Hierarchical Organization for Music

 I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: 

Psalm 139:14

The Brain---Made for Music.....

"Ever heard a snippet of a song and instantly known what comesnext? 

Or picked up the rhythm of a chorus after just a few notes? 

New research from the Center for Music in the Brain at Aarhus University has found that our brains process music through a specific hierarchical activation of several regions.

Bonetti and his colleagues found that when participants recognized the original memorized sequences, their brain activity followed a specific hierarchical pattern. 

This pattern began 

---in the auditory cortex, the region responsible for processing basic sound information, 

---and progressed to the hippocampus and cingulate gyrus, areas associated with memory and cognitive evaluation.

When variations were introduced into the sequences, the brain generated prediction errors. 

These errors started in the auditory cortex and then spread to the hippocampus, anterior cingulate gyrus, and ventromedial prefrontal cortex. 

Notably, the anterior cingulate gyrus and ventromedial prefrontal cortex exhibited their strongest responses when the variations were introduced.

The study also uncovered a consistent brain hierarchy characterized

by feedforward and feedback connections. Feedforward connections from the auditory cortices to the hippocampus and cingulate gyrus, along with simultaneous feedback connections in the opposite direction, were observed.

This hierarchical organization was consistent for both previously memorized and varied sequences, although the strength and timing of the brain responses varied. This suggests that while the overall structure of brain processing remains stable, the dynamics change depending on whether the sequence is familiar or novel.

“Our study shows that the brain processes music by activating several brain regions in a specific, hierarchical order,” 

Bonetti told PsyPost. “Initially, sensory regions like the auditory cortex handle basic sound features. Then, this information is passed to a larger network of regions that arguably analyze the sounds more deeply, including the relationships between them (such as musical intervals). This process helps the brain determine if the sequence of sounds is familiar or new.”
PsyPost

Your Spatio-Temporal Brain Dynamics

 Thank You for making me so wonderfully complex!

Psalm 139:14

"MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) researchers have been seeking to uncover why certain images persist in people's minds, while many others fade. To do this, they set out to map the spatio-temporal brain dynamics involved in recognizing a visual image.

"We've identified a brain signature of visual memorability that

emerges around 300 milliseconds after seeing an image, 

---involving areas across the ventral occipital cortex and temporal cortex, 

---which processes information like color perception and object recognition. 

This signature indicates that highly memorable images prompt stronger and more sustained brain responses, especially in regions like the early visual cortex, which we previously underestimated in memory processing."

"These findings are exciting because they give us insight into what is happening in the brain between seeing something and saving it into memory," says Wilma Bainbridge. "The researchers here are picking up on a cortical signal that reflects what's important to remember, and what can be forgotten early on." 

MedicalXpress

Metals of Life

 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

Romans 1:21

"A look at the periodic table of the elements and examination of the elemental make-up of living organisms can quickly confirm Genesis 1 which states that man is formed from the dust of the earth. 

There are about 92 naturally occurring elements in the periodic table. Approximately 25% of these are considered essential to life.  

The use of metals by life is so prevalent and important that, as stated by Robert J. P. Williams of Oxford University, “there is no biology without metal ions.” 

At least a third of all enzymes use one or more metal ions to catalyze their reactions. Metal ions are used to help position substrates in enzyme active sites, to provide electron “sinks,” and/or serve as a source of electrons during catalysis. 

They function as structural support for many proteins and conduct electrons to oxygen within the electron transport chain in mitochondria for energy production.

Iron (Fe2+/3+)
The electron configuration of iron makes it more effective than other metals for the reversible binding of oxygen in hemoglobin. This property allows hemoglobin not only to increase the oxygen-carrying capacity of blood, but also to release sufficient quantities of oxygen to the tissues as needed. Perhaps one of the most important roles for iron is its participation in the electron transport chain (ETC) of the mitochondrial inner membrane. 

The ETC consists of several iron-sulfur complexes, which conduct electrons from reduced molecules ultimately to oxygen to form water. In this process an electrochemical gradient of H+s is generated across the inner membrane. The potential energy in this gradient is used to synthesize the high-energy compound known as adenosine triphosphate, or ATP. While ATP is not the only high-energy compound in the cell, it is the main energy currency for virtually all cells.

