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The work provides a proof of principle that it should one day be possible to turn imagined words into understandable, real-time speech circumventing the vocal machinery, Edward Chang, a neurosurgeon at U.C.S.F. and co-author of the study published in April in Nature, said in a news conference. “Very few of us have any real idea of what’s going on in our mouth when we speak,” he said. “The brain translates those thoughts of what you want to say into movements of the vocal tract, and that’s what we want to decode....

DIVIDED SHE FALLS The United States of Tara Showtime www.sho.com/site/tara/home.do Spend half an hour with Tara, the beloved main character in the television series United States of Tara, and you’ll also meet beer-chugging “Buck,” demure “Alice,” reclusive “Gimme” and teen terror “T,” who steals skimpy tops from Tara’s daughter’s closet. They have little in common, except for their eyes, family and therapist. These eccentrics are all part of Tara’s personality)she suffers from dissociative identity disorder (DID), a condition formerly known as multiple personality disorder, which may result from childhood trauma....

Key Concepts Chemistry Cells Diffusion Osmosis Introduction Have you ever thought of a chicken egg as one big cell? Of course it is made up of many, many actual cells. But you can use it as a model to explore how different fluids get transferred from across cell membranes—and to other cells. This process is happening right now on a much smaller scale in your own body! But to see it with the naked eye we can try this macro-activity!...

The observable universe is estimated to contain about 1053 kilograms of ordinary matter, most of that in the form of some 1080 protons and neutrons, which, along with electrons, are the ingredients of atoms. But what gives protons and neutrons their mass? The answer, it turns out, is not simple. Protons and neutrons are made up of particles called quarks and binding particles known as gluons. Gluons are massless, and the sum of the masses of the quarks inside protons and neutrons (collectively “nucleons”) makes up roughly 2 percent of the nucleons’ total mass....

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the October 1969 issue of Scientific American magazine. We are posting it to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11’s moon landing. The success of the Apollo 11 mission in putting men on the moon and bringing them back safely with samples of lunar material marks the beginning of what promises to be a period of fruitful exploration of the moon by men and machines....

Unsigned and undated, inventory number 779 hangs behind thick glass in the Louvre’s brilliantly lit Salle des États. A few minutes after the stroke of nine each morning, except for Tuesdays when the museum remains closed, Parisians and tourists, art lovers and curiosity seekers begin flooding into the room. As their hushed voices blend into a steady hivelike hum, some crane for the best view; others stretch their arms urgently upward, clicking cell-phone cameras....

The disorder that killed Leonard Nimoy, the actor best known for his role as Mr. Spock on Star Trek, was chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a progressive illness often linked to smoking. He died at his home on February 27 at the age of 83. He was one of the roughly 15 million Americans diagnosed with the disorder. But just what is COPD? That umbrella term refers to a group of diseases that cause airflow blockage and breathing-difficulties, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis....

From Nature magazine Lung cancer causes more deaths than any other form of cancer. About 1.6 million people worldwide are diagnosed with the disease each year, with fewer than 20% still alive five years later. Now a trio of genome-sequencing studies published this week1–3 is laying the groundwork for more effective personalized treatment of lung cancers, in which patients are matched with therapies that best suit the particular genetic characteristics of their tumours....

Choice is a fundamental American value that often lies at the center of heated political discussions. For example, disputes about the Affordable Healthcare Act have hinged on whether buying health insurance should be a personal choice. Recent research suggests that thinking about our lives in terms choices may reduce our support for public policies that promote greater equality in society. By emphasizing free will over the situational factors that shape people’s life experiences, thinking about choice may lead us to view inequality as less bothersome....

Smothered under volcanic ash and rocks from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, the ancient city of Pompeii in modern-day Italy lay buried for more than 1,500 years before it was discovered and excavations began. Most archaeologists expect that the volcanic debris will safely preserve the remaining ruins. But new work suggests these materials, called pyroclasts, can themselves impart damage under certain conditions. Researchers reported in Angewandte Chemie International Edition that when exposed to water, the pyroclasts leach fluoride ions—charged particles that can combine with other ions to form a salty crust on Pompeii’s famously vivid murals....

