Science Report, March 2009
1. "They Tried to Outsmart Wall Street"
<http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/10/science/10quant.html>
"They are known as 'quants' because they do quantitative finance.
Seduced by a vision of mathematical elegance underlying some of the
messiest of human activities, they apply skills they once hoped to
use to untangle string theory or the nervous system to making money."
2. "Brain quirk could help explain financial crisis"
<http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16826>
"With hindsight, the causes of the current global financial meltdown
seem obvious, even predictable. Now, brain imaging offers one
explanation for why so few investors challenged foolhardy fiscal
advice."
3. "For a Creativity Boost, Go Hang Out in a Blue Room"
<http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/02/06/for-a-
creativity-boost-go-hang-out-in-a-blue-room/>
"When you need to brainstorm ideas for a big project, get yourself to
a room that's painted blue. But when it's time to proofread the final
product, find a red room. Those are the implications of a fascinating
new study that measured the effect that colors have on cognition."
4. "In pain? Take one masterpiece, three times a day"
<http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg19926744.900>
"The power of art to heal emotional wounds is well known, but could
contemplating a beautiful painting have the same effect on physical
pain?"
5. "Patternicity: Finding Meaningful Patterns in Meaningless Noise"
<http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=patternicity-finding-meaningful-
patterns&print=true>
"Why the brain believes something is real when it is not."
6. "Déjà vu: Where fact meets fantasy"
<http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20127011.400>
"Subjective, strange and fleeting, not to mention tainted by paranormal
explanations, the phenomenon has been a difficult and unpopular one to
study."
7. "Six degrees of separation? We can only manage five"
<http://timharford.com/2009/03/six-degrees-of-separation-we-can-only-
manage-five/>
"The human brain simply may not be wired up to deal with lots of
different levels of value. A series of psychological experiments, many
dating back to the 1950s, shows that we cannot distinguish between more
than about five degrees of ... well, almost anything."
8. "How to Avoid Choking under Pressure"
<http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=how-to-avoid-choking-under-
pressure&print=true>
"Afraid of crumbling when it counts? Try not to think so hard."
9. "Bored? Your brain is disconnecting"
<http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20026865.600>
"When your mind wanders during a boring task, it may be because parts
of your brain simply disconnect."
10. "The Serious Need for Play"
<http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=the-serious-need-for-play>
"Free, imaginative play is crucial for normal social, emotional and
cognitive development. It makes us better adjusted, smarter and less
stressed."
