Why Some Seconds Seem to Last Forever

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Though our perception of time can be stunningly precise — given a beat to keep, professional drummers are accurate within milliseconds — it can also be curiously plastic. Some moments seem to last longer than others, and scientists don’t know why.

Unlike our other senses, our perception of time has no defined location in our brain, making it difficult to understand and study. But now researchers have found hints that our sense of time stems from specialized units in our brain, channels of neurons tuned to signals of certain time lengths.

“We know keeping track of time is incredibly important, it allows us to coordinate movements, interpret body language,” said optometrist James Heron of the University of Bradford in the U.K., lead author of the study in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Aug. 10. “We know the brain does this routinely and accurately, but we’re not sure how. Our evidence strongly suggests the presence of neural units in the brain that are tuned to different durations.”

Researchers who study the brain’s perception of time have previously proposed several ways our mental clock might work. It could be like a metronome, ticking at a regular rate, allowing us to keep track of time by unconsciously counting the clicks. Or it may judge time based on the amount of energy needed to process a signal. The more attention we give to something, the longer the processing seems to take.

 

Heron and his colleagues believe our mental chronometer runs, at least partially, on neuron channels that respond to a specific “frequency of time.” The new experiment exposed people to one hundred beeps or flashes of a certain duration, which adapted the people to signals of that length.

They then tested the participants’ time judgment by giving them a beep and a flash and asking which had lasted longer. What they found was flashes and beeps that were close in duration to the signals the people had been adapted to were consistently judged to be significantly longer than they really were.

“If I present you with lots of flashes that last 150 milliseconds, then a 300 doesn’t feel like 300, it feels more like 400,” Heron said.

The closer the signals were to the duration they were adapted to, the further off peoples’ guesses were.

“The channel-based system seems the best explanation for this,” Heron said. “It was as if we fatigued the channels tuned to that duration, and the channels near it, but the channels further away were still fresh.”

While not changing our understanding of psychology, Heron’s conclusions give an intriguing “peek at the machinery under the hood,” said neuroscientist David Eagleman, director of the Laboratory for Perception and Action at Baylor College of Medicine.

“What we know about vision and hearing suggests that different populations [of neurons] in the brain are tuned to different properties,” said Eagleman, author of Incognito, “so the idea that there may be populations of neurons tuned to different durations is plausible and in line with previous electrophysiology data.”

The workings of the brain are far from simple, however, and the channel-based model doesn’t explain why, for example, time seems to pass more slowly when we are in a life-threatening situation like falling off a roof or a car crash.

“There is a lot going on in the brain,” Eagleman said. “You’re not just passively tracking the river of time. You’re actively constructing it.”

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Chevy Model Year Wrap Up

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2011 was a very good year. But don't take our word for it.

People are tweeting. The blogs are raving. And the awards keep on coming. But the good news about Chevrolet doesn't end there, because your best time to get in on our greatest model year yet is here! Hurry in and take advantage of our latest offers on a great selection of award-winning Chevy vehicles before the 2011s, well, wrap up for good.

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Ever had an encounter with any of these little fellas? Even the common honeybee made the list, nothing sweet about that thing.

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World's Most Painful Insect Bites

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Common Honeybee

Don’t dismiss the sting of the common honeybee. The toxic cocktail of melittin and other amines acts on the heart and restricts the blood vessels. The pain is hot and messy and familiar to almost everyone, which is why Schmidt placed the honeybee sting in the center of the pain index.

Where They’re Found: Honeybees may have originated in Central Asia, but there are now 20,000 varieties worldwide.

How to Avoid Them: Geographically speaking, you can’t avoid them. Once stung, you’re even more of a target: they secrete a pheromone that encourages other bees to attack. The substance can’t be washed off easily, so hiding in the river for the swarm to pass is a bad idea.

Last full weekend in July can only mean one thing, it's almost August. Wait, no...means it's the Oregon Brewers Festival!

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Event Name

24th Annual Oregon Brewers Festival

Venue

Tom McCall Waterfront Park, Portland, Oregon Main entrance at S.W. Oak Street and Naito Parkway

Dates

July 28, 29, 30 & 31, 2011 — "Always the last full weekend in July"

Times

Thurs through Sat, taps are open from Noon to 9 p.m.
Sun, taps are open from Noon to 7 p.m.
Token & mug sales close one-half hour prior to the taps shutting off

Admission

Admission into the festival grounds is free. In order to consume beer, purchase of a 2011 souvenir mug is required and costs $6. Mugs from previous years will not be filled. Beer is purchased with wooden tokens. Tokens cost $1 apiece. Patrons pay four tokens for a full mug of beer, or one token for a taste.

Description

The Oregon Brewers Festival is one of the nation's longest running and best loved craft beer festivals. Situated on the west bank of the Willamette River, with towering Mt. Hood as a backdrop, it is the ideal venue for anyone who loves craft beer. With a laid back attitude and scores of award-winning beers, the festival reflects the essence of the city of Portland.

The Oregon Brewers Festival exists to provide an opportunity to sample and learn about a variety of craft beer styles from across the country. Eighty-four craft breweries from all parts of the nation offer more than 30 styles of handcrafted brews to nearly 80,000 beer lovers during the four-day event. A Buzz Tent offers another 50+ rare and specialty beers.

The festival's focus is craft beer, but there's more than sampling involved. The event features live music all four days, beer-related vendors, beer memorabilia displays, beer writers and publishers, homebrewing demonstrations, and an assortment of foods from a variety of regions. The Crater Lake Root Beer Garden offers complimentary handcrafted root beer for minors and designated drivers. Minors are always welcome at the festival when accompanied by a parent.

The Oregon Brewers Festival strongly encourages responsible drinking, and urges patrons to take advantage of the MAX Light Rail line, located just one block west of the festival on SW Oak Street. Go by bus, train or taxi, just don't drink and drive. The festival also offers free, on-site bicycle parking.

Contact Information

oregonbrewfest.com or 503.778.5917

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