http://newscenter.berkeley.edu News from the University of California, Berkeley Sat, 18 May 2013 20:48:36 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/04/21/brainsearchparty/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/04/21/brainsearchparty/#comments Sun, 21 Apr 2013 17:00:54 +0000 Yasmin Anwar http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=34465 A contact lens on the bathroom floor, an escaped hamster in the backyard, a car key in a bed of gravel: How are we able to focus so sharply to find that proverbial needle in a haystack? UC Berkeley scientists have discovered that when we embark on a targeted search, various visual and non-visual regions of the brain mobilize to track down a person, animal or thing.]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/04/21/brainsearchparty/feed/ 0 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/03/01/physics-nobelist-and-biotech-pioneer-donald-glaser-dies-at-86/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/03/01/physics-nobelist-and-biotech-pioneer-donald-glaser-dies-at-86/#comments Fri, 01 Mar 2013 18:05:59 +0000 Robert Sanders http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=34105 Donald Glaser, a Nobel-prize winning physicist who reinvented himself as a biotech pioneer and later dove into the field of neurobiology, died in his sleep Thursday morning, Feb. 28, at his home in Berkeley. Glaser, a professor emeritus of physics and of molecular and cell biology, was 86.]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/03/01/physics-nobelist-and-biotech-pioneer-donald-glaser-dies-at-86/feed/ 0 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2012/12/19/semanticspace/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2012/12/19/semanticspace/#comments Wed, 19 Dec 2012 17:00:47 +0000 Yasmin Anwar http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=33707 Our eyes may be our window to the world, but how do we make sense of the thousands of images that flood our retinas each day? UC Berkeley scientists have found that the brain is wired to put in order all the categories of objects and actions that we see. They have created the first interactive map of how the brain organizes these groupings.]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2012/12/19/semanticspace/feed/ 0 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2012/09/24/antimicrobial-keratins-in-eye/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2012/09/24/antimicrobial-keratins-in-eye/#comments Mon, 24 Sep 2012 16:00:42 +0000 Sarah Yang http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=32795 When it comes to germ-busting power, the eyes have it, according to a UC Berkeley discovery that could lead to new, inexpensive antimicrobial drugs. Researchers found that small fragments of keratin protein in the eye play a key role in warding off pathogens. ]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2012/09/24/antimicrobial-keratins-in-eye/feed/ 0 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2012/07/25/drug-makes-blind-mice-see/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2012/07/25/drug-makes-blind-mice-see/#comments Wed, 25 Jul 2012 16:00:45 +0000 Robert Sanders http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=32451 Neuroscientists have synthesized a chemical that, when injected into the eyes of genetically blind mice, makes their retinas light sensitive. A newer version of the chemical, now undergoing tests, has better attributes and holds promise for treating retinitis pigmentosa and other degenerative eye diseases.]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2012/07/25/drug-makes-blind-mice-see/feed/ 0 http://www.wellnessletter.com/html/wl/2011/wlFeatured1111.html http://www.wellnessletter.com/html/wl/2011/wlFeatured1111.html#comments Tue, 13 Dec 2011 16:45:02 +0000 Public Affairs http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=22148 Many nutrients and supplements are promoted as ways to preserve vision in healthy people and prevent age-related macular degeneration and/or cataracts. The UC Berkeley Wellness Letter looks at research findings on the most commonly recommended eye-health aids.]]> http://www.wellnessletter.com/html/wl/2011/wlFeatured1111.html/feed/ 0 http://www.wellnessletter.com/html/wl/wlFeatured.html http://www.wellnessletter.com/html/wl/wlFeatured.html#comments Mon, 31 Oct 2011 23:18:22 +0000 Public Affairs http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=19450 How to prevent age-related eye disorders is still an uncertain science. That’s why the role of nutrition in eye health has generated so many studies — and promising leads — in recent years. The UC Berkeley Wellness Letter sorts through the evidence on foods, supplements and vision.]]> http://www.wellnessletter.com/html/wl/wlFeatured.html/feed/ 0 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/09/22/brain-movies/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/09/22/brain-movies/#comments Thu, 22 Sep 2011 16:00:49 +0000 Yasmin Anwar http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=16595 Imagine tapping into the mind of a coma patient, or watching one’s own dream on YouTube. With a cutting-edge blend of brain imaging and computer simulation, UC Berkeley scientists are bringing these futuristic scenarios within reach. Using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and computational models, researchers have succeeded in decoding and reconstructing people’s dynamic visual experiences – in this case, watching Hollywood movie trailers.]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/09/22/brain-movies/feed/ 0 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/05/03/why-the-eye-is-better-than-a-camera/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/05/03/why-the-eye-is-better-than-a-camera/#comments Tue, 03 May 2011 21:00:25 +0000 Robert Sanders http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=10057 The human eye long ago solved a problem common to both digital and film cameras: how to get good contrast in an image while also capturing faint detail. New experiments by UC Berkeley neurobiologists show how the eye achieves this without sacrificing shadow detail.]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/05/03/why-the-eye-is-better-than-a-camera/feed/ 0 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2010/10/29/zebrafish/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2010/10/29/zebrafish/#comments Fri, 29 Oct 2010 22:18:11 +0000 Public Affairs http://dev-newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=1198 UC Berkeley neuroscientists have found that when zebrafish larvae see large objects, like leaves or other zebrafish, a large number of inhibitory nerve cells fire in the brain to tamp down a prey response. But when the larvae see small, prey-size objects, fewer inhibitory nerve cells fire and the fish quickly responds. This simple neural circuit helps explain the visual filters that enable prey capture. ]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2010/10/29/zebrafish/feed/ 0