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Dreams have played an instrumental role in our cultural landscape, and although scientists have come closer to understanding the underlying mechanisms of dreaming, there is still no definitive answer as to why we dream. For almost as long as man has dreamed, however, we’ve speculated. Here are the most popular explanations:
1. Dreams are religious or spiritual messages.
The ancient Egyptians, Assyrians, and Babylonians, among other early cultures, believed that dreams were messages from the gods. The Babylonians kept extensive records of dream interpretations dating back to 5000 BC. Good dreams were thought to be omens of good luck from the gods, while nightmares were seen as presaging negative events sent from demons. The Egyptians understood dreams to also be divine messages, and those who had frequent, vivid dreams were considered blessed by the gods.
2. Dreams are unconscious indicators of hopes and wishes.
In modern history, most people dismissed dreams as meaningless. That is, until Sigmund Freud came around. Freud was the first academic to suggest that far from being meaningless, dreams could access our deepest desires. Freud held that all dreams had both “latent” and “manifest” content. Manifest content was the superficial figures and events featured in the dream, while latent content was what these figures and events represented. Freud thus considered interpreting our dreams to be of the utmost importance in discovering ourselves. Though most of the details of Freud’s work on dreams have been discredited, the idea that dreams represent desires is still well-regarded in scientific communities.
3. Dreams are the result of activated brain circuits.
In 1977, two researchers postulated a radically different theory of dreams. Harvard University scientists, Drs. Allan Hobson and Robert McCarley, suggested that the origin of dreams was not psychological, but rather physiological. While in REM sleep, the stage during which our eyes move rapidly and dreaming occurs, certain parts of our brains become activated, generating random material. As our brain struggles to make sense of these random images, dreams are formed. Called the activation-synthesis model of dreaming, it drew considerable controversy since it suggested that dreams carried no psychological significance.
4. Dreams are guided by emotions and may help in recovering from trauma.
The most current dream theory was described in this 2006 Scientific American article by psychiatry professor Ernest Hartmann, who, while not discounting the randomness of brain signals that give rise to dreams, still holds that dreams are guided by emotional states. In his research on dreams, people who have undergone trauma experience very intense and unpleasant dreams that eventually lessen over time, suggesting that dreams may help regulate mood to fight future trauma.
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Mariana Ashley is a freelance writer who particularly enjoys writing about online colleges. She loves receiving reader feedback, which can be directed to mariana.ashley031 @gmail.com.

As a freelance web writer, I spend much of my time reading various online media sources from
the New York Times to the Wall Street Journal to the Guardian and more. Whenever I’m reading
through news articles, I’m always curious to find out, what, exactly, has grabbed everyone’s
attention. Scrolling down to the “most viewed” section, I’ve found that the most popular reads
tend to be those focused on health.

While this is understandable, considering the developed world’s newfound obsession with
healthy lifestyles, I’m amazed by how all these stories are essentially the same. One common
story tells readers that consuming X will decrease your chances of getting Y deadly disease
by Z%. Or how about the “contrary to findings in previous studies, X isn’t (or is) bad for you
after all” story? Then there’s the common formulation “taking X supplement improves Y bodily
function.” You get the picture.

That’s why I was delighted to hear about the recent American publication of
Bad Science: Quacks, Hacks, and Big Pharma Flacks, written by science writer and psychiatrist
Ben Goldacre. Goldacre, who has written a weekly column for the Guardian for several years
now, also called Bad Science, knowledgeably demonstrates how we are daily bombarded by
misleading studies that sound convincing simply because they are decorated with “science-y”
language. He also teaches the average reader, who may not be as adept at evaluating scientific
studies, how to decipher which studies and claims stand up to the rigorous logic and proof
required of sound scientific inquiry.

Goldacre writes with unsurpassable wit that makes the book a quick read. You’ll be having so
much fun following the author on his crusades against misleading health claims, that you won’t
even realize you’re learning valuable information. In one example, Goldacre shows how footbath
detox treatments typically offered at salons are completely useless. He also skewers nutritionists
who try to claim ownership (and make money) from common sense advice like eating more
vegetables and exercising. Most importantly, Goldacre demonstrates how misinterpretations and
misleading statements stamped with the seal of scientific rhetoric can be downright dangerous.

