#edvard moser

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The Dress (A Redress)      Remember way back during Nobel Prize season when I ruffled a bunch of feathers over disliking not May-Britt Moser's Nobel Prize dress, but the fact that I feared it overshadow her achievements due to our focus on women's clothing and less on their achievement?      Firstly, I would like to say that if that post was upsetting, I'm sorry. Fashion is great in science and the blending of the two is a decent means of adding science into everyday life (and despite my initial mood, I now gladly follow startorialist!) Just ask me and my obsession with any hexagonal prints or hexagon necklaces. I've even purchased fabrics simply because they resemble graphene. The fact that May-Britt Moser's dress was made by another scientist is fantastic and I have no issue with these individual choices – the choice to make the dress, the choice to design it and the choice to wear at the prize ceremony are all perfectly acceptable and I hope that it helped make an already special day even more special. What I was, and am still, worried about was the response of both the scientific community and the world at large.      But the fact of the matter is, nobody cares what Edvard Moser is wearing. Ever. To anything. His work will never be overshadowed by the way he dresses and I'd wager, verging on poor hygiene, his manner of dress would not detract from the value of his work either. Scientists, and professors, wear all kinds of absurd outfits provided they are totally good lab safety wise. Trust me, I've been lectured to by a man wearing a Led Zeppelin shirt that looked like it was bought in the heyday of Led Zeppelin. Nobody says anything. I've seen male professors come into lecture wearing very ill-fitting garb. Nobody says anything and up to this point, I haven't either...except to illustrate this point.     When a female process in my department shows up wearing a classic teacher sweater or something overly colorful, people notice. People make commentary. “Her clothes make her look so much older,” is one I remember. But you know what, screw that. If somebody can wear a shirt older than the students, she can wear a fuzzy snowman sweater to work. That's how I feel but the fact of the matter is the undue attention is paid to women's clothes over men's clothing – even in science.     Today, I was looking up May-Britt Moser for an unrelated reason. Just searching on the trusty Google and I noticed what you see in the 3rd image. You ask Google, “May-Britt Moser?” and it asks you back, “Her dress, her Nobel, her husband, or her biography?” 

    Huh. Weird. The dress is the first suggestion. I wonder if the dress is overshadowing her research? Well, I'd want something to compare it to...somebody with similar credentials and who did similar work at the same period in history but is male....oh wait. She has a collaborator who is her husband. So, you ask Google, “Edvard Moser?” and it asks you back, “His lab? His Nobel? Do you want his CV or his biography?”

     Oh. Wow. Nobody looks up anything about Edvard Moser other than his work.      Furthermore, when you search for May-Britt, it suggests Edvard as well because that is what Google learned from us. But when you look for Edvard...it doesn't suggest you learn about May-Britt. Even though they're usually pictured together and they are collaborators, May-Britt's work is being overshadowed by her clothing and her spouse.

I was also worried that on Tumblr's most popular science blogs if her dress would begin to overshadow her work. And Moser lab did some incredible stuff – the morning of the announcement my biology professor pulled up a video of their work and the resulting grid and I was amazed. Check out the fourth image up there (Source).

“Though.”      This kind of thing is a problem. It is the reason I was less than pleased about learning about this dress though the piece itself is fantastic. We know there is gender bias in science at just about every level and of course, the scientific community and followers of the Nobel Prize continued to do what we keep trying to stop ourselves from doing – letting unimportant details overshadow women in science and undervaluing women's contributions in comparison to their male colleagues. The dress has become a dreadfully obvious example of this and really shows us how far we have to go.

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New Post has been published on http://www.brianbrown.net/2014/10/06/nobel-prize-for-medicine-goes-to-discoverers-of-brains-inner-gps/

Nobel Prize for medicine goes to discoverers of brain's 'inner GPS'

STOCKHOLM/LONDON (Reuters) – British-American John O’Keefe and Norwegians May-Britt and Edvard Moser won the 2014 Nobel Prize for medicine for discovering the brain’s navigation system and giving clues as to how strokes and Alzheimer’s disrupt it.

