Tuesday, October 30, 2012
The Business of Bees
How could such a small bumble bee have such a large effect on humans? Find out here!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Biocomplexity Still A Mystery
After every seat in the NCSA auditorium filled up on November 3rd, 2011, students and TAs began lining the walls, seated and standing, to hear Professor Ray Goldstein speak on the evolution of biocomplexity. Goldstein, a professor of Complex Physical Systems at Cambridge University, looked young, determined, and focused as he took the remote clicker from Professor Saintillan of UIUC, the host of the event.
His presentation started off with the big question, the question that had brought all these students and professors to this small auditorium on the edge of campus: Why did single-cell organisms evolve into multicellular organisms? And how did these cells become differentiated?
The idea is that as the total number of cells in an organism rises, so do the number of cell types. So as organisms grow larger, they grow more complex. But why?
As it turns out, they didn't have an answer yet. What Goldstein did present, however, with a significant amount of poise, expertise, and enthusiasm, was his experiments with a eukaryotic species called Volvox Carteri, which evolved from the single-cell Chlamydomas Reinhardtii to become an organized sphere of Chlamydomas Reinhardtii that can move through fluid much faster with so many more flagella paddling. "Think of a slave galley," Goldstein said. "Think of all those rowers. Now Volvox can move that much faster."
They can also turn the organism, moving their flagella in synchrony or asynchrony. However...Volvox has no central nervous system. "Volvox Carteri is like a rowing crew with no cocksun," Goldstein said. The answer turned out to be light; each cell has a photoreceptor. But it still doesn't explain how they stay together, or why.
"The project is in motion," Goldstein said, showing the names of the researchers in his group. "We're getting somewhere. It just might take a while to get there."
His presentation started off with the big question, the question that had brought all these students and professors to this small auditorium on the edge of campus: Why did single-cell organisms evolve into multicellular organisms? And how did these cells become differentiated?
The idea is that as the total number of cells in an organism rises, so do the number of cell types. So as organisms grow larger, they grow more complex. But why?
As it turns out, they didn't have an answer yet. What Goldstein did present, however, with a significant amount of poise, expertise, and enthusiasm, was his experiments with a eukaryotic species called Volvox Carteri, which evolved from the single-cell Chlamydomas Reinhardtii to become an organized sphere of Chlamydomas Reinhardtii that can move through fluid much faster with so many more flagella paddling. "Think of a slave galley," Goldstein said. "Think of all those rowers. Now Volvox can move that much faster."
They can also turn the organism, moving their flagella in synchrony or asynchrony. However...Volvox has no central nervous system. "Volvox Carteri is like a rowing crew with no cocksun," Goldstein said. The answer turned out to be light; each cell has a photoreceptor. But it still doesn't explain how they stay together, or why.
"The project is in motion," Goldstein said, showing the names of the researchers in his group. "We're getting somewhere. It just might take a while to get there."
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Improved Performance after Dreaming
Click to play podcast.
(Cue yawn.)
Want to ace that final? Forget pulling the all-nighter and try taking a nap instead.
According to a research project led by an assistant professor in psychiatry at the University of California in San Diego, a nap with dreams may improve academic performance. REM, or rapid eye movement, is a period of sleep when dreams can occur.
Professor Sara C. Mednick’s 2009 study tested 77 volunteers with IQ tests. Participants spent a day without sleep, with REM sleep, and without REM sleep. The tests revealed that there was a 40% improvement in performance with REM sleep overall.
But what actually happens during REM sleep? What makes it a magical performance booster?
As Mednick puts it, dreams create alternate worlds in which we put polar ideas together—something we would not do if we were awake. In REM sleep, it is more likely that we put odd ideas together and create a solution.
And what if you are not a dreamer or don’t have REM sleep?
Further investigation revealed that sleep without REM still resulted in better performance than no sleep at all. In other words, a nap-REM or none might help you ace the final. It is a win-win situation.
