Links
Mirror Neurons and imitation learning as the driving force behind "the great leap forward" in human evolution
www.edge.org/3rd_culture/ramachandran/ramachandran_p1.html
Article by V. S. Ramachandran in which he says "the discovery of mirror neurons in the frontal lobes of monkeys, and their potential relevance to human brain evolution ... is the single most important 'unreported' (or at least, unpublicized) story of the decade."
Mirror Neurons
www.brainconnection.com/content/181_1
"Mirror neurons may well become this century's equivalent of the mid-20th century discovery of DNA," writes Robert Sylwester, an emeritus professor of education at the University of Oregon, in this article.
What Do Mirror Neurons Mean?
www.interdisciplines.org/mirror
The Paris-based Interdisciplines, a Web-based project aimed at enhancing interdisciplinary research and exchanges in the humanities, offers this "virtual workshop," in which scholars discuss a number of recent articles about mirror neurons.
Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience
www.icn.ucl.ac.uk/
This is the interdisciplinary research institute where Daniel Glaser's dance study was undertaken. For Glaser's own Web page, see www.icn.ucl.ac.uk/dglaser.
Vilayanur S. Ramachandran MD, PhD
psy.ucsd.edu/chip/ramabio.html
This is the personal Web page of V. S. Ramachandran, who appears in the NOVA scienceNOW segment on mirror neurons.
Books
The Neuroscience of Social Interaction: Decoding, Imitating, and Influencing
the Actions of Others, edited by Christopher Frith and Daniel Wolpert. New
York: Oxford University Press, 2004.
The Electric Meme: A New Theory of How We Think, by Robert Aunger. New
York: Free Press, 2002.
Mirror Neurons and the Evolution of Brain and Language, edited by Maksim
Stamenov and Vittorio Gallese. Amsterdam, Neth.: John Benjamins Publishing,
2002.
A Brief Tour of Human Consciousness: From Impostor Poodles to Purple
Numbers, by V. S. Ramachandran. New York: Pi Press, 2004.
Links
National Hurricane Center
www.nhc.noaa.gov/
This site tracks active tropical cyclones in the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Eastern Pacific during the hurricane season, with satellite images updated every hour and much more useful information, including e-mail advisories and notes on hurricane preparedness.
NOAA's Hurricane Research Division
www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/
Part of the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, which conducts research on hurricanes, this site has a very rich FAQ section. Answered questions range from why are tropical cyclones named to why don't we try to destroy tropical cyclones?
Hurricanes
hurricanes.noaa.gov/
This National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration page has a host of links to useful NOAA sites on hurricanes. Also featured are downloadable hurricane awareness and preparedness guides.
EYE TO EYE: Seeing Hurricanes As Only NASA Can
www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/topstory/2004/0915isabel/addl.html
This extremely rich page offers in-depth analysis of Isabel, Frances, and other 2004 hurricanes. The page offers numerous intriguing QuickTime movies and animations built from data and images of hurricanes captured by NASA and NOAA satellites.
Hurricanes (FEMA for Kids)
www.fema.gov/kids/hurr.htm
The Federal Emergency Management Agency runs this colorful Web site for kids. Check out the hurricane IQ quiz, learn how to care for your pets during a hurricane or other emergency, or make your own hurricane tracking maps.
Books
Hurricane Watch: Forecasting the Deadliest Storms on Earth, by Dr. Bob
Sheets and Jack Williams. New York: Vintage, 2001.
Inside the Hurricane: Face to Face With Nature's Deadliest Storms, by
Pete Davies. New York: Owl Books, 2001.
Florida Hurricanes and Tropical Storms, 1871-2001, by John M. Williams
and Iver W. Duedall. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2002.
Isaac's Storm: A Man, A Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History, by
Erik Larson. New York: Vintage, 2000.
Links
James McLurkin
people.csail.mit.edu/u/j/jamesm/public_html/index.php
This is James McLurkin's personal Web page. Through his "Current Research" page, you can access short videos he's made of his robot swarms dispersing, clumping, etc. Try "Swarm2-Follow.mpg," or Follow the Leader.
Swarm
www.irobot.com/governmentindustrial/product_detail.cfm?prodid=33
This page describes McLurkin's swarm-robot research and development project at iRobot, a robotics company based in Burlington, Mass. Learn about "HIVE" and "Robot Ecology" as well as about possible future applications for robot swarms.
JPL Robotics
robotics.jpl.nasa.gov/
On the robotics page of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, learn about cryobots, cliff-bots, and the bizarre six-legged Lemur, among other specialized robots built by JPL engineers.
Robotics: Sensing, Thinking, Acting
www.thetech.org/exhibits/online/robotics/
This online exhibit, developed by the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh, PA, focuses on the world of intelligent machines. Control your own remotely operated vehicle, see some cool robot art, and hear how scientists, artists, and others answer questions like "Are there any kinds of robots that shouldn't be created?"
Kiss Institute for Practical Robotics
www.kipr.org
KIPR seeks to improve learning and skills through robotics. On its Web site, learn about institute classes in robotics for any age, participate in Botball, a game that gives students hands-on experience in designing, building, and programming robots, and more.
Books
Swarm Intelligence: From Natural to Artificial Systems, by Eric
Bonabeau, Marco Dorigo, and Guy Theraulaz. New York: Oxford University Press,
1999.
Multi-Robot Systems: From Swarms to Intelligent Automata, Volume II,
edited by Alan C. Schultz, Lynne E. Parker, Frank E. Schneider. New York:
Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2003.
123 Robotics Experiments for the Evil Genius, by Myke Predko. New York:
McGraw-Hill/TAB Electronics, 2004
The Robot Builder's Bonanza: 99 Inexpensive Robotics Projects, by Gordon
McComb. New York: McGraw-Hill/TAB Electronics, 2000.
Links
Singing and Booming Sand Dunes of California and Nevada
www.schweich.com/sbdA.html
Read an article on the historical background of noisy sands, learn more about the factors necessary for sound production, and see an annotated list of North American booming dune sites.
Mysteries of Science
www.vectorsite.net/tamyst.html
Find out about booming sands and their mysterious cousins—"drifting rocks," "iceballs out of the clear blue sky," "ball lightning," and other unexplained anomalies.
Melany Hunt
www.me.caltech.edu/hunt/#Research
What does engineer Melany Hunt of CalTech study besides booming dunes? Visit her research page to find out. While you're there, be sure to watch the movie clip of her work with sonorous sand.
Book
The
Physics of Blown Sand and Desert Dunes by R. A. Bagnold. London: Methuen,
1954.
Articles
"Booming
Sands," by Franco Nori, Paul Sholtz, and Michael Bretz, Scientific
American, September 1997.
"Sound-producing Dune and Beach Sands," by J. F. Lindsay, D. R. Criswell, T. L.
Criswell, and B. S. Criswell, Geological Society of America Bulletin,
Vol. 87, 1976.
Disclaimer
Any opinions, findings and conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this website are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the National Science Foundation, a cofunder of this site.
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