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Dark matter; experiments with memory loss in mice; “digital detective” Hany Farid, professor of computer science at Dartmouth; and the “wisdom of the crowd.”
"Dark Matter"--Host Neil deGrasse Tyson reports from a half-mile
underground in an abandoned mine, where scientists are using
special detectors to look for evidence of a ghostly substance that
they believe makes up most of the matter of the universe - a
hypothetical entity called dark matter.
"Alzheimer's/Memory Mice"--Researchers have found that mice with
induced memory loss are able to retrieve memories either by being
put into an enriched environment or by being given a drug that
promotes beneficial gene activity in their brains. Such new
insights may lead to a better understanding of dementia and other
memory-impairment disorders, such as Alzheimer's, in humans.
"Hany Farid"--Is seeing believing? In this age of easy photo
manipulation, sometimes only a digital detective can tell. Enter
Hany Farid, professor of computer science at Dartmouth College. He
developed a program that can unmask photo tampering by analyzing
light sources and other subtle features in an image - a service
that turns out to be in high demand, especially during political
campaigns.
"Wisdom of the Crowd"--Famed British scientist Sir Francis Galton
(1822 to 1911), a proud aristocrat, thought he was proving the
ignorance of the masses in his observation about a country-fair
competition in which entrants were asked to guess the exact weight
of an ox. The correct answer was 1,198 pounds; understandably, none
of the 800 contestants got it exactly. "See!" said Sir Francis.
"Decisions should be left to higher classes" - or sentiments to
that effect. However, Sir Francis failed to realize that graphing
all the guesses and determining their median produces the right
answer and shows the "wisdom of the crowd."