What Makes Brain Neurons Run?
Marcia Barinaga Imaging methods that highlight areas of brain activity in vivid hues have revolutionized neurobiology, helping researchers map the brain regions involved in functions ranging from sensation and movement to language. Surprisingly, however, neuroscientists are still debating about just how brain metabolism creates the signals used to produce the images of activated brain areas. The main issue concerns how much oxygen active neurons use, and it is far from academic, because the answer could influence how researchers interpret their images, and also how stroke patients and others with damaged blood flow to the brain are treated. [Full Text] Physics: A Fine-Grained Look at Forces in Sand James Glanz KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI–Next time you stand on a sandy beach, you may be intrigued to know that some surprising physics is taking place right under your feet. At an American Physical Society meeting here last month, researchers described a set of experiments that have begun to pie
