As a chronic giggler, I felt obligated to read the article entitled Last Laugh. From what I read, I found out that the evolutionary purpose of laughter was to announce a "false alarm." In other words, something that originally came across as a danger turned out to be harmless. This would explain my tendency to giggle on rollercoasters. Steep drops and upside loops qualify as seemingly dangerous experiences. Surviving these situations forces my body to signal that it was just a false alarm and say "look, I'm still alive!" Besides learning about laughter, I learned a little something about myself: I am as susceptible to laughing while reading an article about laughter as someone else is susceptible to yawning after reading about yawning.
I read the article about the spiders having personalities. I think it is pretty interesting how researchers have found that each spider's personality determines the jobs they do in their colony. They found that the bigger and bolder spiders are the ones that hunt for their pray, and the more timed spiders are the ones that work in nests. By finding the different personalities of each spider it really allows researchers to get a full understanding of how vitoispider colonies really work.
I read the article about the human brain control and was intrigued right from the beginning. It is fascinating how something we see only in movies and television is going to be brought into the reality of our world today. Our technology is rapidly changing and developing more than ever. As I read though, I couldn’t help to think of the negative consequences that would come from such a powerful device. If this project continues to grow, as said in the article, we could have human to human brain interfaces. This could be a downside only because it can bring manipulation with the mind (which is usually the case for a villain in a movie or show). People can get their dirty jobs done without them being there to actually do it. Although, it could be useful in little things, such as training your dog, I’m still concerned for the new dangers our world might have to face with.
While I was reading the article about laughter, I started to realize just how complicated laughter is. Usually, I wouldn't think complicated to be the word to describe laughter, but that's what this article to me has proven. Until now, if I saw someone laughing, I would just think oh there must be something funny he/she is laughing at. Never would I have thought it to be a social signal, or a way to communicate a "false alarm", or a way to make something easier to endure. I would just think laughter = funny, but I guess there's a lot more too it.
I took a quick glance at the title of these three articles and immediately I was drawn in to the one about brain control. So, I opened it up and began to read and right of the bat I was amazed and terrified at the same time. I thought it was amazing what the human mind and modern technology was able to do. This could help us communicate with all other humans and living creatures. We could control our pets (make them stop barking) or sympathize with one another, like the article said, in couples therapy. Then I started to think about all the evil that could come from this, people could torture other people or animals. Political leaders could control people and get them to do or agree to anything. This scientific break through could be phenomenal for mankind or it could take a turn for the worse, either way it is going to change the world.
The articles on brain control and spiders having personalities were very interesting. Brain Control has always been an interest for humans to make others do the controller's bidding. If we can perfect brain control and limit it to animals like dogs, then it would make life easier and we would have less worries in life.
For the article on spiders having personalities, it shows that humans have more in common with other animals then we think. Other animals are able to think based on their own fears and limitations as an individual instead of the instinct of the species. This would show the diversity the animal kingdom has.
I read the article about brain control from a human to a rat. This is such a big achievement in the world of neuroscience. It is very impressive that scientists were able to create an electronic device that allowed a human to control to brain of another organism without to use of invasive electrodes in the body. The device is also user-friendly, allowing the person using the monitor to simply look at the flicker and send a brain signal to the rat. Although this is a huge achievement, I do not believe that it is completely necessary considering the animal cruelty involved. It is disturbing to see that a rat was hooked up to a machine and had no control over its own tail. Although the process is non-invasive and does not cause the rat any physical pain, to what extent of animal testing are we willing to go?
After learning about how spiders often exemplify differences in personality, I began to wonder about the origin of this trait. With humans, we know that our personalities are both genetic and from our surroundings. My question is, is it the same factors that determine personalities in humans as in the spiders? Sometimes specific events in a persons life can have a part in shaping someone's attitude and behavior, can an event or the other spiders have an impact on the personality of spiders too? If it does, is there some sort of connection between spiders and humans that would explain them sharing this trait when so few other species have such pronounced personalities?
Even though it is not a completely shocking revelation, I never thought of spiders as creatures with personalities. I find it even more intriguing that, similar to humans, these personalities are probably not genetic. This makes me wonder just how similar we are to spiders in this sense. What shapes the spiders' personalities? Their interactions, their experiences, or something else? I have always thought of spiders as more simple than this. Plus, if their personality is acquired, could timid spiders, like people, become bold later on? Then would they take over the job of catching prey, or at least join the others? Perhaps the scientists could continue with their experiment for an extended period of time to see if anything would change.
When reading about all theories for the cause of laughter, I just kept on thinking, "Why not all three?" Laughter does not have to be emitted by people for the same reason all of the time. Sometimes it could be to signal a false alarm, sometimes a social cue, sometimes self-support, and sometimes a combination. Certain situations evoke such a reaction. I am interested to read about a more definitive answer to the situation in the future, however. It is still a little perplexing how people laugh for such a variety of reasons.
I read the article about brain control. I find it mind-blowing that these forms of communication are actually taking place. Prior to this article, I had no knowledge of the current discovery of rat to rat brain signals/interaction. Therefore, the idea of brain to brain interfaces had me shocked. Yoo and his colleagues wanted to go beyond the prior experiment of rat to rat communication and so they created their own methods of contact through an apparatus. Each component of this apparatus was well- thought out and formulated. They made sure that the use of FUS was harmless to the rat and would favor involuntary movement, without major consequences. This experiment, in the end, proved to be a success and served as a building block to the thought of human to human brain interfaces. Though this entire process was fascinating to no end, isn’t it wrong to manipulate someone’s actions? Are we letting technology take over natural aspects of our life? The main question, one that the article mentioned as well, is “Is this moral?” Couples counseling and training dogs are only a few examples of a positive usage of this new technology, but it could also be used with negative motives. In a way, it is similar to sleep walking; in both cases, people are not be aware of their actions. This is a greatly disturbing concept for many. Hence, I believe that this experiment, though very interesting, should not be further encouraged due to the possibility of nocuous after-effects. The fact that ethical issues could not be addressed by the paper Yoo and the others produced is alarming, at the least.
As someone who enjoys non-fiction novels, I immediately jumped to the article about brain control. Just as most people would, I found the article quite fascinating. Up until now, the idea that one organism can control the movements of another was something only seen on television and in books. Obviously, this device could be used for bad, maybe illegal purposes, but the part that drew my attention to was when they said they planned to use the device to make sympathizing easier between people.If what the device does is send brain signals from one brain to another, it would be most likely to make the person FEEL what the other is feeling, instead just understanding what they feel. In arguments, this wouldn't be to big of a problem, however if psychiatrists started using this on insane patients to receive brain waves and understand what they feel to better help them, they might instead become insane during the moments they are connected. This may even scar the psychiatrist and make him/her permanently insane. I feel the world would be a better place without brain control.
The article on laughter intrigued me quite a bit. I never thought there would be a deeper meaning into why we laugh and how many theories there are on it. In this article alone they stated theories of it being a social signal, a false alarm signal, a response to a conversational cue, or a way to distract ourselves. I think we use laughter as a way to distract ourselves the most because humans tend to feel sad so they laugh to distract themselves. Jokes, irony, and others can help with this while the other theories have some cases that don't work with them. I also related to the statement of how laughter from one can make other people laugh. Whenever one of my friends laugh an urge just comes over me and forces me to laugh and feel happy.
The article on brain control intrigued me because I am extremely fascinated by the complexity and power of the human mind. Not only do our brains send signals throughout our own bodies, but it is now being proven that one's brain can control another brain through the use of brain-computer interface systems. For centuries, people have discovered a myriad of ways to connect and communicate (through writing, music, art, verbal conversation, etc). Now, the discovery of brain-computer interface systems may open a whole new door to the way people communicate, in both negative and positive ways. On the negative side, the fact that one's brain can have power over another through the use of electrodes would leave no room for self expression or self control. For instance, if a salesperson tries to persuade a customer to buy a product, that customer is given the choice to buy the product based on his or her own opinions and morals. However, with the development of brain-computer interface systems, a salesperson may be able to simply "send a signal" to the customer that forces the customer to involuntarily buy the product. It would be a far worse form of subliminal messaging! On the positive side, people may understand each other even more through such a different way of communicating. So, I am curious to know if this discovery in brain-to-brain communication may lead to the possibility of thoughts (in both words and images) being communicated between people without having one brain having to "control" the other. Also, the article mentions that the rat was under anasthesia when a signal was sent to the rat's motor cortex, causing it to move its tail. I am curious to know, could the signals still cause involuntary movements in the rat if it was was awake and aware of its movements? I recently discovered musicians who use EEG devices to perform music with solely their mind, and being able to control someone else's mind with the same device is just as amazing.
I also find it interesting how spiders work together and communicate to accomplish daily tasks. Just like humans, they have their own personalities that help them contribute to society in their own ways. When reading the article on spiders, I immediately connected them to the way Native Americans have been known to work together. It is amazing how humans are not only alike to animals in many ways, but to spiders as well, and how many species seem to work best as a community!
I also enjoyed reading about the different perspectives on why we laugh, and discovered how complex body language truly is. Much of society seems to hold the idea that laughing and smiling automatically relates to happiness. However, the article proves that there are many reasons and causes for why humans laugh, which connects greatly to how complex humans are.
I found the article about the spiders very cute. We're so used to the quirks of dogs and cats (and even primates) and seeing as how they're smaller and seen as a pest, it's a little strange knowing that social spiders seem to have personalities. Stranger still is the possibility that the traits are not purely genetic. According to psychologist Erikson, humans have developmental stages that effect a person's personality (Autonomy vs Doubt at ages 2-3, Inferiority vs Industry at 6-12) and a person's completion (or lack thereof) of each stage shapes whether they take more bold or timid actions in life. I wonder if social spider's have their own stages, the first prey take-down as a young spider perhaps, that shapes their personality. Maybe it's a simpler process. That aside the study was done on social spiders, so I also wonder if solitary spiders exhibit any personality traits. Would a loner spider, with no aggregation role, instinctively shy away from a threat or attack it? Since they're left to fend for themselves, I think solitary spiders are naturally bolder. Until we find conclusive evidence, all this up in the air. Though this may not be a groundbreaking study, it's nice to know that spiders may have feelings too.
The idea of being able to control another living organism with our minds would be fascinating to most. I find it to be quite dangerous. Brain control is usual found in movies and on tv and considered to be just science fiction. However, in those fictional story plots, there is usually a villain who would use this method in attempts to wreak havoc for his/her own personal gain. Seeing what the human kind is capable of, those fictional stories may not be too far from reality. If a method for brain control can be fully developed, there's no saying what humans would be capable of doing, good or evil. There's going to be someone out there who would utilize brain control for things other than training their dog.
Reading about brain control between a human and a rat excites me for reasons that aren’t quite obvious. Ever since I was little, the way our minds worked always amazed me. Knowing that we can now send thoughts via technological advances proves that society evolves as well as organisms. This hints that we have the capability to use this towards humans and change our lives forever. This discovery could lead to less arguments and wars, and to friendlier people who understand why they shouldn’t be prejudice. Reading about this article ignites more curiosity about the mind and about the technology that made this happen. When spiders can have ‘personalities’, it makes me think about they have even developed over time and how they will develop. Is it possible that their personalities can eventually become more complex and insightful? It would, in a sense, be like the evolution of their minds as well as their bodies. Humans weren’t filled with the various feelings we have today when we first began to evolve from our beginnings as a species. It’s the thought of insight from animals and insects that can blow our minds as the superior beings. It certainly blows my mind, at least. Before I read the article about the complexity of laughter, I used to think it was a simpler thing that we only associated with pleasure happiness. Now, I guess there are various reasons. Now, when I laugh, I can actually think about reasons why I could have laughed. Maybe the form of your laughter signals that, though. In situations for self-support, it wouldn’t be as whole-hearted. If it was in a conversation, it would be less loud. There are many other descriptions as to how it would happen. Scientists truly analyze many different things and now laughter is one of them.