The Nobel Assembly, which awarded the prize of 8 million Swedish crowns ($1.1 million) at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute on Monday, said the discovery solved a problem that had occupied philosophers and scientists for centuries:

“How does the brain create a map of the space surrounding us and how can we navigate our way through a complex environment?”

Ole Kiehn, a Nobel committee member and professor in Karolinska’s neuroscience department, said the three scientists had found “an inner GPS that makes it possible to know where we are and find our way”.

O’Keefe, now director at the center in neural circuits and behavior at University College London (UCL), discovered the first element of the positioning system in 1971 when he found that a type of nerve cell in a brain region called the hippocampus was always activated when a rat was in a certain place in a room.

Seeing that other nerve cells were activated when the rat was in other positions, O´Keefe concluded that these “place cells” formed a map of the room.

Uta Frith, a UCL professor of cognitive development said O’Keefe had shown “it is possible to literally map the mind”.

“He has done much more than discovering neuronal mechanisms in the brain: he has discovered cognitive mechanisms that explain how human beings and other animals navigate,” she said. “This beautiful work is heralding a new age of exploration of brain and mind.”

In 1996, Edvard Moser and May-Britt Moser, who are married and now based in scientific institutes in the Norwegian town of Trondheim, worked with O’Keefe to learn how to record the activity of cells in the hippocampus.

Nearly a decade later, the Moser team discovered cells, in the entorhinal cortex region in brains of rats, which function as a navigation system. These so-called “grid cells”, they discovered, are constantly working to create a map of the outside world and are responsible for animals’ knowing where they are, where they have been, and where they are going.

Bill Harris, head of physiology, development and neuroscience at Britain’s University of Cambridge, said the scientists’ work “has not only revolutionized our understanding of this amazing puzzle (the brain), but has also opened the door into problems of place memory and how we learn and remember routes of navigation, and what sleep and dreams may be doing for memory and performance.”

“STATE OF SHOCK”

While the findings help explain how the brain works, they have no immediate implications for new medicines or other therapies, since they do not set out a mechanism of action.

But knowledge about the brain’s positioning system can also help understanding of what causes loss of spatial awareness in stroke patients or those with devastating brain diseases like dementia, of which Alzheimer’s is the most common form and which affects 44 million people worldwide.

O’Keefe told reporters in London he was very surprised to get the Nobel Prize, particularly after what he described as a “checkered youth” jumping from studying classics at school, then aeronautics at college before getting into philosophy and psychology.

“I’m still in a state of shock,” he said.

May-Britt Moser danced and drank champagne with her colleagues in Trondheim after she was told of the award.

“This is so great, this is crazy. I am just jumping, screaming,” Moser told Reuters. “I am so proud of all the support that we have had. People have believed in us, in what we have been doing and now this is the reward.”

Norwegian TV showed her co-workers singing “Happy Nobel to you” to the tune of “Happy Birthday”.

Her husband did not immediately learn that he had won the Nobel Prize as he was on a plane bound to Munich. Someone was waiting for him at Munich airport with flowers and gave him the news, he told the Norwegian news agency NTB.

The Mosers join a small club of married couples to win a Nobel Prize that includes Pierre Curie and Marie Curie.

John Stein, an emeritus professor of physiology at Oxford said that, as with so many Nobel Prize winners, the scientists’ discovery was at first ridiculed and dismissed, only later to get the recognition it warrants

“This is great news and well deserved,” Stein said. “I remember how great was the scoffing in the early 1970s when John first described ‘place cells’. ‘Bound to be an artefact’ and ‘he clearly underestimates rats’ sense of smell’ were typical reactions. Now, like so many ideas that were at first highly controversial, people say: ‘Well that’s obvious’!”

Medicine is the first of the Nobel Prizes awarded each year. Prizes for achievements in science, literature and peace were

first awarded in 1901 in accordance with the will of dynamite

inventor and businessman Alfred Nobel. (1 US dollar = 7.2230 Swedish crown)

(Additional reporting by Ben Hirschler in London, Simon Johnson and Niklas Pollardin Stockholm, and Gwladys Fouche in Oslo. Editing by Alistair Scrutton and Angus MacSwan)

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Nobel discovery opens window onto Alzheimer's disease

LONDON (Reuters) – The discovery of cells in the brain that act as the body’s internal global positioning system, which won three scientists the Nobel Prize for medicine on Monday, opens an intriguing new a window onto dementia.

