Category: science
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Deep Brain Stimulation and ‘Conscious’ Brain Surgery
Wired Science have got a great short film that follows two people who have deep brain stimulation devices implanted in their brains to treat tremors.While most people assume brain surgery is all pre-planned beforehand, for many treatments for cognitive or behavioural functions, the surgeons need to wake up the patient after they’ve open their skull…
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Heston Blumenthal and Cocktails of the Future
I’ve mentioned the molecular gastronomist Heston Blumenthal before, but I’ve now been introduced to Eben Freeman, the Blumenthal of cocktails: a molecular mixologist from New York. On the international cocktail circuit, Eben Freeman is a massive celebrity. He is A + list. He is Madonna. He’s the future of cocktails, the future, perhaps, of alcohol…
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Mona Lisa: The Science Behind That Smile
Why does the woman depicted in the Mona Lisa appear to be both smiling and not smiling at the same time? The smile part of the Mona Lisa’s face was painted by Leonardo in low spatial frequencies. This means that when you look right at her mouth, there’s no smile. But if you look at…
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Molecular Gastronomy and Unboiling an Egg
After recently rediscovering Heston Blumenthal I’ve been reading a lot about molecular gastronomy and, as such, Hervé This and Nicholas Kurti – the grandfathers of molecular gastronomy and Blumenthal’s inspiration. Now it appears Hervé This has unboiled an egg.