In an age when general science literacy is particularly weak, Goldacre’s book is a breath of fresh
air on the popular science writing scene, and is a must-read for anyone looking to become a more
informed consumer. As the Independent noted in its review of the book: “Thousands of books
are enjoyable; many are enlightening; only a very few will ever rate as necessary to social health.
This is one of them.”

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This guest post is contributed by Kitty Holman, who writes on the topics of nursing schools.
She welcomes your comments at her email Id: kitty.holman20@gmail.com.

Happy Friday Baseball fans. With the opening day of the 2010 baseball season less than a week away (Opening game is a big one – April 4th, Sox v Yankees, 1am Irish time – be there!), this is as good a time as any to do a baseball book review. But it’s also sceintific!

Moneyball is one of the best selling sports books of all time. It is subtitled “The Art of Winning an Unfair Game” and it chronicles the paradigm shift to a then newly touted science technique called “sabermetrics”, which was brought in to the game in 2002, and began the transition of baseball from the historical way of scouting players to the new technique which involved statistics, statistics and you guessed it more statistics. It was the brain child of the newly installed manager of the (at the time) unsuccessful Oakland Athletics (locally known as the A’s – how do they come up with them), which rethought the basis on which a selector scouted for potential players. Traditionally a value was put on traits such as foot speed, defence and strength but this new system identified success based on stats for results  - such as the ability to get on base.

The story revolves around Billy Beane, a former player who has taken over the A’s, a team with little to no money compared to the powerhouses of LA, Boston and New York. It specifically focuses on the 2002 draft, the process of acquiring new players, and examines how Billy and his team are using these new techniques as opposed to the old school baseball scouting methods. For a game steeped so long in tradition, it was a bold and brave move to employ such an outside the box technique, and it is set against the entertain backdrop of Billy and his team (of statistical misfits), it makes for a fascinating page-turner.

I listened to the audio book recently (after having read the book a couple of years ago), and there are some genuinely laugh out loud moments. You will also find yourself Googling Kevin Youkilis, a fat slow third baseman, who earned himself the title of “the Greek God of Walks.” I especially love the part where Scott Hatteberg, a rookie in his first major league match steps up to bat and ended up geting whats known as easy double (essentially walks to 2^nd base). However, his childhood idol Don Mattingly was the first baseman for the Yankees that day and was not long from retirement. So to the shock of everyone in the stadium, Hatty stops on the first base bag instead, just so he can grab a few moments with the great man. You will find yourself trying to find pictures of “The Creature” a guy drafted without ever being seen, just because he seemed like a bargain. You will try to search for the events of Sept 4th, 2002 in Oakland on Youtube. You will try to find pictures of Chad Bradford scraping his knuckles as he pitches. And all your searches will add a little entertainment to your day!

It’s considered one of the best sports books of all time, and is oft cited by business leaders who are searching for alternatives ways around old problems. Highly recommended and you don’t need to be a baseball nut to appreciate. Far from it, although there is a risk you will become one!

To read more on baseball, check out Ireland’s best sports blog, dedicated to American sports.

Also coming soon to a cinema near you in 2011, Moneyball the movie – link.

-Brian (bhc at lifescience.ie)

Teleflex Medical design and deliver specialised instruments and devices to touch nearly every organ in the human body. With 1 well established Original Equipment Manufacture plant in Limerick (TFX OEM) and a newly announced plant being created in Athlone, this is a relatively low profile player in the Irish medical device sector which looks set to grow. The recent jobs announcement involved the company setting up their European HQ in Athlone, with the creation of 150 highly skilled positions in the next 5 years (announced in 2007). This site now seems to be gathering momentum.
Their Limerick site as founded in 1983, and specialises in the contract manufacture of a number of various medical device products. With many patented and innovative materials, they would seem to be able to offer products that other companies stuggle to match. More information can be found here.