I also read the article on laughter. My friends say I tend to laugh a lot, so I was interested in reading about laughter's purpose. Many different scientists have tried to figure out the evolutionary purpose of laughter. However, there isn't one singular purpose for laughter that has been found. Rather there are several reasons that cause people to laugh. Possible reasons for laughter were a cue that everything was alright, a distraction, a sign of social bonding, etc. Laughter evolved for a several different reasons, and human social interactions advanced laughter probably, did too. Trying to find one solid reason for laughter is difficult since we might not have laughed for the same reasons back when humans first evolved laughter as we do now. Also, it was interesting to see how laughter is a more unconscious action. It is hard to control laughter and to try and laugh on purpose. After all, some of the reasons it may have evolved for are require it to be a more unconscious or immediate signal for bonding, happiness, or false alarm. Since laughter could have evolved for so many reasons, I wonder for what reasons id other social signals or cues evolved for. I also wonder whether laughter will evolve in the future to fulfill new purposes. The more we study it, the more complex laughter becomes.
I also read the article on laughter. My friends say I tend to laugh a lot, so I was interested in reading about laughter's purpose. Many different scientists have tried to figure out the evolutionary purpose of laughter. However, there isn't one singular purpose for laughter that has been found. Rather there are several reasons that cause people to laugh. Possible reasons for laughter were a cue that everything was alright, a distraction, a sign of social bonding, etc. Laughter evolved for several different reasons, and as human social interactions advanced laughter probably, did too. Trying to find one solid reason for laughter is difficult since we might not have laughed for the same reasons back when humans first evolved laughter as we do now. Also, it was interesting to see how laughter is a more unconscious action. It is hard to control laughter and to try and laugh on purpose. After all, some of the reasons it may have evolved for are require it to be a more unconscious or immediate signal for bonding, happiness, or false alarm. Since laughter could have evolved for so many reasons, I wonder for what reasons did other social signals or cues evolve for. I also wonder whether laughter will evolve in the future to fulfill new purposes. The more we study it, the more complex laughter becomes.
After reading the article about spider personalities and grossing myself out with the pictures attached, I am both fascinated and a little freaked out. The fact that creatures, as small as spiders, have the brain capacity to have different personalities is astounding. Then again, this article does make me rethink killing a spider just because it’s in my house. Spiders have feelings too, right? Maybe the spider that I squished was one of the timid ones trying to impress a pretty girl-spider, but I crushed his dreams (and his life) with my foot. Sorry spiders…
I read the article on brain control. I found it fascinating how there is existing technology to allow communication between two brains. Maybe this technology can advance and allow more elaborate communication between two minds. This could open a plethora of new options that we couldn't do before. For example, imagine being able to communicate ideas and thoughts without using words. I think teaching complex concepts would be made easier for teachers and school would be simpler. However, there could be a lot of ethically questionable actions from this technology. Politicians and other authority figures could have unprecedented power in influencing the thoughts and behaviors of people. This is why this technology shouldn't really be pursued, because it's almost guaranteed to land in the wrong hands.
I wasn’t planning on reading the article about spiders having personalities but curiosity won over my repulsion of the arachnids. After recovering from the blown up picture, I was actually drawn into the subject. It seemed really interesting that spiders were born with their traits and based on that, they were assigned tasks around their colony. This makes sense too; there would be nothing smart or efficient about sending out a timid spider to catch prey and leaving the bolder ones at home to take care of the brood. Prior to this article I knew about the “suicidal maternal care” and thought “what more can we expect from spiders?” Clearly a lot more. Spiders, as nasty as they look, are capable of differentiating between personalities and use them to their advantage. Well done, spiders, well done.
When I was reading the article about brain control, I was really interested in the idea that simply thinking about the rat moving it's tail, caused the sleeping rat to move it's tail! As this technology advances, and more possibilities open up, I hope humanity shows some restraint. The idea that someone can beam a FUS signal at my head while I'm sleeping or not active to control my thoughts is really disturbing. I would never be able to fall asleep in public again. However, this could be a very useful technique in communicating with other species. What is this helps us understand man's best friend, and their feline counterparts better? Maybe we can even use dogs as police monitors, having them routinely patrol the streets with instructions from the police beamed into their heads. That would be a really cool application of this technology.
I read the article "Last Laugh" and I enjoyed reading it especially when it went into depth about rat laughter. I usually find myself laughing at the weirdest things and never came to think of why and what makes me laugh. The article made me realize that I personally laugh in various situations, whether I feel nervous, excited, or even stressed. In the article, Lickerman says, "Laugh at something, and you exert some level of control, however minute, over it. Humor is pleasurable, and pleasure is distracting." What Lickerman said really stuck with me because I personally find myself laughing more frequently when I'm stressed. Especially towards the end of the school year when finals and work add up, I find myself laughing instead of stressing out about all the things I need to do. I agree with Lickerman and feel that laughter gives me some sort of 'control' that relieves some of the tension. Overall I found the article very interesting and a real knee-slapper.
Throughout the development of humanit seems like laughter might have actually played a crucial role role in society and survival. On the beginning of the article I was a bit skeptic about the there actually being a tru evolutionarty history to laughter but the article convinced me that laughter might have been a mechanism that we slowly perfected throughout our evolutionary stages. I never even realized that dogs panting was related so closely to our laughter. The article did provide convincing evidence that laughter was evolutionary. They were never able to truly figure out the origins of laughter or it's true purpose. Whatever the case may be it true that laughter has become a important mechanism that has been integrated in to our society.
I read the article about the spiders having personalities. I found it interesting to know that spiders could have personalities. Humans of course have personalities but I never knew that insects could have personalities. I thought all they did was attack prey. I never knew that some of them would not do that and that specific insects ( in this case spiders ) have specific roles. Generally, when you think of roles in a society, you might think about bees or ants because they follow a queen and they all have the same task. However, in this situation, spiders are found out to have different personalities instead of roles. It was interesting to see that they color coded the spiders based on aggressiveness, boldness, etc. It would of been nice if the author of the article told us what each color mean't. The spiders themselves look bland colored meaning they are just plain gray and they look really huge considering they are not tarantulas. I would like to know whether in the picture the spiders are dead or not. It seems like they are. Either that or they are sleeping. S. Sarasinorium lives in South Asia which is not surprising because those areas contain so many different species of plants and animals typically. I think that this discovery should not be considered the same as Bees and Ants. Because in those cases, it revolves around roles, while in this case, it is personality wise. I never knew what boldness mean't until now. If you were bold then you are more brave, so basically the spiders who would collect the prey or hunt. If they weren't bold then they would likely stay home. When I say spiders in my comment I mean S. Sarasinorium, not all spiders in general because this article tests that species only. Typing S. Sarasinorium would take a long time.
As I tend to be quite the ticklish person, laughter is something I find to be interesting. I never thought if whether or not other species share the capability to laugh. Alas, the do, which makes me thinking of the difference in laughter. This article states several reasons which spark laughter, but do other animals have unique laughs as humans do? In addition, can laughter be associated to actions other than dangerous ones? For example, my friend and I were passing an Oreo to someone when I accidentally dropped it on the ground. We burst out laughing even though it wasn't a "false alarm", joke, or contagious from someone else.
Besides loving to laugh, I'm utterly fascinated with neurology, so the article about brain control drew me in. I always believed that mind reading or mind control only existed in books or movies - never in reality. Although it's absolutely mind blowing, it concerns me. At this pace, technology will advance to the point where everyone will be able to control one another's minds. Most likely, this invention could fall into the wrong hands which could lead to absolute chaos. On another note, I wonder if this could control not only the actions of another being, but the thoughts. Instead of just telling the rat to move its tail, could the human simply think about something such as food that would put the same image into the rat's mind? Also, the rat used for the experiment was "under anesthesia," so did that affect the outcome? The mind is a powerful thing, and we've only begun to discover its capabilities.
I read the article that is titled Last laugh "What evolution can tell us about why we laugh". I thought this article was very interesting. Before reading this article that article I thought that laughter was only the reflection of happiness or something that is funny . But I learned from this article that laughter can also be a sign of nervousness and a sign of relief. I also was fascinated by how two different anima groups can have this characteristic in common. In the article, it states that the canine animal group and the primate animal group have this feature in common. The article also states that many organisms "pant" when they are laughing. The article says that scientists came together and made rats laugh by tickling them. I think many things can be discovered from this discovery and will result in a positive domino effect.
I also read the article that had to do with brain control. I thought that the way a human was able to control the way a mouse move is very interesting. I thought that this new discovery can help with many of the problems that our society faces today. For example, now we can look into the minds of criminals and "control" their minds so they don't hurt anyone and they obey the law. I was also interested in the screen that they had made the person look at. I wonder what that screen can do to help transport the thoughts from the human brain to the rats brain. I was also amazed and surprised how the rat automatically performed the task. I also wonder what would have happened of the rat wasn't under the anesthesia.
I thought that both of these articles were very interesting and will help solve the problems that we face today.
I read the article about brain control. At first I found this article to be unbelievable, but extremely interesting. It is a concept that has crossed my brain before and the real life examples they used were relateable to me. A lot of times in life it is hard to understand where certain people are coming from because of their appearance, job position, or general attitude. With the advancement of brain communication, it would be easier to sympathize with people. It goes the other way too. I would want people to sympathize with me and, sort of, read my mind when I am going through a hard time and don't want to explain myself. It would definitely benefit those who argue a lot and who don't usually see eye to eye. This technology may be cool to think about, but it is frightening to know that there may be a time when one human could control another human. I think, even though it is a major advancement in technology and science itself, this type of experimenting is not essential to humans and should be dealt with very carefully.
After reading the 3 articles, the article that was talking about how human brains can transfer thoughts and interact with the rats caught my eye. I found this very amazing and thought how much our technology has advanced over the years. Brain control is truly a great thing in both ways. There are positive results and negative consequences for this project. If this project is a successful one then it would be a breakthrough. Humans can see what animals are thinking, can control your own thoughts from the good and the bad ones and if they improve on this project then we can communicate easier with humans. But there are negative consequences to this. If people are able to receive brain control it can be used for evil things such as taking control over human brains and thoughts; this can lead to a chaotic world to live in after the brain control is introduced to the modern day society. This breakthrough can lead to a positive outcome to our society or it can bring an end to human life. In general, this project should be taken into consideration whether to follow through and complete the project or to use it only for scientific purposes.
Once I saw the article about Last Laugh, I had to read it. I never knew that laughter had a very deep meaning to it. I personally laugh when I am nervous or when someone else is laughing, sort of contagious. However, I never knew that laughter started as a "false alarm" meaning that you are laughing because everything is fine. When someone falls, you immediately laugh unless you see blood, which means that the person that fell is okay and doesn't need any special attention. Also, how animals also have their own laugh, panting is theirs. When you see an animal panting you think is because they are tired and need water, sometimes that might be the case, but, in others they are laughing. Laughing is healthy for you and also a good ab workout when you laugh a lot. Moreover, no one would ever though that a scientist would study laughter for two decades. It is wonderful how in-depth they go to solve something, however, they still don't know what evolves it.
I read the article about brain control, and I found the entire article very interesting. The human brain continues to fascinate me with everything I learn that it can do. It's amazing that humans will eventually be able to control the entire movement of a rat, instead of sending simple commands. This also shows hope that humans will soon be able to control other humans. Although this seems really fun at first, I think this could potentially be disastrous and could end with the human race practically destroying itself. Most mind controlling takes place in movies and books, and the person that does the mine controlling is usually a villain. Since the ending rarely works out for the evil villain, humans controlling other humans would also not work out very well. There would be a lot of trouble in the world if brain controlling continues to be studied in depth.
It's amazing to know that spiders have different personalities, even if they are simple. The next time somebody wants to kill a spider, they should think about how the spider feels. If they squish the spider, how will his small spider babies feel knowing that they'll never be able to play catch with their father in the yard? In all seriousness, I think it's wonderful that spiders can organize and take jobs according to their individual personalities. How do the spiders know what to do? Do they take orders from a leader? Or do they decide themselves and the colony reacts accordingly?
