Biology 202 Web Paper 3

            Since 1975, PepsiCo has been hosting the Pepsi Challenge, in which Pepsi representatives give two unmarked cups to participants. One of the cups contains Pepsi, while the other contains Coke. In this blind test, it was found that a greater number of participants preferred Pepsi over Coke. However, Coke repeatedly reaps greater revenue (La Monica, 2002). Why is it that despite preferring the taste of Pepsi, people tend to buy Coke? How is it that although both sodas are very similar in composition, they elicit strong behavioral preferences

As I discussed in one of my posts, I have been watching the new show Dollhouse and it has made me curious about the cutting edge of neuroscience and whether it at all compares to the themes in the show.  The premise of Dollhouse is that people submit themselves, for money, to be a doll for a set number of years.

Jim Wiltsee
Professor Grobstein
5/9/09
NeuroBio & Behavior
Web Paper III: Memory Consolidation and Efficiency as a Result of Sleep

    The two topics that I have previously wrote on were sleep paralysis and the effect of depression on memory.  After learning the fundamentals of memory and sleep, I now wish to learn more about how the two work together in memory retention and consolidation.  This is especially relevant to my life as I often debate whether to stay up late and study or go to bed earlier and wake up and study.  After researching this topic, sleep is important to the consolidation and effectiveness of memory. 

New and Unanswered Questions??

Neuroanthropology: Brain Enculturing
 Through the lens of the Capoeira Angola  

 

As a competitive long-distance runner, I have often debated the validity of athletic talent. While talent seems to play a key role in sports like soccer, basketball, and tennis which require a sophisticated level of hand-eye coordination, gracefulness, and spatial perception, it seems less critical to endurance sports. I’d like to suggest that pain tolerance is in fact the most important skill of endurance athletes. I believe that this tolerance depends upon an individual’s ability to process and experience physical sensations normally classified as pain as something else. Finally, I assert that pain tolerance can be learned and may affect arenas other than athletics.