Since these spatial cells are among the first to be hit in Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia — explaining why sufferers often lose their way — understanding how they are degraded should shed important light on the disease process.

That is the belief of British-American researcher John O’Keefe, winner of the 2014 prize alongside Norwegians May-Britt and Edvard Moser, who plans to take his research to the next level as director of a new brain institute in London.

“We’re now setting up to do much more high-tech studies where we hope to follow the progression of disease over time,” he told reporters after hearing he would share the 8 million Swedish crowns ($1.1 million) prize.

“This will give us the first handle as to when and where the disease starts and how we can attack it at a the molecular and cellular level.”

The battle against Alzheimer’s has been long and frustrating. Global cases of dementia are expected to treble by 2050, yet scientists are still struggling to understand its basic biology and drug development is littered with failures.

The work by O’Keefe and the Mosers will not lead to immediate breakthroughs but by explaining how cells function — and then fail to function — in two very specific regions of the brain it is seen as vital for unpicking how Alzheimer’s develops.

Dementia, of which Alzheimer’s is the most common form, already affects 44 million people worldwide and that number is set to reach 135 million by 2050, according to Alzheimer’s Disease International, a non-profit campaign group.

“Understanding how the healthy brain functions, especially areas of the brain crucial to learning and memory, is incredibly important in understanding what changes occur during conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease,” said Doug Brown, director of research and development at Britain’s Alzheimer’s Society.

The Nobel Prize winners’ work on the brain’s navigation system stretches back more than 40 years, but more recently scientists have developed powerful new tools for studying brain circuits that O’Keefe plans to put to work at the new London research institute where his is director.

The first of more than 150 scientists will start work at the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour at University College London next year, using state-of-the-art lasers, molecular biology and computational modeling to explore the brain’s intricate wiring.

“It’s a very exciting time,” O’Keefe said.

The Group of Eight leading industrial countries set a goal last December of finding a cure or effective treatment for dementia by 2025.

It is a decade since the last drug was approved to treat Alzheimer’s, and there is still no treatment that can slow the progression of the disease, with current drugs only easing some of the symptoms of the disorder.

“We all know there is a time bomb there,” O’Keefe said. “We are starting to get a handle on it but that doesn’t mean it is going to turn into a cure in the immediate future.”

(Reporting by Ben Hirschler, Ediitng by Angus MacSwan)

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Nuovo Post pubblicato su Milano Post Quotidiano ONLINE di Informazione e Cultura #EdvardMoser, #MayBritt, #NobelMedicina, #OKeefe, #ScopertaReteGpsCervello

Nuovo Post pubblicato su http://www.milanopost.info/2014/10/07/nobel-della-medicina-per-la-scoperta-della-rete-gps-del-nostro-cervello/

Nobel della Medicina per la scoperta della rete "Gps" del nostro cervello

Milano 7 Ottobre - Il Nobel per la Medicina è stato assegnato a John O'Keefe e May-Britt e Edvard Moser per la scoperta del sistema di cellule che ci permette di orientarci, come una sorta di Gps biologico. L'individuazione di questa sistema di cellule nervose risale al 2005 e costituisce una sorta di rete che permette al cervello di avere costantemente le coordinate spaziali del luogo in cui si trova.

L'americano John O'Keefe (75 anni), dell'University College di Londra è stato premiato insieme alla coppia norvegese May-Britt (51 anni) e Edvard Moser (53 anni), entrambi neuroscienziati della Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) di Trondheim.

La scoperta del 'Gps del cervello'

Nel 1971 I'Keefe ha scoperto che alcune cellule del cervello vengono attivate nel momento in cui un ratto si trova in una particolare posizione e altre si 'accendono' quando cambia posizione. Ha scoperto inoltre che tutte queste cellule si trovano nella struttura del cervello chiamata ippocampo.