I read the article about laughter. I never put much thought into why someone laughs. I figured they would have their own reasons why because some people might find some things funny while others don't. While reading the article, I realized that many of these reasons for laughter, such as communicational cues, distractions, social signals, and false alarms, are very much true in their reasoning. What I found most thought provoking was how one example for why someone laughed could be interpreted in so many different ways, which also caused so many more questions to form.
I read the article about spiders having personalities. I always thought that spiders were just big hairy scary things, but after i was done reading the article, i was amazed and also creep-ed out. The fact that spiders are very organized creatures and that each spider has a job depending on their personality is really cool. Another thing that caught my attention, is that not all spiders are aggressive, i always thought that every spider that came to my view was out to get me, but i was proven wrong. Spiders that are aggressive are the one that come out to hunt and the more mellow ones, hang out at home and take care of the family. The spiders resemble a real life human family. What disgust me was the part where they talked about how the mother spiders let their babies suck their body fluid out of them. Its fascinating how the spiders are really smart and personally i would assume that creatures as small as the spiders are actually dumb and not smart. I am yet proven wrong again and have grown fond of spiders.
I read the article about the spiders, specifically the S. Sarasinorium having personalities. I never believed that spiders were born with personalities and that those personalities would dictate their role in the colony. It is interesting that the researchers were able to see which spider was the aggressive one and which one was the bolder one. I know that if I saw a spider of any sort or even the S. Sarasinorium, I would never have imagined that this creature had a personality like me. With this discovery, researchers can now have a better understanding of how vitospider colonies work. This now makes me think twice about killing a spider because spiders have feelings too, right? Who knows, maybe other creatures have personalities like humans.
I read the article about laughter. From a young age I always found myself questioning things around me. Most of these mysteries were answered in my science class. However, one question that still remains a mystery to me was why we laughed. From a television show, Spongebob, I recall a smart scientist, Sandy Cheeks, explaining that laughter is caused by your epiglottis obstructing your larynx, causing irregular air intake and respiratory upset. This scientifically explains HOW we laugh but I wanted to know WHY we laugh. This article explains why we laugh so I was immediately fascinated. According to the article, there are many theories explaining why we laugh. For example, laughter could just be a social signal. This does makes sense because laughter indicates that one is happy. Or, laughter could be a way to indicate “false alarm”. Laughter could also a response to conversational cue. Scientists also theorize that laughter is a way to distract ourselves. Personally, I believe that laughter is an action used to distract ourselves. When we are laughing we often forget about every worry and only focus on laughing. But, this theory does not explain why we laugh when we are being tickled. Reading this article made me understand that we laugh for many reasons. These reasons may have not been similar in the past nor will it be similar in the future because the environment around us and human evolution determine how a human’s personality will change which determines for what reasons a person laughs.
I enjoyed reading about the evolutionary advantage of laughter. People often think that you need to be happy to be able to laugh. But come to think of it, don’t you laugh when something unexpected happens?
If I said, “Quick! There’s a spider behind you!” You turn around and realize there is no spider. What do you do? You most likely laugh. Don’t worry your ancestors probably laughed as well. It is in response to a false alarm. We often respond to social stimuli with laughter, but we never really think about the evolutionary advantage of laughing. For example, in the article, a neuroscientist claims that laughter originated as a signal in ancestral humans to other humans that everything was okay. If you dig a little deeper, isn’t it still a signal to show that you are okay? Even today, there are many ways to express moods, but nothing says, “I’m okay” like a good laugh.
In the article about laughter, neuroscientists and psychologists develop theories regarding how human laughter has evolved. I was not surprised that mice give a high pitched squeal when tickled, similar to laughter, because humans and mice have 99% of the same genes. Also, I feel that there is some possibility for Vilayanur Ramachandran’s theory. When relived, people tend to laugh the situation off. For example, seeing a gigantic monstrous shadow that turns out to be a small dog. In your relief, you laugh as if to alert others of the “false alarm.” It could be possible that the same occurs with tickling. Tickling is based off the element of surprise, and that’s why you can’t tickle yourself. When someone comes close to you, you jump to conclusions by thinking he intends on harming you. However, if the accused assailant tickles you instead, you are in no harm, for it is only their fingertips brushing your skin. Your “ticklish spots” can be vulnerable sensitive parts that have the chance to be harmed, but instead you’re tickled. However, this theory has flaws. For example, why do we laugh at humor, puns, and jokes? Have you ever been completely stumped on a riddle, given the correct answer, and then laugh because it’s the last thing you expected? In this situation, the answer may have relieved you or the answer surprised you. Laughter is something that everyone does, but will remain mysterious in origin.
The article regarding brain control gave me mixed feelings towards due to the way it can and will be used in the future. It can be used positively like the way couples can sympathize with one another but on the other hand, in our society today why exactly do we need this "brain control"? Yes it can be used for better communication with one another but isn't that why we have feelings and the use of language? This technology doesn't seem very useful right now but who knows how scientists will use it in the future? Maybe it can prove disastrous like how movies and comics portray the human race fighting with itself.
I loved the article Last Laugh. It took such a well known human action and turned into something foreign. It's amazing to see how much we DON'T know about our own body and behavior. However, articles like these open one's eyes to all kinds of things. In fact, recently I found myself wondering why I was laughing at a corny joke. I decided it was the social aspect of laughing. I laughed at my friend's corny joke so that I could keep our conversation going without awkward interupption. I would never have realized this without this article that introduced me to the many reasons for laughter.
For this week’s post I read Spiders May Have Personalities and Some Are Bolder Than Others. I have always just assumed that all animals have personalities but this article got me thinking a bit more in depth. I first I was a bit intrigued that there was a species of spider that lived in colonies; I have only every seen them as solitary beings. It was interesting to learn how scientists were able to identify personalities in spiders. I was even more shocked by the complexity of their colonies and “suicidal maternal care”. Turns out I’ve been underestimating spiders Reading this article got me thinking if spiders can have individual personalities, complex colonies, and sacrifice themselves for their young what other insects am I underestimating?
After reading the article about brain control between the human and the rat I was stunned. Throughout my life I always thought about what it would be like if humans could send brain signals to other species and humans. If this technology continues to grow the world will become a very different place. Exchange of information will be a lot quicker than it is today and we will be able to communicate with different species like we never have before. Despite there being a very fascinating advancement in technology and a watershed event for mankind, this discovery may have many downsides as well. If this technology gets in the hands of the wrong people it could be a fatal blow to the overall morality of the human race. Criminals could use it to manipulate the minds of people who are innocent and force them into doing harmful things. I have ambivalent feeling for the proceedings of this technology, but all we can do is hope that whatever happens is good.
I read the article about brain control. The question that was asked in the article is a really important question: “Are we opening the door to new vistas in human cruelty, or new avenues of communication between species.” This question is always asked in any new form of technology. Brain control is a way for bad individuals to hurt others. But on the upside, there are a lot of advantages. Like it said in the article, we will be able to train dogs and possibly other animals! It’s hard to train animals and tell them what is right and wrong, but using the new method, it will be a thousand times easier! Also it will also help relationships. Relationships are tricky and bumpy, and the smallest things might just ruin them. Using this method, humans will be able to understand their partner/spouse and understand their side better. All in all, the new method will help further human to animal and human to human interaction. Hopefully, our moral values will stand and nothing harmful will come from this.
I read the article about brain control, and I was astounded that researchers have reached as far as controlling a being by just using our mind. It was amazing to read about neural coupling, and how the neural process of one brain gets coupled with the neural processes of another brain, and that it is similar to when we interact with other people. It shows that when there is an understanding between people while talking, that their brains display similar patterns of activation as with brain control. Researchers are able to use this as a possible way to further understand someone’s thoughts and feelings. From a young age I saw movies where video games were played by just using your mind and not needing to use a controller. Slowly I see how this dream of mine might eventually be able to work. With the Xbox Kinect, we are able to control the device and games by just using body motions. If we are able to control other beings using only our minds, then surely we can’t be too far off from reaching my dream of controlling a game with our mind. But on the other hand this article also frightened me, as a couple of questions came fluttering into my mind. Can this be used in a bad way? Will this be used as a new form of communication? Will physical interaction not be needed anymore? How far will we go with this brain control and what will be considered too much? As I pondered these thoughts, I began to shiver at the thought that this can be used as a way of communication without needing to actually move our lips. So many people these days have already lost their ability to speak in front of people and to others, due to the many social websites that are being used today. If we get farther into mind control, we may never have to talk to anyone again; we may never even have to leave our homes. This is where our ethics come in to play, what is too much? Though this new advancement has great potential in helping and aiding the environment and society as the article talked about teaching dogs using this method and overcoming marital problems, will it be used as a new form of human cruelty or even in instilling negative ways of communication? Brain is a powerful part of our body and all we can do is hope that we are able to use these amazing advances for the good of America and the world, rather than going down a destructive path.
I read the article about brain control between a human and a rat. I think it’s amazing that neuroscientists were able to come up with a way for a person to send commands to another animal using only the power of his brain, and although the human had to look at a computer monitor and could only make the rat move its tail, this is still a significant innovation, nonetheless. I’m sure the neuroscientists are currently trying to figure out how to allow more complex commands between the human and the rat, and I wonder if they’ll ever be able to make communication between two humans possible in the near future. And even though I find this discovery very interesting, I don’t think it serves for any useful purpose other than scientific research and experimentation. I can’t see this being used for “sympathizing” with someone else like the article suggested, nor do I think this can cause all that much evil with all the complex technology it requires. Still, it’s fun to think about how this technology would work if it became a part of mainstream society. If feelings were to be shared between two people (or possibly between a human and an animal), would we still be able understand their emotions after the wires came off? Is it possible for someone’s brain to be stronger than another’s, allowing them to force more commands on the other?
I decided to read the article about laughter because I always laugh at things. I thought the article would be more interesting then what it was. To me it was kind of common sense. We laugh for pleasure, at jokes, for false alarms, surprises, for being nervous, etc.. When someone says something that isn't that funny but we laugh anyway I thought it was to engage in conversation. To enjoy time being spent with someone else. I also thought we laughed because it was a sign of disbelief. I laugh at bad things on the news because I find it horrible how people can do such stupid/evil things. I don't full out laugh thinking it is funny. It's more of a little annoyed laugh. I knew we laugh for more than things just being funny, but there are probably way more reasons as to why we laugh than I know of. What I did find interesting in the article was the part about the rats and dogs. They compared rats to children and when being tickled, they do curious chirping. That is like a rats laugh. I didn't know that dogs have different types of panting. I though it was to cool themselves off. It turns out that when they play they pant and some researchers believe that is their modern laugh.
While reading the spider personality article, I couldn't help but giggle to myself as I read about the gender roles in a spider's home. Yes, that's exactly what I thought of, the time of gender roles. When females stereo-typically stayed home, watched the kids, cleaned, and cooked while males went out and exchanged hard labor for money. This is basically what happens within these spiders' colonies, except it has nothing to do with gender. The shy ones stay back and tend to the home while the bombastic ones bring in the big meat. This makes absolute sense; why would the weaker link risk losing tonight's dinner? I'm sure they would never forgive him for that and possibly banish him from the pack. But maybe spiders aren't like lions and I'm just fantasizing the animal kingdom.
I read the article about how spiders may have personalities, and how some are bolder than others. In the article, it describes how a team of scientists discovered how social spiders in India assign chores based on spider personalities within their colonies. The team had taken nests of S. Sarasinorum and chose 40 spiders for their experiment. After color coding them, the scientists tested boldness by mimicking an avian predator by producing a puff of air, which caused the spiders to freeze, yet the bolder spiders began moving around more quickly. They then tested aggression by poking the spiders with a stick, resulting in the more aggressive spiders holding their ground and being ready to defend themselves. Finally, the team tested the spiders by putting them in an artificial nest in the trees, and simulating a leaf as an insect in their capture webs to see who would attack the "prey". One or two spiders, which were often the same spiders, would come out and attack their prey, furthermore proving that some spiders are more bolder than others.