This is Lyanne Alfaro and Becky Savitt for Science in the Media-good luck and good night!
Produced by Lyanne, Becky, Olivia, and Madison.
Works Cited
(Cue yawn.)
Want to ace that final? Forget pulling the all-nighter and try taking a nap instead.
According to a research project led by an assistant professor in psychiatry at the University of California in San Diego, a nap with dreams may improve academic performance. REM, or rapid eye movement, is a period of sleep when dreams can occur.
Professor Sara C. Mednick’s 2009 study tested 77 volunteers with IQ tests. Participants spent a day without sleep, with REM sleep, and without REM sleep. The tests revealed that there was a 40% improvement in performance with REM sleep overall.
But what actually happens during REM sleep? What makes it a magical performance booster?
As Mednick puts it, dreams create alternate worlds in which we put polar ideas together—something we would not do if we were awake. In REM sleep, it is more likely that we put odd ideas together and create a solution.
And what if you are not a dreamer or don’t have REM sleep?
Further investigation revealed that sleep without REM still resulted in better performance than no sleep at all. In other words, a nap-REM or none might help you ace the final. It is a win-win situation.
This is Lyanne Alfaro and Becky Savitt for Science in the Media-good luck and good night!
Produced by Lyanne, Becky, Olivia, and Madison.
Bakalar, Nicholas. “Behavior: Better Performance After a Dreaming Nap.” The New York Times. 22 June 2009. Web. 3 Nov 2011.
“Stages of Sleep: REM and Non-REM Sleep.” WebMD. 2011. Web. 3 Nov 2011.
Trip to WCIA
Most of the field trips for my discovery class have incorporated science and media together. Our last field trip leaned more toward the media aspect of the class. I did not think a lot about where I was heading as I followed the given directions. I am not as interested in science as I am in the media; as a journalism major in the College of Media, I am very interested in the media. I was amazed that we were allowed to see what goes on at an actual news station.
Due to our large class, our tour guide split the class into two groups. I was part of the group who was in the director’s room to start off. Each person in that room seemed to have a very important job. There were many people in the room, but the most important man was the director. The director told us that he always directs when they film live because he has the most experience. He made every decision as to what would be shown on television in viewers’ living rooms; he chose which camera would be on television, and he gave orders to the people being filmed. I tried to hold in my excitement as he gave all of the orders, because we were told to be very quiet.
My group then switched to the studio. They filmed a segment called “CI Living." First we saw Andy Dallas from Dallas and Co. show some of his new Halloween products. We saw a smoke bubble machine and an assortment of masks. As we watched, I could not help noticing that the interviewer was very good at making lines up as the show went on. Another segment we saw was about interior design. Again, the interviewer was able to keep conversation going whether it was because she had a prompter or she just knew what to say. At ciLiving.tv, you can watch some of their episodes, including the one with Andy Dallas which I was present for.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
A Trip to WCIA 3's TV Show: ciLiving.tv
On October 25, 2011, a college journalism 199 class joined WCIA 3 behind the scenes of the shooting of ciLiving's latest topic: Spooky Make-Up Tricks with Dallas & Co.
The students were astonished to learn that it took three camera men to shoot different angles of the same scene and that there was a control room filled with five people accompanied by countless computer screens.They also learned that commercial breaks are not intended to allow them to run to the kitchen for a break snack, but serve as rehearsal time for the talk show host.
Wait a second. Did she just pull out a small piece of paper and quickly memorize her TV script during a commercial break? Oh,yes, she did. The camera man yelled out "1 minute" and the talk show host gazed into the camera, showed her luminous, white teeth, and began to quietly rehearse her lines from a piece of paper. 45 seconds remained and the camera man tells her to move forward. "I can't anymore. I will fall out," she said. 15 seconds remained and she looked to the screen on her right. She smiled and her time was up.
In the control room, the director had a head piece on and yelled out "Cam 1. Cam 2. Back to Cam 1" indicating which camera should displayed at different intervals.