Ben 34 anni più tardi la coppia norvegese May-Britt e Edvard Moser ha reso più completa e precisa la mappa delle cellule coinvolte nella localizzazione. Nel 2005 ha infatti scoperto che le cellule del 'Gps' del cervello si trovano soprattutto nella parte inferiore dell'ippocampo, chiamata corteccia entorinale. Tutte insieme queste cellule costituiscono una sorta di griglia esagonale, all'interno della quale ognuna segue diversi schermi di orientamento. Il risultato è un sistema coordinato per l'orientamento spaziale.

Chi sono i premiati

L'americano John O'Keefe è nato nel 1939 a New York City ed ha sia la cittadinanza americana sia quella britannica. Laureato in Psicologia fisiologica nel 1967, presso l'università canadese McGill, si è trasferito in Gran Bretagna dopo il dottorato. Da allora ha lavorato presso l'University College di Londra, dove dal 1987 ha insegnato Neuroscienze cognitive. Attualmente dirige il Sainsbury Wellcome Centre per la ricerca sui circuiti neurali e il comportamento, sempre presso l'University College. May Britt Moser è nata in Norvegia, a Fosnavåg nel 1963, ed è cittadina norvegese. Ha studiato Psicologia nell'università di Oslo insieme al futuro marito, Edvard Moser, premiato oggi con il Nobel insieme a lei. Nel 1995 ha completato il dottorato in Neurofisiologia, quindi si è trasferita per brevi periodi nell'università di Edimburgo e nell'University College di Londra. Dal 1996 insegna nella Norwegian University of Science and Technology (Nust) di Trondheim, dove nel 2000 ha avuto la cattedra di Neuroscienze. Attualmente dirige il Centro di Computazione Neurale della stessa università. Edvard I. Moser è nato nel 1962 in Norvegia, ad Ålesund, ed è cittadino norvegese. Ha studiato nell'università di Oslo, dove ha completato il dottorato nel 1995 e ha studiato insieme alla moglie May-Britt, con la quale condivide il Nobel. Con lei ha lavorato nell'Università di Edimburgo e poi a Londra. Nel 1996 è tornato in Norvegia, presso la Nust di Trondheim, dove ha avuto una cattedra nel 1998. Oggi dirige l'Istituto Kavli per i Sistemi in neuroscienze a Trondheim. (Ansa)

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Three scientists share 2014 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

by Fu Yimyun' STOCKHOLM, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) — Three scyintists sharet t'2014 Nobel Prize n' physiology er medasin, t'committee announcet Mundie. T' Nobel assemblee at t'Karolinska Institute has deecided ta award one half o't' physiology er medasin prize ta John O’Keefe an' t'uther half...

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Nobel Prize for medicine goes to discoverers of brain's 'inner GPS'

STOCKHOLM/LONDON (Reuters) – British-Amurkin John O’Keefe an' Nerwegyins May-Britt an' Edvard Mos'r won t'2014 Nobel Prize fer medasin fer discoveryun' t'brane’s navigashun system an' givin clues as ta hoe strokes an' Alzheim'r’s disrupt it. T' Nobel Assemblee, which...

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John O'Keefe And Husband-Wife Team Win Nobel Prize In Medicine

Nobel prize T' Nobel Foundashun has awardet t'2014 Nobel Prize jointlee ta John O’Keefe an' husban'-biddy team May-Britt Mos'r an' Edvard Mos'r fer “thar discoveries o'cells at constitute a posityunyun' system n' t'brane.” Here’s t'lif' webcas: N' 1971, O’Keefe...

[yahoonews]

British-American, Norwegians win 2014 Nobel prize for medicine

American-British scientist John O'Keefe and Norwegians May-Britt Moser and Edvard Moser won the 2014 Nobel prize for medicine or physiology for discoveries of cells that constitute a positioning system in the brain, the award-giving body said on Monday.

"The discoveries ... have solved a problem that has occupied philosophers and scientists for centuries," the Nobel Assembly at Sweden's Karolinska Institute said in a statement when awarding the prize of 8 million Swedish crowns ($1.1 million).

"How does the brain create a map of the space surrounding us and how can we navigate our way through a complex environment?" the body added.

Medicine is the first of the Nobel prizes awarded each year.