After reading this article, I found it interesting and surprising how these spiders could have personalities, although inbred, having similar traits. Even though the personalities were not as complex as ours, it was evident in the tests that these scientists performed. For example, in the aggression test, some spiders ran, huddled, and walked away from the stick while others stood their ground, and defended themselves. The behavior of the spiders was intriguing, because usually, I would associate this type of behavior with larger, more complex organisms, such as mammals like meerkat or wolves. What disgusted me about these spiders however, is the act of suicidal maternal care. I understood that the offspring needed food to survive, but the act of cannibalizing their own mothers was terrible. The action of suicidal maternal care reminded me of how wasps sometimes lay their eggs in caterpillars, in which the parasitic larvae eat the caterpillars after they hatch out of their eggs.
I read the articles on brain control and laughter. first of all, for the brain control, there is no need for it. It just doesn't have a good vibe to it where it will be used for good. If it falls into the wrong hands, brain control from human-to-human is not a safe path. People will take advantage of it and use it for torture and etc because there are sick people out there. All these new breakthroughs could potentially save the world, or ruin it. Such as the article on the artificial heart. That could save millions of lives, but brain control isn't really necessary. And I did appreciate how Yoo and his colleagues are aware of the consequences and addressed it. However, it is interesting how they have managed to make it happen anyways. I really thought the laughter article was interesting. Most of it is relateable and I've heard before about the "laughter is contagious" theory. But I never looked at it that way with the sitcoms and recorded laughter because it's just so subconscious. And maybe it is true that laughing when you feel awful is to try and make yourself feel better, because I don't think there is any scientific theory to back it up.
I decided to read the article about the evolutionary advantage of laughter. I thought that this article was very interesting since it showed how complex laughter really was, even though it seems like a simple and common activity we enjoy. I never knew that the reason we laugh along with other animals was because it developed through evolution as a false alarm signal. That would explain why our laughter is usually very loud and explosive. I also thought it was cool that the reason laughing is so contagious is because it contributes to the false alarm signal, therefore spreading like a fire. That would also be why I laugh with my friends sometimes without even knowing what they are laughing about. Next time I laugh, I'll keep in mind all of the different social interactions that occur.
I read the article of how laughter is the result of the evolutionary proccess. I find it very intriguing how this trait is very specific to very few species. One has to wonder, why haven't many other animals developed with this trait? My best guess could be that either the species hadn't the compasoty to develop laughter or simply is not a social animal. Aside from the fact that very few species in the animal kingdom have the ability to laugh, or at least perform an action similar to it, I found it astonishing show well the theory of evolution fits with the reason behind laughter. Taking a moment to think about all the times I've laughed-or at least trying to-I soon came to realize that I laugh after I've been spoked or someone cracks a joke or even while just playing around. Even more so, I realized that it was very contagious, spreading quickly as a flood of relief, or signal for happiness. However, I can't help but wonder the reasoning for why hyenas laugh. Hyenas laugh constantly, regardless of the situation. As long as there are many in numbers, their slightly bone-chilling laughter can be heard whether the hyenas are facing down a herd of buffalo for a deceased member of their herd, or are encroaching on a certain large feline's territory. Furthermore, hyenas do not fall under canines or primates. Although they do "laugh" when playing, they also laugh when taunting and disciplining their young. The similarities and differences in the hyena's laugh and primate's and canine's laugh makes me curious.
For this assignment, I read the article titled "Last Laugh". In my opinion, the article posed some extremely interesting points, however it mostly seemed like common sense. Laughing has usually been viewed as a regular social action and for pleasure. I myself have recognized laughing when in uncomfortable situations and as a "false alarm" reaction. What interested me in particular was the form of laughter found in rats and canines. The fact that rats make a chirping sound when playing and being tickled actually made me laugh myself. I also never knew that dogs panted as a way of laughing. Having dogs myself, I've always viewed panting as a way to cool them off and to breathe more easily. Overall, being an active laugher myself I found this article not only confirmed my views on laughter from before, but also expanded my interest in animals and their own emotions, such as laughter.
I was immediately drawn to the article about laughter simply because I laugh A LOT. I laugh when I'm happy, nervous, sad, scared, or even hurt. I always wondered what caused this laughter. Laughter is usually associated with happiness; this is why my nervous laughter and laughter caused by pain were puzzling. I remember my sister got into a small car accident (so small I wouldn't even call it an accident) while I was in the car with her. When the police came and questioned us I couldn't help myself from smiling and laughing. I wanted to portray my true inner feelings and show the policemen my seriousness and fear; however, I could not help but inappropriately laugh. This article somewhat explained my uncontrollable urge by the theory of a "false alarm." The initial "dangerous" situation I was seemingly in, wound up being harmless, thus causing me to laugh- just like one would laugh after being scared at a haunted house or on a rollercoaster. Although I still do have unanswered questions on the causes of laughter, I'm more interested in finding out why adults tend to laugh less than children. Recently, after hearing my mother laugh uncontrollably about the silliest thing, I realized how rarely I actually hear her, or any adult for that matter, laugh. Do we lose our sense of humor as we age? Do things tend to scare us less as we get older, thus eliminating the "false alarm?" Laughter is healthy and to think we may lose it as the years go by is very sad. As much as I protest to it as I'm being tickled, I really do love to laugh.
I read the article on the evolutionary advantage of laughter. I chose this article because I was interested on how laughing, something I do a lot of everyday, can display an advantage on evolution. While reading the article, I came across many interesting points that I would have never thought of to be associated with the act of laughing. For example, I always believed that laughter was simply a way of expressing yourself towards an amusing situation. However, due to the research done, it is more than just that. It was once a way to alert people as a "false alarm". To some extent, I believe that theory makes a lot of sense because of the examples listed. In comparison to life events now, the same principle stands true; we laugh to tell others that everything is okay and there is nothing to worry about. Also, the concept of laughter spreading in a group is also another theory I completely agree with. I know that whenever I hear other people laugh, I usually laugh along. Sometimes, if I find a joke funny, I may laugh even harder than I normally would if other people were laughing alongside me. I really liked this article because it opened up my mind to something I do everyday without realizing why I do it.
By being a funny and giggly person when the time is right, I was drawn in to read the article about the evolutionary advantage of laughter. Reading about all the reasons why a person might laugh had got me thinking about if people really do laugh for those reasons, which is crazy. Something interesting that caught my eye in this article was that a neuroscientist/veterinarian at the University of Washington named Jaak Panksepp studied laughter on lab rats and that a the lab rats’ high pitched chirp may be an ancestral form of laughter. Another thing I found interesting was when Vilayanur Ramachandran, a neuroscientist at the University of California, San Diego said that the “false alarm” signaling purpose of laugher explains its loud sound and explosive quality.
The article on spiders immediately caught my eye, and I was curious as to what the article was about. After reading the article I was intrigued at how spiders could have differ rent personalities and how this could play an important role in their lives as a whole. Spiders work together for more effective results, which would benefit the colony. The personalities also play a huge role in other groups of animals and insects, like wolves, hyenas, ants. Obviously, the more aggressive animals/ insects in the pack/ colony are going to be leaders and the less aggressive animals/ insects will be at the bottom of the pack/ colony. Not being a big fan of spiders, I still found this article very amusing.
Before I read the article about laughter, I had always believed that you laugh when you are happy or something is funny, and that only humans can laugh or express joy. Reading this article has taught me that laughter was originally used to signal a "false alarm"and we laugh loudly to communicate to a large group. I also learned that primates, canines, and lab rats exhibit their own forms of laughter, which was very interesting for me. Lab rats laugh for the same reasons humans usually laugh: when playing with each other or when being tickled. Canines and primates don't necessarily laugh, but they produce a panting sound that has the same meaning as a laugh. This article made me think about the origins of laughter and why it was used among early humans, and it was interesting to learn that laughing conveys multiple meanings.
I read the article about laughter and what it actually means for humans. I have previously seen a video about why we laugh in certain situations. This video discusses a theory that people laughs when something surprises them or isn't what one would expect in a situation. I believe that this, combined with the theories mentioned in the article, shows that human laughter is something that has been used for an important purpose. The article talks about how people laugh to show that something they thought could be a threat, is actually not. People laugh when something isn't what they expected, and there isn't any danger. Animals may laugh just to show that they are having fun and enjoying themselves. Overall, laughter is a social action used to convey ones feels to others.
Before I read the article about laughter, I associated the action with simplicity and pure happiness. Laughter, to me, was one thing that I believed I did without thought. However, I now see that there are many different events where I can laugh. Moreover, there are more complex and intriguing reasons as to why I, and others, laugh. Once I came across the possible reason of laughing after false alarms, I started to think of the emotions I associate with relief. Although relief does not always accompany happiness, happiness often accompanies relief. After a major "false alarm", people feel giddy. They want to celebrate. In literature and life, we have found so many different ways to establish laughs. Laughing can be described as easy and joyful, nervous, maniacal, uncontrollable, or rude and taunting. The different reasons that the professors and scientists in this article have analyzed can be paired up with different kinds of laughter. I feel that there is always some undertone of happiness behind every laugh. For example, I feel both relieved and pleased when I find I did well on a difficult and nerve wracking test. If I laugh for self support, I am trying to become more cheerful and optimistic. Although happiness and pleasure might not be the leading reason for every laugh, I believe that they are present in most. Maybe as we continue to evolve, our laughs will as well.
I also read the article about the spiders. After reading, I was struck with a few questions. I started to wonder what could cause spiders to have different personalities. Humans start to gain different and unique traits once they start to mix with others outside their families. For example, children that go to preschool for the first time may pick up traits that their friends. Animals, however, often stick to their own groups. Not only are the spiders inbred, but they also are exposed to the same environmental and social factors as one another. Which factors are different for each spider and are so dominating that they completely change personalities? Since the spiders must be exposed to little that differs from one arachnid to the next, the few factors that do occur must be powerful. Another question that I had was whether or not the same factors that affected the spiders could affect us, or vice versa. For example, humans' personalities can differ depending on the climate they are surrounded by. These spiders all live in the same climate; if their environment was to change (at a rate that they could still survive), how would their personalities be affected? I also wonder what would happen if the group size was lessened. For instance, if the scientists distinguished the bold ones and the timid ones, and then removed all the bold ones from the group, how would the spiders assign roles? Even though this isn't considered an extraordinary find, I thought that the article was intriguing.
On another note, I submitted this response late because I was out of country and was unable to submit it last week.
I read the article about spiders having personalities, and right away I was very shocked. I never knew each spider in a colony would have a different personality or way about them. I wouldn't have guessed at all that they are even a little bit like humans. I grew up watching many movies and TV shows with talking animals, or with animals having human like qualities, and being taught not to believe it. Now, I am stand corrected. I think it is pretty awesome how spiders can communicate between themselves, and work out everyone's jobs. For example, the big, mighty spiders can go fight the grasshopper, while the small spiders go and stay, taking care of other important things, like the brood, or cleaning the nest.
Additionally, I was thrilled that scientists even tested whether the dividing of labor was related to personalities of spiders, specifically the, Stegodyphus sarasinorum. After reading, the first paragraph of this article, I wanted to know if everything I read was true, with proof!
For two months, scientists went to Andhra Pradesh, India, and studied how the spiders living in 18 different colonies distributed tasks! For example, these scientists, to test aggression poked spiders with a stick. Running, or walking away from the stick said that a spider might not be as aggressive than those who stayed upright, lurched toward the stick, or even those who raised a leg toward the stick. This taught me that, spiders know what to do, if they think that they are capable of doing it. What if these spiders even want to protect the smaller, more timid ones in the group, and that's why they risk themselves?
Additionally, the researchers even used a couple of items, including a metal wire, and a leaf, and "simulated struggling" insects for each colony once a day, towards those webs, for 10 days. And what do you know, the larger spiders ran out of the nest first to see what was struggling in their web! Again, I am curious to know how to communicate between themselves, telling each spider, "It's okay! I will go and see what is going on, because I am more bigger!". It is incredible to see that insects have humane qualities.
After reading that experiment, I was awe-struck. I did not believe it. These results were not even a coincidence, as they happen, over and over again, experiment after experiment. Next time, instead of running away from a spider, I will stop, and observe the size of it, and what it is doing!
