• Question: What is your favourite tech invention?

    Asked by maverick to Ben, James, Jen, Michael, Susanna on 11 Mar 2013. This question was also asked by oscardj2001.
    • Photo: Jen Todd Jones

      Jen Todd Jones answered on 11 Mar 2013:

      My favourite invention is the TMS or Transcranial Magnetic Stimulator (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcranial_magnetic_stimulation).

      When we try to understand which parts of the brain do what we examine people with brain damage to a particular area and then work out what function they’ve lost, for example, damaging a thin strip at the left side of your head about half way back will mean the right side of your body is paralysed (I know that sounds strange, the opposite side, but the brain is a funny thing!). However, someone with brain damage has probably damaged a lot more of their brain than just that tiny strip, so it can be confusing to understand which part of the brain does exactly what.

      TMS can be used to send a tiny magnetic pulse into the brain to stop the brain working so well in a very specific area for a short space of time – it doesn’t damage or kill the brain cells in any way, it just temporarily confuses them. This way we can produce brain damage that doesn’t last, and better understand where stuff happens in the brain.

      I think this is totally cool, to be able to have brain damage and have it go away! Having said this, having brain damage itself is really not cool and while I mentioned damaging a bit of your brain above it’s really very difficult to get brain damage easily since our skulls are so thick so don’t be alarmed about banging your head lightly!

      Jen

    • Photo: James Stovold

      James Stovold answered on 11 Mar 2013:

      Hi maverick,

      My favourite tech invention has to be the internet. It has revolutionised the way everybody on this planet communicates with each other. The fact that at the touch of a button we have pretty much everything anybody has known in our pockets is mind-boggling! But then there’s more to it than you probably first realise — all our phones and TVs run across the internet, alarm systems, fire systems, everything is connected these days, and it means that we’re safer and more informed than we’ve ever been before.

      The internet has had a huge impact on research as well — collaborations between scientists on opposite sides of the planet has become easier and easier as the internet has become more prevalent. At the same time, we’re now able to search through vast archives of information and previous research using tools such as Google Scholar, meaning us researchers spend less time in the catacombs of the library and more time in the lab where we should be!!

      Oh, and also, this site exists: http://attackofthecute.com/ Case and point. 🙂

      James

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