At a major United Nations climate summit in Warsaw this week, a plan is being hammered out for negotiations on a new climate treaty to be finalized in Paris in two years’ time. Delegates from 195 nations are also seeking to obtain commitments from countries to limit their greenhouse-gas emissions between now and 2020. But the path forward is rife with disputes between rich and poor countries over funding, and how to allocate and enforce emissions reductions....

The tech blogosphere (CNET included) went into a mild panic today over a report in the Guardian saying that a native Google Maps app for iOS would “struggle for Apple approval.” “Sources at Google familiar with its mapping plans say they are ’not optimistic’ that Apple will ever approve a dedicated Google Maps iOS app,” says the story by Michael Grothaus, a former Apple consultant. “Though the app is reportedly in development and should be ready to ship by the end of the year, the sources say their plans are only proceeding in ’the unlikely event’ that Apple will choose to approve the app....

Did you like this article? Editorial Review This article has been reviewed for accuracy, reliability and adherence to academic standards prior to publication. Ashurbanipal’s collection of Sumerian and Babylonian proverbs formed part of the famous Library of Ashurbanipal (7th century BCE) established at Nineveh for the express purpose of preserving the knowledge of the past for future generations. They are thought to have influenced the works included in the biblical Book of Proverbs, among other later wisdom texts....

Did you like this article? Editorial Review This article has been reviewed for accuracy, reliability and adherence to academic standards prior to publication. The Hoysala era (1026 CE – 1343 CE) was marked by illustrious achievements in art, architecture, and culture. The nucleus of this activity lay in the present day Hassan district of Karnataka, India. The most remarkable accomplishment of this era lies, undoubtedly, in the field of architecture. The intention of surpassing the Western Chalukyan Empire (973 CE – 1189 CE) in its own sphere provided further impetus for excelling in the field of architecture....

Did you like this article? Editorial Review This article has been reviewed for accuracy, reliability and adherence to academic standards prior to publication. In the early 17th century, the Dutch and English East India Companies turned their eyes towards India, as part of their grand schemes to develop extensive trade networks across the Indian and China Seas. They were faced with two significant challenges: 1) gaining the favor of the Mughals who now controlled most of North India and, 2) pushing out the Portuguese who were well entrenched along the west coast....

Chances are you have heard about the “marshmallow test.” Put a marshmallow in front of a child and give them two choices: eat it now or wait 15 minutes and get two. According to a classic study, children able to delay gratification and wait for the second marshmallow have better academic, social and health outcomes years later. Since these early experiments, researchers have shown that a wide range of childhood traits from social and emotional skills to motivation and self-control can predict better life outcomes....

People who don’t get enough sleep could be increasing their risk of developing false memories, a new study finds. In the study, when researchers compared the memory of people who’d had a good night’s sleep with the memory of those who hadn’t slept at all, they found that, under certain conditions, sleep-deprived individuals mix fact with imagination, embellish events and even “remember” things that never actually happened. False memories occur when people’s brains distort how they remember a past event — whether it’s what they did after work, how a painful relationship ended or what they witnessed at a crime scene....

U.S. forests are among the most vulnerable in the world to predators and disease, and those threats are being compounded by climate change, according to a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. The report suggests that two U.S. agencies—the Department of Agriculture and EPA—and the nonprofit U.S. Endowment for Forestry & Communities Inc. consider using more tools from emerging fields of biotechnology to promote healthy forests....

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) late this year released its new Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, calling for adults between the ages of 18 and 64 to exercise moderately (such as brisk walking or water aerobics) for at least two hours and 30 minutes or vigorously (running, swimming, or cycling 10 mph or faster) for at least an hour and 15 minutes weekly. The longer, harder and more often you exercise, the greater the health benefits, including reducing the risk of diseases such as cancer and diabetes, according to the recommendations, which were based on a decade of scientific research....

After claims of its discovery were retracted in 2002, a new team of researchers says it has produced a few scant atoms of the heaviest element yet, called simply element 118 after the number of protons in its nucleus. The discovery came after months of relentlessly bombarding heavy atoms onto a radioactive target and searching for distinctive chains of radioactive decays, the group reports. Confirmation of the finding, however, will come only when other groups have reproduced it....