59 comments:
As a chronic giggler, I felt obligated to read the article entitled Last Laugh. From what I read, I found out that the evolutionary purpose of laughter was to announce a "false alarm." In other words, something that originally came across as a danger turned out to be harmless. This would explain my tendency to giggle on rollercoasters. Steep drops and upside loops qualify as seemingly dangerous experiences. Surviving these situations forces my body to signal that it was just a false alarm and say "look, I'm still alive!"
Besides learning about laughter, I learned a little something about myself: I am as susceptible to laughing while reading an article about laughter as someone else is susceptible to yawning after reading about yawning.
I read the article about the spiders having personalities. I think it is pretty interesting how researchers have found that each spider's personality determines the jobs they do in their colony. They found that the bigger and bolder spiders are the ones that hunt for their pray, and the more timed spiders are the ones that work in nests. By finding the different personalities of each spider it really allows researchers to get a full understanding of how vitoispider colonies really work.
I read the article about the human brain control and was intrigued right from the beginning. It is fascinating how something we see only in movies and television is going to be brought into the reality of our world today. Our technology is rapidly changing and developing more than ever. As I read though, I couldn’t help to think of the negative consequences that would come from such a powerful device. If this project continues to grow, as said in the article, we could have human to human brain interfaces. This could be a downside only because it can bring manipulation with the mind (which is usually the case for a villain in a movie or show). People can get their dirty jobs done without them being there to actually do it. Although, it could be useful in little things, such as training your dog, I’m still concerned for the new dangers our world might have to face with.
While I was reading the article about laughter, I started to realize just how complicated laughter is. Usually, I wouldn't think complicated to be the word to describe laughter, but that's what this article to me has proven. Until now, if I saw someone laughing, I would just think oh there must be something funny he/she is laughing at. Never would I have thought it to be a social signal, or a way to communicate a "false alarm", or a way to make something easier to endure. I would just think laughter = funny, but I guess there's a lot more too it.
I took a quick glance at the title of these three articles and immediately I was drawn in to the one about brain control. So, I opened it up and began to read and right of the bat I was amazed and terrified at the same time. I thought it was amazing what the human mind and modern technology was able to do. This could help us communicate with all other humans and living creatures. We could control our pets (make them stop barking) or sympathize with one another, like the article said, in couples therapy. Then I started to think about all the evil that could come from this, people could torture other people or animals. Political leaders could control people and get them to do or agree to anything. This scientific break through could be phenomenal for mankind or it could take a turn for the worse, either way it is going to change the world.
The articles on brain control and spiders having personalities were very interesting. Brain Control has always been an interest for humans to make others do the controller's bidding. If we can perfect brain control and limit it to animals like dogs, then it would make life easier and we would have less worries in life.
For the article on spiders having personalities, it shows that humans have more in common with other animals then we think. Other animals are able to think based on their own fears and limitations as an individual instead of the instinct of the species. This would show the diversity the animal kingdom has.
I read the article about brain control from a human to a rat. This is such a big achievement in the world of neuroscience. It is very impressive that scientists were able to create an electronic device that allowed a human to control to brain of another organism without to use of invasive electrodes in the body. The device is also user-friendly, allowing the person using the monitor to simply look at the flicker and send a brain signal to the rat. Although this is a huge achievement, I do not believe that it is completely necessary considering the animal cruelty involved. It is disturbing to see that a rat was hooked up to a machine and had no control over its own tail. Although the process is non-invasive and does not cause the rat any physical pain, to what extent of animal testing are we willing to go?
After learning about how spiders often exemplify differences in personality, I began to wonder about the origin of this trait. With humans, we know that our personalities are both genetic and from our surroundings. My question is, is it the same factors that determine personalities in humans as in the spiders? Sometimes specific events in a persons life can have a part in shaping someone's attitude and behavior, can an event or the other spiders have an impact on the personality of spiders too? If it does, is there some sort of connection between spiders and humans that would explain them sharing this trait when so few other species have such pronounced personalities?
Even though it is not a completely shocking revelation, I never thought of spiders as creatures with personalities. I find it even more intriguing that, similar to humans, these personalities are probably not genetic. This makes me wonder just how similar we are to spiders in this sense. What shapes the spiders' personalities? Their interactions, their experiences, or something else? I have always thought of spiders as more simple than this. Plus, if their personality is acquired, could timid spiders, like people, become bold later on? Then would they take over the job of catching prey, or at least join the others? Perhaps the scientists could continue with their experiment for an extended period of time to see if anything would change.
When reading about all theories for the cause of laughter, I just kept on thinking, "Why not all three?" Laughter does not have to be emitted by people for the same reason all of the time. Sometimes it could be to signal a false alarm, sometimes a social cue, sometimes self-support, and sometimes a combination. Certain situations evoke such a reaction. I am interested to read about a more definitive answer to the situation in the future, however. It is still a little perplexing how people laugh for such a variety of reasons.
I read the article about brain control. I find it mind-blowing that these forms of communication are actually taking place. Prior to this article, I had no knowledge of the current discovery of rat to rat brain signals/interaction. Therefore, the idea of brain to brain interfaces had me shocked. Yoo and his colleagues wanted to go beyond the prior experiment of rat to rat communication and so they created their own methods of contact through an apparatus. Each component of this apparatus was well- thought out and formulated. They made sure that the use of FUS was harmless to the rat and would favor involuntary movement, without major consequences. This experiment, in the end, proved to be a success and served as a building block to the thought of human to human brain interfaces. Though this entire process was fascinating to no end, isn’t it wrong to manipulate someone’s actions? Are we letting technology take over natural aspects of our life? The main question, one that the article mentioned as well, is “Is this moral?”
Couples counseling and training dogs are only a few examples of a positive usage of this new technology, but it could also be used with negative motives. In a way, it is similar to sleep walking; in both cases, people are not be aware of their actions. This is a greatly disturbing concept for many. Hence, I believe that this experiment, though very interesting, should not be further encouraged due to the possibility of nocuous after-effects. The fact that ethical issues could not be addressed by the paper Yoo and the others produced is alarming, at the least.
As someone who enjoys non-fiction novels, I immediately jumped to the article about brain control. Just as most people would, I found the article quite fascinating. Up until now, the idea that one organism can control the movements of another was something only seen on television and in books. Obviously, this device could be used for bad, maybe illegal purposes, but the part that drew my attention to was when they said they planned to use the device to make sympathizing easier between people.If what the device does is send brain signals from one brain to another, it would be most likely to make the person FEEL what the other is feeling, instead just understanding what they feel. In arguments, this wouldn't be to big of a problem, however if psychiatrists started using this on insane patients to receive brain waves and understand what they feel to better help them, they might instead become insane during the moments they are connected. This may even scar the psychiatrist and make him/her permanently insane. I feel the world would be a better place without brain control.
The article on laughter intrigued me quite a bit. I never thought there would be a deeper meaning into why we laugh and how many theories there are on it. In this article alone they stated theories of it being a social signal, a false alarm signal, a response to a conversational cue, or a way to distract ourselves. I think we use laughter as a way to distract ourselves the most because humans tend to feel sad so they laugh to distract themselves. Jokes, irony, and others can help with this while the other theories have some cases that don't work with them. I also related to the statement of how laughter from one can make other people laugh. Whenever one of my friends laugh an urge just comes over me and forces me to laugh and feel happy.
The article on brain control intrigued me because I am extremely fascinated by the complexity and power of the human mind. Not only do our brains send signals throughout our own bodies, but it is now being proven that one's brain can control another brain through the use of brain-computer interface systems. For centuries, people have discovered a myriad of ways to connect and communicate (through writing, music, art, verbal conversation, etc). Now, the discovery of brain-computer interface systems may open a whole new door to the way people communicate, in both negative and positive ways. On the negative side, the fact that one's brain can have power over another through the use of electrodes would leave no room for self expression or self control. For instance, if a salesperson tries to persuade a customer to buy a product, that customer is given the choice to buy the product based on his or her own opinions and morals. However, with the development of brain-computer interface systems, a salesperson may be able to simply "send a signal" to the customer that forces the customer to involuntarily buy the product. It would be a far worse form of subliminal messaging! On the positive side, people may understand each other even more through such a different way of communicating. So, I am curious to know if this discovery in brain-to-brain communication may lead to the possibility of thoughts (in both words and images) being communicated between people without having one brain having to "control" the other. Also, the article mentions that the rat was under anasthesia when a signal was sent to the rat's motor cortex, causing it to move its tail. I am curious to know, could the signals still cause involuntary movements in the rat if it was was awake and aware of its movements? I recently discovered musicians who use EEG devices to perform music with solely their mind, and being able to control someone else's mind with the same device is just as amazing.
I also find it interesting how spiders work together and communicate to accomplish daily tasks. Just like humans, they have their own personalities that help them contribute to society in their own ways. When reading the article on spiders, I immediately connected them to the way Native Americans have been known to work together. It is amazing how humans are not only alike to animals in many ways, but to spiders as well, and how many species seem to work best as a community!
I also enjoyed reading about the different perspectives on why we laugh, and discovered how complex body language truly is. Much of society seems to hold the idea that laughing and smiling automatically relates to happiness. However, the article proves that there are many reasons and causes for why humans laugh, which connects greatly to how complex humans are.
I found the article about the spiders very cute. We're so used to the quirks of dogs and cats (and even primates) and seeing as how they're smaller and seen as a pest, it's a little strange knowing that social spiders seem to have personalities. Stranger still is the possibility that the traits are not purely genetic. According to psychologist Erikson, humans have developmental stages that effect a person's personality (Autonomy vs Doubt at ages 2-3, Inferiority vs Industry at 6-12) and a person's completion (or lack thereof) of each stage shapes whether they take more bold or timid actions in life. I wonder if social spider's have their own stages, the first prey take-down as a young spider perhaps, that shapes their personality. Maybe it's a simpler process. That aside the study was done on social spiders, so I also wonder if solitary spiders exhibit any personality traits. Would a loner spider, with no aggregation role, instinctively shy away from a threat or attack it? Since they're left to fend for themselves, I think solitary spiders are naturally bolder. Until we find conclusive evidence, all this up in the air. Though this may not be a groundbreaking study, it's nice to know that spiders may have feelings too.
The idea of being able to control another living organism with our minds would be fascinating to most. I find it to be quite dangerous. Brain control is usual found in movies and on tv and considered to be just science fiction. However, in those fictional story plots, there is usually a villain who would use this method in attempts to wreak havoc for his/her own personal gain. Seeing what the human kind is capable of, those fictional stories may not be too far from reality. If a method for brain control can be fully developed, there's no saying what humans would be capable of doing, good or evil. There's going to be someone out there who would utilize brain control for things other than training their dog.
Reading about brain control between a human and a rat excites me for reasons that aren’t quite obvious. Ever since I was little, the way our minds worked always amazed me. Knowing that we can now send thoughts via technological advances proves that society evolves as well as organisms. This hints that we have the capability to use this towards humans and change our lives forever. This discovery could lead to less arguments and wars, and to friendlier people who understand why they shouldn’t be prejudice. Reading about this article ignites more curiosity about the mind and about the technology that made this happen.
When spiders can have ‘personalities’, it makes me think about they have even developed over time and how they will develop. Is it possible that their personalities can eventually become more complex and insightful? It would, in a sense, be like the evolution of their minds as well as their bodies. Humans weren’t filled with the various feelings we have today when we first began to evolve from our beginnings as a species. It’s the thought of insight from animals and insects that can blow our minds as the superior beings. It certainly blows my mind, at least.
Before I read the article about the complexity of laughter, I used to think it was a simpler thing that we only associated with pleasure happiness. Now, I guess there are various reasons. Now, when I laugh, I can actually think about reasons why I could have laughed. Maybe the form of your laughter signals that, though. In situations for self-support, it wouldn’t be as whole-hearted. If it was in a conversation, it would be less loud. There are many other descriptions as to how it would happen. Scientists truly analyze many different things and now laughter is one of them.
