http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/39112 2013-06-19T02:58:40Z http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/77473 The twitcing eye : REM sleep and the emotional brain Beck, Taylor McGowin Sleep and emotion have been linked since the discovery of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep sixty years ago. Sleep, in particular REM sleep and the dreams it harbors, seems to modulate mood, restoring stability to the weary mind. Scientists have struggled to understand this link through the biological study of the brain, the psychological study of dreaming, and the clinical study of how sleep is affected by psychiatric illness. This thesis examines the history of sleep research in terms of its relationship to emotional processing, both from the physiological and the psychological perspective. We are introduced to the scientists who discovered REM in 1953, to those who tracked the links between the biochemistry of mood and of sleep, and to contemporary researchers who are exploring the link between sleep and mood using brain-scanners and electrodes to study the dreaming brain, and the sleep and dreaming of patients with mood disorders. On our journey we will experience both the progress sleep research has made this century, and the enduring mystery of why humans sleep and dream. Thesis (S.M. in Science Writing)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Humanities, Graduate Program in Science Writing, 2012.; Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.; Includes bibliographical references (p. 43-47). 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/77472 Money for the big eyes Shen, Fangfei, S.M. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Since ancient civilization, humanity has kept its eyes on the heavens, and the invention of telescopes has only increased its scrutiny. As astronomers strive to see the universe with increasing clarity, telescopes have been getting bigger, better, and more expensive. The astronomy community is currently preparing for the next generation of ground-based optical telescopes: giant behemoths that will have mirrors of over twenty meters in diameter, set atop of high, dark mountains. Technological advancements have finally made it possible to create telescopes this large, and they will be able to view the skies ten times more sharply than the Hubble Space Telescope. Once completed in a decade or so, these telescopes will shine light on our most pressing questions in astronomy. However, with price tags of around a billion dollars each, raising the money to build them is a challenge. This thesis explores the technology behind the extremely large telescopes and the politics behind their funding. Telescope research began as private ventures, the Medici family's patronage of Galileo being a famous historical example. Today, the story is not so simple, involving public governments, international collaborations, and endless fundraising. While over a dozen different extremely large telescopes have been proposed in the last two decades, only three remain as viable ventures: the Giant Magellan Telescope, the Thirty Meter Telescope, and the European Extremely Large Telescope. This thesis recounts their unfinished story. Thesis (S.M. in Science Writing)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Humanities, Graduate Program in Science Writing, 2012.; Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.; Includes bibliographical references (p. 45-49). 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/76174 Flashback : the return of psychedelic medicine Maurer, Lauren N. (Lauren Nichole) In the 1960's, psychedelic drugs were a part of not only popular culture, but also cuttingedge psychology research. Scientists were studying these drugs in the hope of understanding and treating various psychological and societal ills; but as psychedelics got caught up in the counter-culture, they fell out of favor with the public, and practically vanished from the research world as quickly as they'd appeared. Now, decades after they all but disappeared, psychedelics are making a comeback. Focusing primarily on research with psychedelics to treat post-traumatic stress disorder as well as anxiety and depression associated with terminal illness, this thesis examines the researchers who've brought psychedelic medicine back from the brink and the work they're doing to explore the potential within these complex and controversial drugs. Thesis (S.M. in Science Writing)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Humanities, Graduate Program in Science Writing, 2012.; Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.; Includes bibliographical references (p. 23-25). 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/76142 Embodied cognition in robots and human evolution Myhrvold, Conor L. (Conor Lachlan) This thesis investigates the notion of embodied cognition in humans using the research of former University of Washington researcher William Calvin and robots using the research of former MIT professor Rodney Brooks. The idea is that the feedback from the physicality of humans is a precognition to our intelligence. The choice example I use for our physicality is the motion of throwing, particularly the javelin throw. For robotics, I focus on the development of 'eyes' in Brooks' robot Cog and show how it demonstrated behavior we deem to be intelligent using the feedback gleaned from 'seeing'. Altogether, I present evidence for and against the notion that we are who we are, cognitively speaking, because of the sensory feedback of our physical bodies, and what that may mean going forward in the future for our intelligence. Thesis (S.M. in Science Writing)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Humanities, Graduate Program in Science Writing, 2012.; Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.; Includes bibliographical references (p. 44). 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z