While being on AIR, not only did the camera man on the right suck on a lollipop, but he also snapped his fingers furiously in order to get the attention of another camera man.The talk show host maintained her position and ignored anything that went on behind the scenes.
This seems to be a typical work day for Heather Roberts, a WCIA 3 talk show host for ciLiving.tv.
By Sara Rosario
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Reaction from the Channel 3 Newsroom
Going to visit the Channel 3 news station for WCIA in Champaign was an extremely unique experience--one that I won't soon forget. Being able to go behind the scenes in all phases of the TV broadcast was intriguing to watch and see how each person worked together to put on the show. In the "control room," (the name brings up images of NASA guiding a spaceship) a five person crew handled the entire production.
I was suprised to see such a small crew; even with a small TV production like "CI Living," I figured there had to be a small army of workers pressing buttons and pulling levers to make the show work. However, the process was much less chaotic than I anticipated. The director calmly commanded orders to the producer to flip the camera view back and forth at lightning speed ("1, back to the hands, back to 1, zoom out!"). Off to his right, another man was putting together digital images that would appear on the screen to transition back and forth from commercials. Behind the three of them, one man worked the sound board, while a woman had a direct microphone into the host's ear to relay quick messages such as "1 minute left" or "Hold that up toward the camera!"
When we switched over to being on the live floor of the show, the people in charge all seemed very composed under the stressful conditions of live entertainment. I kept thinking of how strange it must be for the host to basically be talking to herself, but must look completely normal to the audience of people in front of their TV's. Also, with our experience from the control room, I now knew the juggling act the host must preform, with one ear listening to the director's commentary for where to look, while still keeping the show rolling.
By: Steve Bourbon
I was suprised to see such a small crew; even with a small TV production like "CI Living," I figured there had to be a small army of workers pressing buttons and pulling levers to make the show work. However, the process was much less chaotic than I anticipated. The director calmly commanded orders to the producer to flip the camera view back and forth at lightning speed ("1, back to the hands, back to 1, zoom out!"). Off to his right, another man was putting together digital images that would appear on the screen to transition back and forth from commercials. Behind the three of them, one man worked the sound board, while a woman had a direct microphone into the host's ear to relay quick messages such as "1 minute left" or "Hold that up toward the camera!"
When we switched over to being on the live floor of the show, the people in charge all seemed very composed under the stressful conditions of live entertainment. I kept thinking of how strange it must be for the host to basically be talking to herself, but must look completely normal to the audience of people in front of their TV's. Also, with our experience from the control room, I now knew the juggling act the host must preform, with one ear listening to the director's commentary for where to look, while still keeping the show rolling.
By: Steve Bourbon
What Goes on Behind the Camera at WCIA
I don’t have a TV in my room, so unless I’m watching in a friend’s room or going home I rarely see any kind of programming produced in the Champaign area. I’d be lying if I said I’d heard anything about the WCIA station before I actually opened the email that said we would be visiting the station. Thanks to Anchorman and 30 Rock I had a really vague idea about what goes on behind the scenes at a TV station, but I’d never been to a station myself to see any of it happen. When we first walked into the building it felt more like a waiting room at a doctor’s office, not what I’d thought a TV station would look like. But as soon as news director Andy Miller took us back into the actual studio, it definitely fit what I was expecting. The mood in the control room was downright intense; all of the different directors yelling back and forth with the camera men back in the studio, a dozen different monitors showing a dozen different images being controlled by a dozen different controls, and the constant pressure of meeting the time limitation for each segment. Being able to go in the studio and see each segment being broadcast live was really interesting, I had always thought that lifestyle shows like that were pre-recorded and shown later. The host’s ability to improvise questions to ask guest Andy Dallas and play off of his responses was really impressive. The conversation didn’t seem too staged nor unprofessional. Even with all of the people running around doing different jobs, the atmosphere in the studio was extremely friendly. The staff was happy to answer any questions we had and, in the case of the weather team, encourage us to major in just about anything but communications.
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