I also read the article on laughter. My friends say I tend to laugh a lot, so I was interested in reading about laughter's purpose. Many different scientists have tried to figure out the evolutionary purpose of laughter. However, there isn't one singular purpose for laughter that has been found. Rather there are several reasons that cause people to laugh. Possible reasons for laughter were a cue that everything was alright, a distraction, a sign of social bonding, etc. Laughter evolved for a several different reasons, and human social interactions advanced laughter probably, did too. Trying to find one solid reason for laughter is difficult since we might not have laughed for the same reasons back when humans first evolved laughter as we do now. Also, it was interesting to see how laughter is a more unconscious action. It is hard to control laughter and to try and laugh on purpose. After all, some of the reasons it may have evolved for are require it to be a more unconscious or immediate signal for bonding, happiness, or false alarm. Since laughter could have evolved for so many reasons, I wonder for what reasons id other social signals or cues evolved for. I also wonder whether laughter will evolve in the future to fulfill new purposes. The more we study it, the more complex laughter becomes.
I also read the article on laughter. My friends say I tend to laugh a lot, so I was interested in reading about laughter's purpose. Many different scientists have tried to figure out the evolutionary purpose of laughter. However, there isn't one singular purpose for laughter that has been found. Rather there are several reasons that cause people to laugh. Possible reasons for laughter were a cue that everything was alright, a distraction, a sign of social bonding, etc. Laughter evolved for several different reasons, and as human social interactions advanced laughter probably, did too. Trying to find one solid reason for laughter is difficult since we might not have laughed for the same reasons back when humans first evolved laughter as we do now. Also, it was interesting to see how laughter is a more unconscious action. It is hard to control laughter and to try and laugh on purpose. After all, some of the reasons it may have evolved for are require it to be a more unconscious or immediate signal for bonding, happiness, or false alarm. Since laughter could have evolved for so many reasons, I wonder for what reasons did other social signals or cues evolve for. I also wonder whether laughter will evolve in the future to fulfill new purposes. The more we study it, the more complex laughter becomes.
After reading the article about spider personalities and grossing myself out with the pictures attached, I am both fascinated and a little freaked out. The fact that creatures, as small as spiders, have the brain capacity to have different personalities is astounding. Then again, this article does make me rethink killing a spider just because it’s in my house. Spiders have feelings too, right? Maybe the spider that I squished was one of the timid ones trying to impress a pretty girl-spider, but I crushed his dreams (and his life) with my foot. Sorry spiders…
I read the article on brain control. I found it fascinating how there is existing technology to allow communication between two brains. Maybe this technology can advance and allow more elaborate communication between two minds. This could open a plethora of new options that we couldn't do before. For example, imagine being able to communicate ideas and thoughts without using words. I think teaching complex concepts would be made easier for teachers and school would be simpler. However, there could be a lot of ethically questionable actions from this technology. Politicians and other authority figures could have unprecedented power in influencing the thoughts and behaviors of people. This is why this technology shouldn't really be pursued, because it's almost guaranteed to land in the wrong hands.
I wasn’t planning on reading the article about spiders having personalities but curiosity won over my repulsion of the arachnids. After recovering from the blown up picture, I was actually drawn into the subject. It seemed really interesting that spiders were born with their traits and based on that, they were assigned tasks around their colony. This makes sense too; there would be nothing smart or efficient about sending out a timid spider to catch prey and leaving the bolder ones at home to take care of the brood. Prior to this article I knew about the “suicidal maternal care” and thought “what more can we expect from spiders?” Clearly a lot more. Spiders, as nasty as they look, are capable of differentiating between personalities and use them to their advantage. Well done, spiders, well done.
When I was reading the article about brain control, I was really interested in the idea that simply thinking about the rat moving it's tail, caused the sleeping rat to move it's tail! As this technology advances, and more possibilities open up, I hope humanity shows some restraint. The idea that someone can beam a FUS signal at my head while I'm sleeping or not active to control my thoughts is really disturbing. I would never be able to fall asleep in public again.
However, this could be a very useful technique in communicating with other species. What is this helps us understand man's best friend, and their feline counterparts better? Maybe we can even use dogs as police monitors, having them routinely patrol the streets with instructions from the police beamed into their heads. That would be a really cool application of this technology.
I read the article "Last Laugh" and I enjoyed reading it especially when it went into depth about rat laughter. I usually find myself laughing at the weirdest things and never came to think of why and what makes me laugh. The article made me realize that I personally laugh in various situations, whether I feel nervous, excited, or even stressed. In the article, Lickerman says, "Laugh at something, and you exert some level of control, however minute, over it. Humor is pleasurable, and pleasure is distracting." What Lickerman said really stuck with me because I personally find myself laughing more frequently when I'm stressed. Especially towards the end of the school year when finals and work add up, I find myself laughing instead of stressing out about all the things I need to do. I agree with Lickerman and feel that laughter gives me some sort of 'control' that relieves some of the tension. Overall I found the article very interesting and a real knee-slapper.
Throughout the development of humanit seems like laughter might have actually played a crucial role role in society and survival. On the beginning of the article I was a bit skeptic about the there actually being a tru evolutionarty history to laughter but the article convinced me that laughter might have been a mechanism that we slowly perfected throughout our evolutionary stages. I never even realized that dogs panting was related so closely to our laughter. The article did provide convincing evidence that laughter was evolutionary. They were never able to truly figure out the origins of laughter or it's true purpose. Whatever the case may be it true that laughter has become a important mechanism that has been integrated in to our society.
I read the article about the spiders having personalities. I found it interesting to know that spiders could have personalities. Humans of course have personalities but I never knew that insects could have personalities. I thought all they did was attack prey. I never knew that some of them would not do that and that specific insects ( in this case spiders ) have specific roles. Generally, when you think of roles in a society, you might think about bees or ants because they follow a queen and they all have the same task. However, in this situation, spiders are found out to have different personalities instead of roles. It was interesting to see that they color coded the spiders based on aggressiveness, boldness, etc. It would of been nice if the author of the article told us what each color mean't. The spiders themselves look bland colored meaning they are just plain gray and they look really huge considering they are not tarantulas. I would like to know whether in the picture the spiders are dead or not. It seems like they are. Either that or they are sleeping. S. Sarasinorium lives in South Asia which is not surprising because those areas contain so many different species of plants and animals typically. I think that this discovery should not be considered the same as Bees and Ants. Because in those cases, it revolves around roles, while in this case, it is personality wise. I never knew what boldness mean't until now. If you were bold then you are more brave, so basically the spiders who would collect the prey or hunt. If they weren't bold then they would likely stay home. When I say spiders in my comment I mean S. Sarasinorium, not all spiders in general because this article tests that species only. Typing S. Sarasinorium would take a long time.
As I tend to be quite the ticklish person, laughter is something I find to be interesting. I never thought if whether or not other species share the capability to laugh. Alas, the do, which makes me thinking of the difference in laughter. This article states several reasons which spark laughter, but do other animals have unique laughs as humans do? In addition, can laughter be associated to actions other than dangerous ones? For example, my friend and I were passing an Oreo to someone when I accidentally dropped it on the ground. We burst out laughing even though it wasn't a "false alarm", joke, or contagious from someone else.
Besides loving to laugh, I'm utterly fascinated with neurology, so the article about brain control drew me in. I always believed that mind reading or mind control only existed in books or movies - never in reality. Although it's absolutely mind blowing, it concerns me. At this pace, technology will advance to the point where everyone will be able to control one another's minds. Most likely, this invention could fall into the wrong hands which could lead to absolute chaos. On another note, I wonder if this could control not only the actions of another being, but the thoughts. Instead of just telling the rat to move its tail, could the human simply think about something such as food that would put the same image into the rat's mind? Also, the rat used for the experiment was "under anesthesia," so did that affect the outcome? The mind is a powerful thing, and we've only begun to discover its capabilities.
I read the article that is titled Last laugh "What evolution can tell us about why we laugh". I thought this article was very interesting. Before reading this article that article I thought that laughter was only the reflection of happiness or something that is funny . But I learned from this article that laughter can also be a sign of nervousness and a sign of relief. I also was fascinated by how two different anima groups can have this characteristic in common. In the article, it states that the canine animal group and the primate animal group have this feature in common. The article also states that many organisms "pant" when they are laughing. The article says that scientists came together and made rats laugh by tickling them. I think many things can be discovered from this discovery and will result in a positive domino effect.
I also read the article that had to do with brain control. I thought that the way a human was able to control the way a mouse move is very interesting. I thought that this new discovery can help with many of the problems that our society faces today. For example, now we can look into the minds of criminals and "control" their minds so they don't hurt anyone and they obey the law. I was also interested in the screen that they had made the person look at. I wonder what that screen can do to help transport the thoughts from the human brain to the rats brain. I was also amazed and surprised how the rat automatically performed the task. I also wonder what would have happened of the rat wasn't under the anesthesia.
I thought that both of these articles were very interesting and will help solve the problems that we face today.
I read the article about brain control. At first I found this article to be unbelievable, but extremely interesting. It is a concept that has crossed my brain before and the real life examples they used were relateable to me. A lot of times in life it is hard to understand where certain people are coming from because of their appearance, job position, or general attitude. With the advancement of brain communication, it would be easier to sympathize with people. It goes the other way too. I would want people to sympathize with me and, sort of, read my mind when I am going through a hard time and don't want to explain myself. It would definitely benefit those who argue a lot and who don't usually see eye to eye. This technology may be cool to think about, but it is frightening to know that there may be a time when one human could control another human. I think, even though it is a major advancement in technology and science itself, this type of experimenting is not essential to humans and should be dealt with very carefully.
After reading the 3 articles, the article that was talking about how human brains can transfer thoughts and interact with the rats caught my eye. I found this very amazing and thought how much our technology has advanced over the years. Brain control is truly a great thing in both ways. There are positive results and negative consequences for this project. If this project is a successful one then it would be a breakthrough. Humans can see what animals are thinking, can control your own thoughts from the good and the bad ones and if they improve on this project then we can communicate easier with humans. But there are negative consequences to this. If people are able to receive brain control it can be used for evil things such as taking control over human brains and thoughts; this can lead to a chaotic world to live in after the brain control is introduced to the modern day society. This breakthrough can lead to a positive outcome to our society or it can bring an end to human life. In general, this project should be taken into consideration whether to follow through and complete the project or to use it only for scientific purposes.
Once I saw the article about Last Laugh, I had to read it. I never knew that laughter had a very deep meaning to it. I personally laugh when I am nervous or when someone else is laughing, sort of contagious. However, I never knew that laughter started as a "false alarm" meaning that you are laughing because everything is fine. When someone falls, you immediately laugh unless you see blood, which means that the person that fell is okay and doesn't need any special attention. Also, how animals also have their own laugh, panting is theirs. When you see an animal panting you think is because they are tired and need water, sometimes that might be the case, but, in others they are laughing. Laughing is healthy for you and also a good ab workout when you laugh a lot. Moreover, no one would ever though that a scientist would study laughter for two decades. It is wonderful how in-depth they go to solve something, however, they still don't know what evolves it.
I read the article about brain control, and I found the entire article very interesting. The human brain continues to fascinate me with everything I learn that it can do. It's amazing that humans will eventually be able to control the entire movement of a rat, instead of sending simple commands. This also shows hope that humans will soon be able to control other humans. Although this seems really fun at first, I think this could potentially be disastrous and could end with the human race practically destroying itself. Most mind controlling takes place in movies and books, and the person that does the mine controlling is usually a villain. Since the ending rarely works out for the evil villain, humans controlling other humans would also not work out very well. There would be a lot of trouble in the world if brain controlling continues to be studied in depth.
It's amazing to know that spiders have different personalities, even if they are simple. The next time somebody wants to kill a spider, they should think about how the spider feels. If they squish the spider, how will his small spider babies feel knowing that they'll never be able to play catch with their father in the yard? In all seriousness, I think it's wonderful that spiders can organize and take jobs according to their individual personalities. How do the spiders know what to do? Do they take orders from a leader? Or do they decide themselves and the colony reacts accordingly?
