Science news of interest. Recently, some neuroscientists classically conditioned mouses to exhibit fear behavior and showed new and specific neural pathways are created in the mouse's brains after a period of intensive conditioning. That in itself is useful, but not very surprising, since the mechanism is intuitive: when we see a mouse learns to anticipate a electric shock at the sound of a bell, it's concievable and logical to think new neural pathways are built to connect the two previously unrelated concepts. Further, it is already known that after a period, classically conditioned behavioral response fades away to nothing in the absence of reinforcment.

But the surprising part of the experiment is that even after the conditioned behavioral responses has gone, the neural pathways created during the conditioning still persists, maybe becoming a permanent feature in the brain. In a way, the conditioning process left an anatomical "scar" in the mouse.

Marooned in Porltand II

The saga continues. The worst part is every night since Tuesday I have closed my eyes and confident that next day would bring the sunshine the rise in temperature that enable me to fly out. But two morning in a roll I have woken up, rubbing my groggy eyes, to the TV chatter that once again, airport complete shut down, roads closed, more ice rain coming from south, second horseman of apoclypse sighted in northeastern sky, blah blah. The weatherman makes a sad face as if to comfort a child who needs to swallow a spoonful of foul medicine.

Outside the ice and snow press tightly against the house. Have been cooped up in this house since Monday night. Food running low in the fridge, nerves frayed. This weather better lift soon, or it's going to turn into a Donner Party situation here.

Marooned in Portland!

Two days of snow and sleet has turned the Metropolitan Portland Area into a giant skating rink. All flights out of Portland has been canceled. Most of the city's much-touted public transportation system has grounded to a halt, reduced to a few bus crawling around like big slugs. The area around my home, a semi-rural area invaded by armies of cookie-cutter suburbs, is a scene of winter wonderland, replete with undulating hills of snow, crystalline tree branches and the unearthly quiet. But amidst all this beauty, I am trapped! No way to get anywhere, had to postpone flight to LA two days in a row. The storm has been a boon for the local media, which dubbed it the biggest storm in a decade. Indeed, the only people having fun are the children enjoying no school days and TV news crews. There is nothing on TV except smug-looking weathermen tracing the flow of cold air on the screen as if they are God shaping the weather by their hands and over-excited reporters bouncing around in snow. I guess it is a mark of my personal growth now that I look upon snow as a nuisance, not as the powdery magical substance that can be shaped into little balls perfect for throwing against other people.