Brian – (brian dot c at lifescience dot ie)

Propofol is very short acting hypnotic agent used to induce general anesthesia and to maintain patients who are mechanically ventilated. For those of you who have undergone general anesthesia, the milky white liquid is probably the last thing you see prior to being knocked out – as once injected propofol will induce unconsciousness in around 10 seconds. Due to its ability to impair memory while under its influence and its appearance as a white liquid, propofol is jokingly called “milk of amnesia” by medical professionals. Interestingly, Michael called propofol his “milk”.

It has several mechanisms of action, both through potentiation of GABA-A receptor activity, thereby slowing the channel closing time, and also acting as a sodium channel blocker. Recent research has also suggested the endocannabinoid system may contribute significantly to propofol’s anesthetic action and to its unique properties.

So What Went Wrong?

As with most cases of this kind, although propofol was the actual coup de grace, it was the combination of multiple drug interactions which ultimately led to Michael’s death. In a report released today, Michael was actually dosed with a 10-milligram tab of Valium (diazepam, a long-acting benzodiazepine) at 1.30am, followed by injections including two milligrams of lorazepam (a medium-acting benzodiazepine) around 2 a.m., two milligrams of midazolam (an ultra-short-acting benzodiazepine) around 3 a.m., and repeats of each at 5 a.m. and 7.30 a.m. respectively. That’s a lot of benzodiazepines!

Finally, at 10.40am, 25 milligrams of propofol was administered and Michael was dead within 10 minutes, most likely from respiratory depression caused by the interaction of high doses of benzodiazepines and propofol.

Alas, a totally avoidable death due to medical negligence on the part of a physician giving in to the demands of a patient.

- Eamonn

Finally i will never have to worry about leaving my desk for a hot tasty treat. Mind you if i spill it everywhere i’ll need some form of cleaning device. RH

Future of USB Fast Food?

Found a very cool use of technology meeting science head on. Lots of fun playing with you periodic table!

Simply follow the link -> www.ptable.com

R

Fun with science

Just saw this on RTE news, amazing story. Connie Culp, 46, was shot in the face by her husband in 2004 – he then turned the gun on himself. 30 operations later, she still did not have the ability to perform ‘ordinary’ facial functions. A 22 hr operation, led by 11 surgeons has reHer news conference afterwards was special too, kids used to call her a monster. Connie used to have to carry a photo of herself to show them what she used to look like. It will be very interesting to see if she regains the ability to smell and drink (not using a straw) – things we all take for granted.

Before shooting:

Connie Culp pre-shooting

After shooting:

Connie Culp pre-operation

After operation:

Connie Culp after operation

News conference
Pics of Connie Culp previously

-BHC

The knuckleball is an intriguing prospect from the outset. How can something which is sometimes not even thrown at 70mph compare to something thrown at 95+ mph by some fireballers (Jonathan Papelbon, Joba Chmberlain et al)??
Having experienced Tim Wakefield pitch live twice, it really is hilarious. The ball looks like it floats out of his hand towards large burly major leaguers. To see them swing violently and miss at something so slow is amazing. Which begs the question, what is the Science behind the knuckleball? As alluded to in the Ronaldo post, the principles isolated in this pitch are quite similar. The distinct lack of spin imparted to Wakefield’s pitch and Ronaldo’s strike results in the respective balls making erratic movements on the way to their targets due to increased drag, results in the goalkeeper and hitter, respectively, having trouble anticipating where the object ball will be on arrival.
Further information from the Am.J. Physics here.

Wakefield elucidates this lack of spin by using a special technique. The grip is extremely distinctive, he essentially digs his fingernails into the ball with his little finger at the side of the ball to ensure stability, so that at release point his fingers essentially push the ball towards the target, as opposed to the natural spin put on the ball as is the case with a “normal “ fastball. This results in the ball being thrown at a much lower velocity than regular MLB pitchers. The upside to all this is Wakefield has very little wear and tear on his arm, he can pitch longer into games and pitch more innings every year. He has also aged very well, he is now in his 42nd year, and still in good shape with the Boston Red Sox.
A video showing the pitch can be seen here

-Brian (brian.c at lifescience.ie)