Jonas Enander

The case is still as written before. I have to train my english. So expect this post to have both flaws in grammar and spelling – apart from the obvious flaws in logic and reason buried inside the proposed meaning of the words.

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Today you can from time to time hear someone saying that technology is moving to quick to follow. You might even feel that way yourself sometimes. And in most ways it is true. Development and science is uncovering new landmasses on the planet of knowledge each day, and every day faster then the day before. Regular books have trouble to encompass the knowledge of today before it is outdated and in need of replacement. Something especially true with medicine. Eric Kandels classic regarding neuroscience “Principles of neural science” have had its release date for the fifth edition postponed a few times over the last years now. My guess is that it is hard to finish one chapter in time before the previous one is outdated.

The solution to this ought to be articles. Straight from the universities and into the hands of anyone who is interested. A good book on basics and then only articles. The problem with this is that articles is dense and take both time and patience to read. And they often address very small parts of the science they sprout from. The only field of study you can keep track of without dedicating all free time to articles is the one that is your own field, and maybe some fields with much in common. Since articles need basic understanding of the field from which they origin and need time and patience to read you never venture far from your field of expertise.

But why should anyone need to know about the progress in any other field then their own? Well, with every step into further understanding of a field the closer to the same basic mechanic we get. Everything is ultimately governed by the laws of physics (as we know today, right?). And the closer to the “core” of all things we get we also get the opportunity to combine fields of science.

A good example is the work on BMI that is done all over the globe. The goal is to combine neuroscience, electrotechnology and computers. Point being that with extended knowledge of the possibilities in completely different fields then your own you might come up with the next e=mc².

The idea to solve this would be an idea that have circulated among scientists and others a long time. Sharing knowledge. And not in the way that articles does it, no. The way we all do it in our everyday life. We talk and explain what we do to people we meet.

This idea reminds me of a quote from the series “A Streetcar Named Desire”, where the character Blance DuBois says:

“I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.”

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Someday I want to start, or why not just experience, a group where you can get the latest and greatest summaries of fields of study by the top scientists on that field. A door into understanding what else there is and what visions of the future it holds, and also the worries and dangers.

I want to be able to explain to anyone what nanotechnology, mathematics, biotech, physics, geology, zoology and everything else is and what is happening inside that field today. Not with great detail, but in essence. I want to know where I can turn when I get stuck in my field.

Synergy must be fueled. Science-fiction must be transformed into Science-fact.

Denna termin har jag läst, utöver anatomi, en kurs i neurologi. Bortsett ifrån insikten om hur lite vi faktiskt vet har jag även fått en annan insikt. Nämligen den hur vi till stor del är en automatisk maskin. Det kan nog svida i många ögon och öron att det finns personer som tycker så. Kan nog också framkalla spännande små tankestormar om moral och annat irrelevant. Jag tänkte däremot skriva en lite mer allmän reflektion om ämnet.

Återhållen maskin

Det som fascinerar mest med neurologin är de system som är uppbyggda i nervsystemet. Från den “enkla” reflexbågen hos en sträckreflex ända till det smått mer komplicerade maskineriet bakom de basala ganglierna eller det limbiska systemet. Allt efter varje känd komponent greppas påverkas mitt synsätt på omvärlden. De rörelser vi gör blir bara svar på yttre stimuli filtrerat genom minnet, de basala ganglierna och centrala utförande delar av neocortex. De tankar vi tänker blir bieffekter av samma stimuli eller interna uppspelningar av ageranden som vi inte kan utföra just då.

Ikväll när jag gick ut från BMC för att ta en nypa frisk luft mitt under mitt tentaplugg gick tankarna igång när jag såg den levande världen utanför. Fåglar flög åt olika håll, studenter cyklade förbi med träningskläder, bilar puttrade förbi påväg någon annanstans och mitt i alltihopa stod jag och funderade. Vi är alla drivna av någon sorts grundläggande drift som förmodligen kommer med generna. Överleva och föröka oss. Äta, plugga, jobba, socialisera och ha sex.

Dessa grundläggande idéer filtreras som allt annat genom hjärnans olika noder och ut kommer beteenden som, föhoppningsvis (?),  är i formen av socialt accepterade. Vi våldtar inte, vi stjäl inte och vi gör inte tusen andra saker. Återhållna av inlärda regler och påputtade av genetik. Det låter kanske som en trist och grå värld. Jag måste dock säga att det är det mest fantastiska maskineri jag någonsin skådat. Återhållet eller ej.

Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om Vardag, Universitetet, Lunds Universitet, Neurologi