and the BRAIN Initiative.” Here is their reply:

Understanding the brain means knowing the fundamental principles underlying brain structure and function. The research required to do so will accelerate scientific discovery and innovation, promote advances in technology and bolster U.S. economic competitiveness. New neuroscience discoveries will enable us to foster brain health; engineer solutions that enhance, replace or compensate for lost function; improve the effectiveness of formal and informal educational approaches; promote learning across the lifespan and build brain-inspired smarter technologies for improved quality of life.

http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=128960

M-F Brains and Energy

Recently I was asked if I knew of any references about the male brain requiring less energy to run. There are several examples under Brain References on my website. Following are three:

·         Analogy: the male brain turns on to do a task and then turns off; the female brain is always on. (Gurian, Michael. The Wonder of Boys.)

•          Many times a day the male brain enters a ‘rest state.’ Because the female brain doesn’t shut off in this way, each gender approaches something as basic as a conversation quite differently. (Gurian, Michael, PhD, with Barbara Annis. Leadership and the Sexes.

•          Scans: women’s brains showed 90 percent activity during a resting state; men’s brains in a resting state showed at least 70 percent of its electrical activity was shut down. (Pease, Barbara and Allan. Why Men Don’t Listen and Women Can’t Read Maps.)