Gizmorama - March 24, 2014

Good Morning,

According to U.S. scientists, they've said to have identified a region of the brain essential for social memory. That's the ability of an animal to recognize another of the same species. Shows what I know. I thought social memory had something to do with Facebook, but I can't remember.

Learn about this interesting story and more from the scientific community in today's issue.

Until Next Time,
Erin

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*-- Region of the brain essential for social memory is identified --*
NEW YORK - U.S. scientists say they've identified a region of the brain essential for social memory, the ability of an animal to recognize another of the same species. A better grasp of the function of the small area of the hippocampus known as CA2 could prove useful in understanding and treating disorders characterized by altered social behaviors, such as autism, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder, researchers at Columbia University Medical Center reported Monday. The hippocampus -- a pair of question-mark shaped structures in the brain's temporal lobes -- has long been understood as playing a critical role in our ability to remember the who, what, where and when of our daily lives. "However, the role of CA2, a relatively small region of the hippocampus sandwiched between CA3 and CA1, has remained largely unknown," neuroscience and pharmacology Professor Steven A. Siegelbaum said. In an experiment, CA2 neurons in mice were inhibited, then they were given a series of behavioral tests. "Normally, mice are naturally curious about a mouse they've never met; they spend more time investigating an unfamiliar mouse than a familiar one," said Frederick L. Hitti, a doctoral student in Siegelbaums' lab. "In our experiment, however, mice with an inactivated CA2 region showed no preference for a novel mouse versus a previously encountered mouse, indicating a lack of social memory." A decreased number of CA2 inhibitory neurons has been detected in individuals with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, the researchers said, suggesting CA2 may provide a new target for therapeutic approaches to the treatment of social disorders.


*-- Meteor impact on moon said brightest ever observed from Earth --*
HUELVA, Spain - Spanish astronomers say they observed a record-breaking impact on the moon as a half-ton meteorite crashed into the lunar surface last September. The flash of light from the impact was so bright it would have been visible from Earth, they report in the current issue of the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. "This is the largest, brightest impact we have ever observed on the moon," Jose Madiedo of the University of Huelva told the BBC. "The impact we detected lasted over eight seconds." The Moon Impacts Detection and Analysis System of telescopes in southern Spain detected the explosive impact, with energy equivalent to around 15 tons of TNT, on Sep. 11, the researchers said. "Usually lunar impacts have a very short duration -- just a fraction of a second," Madiedo said. "But the impact we detected lasted over eight seconds. It was almost as bright as the Pole Star, which makes it the brightest impact event that we have recorded from Earth." They estimated the meteor, traveling at 38,000 mph, would have created a crater measuring around 130 feet across.

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