Spring fever, winter blues, seasonal affective disorder—
the seasons can certainly infl uence our moods. But now
Belgian researchers have discovered that our brains are
also subject to seasonal fl uctuations. As part of a study,
participants had to solve tasks over the course of a year
and their brain activity was measured while they did so.
The result: Brain regions connected with attention and
concentration were most active in June and least active in
December. However, working memory does considerably
less in autumn than in spring. Depending on the season,
therefore, the brain has to operate at differing strengths
in order to achieve the same performance.
DOES MY BRAIN
HAVE SEASONS?
an my mobile phone
ack down an earthquake?
tphones provide us with important information—
ould they soon save our lives? Researchers at the
sity of California, Berkeley, have developed an
lled “MyShake”: An algorithm fi lters vibrations
at are generated by an earthquake and measures them
with the help of the acceleration sensors in the phone.
The location information and the relevant data are sent
to the Seismology Lab at the university. Already the app
is able to recognize earthquakes of magnitude 5 on the
Richter scale from a distance of 6 miles. After the test
phase ended, the app was made available for Android
users. (A “MyQuake” app is available for iOS users.)
ideasanddiscoveries.com 55 Mar 201711: 4 0P.M.TheTitanic
crashes into an iceberg
at 24 miles per hour.1:50A.M.The
flooded front half
sinks while the
ship tilts toward
the port side.2:15A.M.As a
result of the
water pressure
the front funnel
breaks off. More
water comes in
through the new
opening.2:18A.M.The pressure
between the foreship
and the stern grows
so strong that the hull
tearsintotwopieces.2:19A.M.The
stern also tilts
downward and
water floods in
through the torn
front side.2:20A.M. The stern
rotates itself into
a vertical position
and then slowly
drifts downward.On April 14, 1912,
the Titanic collides
with an iceberg and
sinks in the Atlantic—
1,517 people perish.
Now, 105 years later,
scientists have created
a minute-by-minute
reconstruction of the
catastrophe.While it is still on the
water’s surface, the
Titanic breaks in two.
As the front section
sinks vertically into the
depths, the stern spins
toward the ocean fl oor
and a few minutes later
ends up about 1,970 feet
south of the front half.HOW QUICKLY DOES A
SHIP BREAK APART?
2:21A.M. The front
mast breaks away,
and the remaining
funnels break off.
The stern rotates,
sinking with the hull.While the stern
and foreship sink
toward the ground,
additional pieces
of debris snap off.At 35 miles per hour the hull hurtles
to the ocean fl oor and crashes (left).
The stern shatters on impact (right).