These are the articles and videos from the previous week I found most interesting.
- Who Decided to Put 60 Seconds in a Minute?
- Which State Looks the Most Like Mars?
- Drone Footage of Iceland Volcano Eruption
- Supermassive Black Holes: 10 Astounding Facts
- Face-Off With a Deadly Predator
- PlanetQuest Timeline
- Handpose: Fully Articulated Hand Tracking
- Nancy Kanwisher: A neural portrait of the human mind
- 2014 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine awarded for ‘inner GPS’ research
Who Decided to Put 60 Seconds in a Minute?
One highly influential ancient Middle Eastern civilization established some of the essential systems we still use today. Think you know which it is?
Which State Looks the Most Like Mars?
Drone Footage of Iceland Volcano Eruption
Stunning aerial video footage of lava erupting from the Bardarbunga volcano in Iceland. Image: YouTube/djiinnovations
Supermassive Black Holes: 10 Astounding Facts
Find out what astronomers have been learning when they look deep into the core of giant galaxies. In nearly every one, they are turning up supermassive black holes that are tearing space to shreds, blasting away at their environments, and raging against the relentless force of gravity that created them in the first place.
Face-Off With a Deadly Predator
Paul Nicklen describes his most amazing experience as a National Geographic photographer – coming face-to-face with one of Antarctica’s most vicious predators.
PlanetQuest Timeline
This interactive multimedia timeline traces the search for extrasolar planets, from ancient philosophical speculation to modern discoveries.
Handpose: Fully Articulated Hand Tracking
Introducing a new real-time articulated hand tracker which can enable new possibilities for human-computer interaction (HCI). Our system accurately reconstructs complex hand poses across a variety of subjects using only a single depth camera. It also allows for a high-degree of robustness, continually recovering from tracking failures. However, the most unique aspect of our tracker is its flexibility in terms of camera placement and operating range.
Nancy Kanwisher: A neural portrait of the human mind
Brain imaging pioneer Nancy Kanwisher, who uses fMRI scans to see activity in brain regions (often her own), shares what she and her colleagues have learned: The brain is made up of both highly specialized components and general-purpose “machinery.” Another surprise: There’s so much left to learn.
2014 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine awarded for ‘inner GPS’ research
Nobel for Brain’s Location Code
2014 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine awarded for ‘inner GPS’ research
Superhuman robot navigation with a Frankenstein model…and why I think it’s a great idea
Nobel Prize for Medicine: How Humans Navigate
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine went to three researchers who made key discoveries about how the brain represents an animal’s position in space, orienting it and letting it navigate.
Alan Tatourian 