I read the article about laughter. I never put much thought into why someone laughs. I figured they would have their own reasons why because some people might find some things funny while others don't. While reading the article, I realized that many of these reasons for laughter, such as communicational cues, distractions, social signals, and false alarms, are very much true in their reasoning. What I found most thought provoking was how one example for why someone laughed could be interpreted in so many different ways, which also caused so many more questions to form.
I read the article about spiders having personalities. I always thought that spiders were just big hairy scary things, but after i was done reading the article, i was amazed and also creep-ed out. The fact that spiders are very organized creatures and that each spider has a job depending on their personality is really cool. Another thing that caught my attention, is that not all spiders are aggressive, i always thought that every spider that came to my view was out to get me, but i was proven wrong. Spiders that are aggressive are the one that come out to hunt and the more mellow ones, hang out at home and take care of the family. The spiders resemble a real life human family. What disgust me was the part where they talked about how the mother spiders let their babies suck their body fluid out of them. Its fascinating how the spiders are really smart and personally i would assume that creatures as small as the spiders are actually dumb and not smart. I am yet proven wrong again and have grown fond of spiders.
I read the article about the spiders, specifically the S. Sarasinorium having personalities. I never believed that spiders were born with personalities and that those personalities would dictate their role in the colony. It is interesting that the researchers were able to see which spider was the aggressive one and which one was the bolder one. I know that if I saw a spider of any sort or even the S. Sarasinorium, I would never have imagined that this creature had a personality like me. With this discovery, researchers can now have a better understanding of how vitospider colonies work. This now makes me think twice about killing a spider because spiders have feelings too, right? Who knows, maybe other creatures have personalities like humans.
I read the article about laughter. From a young age I always found myself questioning things around me. Most of these mysteries were answered in my science class. However, one question that still remains a mystery to me was why we laughed. From a television show, Spongebob, I recall a smart scientist, Sandy Cheeks, explaining that laughter is caused by your epiglottis obstructing your larynx, causing irregular air intake and respiratory upset. This scientifically explains HOW we laugh but I wanted to know WHY we laugh. This article explains why we laugh so I was immediately fascinated. According to the article, there are many theories explaining why we laugh. For example, laughter could just be a social signal. This does makes sense because laughter indicates that one is happy. Or, laughter could be a way to indicate “false alarm”. Laughter could also a response to conversational cue. Scientists also theorize that laughter is a way to distract ourselves. Personally, I believe that laughter is an action used to distract ourselves. When we are laughing we often forget about every worry and only focus on laughing. But, this theory does not explain why we laugh when we are being tickled. Reading this article made me understand that we laugh for many reasons. These reasons may have not been similar in the past nor will it be similar in the future because the environment around us and human evolution determine how a human’s personality will change which determines for what reasons a person laughs.
I enjoyed reading about the evolutionary advantage of laughter. People often think that you need to be happy to be able to laugh. But come to think of it, don’t you laugh when something unexpected happens?
If I said, “Quick! There’s a spider behind you!”
You turn around and realize there is no spider. What do you do? You most likely laugh. Don’t worry your ancestors probably laughed as well. It is in response to a false alarm. We often respond to social stimuli with laughter, but we never really think about the evolutionary advantage of laughing. For example, in the article, a neuroscientist claims that laughter originated as a signal in ancestral humans to other humans that everything was okay. If you dig a little deeper, isn’t it still a signal to show that you are okay? Even today, there are many ways to express moods, but nothing says, “I’m okay” like a good laugh.
In the article about laughter, neuroscientists and psychologists develop theories regarding how human laughter has evolved. I was not surprised that mice give a high pitched squeal when tickled, similar to laughter, because humans and mice have 99% of the same genes. Also, I feel that there is some possibility for Vilayanur Ramachandran’s theory. When relived, people tend to laugh the situation off. For example, seeing a gigantic monstrous shadow that turns out to be a small dog. In your relief, you laugh as if to alert others of the “false alarm.” It could be possible that the same occurs with tickling. Tickling is based off the element of surprise, and that’s why you can’t tickle yourself. When someone comes close to you, you jump to conclusions by thinking he intends on harming you. However, if the accused assailant tickles you instead, you are in no harm, for it is only their fingertips brushing your skin. Your “ticklish spots” can be vulnerable sensitive parts that have the chance to be harmed, but instead you’re tickled. However, this theory has flaws. For example, why do we laugh at humor, puns, and jokes? Have you ever been completely stumped on a riddle, given the correct answer, and then laugh because it’s the last thing you expected? In this situation, the answer may have relieved you or the answer surprised you. Laughter is something that everyone does, but will remain mysterious in origin.
The article regarding brain control gave me mixed feelings towards due to the way it can and will be used in the future. It can be used positively like the way couples can sympathize with one another but on the other hand, in our society today why exactly do we need this "brain control"? Yes it can be used for better communication with one another but isn't that why we have feelings and the use of language? This technology doesn't seem very useful right now but who knows how scientists will use it in the future? Maybe it can prove disastrous like how movies and comics portray the human race fighting with itself.
I loved the article Last Laugh. It took such a well known human action and turned into something foreign. It's amazing to see how much we DON'T know about our own body and behavior. However, articles like these open one's eyes to all kinds of things. In fact, recently I found myself wondering why I was laughing at a corny joke. I decided it was the social aspect of laughing. I laughed at my friend's corny joke so that I could keep our conversation going without awkward interupption. I would never have realized this without this article that introduced me to the many reasons for laughter.
For this week’s post I read Spiders May Have Personalities and Some Are Bolder Than Others. I have always just assumed that all animals have personalities but this article got me thinking a bit more in depth. I first I was a bit intrigued that there was a species of spider that lived in colonies; I have only every seen them as solitary beings. It was interesting to learn how scientists were able to identify personalities in spiders. I was even more shocked by the complexity of their colonies and “suicidal maternal care”. Turns out I’ve been underestimating spiders Reading this article got me thinking if spiders can have individual personalities, complex colonies, and sacrifice themselves for their young what other insects am I underestimating?
After reading the article about brain control between the human and the rat I was stunned. Throughout my life I always thought about what it would be like if humans could send brain signals to other species and humans. If this technology continues to grow the world will become a very different place. Exchange of information will be a lot quicker than it is today and we will be able to communicate with different species like we never have before. Despite there being a very fascinating advancement in technology and a watershed event for mankind, this discovery may have many downsides as well. If this technology gets in the hands of the wrong people it could be a fatal blow to the overall morality of the human race. Criminals could use it to manipulate the minds of people who are innocent and force them into doing harmful things. I have ambivalent feeling for the proceedings of this technology, but all we can do is hope that whatever happens is good.
I read the article about brain control. The question that was asked in the article is a really important question: “Are we opening the door to new vistas in human cruelty, or new avenues of communication between species.” This question is always asked in any new form of technology. Brain control is a way for bad individuals to hurt others. But on the upside, there are a lot of advantages. Like it said in the article, we will be able to train dogs and possibly other animals! It’s hard to train animals and tell them what is right and wrong, but using the new method, it will be a thousand times easier! Also it will also help relationships. Relationships are tricky and bumpy, and the smallest things might just ruin them. Using this method, humans will be able to understand their partner/spouse and understand their side better. All in all, the new method will help further human to animal and human to human interaction. Hopefully, our moral values will stand and nothing harmful will come from this.
I read the article about brain control, and I was astounded that researchers have reached as far as controlling a being by just using our mind. It was amazing to read about neural coupling, and how the neural process of one brain gets coupled with the neural processes of another brain, and that it is similar to when we interact with other people. It shows that when there is an understanding between people while talking, that their brains display similar patterns of activation as with brain control. Researchers are able to use this as a possible way to further understand someone’s thoughts and feelings. From a young age I saw movies where video games were played by just using your mind and not needing to use a controller. Slowly I see how this dream of mine might eventually be able to work. With the Xbox Kinect, we are able to control the device and games by just using body motions. If we are able to control other beings using only our minds, then surely we can’t be too far off from reaching my dream of controlling a game with our mind. But on the other hand this article also frightened me, as a couple of questions came fluttering into my mind. Can this be used in a bad way? Will this be used as a new form of communication? Will physical interaction not be needed anymore? How far will we go with this brain control and what will be considered too much? As I pondered these thoughts, I began to shiver at the thought that this can be used as a way of communication without needing to actually move our lips. So many people these days have already lost their ability to speak in front of people and to others, due to the many social websites that are being used today. If we get farther into mind control, we may never have to talk to anyone again; we may never even have to leave our homes. This is where our ethics come in to play, what is too much? Though this new advancement has great potential in helping and aiding the environment and society as the article talked about teaching dogs using this method and overcoming marital problems, will it be used as a new form of human cruelty or even in instilling negative ways of communication? Brain is a powerful part of our body and all we can do is hope that we are able to use these amazing advances for the good of America and the world, rather than going down a destructive path.
I read the article about brain control between a human and a rat. I think it’s amazing that neuroscientists were able to come up with a way for a person to send commands to another animal using only the power of his brain, and although the human had to look at a computer monitor and could only make the rat move its tail, this is still a significant innovation, nonetheless. I’m sure the neuroscientists are currently trying to figure out how to allow more complex commands between the human and the rat, and I wonder if they’ll ever be able to make communication between two humans possible in the near future. And even though I find this discovery very interesting, I don’t think it serves for any useful purpose other than scientific research and experimentation. I can’t see this being used for “sympathizing” with someone else like the article suggested, nor do I think this can cause all that much evil with all the complex technology it requires. Still, it’s fun to think about how this technology would work if it became a part of mainstream society. If feelings were to be shared between two people (or possibly between a human and an animal), would we still be able understand their emotions after the wires came off? Is it possible for someone’s brain to be stronger than another’s, allowing them to force more commands on the other?
I decided to read the article about laughter because I always laugh at things. I thought the article would be more interesting then what it was. To me it was kind of common sense. We laugh for pleasure, at jokes, for false alarms, surprises, for being nervous, etc.. When someone says something that isn't that funny but we laugh anyway I thought it was to engage in conversation. To enjoy time being spent with someone else. I also thought we laughed because it was a sign of disbelief. I laugh at bad things on the news because I find it horrible how people can do such stupid/evil things. I don't full out laugh thinking it is funny. It's more of a little annoyed laugh. I knew we laugh for more than things just being funny, but there are probably way more reasons as to why we laugh than I know of. What I did find interesting in the article was the part about the rats and dogs. They compared rats to children and when being tickled, they do curious chirping. That is like a rats laugh. I didn't know that dogs have different types of panting. I though it was to cool themselves off. It turns out that when they play they pant and some researchers believe that is their modern laugh.
While reading the spider personality article, I couldn't help but giggle to myself as I read about the gender roles in a spider's home. Yes, that's exactly what I thought of, the time of gender roles. When females stereo-typically stayed home, watched the kids, cleaned, and cooked while males went out and exchanged hard labor for money. This is basically what happens within these spiders' colonies, except it has nothing to do with gender. The shy ones stay back and tend to the home while the bombastic ones bring in the big meat. This makes absolute sense; why would the weaker link risk losing tonight's dinner? I'm sure they would never forgive him for that and possibly banish him from the pack. But maybe spiders aren't like lions and I'm just fantasizing the animal kingdom.
I read the article about how spiders may have personalities, and how some are bolder than others. In the article, it describes how a team of scientists discovered how social spiders in India assign chores based on spider personalities within their colonies. The team had taken nests of S. Sarasinorum and chose 40 spiders for their experiment. After color coding them, the scientists tested boldness by mimicking an avian predator by producing a puff of air, which caused the spiders to freeze, yet the bolder spiders began moving around more quickly. They then tested aggression by poking the spiders with a stick, resulting in the more aggressive spiders holding their ground and being ready to defend themselves. Finally, the team tested the spiders by putting them in an artificial nest in the trees, and simulating a leaf as an insect in their capture webs to see who would attack the "prey". One or two spiders, which were often the same spiders, would come out and attack their prey, furthermore proving that some spiders are more bolder than others.
After reading this article, I found it interesting and surprising how these spiders could have personalities, although inbred, having similar traits. Even though the personalities were not as complex as ours, it was evident in the tests that these scientists performed. For example, in the aggression test, some spiders ran, huddled, and walked away from the stick while others stood their ground, and defended themselves. The behavior of the spiders was intriguing, because usually, I would associate this type of behavior with larger, more complex organisms, such as mammals like meerkat or wolves. What disgusted me about these spiders however, is the act of suicidal maternal care. I understood that the offspring needed food to survive, but the act of cannibalizing their own mothers was terrible. The action of suicidal maternal care reminded me of how wasps sometimes lay their eggs in caterpillars, in which the parasitic larvae eat the caterpillars after they hatch out of their eggs.
I read the articles on brain control and laughter.
first of all, for the brain control, there is no need for it. It just doesn't have a good vibe to it where it will be used for good. If it falls into the wrong hands, brain control from human-to-human is not a safe path. People will take advantage of it and use it for torture and etc because there are sick people out there. All these new breakthroughs could potentially save the world, or ruin it. Such as the article on the artificial heart. That could save millions of lives, but brain control isn't really necessary. And I did appreciate how Yoo and his colleagues are aware of the consequences and addressed it. However, it is interesting how they have managed to make it happen anyways.
I really thought the laughter article was interesting. Most of it is relateable and I've heard before about the "laughter is contagious" theory. But I never looked at it that way with the sitcoms and recorded laughter because it's just so subconscious. And maybe it is true that laughing when you feel awful is to try and make yourself feel better, because I don't think there is any scientific theory to back it up.
I decided to read the article about the evolutionary advantage of laughter. I thought that this article was very interesting since it showed how complex laughter really was, even though it seems like a simple and common activity we enjoy. I never knew that the reason we laugh along with other animals was because it developed through evolution as a false alarm signal. That would explain why our laughter is usually very loud and explosive. I also thought it was cool that the reason laughing is so contagious is because it contributes to the false alarm signal, therefore spreading like a fire. That would also be why I laugh with my friends sometimes without even knowing what they are laughing about. Next time I laugh, I'll keep in mind all of the different social interactions that occur.
I read the article of how laughter is the result of the evolutionary proccess. I find it very intriguing how this trait is very specific to very few species. One has to wonder, why haven't many other animals developed with this trait? My best guess could be that either the species hadn't the compasoty to develop laughter or simply is not a social animal. Aside from the fact that very few species in the animal kingdom have the ability to laugh, or at least perform an action similar to it, I found it astonishing show well the theory of evolution fits with the reason behind laughter. Taking a moment to think about all the times I've laughed-or at least trying to-I soon came to realize that I laugh after I've been spoked or someone cracks a joke or even while just playing around. Even more so, I realized that it was very contagious, spreading quickly as a flood of relief, or signal for happiness.
However, I can't help but wonder the reasoning for why hyenas laugh. Hyenas laugh constantly, regardless of the situation. As long as there are many in numbers, their slightly bone-chilling laughter can be heard whether the hyenas are facing down a herd of buffalo for a deceased member of their herd, or are encroaching on a certain large feline's territory. Furthermore, hyenas do not fall under canines or primates. Although they do "laugh" when playing, they also laugh when taunting and disciplining their young. The similarities and differences in the hyena's laugh and primate's and canine's laugh makes me curious.
For this assignment, I read the article titled "Last Laugh". In my opinion, the article posed some extremely interesting points, however it mostly seemed like common sense. Laughing has usually been viewed as a regular social action and for pleasure. I myself have recognized laughing when in uncomfortable situations and as a "false alarm" reaction. What interested me in particular was the form of laughter found in rats and canines. The fact that rats make a chirping sound when playing and being tickled actually made me laugh myself. I also never knew that dogs panted as a way of laughing. Having dogs myself, I've always viewed panting as a way to cool them off and to breathe more easily. Overall, being an active laugher myself I found this article not only confirmed my views on laughter from before, but also expanded my interest in animals and their own emotions, such as laughter.
I was immediately drawn to the article about laughter simply because I laugh A LOT. I laugh when I'm happy, nervous, sad, scared, or even hurt. I always wondered what caused this laughter. Laughter is usually associated with happiness; this is why my nervous laughter and laughter caused by pain were puzzling. I remember my sister got into a small car accident (so small I wouldn't even call it an accident) while I was in the car with her. When the police came and questioned us I couldn't help myself from smiling and laughing. I wanted to portray my true inner feelings and show the policemen my seriousness and fear; however, I could not help but inappropriately laugh. This article somewhat explained my uncontrollable urge by the theory of a "false alarm." The initial "dangerous" situation I was seemingly in, wound up being harmless, thus causing me to laugh- just like one would laugh after being scared at a haunted house or on a rollercoaster. Although I still do have unanswered questions on the causes of laughter, I'm more interested in finding out why adults tend to laugh less than children. Recently, after hearing my mother laugh uncontrollably about the silliest thing, I realized how rarely I actually hear her, or any adult for that matter, laugh. Do we lose our sense of humor as we age? Do things tend to scare us less as we get older, thus eliminating the "false alarm?" Laughter is healthy and to think we may lose it as the years go by is very sad. As much as I protest to it as I'm being tickled, I really do love to laugh.
I read the article on the evolutionary advantage of laughter. I chose this article because I was interested on how laughing, something I do a lot of everyday, can display an advantage on evolution. While reading the article, I came across many interesting points that I would have never thought of to be associated with the act of laughing. For example, I always believed that laughter was simply a way of expressing yourself towards an amusing situation. However, due to the research done, it is more than just that. It was once a way to alert people as a "false alarm". To some extent, I believe that theory makes a lot of sense because of the examples listed. In comparison to life events now, the same principle stands true; we laugh to tell others that everything is okay and there is nothing to worry about. Also, the concept of laughter spreading in a group is also another theory I completely agree with. I know that whenever I hear other people laugh, I usually laugh along. Sometimes, if I find a joke funny, I may laugh even harder than I normally would if other people were laughing alongside me. I really liked this article because it opened up my mind to something I do everyday without realizing why I do it.
By being a funny and giggly person when the time is right, I was drawn in to read the article about the evolutionary advantage of laughter. Reading about all the reasons why a person might laugh had got me thinking about if people really do laugh for those reasons, which is crazy. Something interesting that caught my eye in this article was that a neuroscientist/veterinarian at the University of Washington named Jaak Panksepp studied laughter on lab rats and that a the lab rats’ high pitched chirp may be an ancestral form of laughter. Another thing I found interesting was when Vilayanur Ramachandran, a neuroscientist at the University of California, San Diego said that the “false alarm” signaling purpose of laugher explains its loud sound and explosive quality.
The article on spiders immediately caught my eye, and I was curious as to what the article was about. After reading the article I was intrigued at how spiders could have differ rent personalities and how this could play an important role in their lives as a whole. Spiders work together for more effective results, which would benefit the colony. The personalities also play a huge role in other groups of animals and insects, like wolves, hyenas, ants. Obviously, the more aggressive animals/ insects in the pack/ colony are going to be leaders and the less aggressive animals/ insects will be at the bottom of the pack/ colony. Not being a big fan of spiders, I still found this article very amusing.
Before I read the article about laughter, I had always believed that you laugh when you are happy or something is funny, and that only humans can laugh or express joy. Reading this article has taught me that laughter was originally used to signal a "false alarm"and we laugh loudly to communicate to a large group. I also learned that primates, canines, and lab rats exhibit their own forms of laughter, which was very interesting for me. Lab rats laugh for the same reasons humans usually laugh: when playing with each other or when being tickled. Canines and primates don't necessarily laugh, but they produce a panting sound that has the same meaning as a laugh. This article made me think about the origins of laughter and why it was used among early humans, and it was interesting to learn that laughing conveys multiple meanings.
I read the article about laughter and what it actually means for humans. I have previously seen a video about why we laugh in certain situations. This video discusses a theory that people laughs when something surprises them or isn't what one would expect in a situation. I believe that this, combined with the theories mentioned in the article, shows that human laughter is something that has been used for an important purpose. The article talks about how people laugh to show that something they thought could be a threat, is actually not. People laugh when something isn't what they expected, and there isn't any danger. Animals may laugh just to show that they are having fun and enjoying themselves. Overall, laughter is a social action used to convey ones feels to others.
Before I read the article about laughter, I associated the action with simplicity and pure happiness. Laughter, to me, was one thing that I believed I did without thought. However, I now see that there are many different events where I can laugh. Moreover, there are more complex and intriguing reasons as to why I, and others, laugh. Once I came across the possible reason of laughing after false alarms, I started to think of the emotions I associate with relief. Although relief does not always accompany happiness, happiness often accompanies relief. After a major "false alarm", people feel giddy. They want to celebrate. In literature and life, we have found so many different ways to establish laughs. Laughing can be described as easy and joyful, nervous, maniacal, uncontrollable, or rude and taunting. The different reasons that the professors and scientists in this article have analyzed can be paired up with different kinds of laughter. I feel that there is always some undertone of happiness behind every laugh. For example, I feel both relieved and pleased when I find I did well on a difficult and nerve wracking test. If I laugh for self support, I am trying to become more cheerful and optimistic. Although happiness and pleasure might not be the leading reason for every laugh, I believe that they are present in most. Maybe as we continue to evolve, our laughs will as well.
I also read the article about the spiders. After reading, I was struck with a few questions. I started to wonder what could cause spiders to have different personalities. Humans start to gain different and unique traits once they start to mix with others outside their families. For example, children that go to preschool for the first time may pick up traits that their friends. Animals, however, often stick to their own groups. Not only are the spiders inbred, but they also are exposed to the same environmental and social factors as one another. Which factors are different for each spider and are so dominating that they completely change personalities? Since the spiders must be exposed to little that differs from one arachnid to the next, the few factors that do occur must be powerful. Another question that I had was whether or not the same factors that affected the spiders could affect us, or vice versa. For example, humans' personalities can differ depending on the climate they are surrounded by. These spiders all live in the same climate; if their environment was to change (at a rate that they could still survive), how would their personalities be affected? I also wonder what would happen if the group size was lessened. For instance, if the scientists distinguished the bold ones and the timid ones, and then removed all the bold ones from the group, how would the spiders assign roles? Even though this isn't considered an extraordinary find, I thought that the article was intriguing.
On another note, I submitted this response late because I was out of country and was unable to submit it last week.
I read the article about spiders having personalities, and right away I was very shocked. I never knew each spider in a colony would have a different personality or way about them. I wouldn't have guessed at all that they are even a little bit like humans. I grew up watching many movies and TV shows with talking animals, or with animals having human like qualities, and being taught not to believe it. Now, I am stand corrected. I think it is pretty awesome how spiders can communicate between themselves, and work out everyone's jobs. For example, the big, mighty spiders can go fight the grasshopper, while the small spiders go and stay, taking care of other important things, like the brood, or cleaning the nest.
Additionally, I was thrilled that scientists even tested whether the dividing of labor was related to personalities of spiders, specifically the, Stegodyphus sarasinorum. After reading, the first paragraph of this article, I wanted to know if everything I read was true, with proof!
For two months, scientists went to Andhra Pradesh, India, and studied how the spiders living in 18 different colonies distributed tasks! For example, these scientists, to test aggression poked spiders with a stick. Running, or walking away from the stick said that a spider might not be as aggressive than those who stayed upright, lurched toward the stick, or even those who raised a leg toward the stick. This taught me that, spiders know what to do, if they think that they are capable of doing it. What if these spiders even want to protect the smaller, more timid ones in the group, and that's why they risk themselves?
Additionally, the researchers even used a couple of items, including a metal wire, and a leaf, and "simulated struggling" insects for each colony once a day, towards those webs, for 10 days.
And what do you know, the larger spiders ran out of the nest first to see what was struggling in their web! Again, I am curious to know how to communicate between themselves, telling each spider,
"It's okay! I will go and see what is going on, because I am more bigger!". It is incredible to see that insects have humane qualities.
After reading that experiment, I was awe-struck. I did not believe it. These results were not even a coincidence, as they happen, over and over again, experiment after experiment. Next time, instead of running away from a spider, I will stop, and observe the size of it, and what it is doing!
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