Molybdenum (Mo)
Molybdenum has multiple oxidation states from 0 to +6. Together with two other transition metals, iron and cobalt, molybdenum is

uniquely configured to serve in the catalytic center of two enzymes, nitrogenase and nitrogen reductase. These two enzymatic activities are essential to all life as these function in the fixation of nitrogen into organic compounds. As stated in the previous article on gases, animals and humans obtain all their nitrogen needs through food. If not for these two specifically designed enzymes, plants, animals, and humans would not be able to make DNA, proteins, and the many other molecules critical for life.

Cobalt (Co2+)
As stated above, Co2+ plays significant roles in nitrogen fixation. However, humans use it for very different purposes. We obtain Co2+ in the form of vitamin B12, or cobalamin. Without this vitamin, and the cobalt component, we could not resynthesize the amino acid

methionine from what we ingest and other compounds. When proteins are made by the cell, the first amino acid to be incorporated is methionine. This is true for bacteria as well as humans. Thus without the ability to resynthesize methionine, we would have to obtain much more of it in our diet; protein synthesis could be severely compromised. Insufficient amounts of B12/Co2+ in the diet can lead to a potentially fatal condition known as pernicious anemia. Not only could we not resynthesize methionine without cobalt, but we also could not completely metabolize certain fatty acids we get when we eat plants.

Copper (Cu2+/3+)
Copper, another transition metal, is best suited for use by superoxide

dismutase, an enzyme critical for the destruction of toxic oxygen free radicals. An iron-copper center also serves as the final electron donor to oxygen in the cytochrome oxidase complex, the final component of the electron transport chain in mitochondria. 

The process of photosynthesis also requires copper to be complexed to various proteins serving as electron carriers.

Manganese (Mn2+)
Manganese is not as commonly used as some of the other transition metals, but where it is used is of extreme importance. 

The enzyme superoxide dismutase has a mitochondrial form of the enzyme, which uses Mn2+ rather than a copper-zinc complex used by the cytoplasmic form.
Manganese, along with calcium, plays an integral role in the photolysis of water molecules by photosystem II in plants undergoing the “light” reactions of photosynthesis. This set of reactions long baffled scientists because they knew it takes a lot of energy to photolyze water into oxygen and hydrogen. Yet God, in his infinite wisdom, devised a mechanism using a specific arrangement of Ca2+ and Mn2+ atoms and the energy from sunlight.

Calcium (Ca2+)
With few exceptions, no metal plays such an integral role in so many diverse processes of a cell as calcium. Calcium is an essential structural component of bone, providing it with the rigid strength necessary for supporting body weight and for muscle attachment involved in movement and locomotion. 

It is the essential metal used in blood clotting, binding to and

activating the various clotting factors involved in this process. All neural transmission across a synapse is dependent upon the intracellular Ca2+ concentration. Low Ca2+ would compromise neural transmission. Likewise, too much Ca2+ would also adversely affect neural transmission. Many cells use calcium as an intracellular “second messenger.” 

A second messenger is a small, diffusible molecule, or ion, found inside cells. Certain hormones, when bound to their target cells, will elicit the release of Ca2+ inside the cell. Calcium then binds to a protein known as calmodulin, and the Ca2+-calmodulin complex then binds to and activates various other proteins, leading to a cascade of cellular events, culminating in a response by the cell. The calcium second messenger also aids in activating a protein kinase C, which adds phosphoryl groups to other proteins, leading to either their activation or their inhibition. 

Calcium is absolutely essential for muscle contraction. All three types of muscle (skeletal, smooth, and cardiac) rely on proper Ca2+ concentrations in the cells. In the heart the strength of contraction is directly dependent upon the Ca2+ concentration; the higher the concentration, the stronger the contraction.

Not all metals are designed to be integral parts of living organisms. Indeed, part of the habitability of earth is the fact that many of the elements have more than one purpose and are designed to be used by man to construct buildings for shelter, vehicles for transportation and countless other items which together extend habitability of various regions on earth that would otherwise not be very hospitable to life.
However, a study of the roles that metals play in life shows that each has been uniquely designed by a wise Creator to carry out specific and complex functions essential for life.

To deny this is to be willfully ignorant of the many “fingerprints” God has left for us to find throughout His creation." 

AIG

DESIGN of Smell Process

 See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed... Genesis 27:27

 

"The human nose is designed to detect a trillion smells......Sensory neurons in the nose 

--detect odor molecules 

--and relay signals to the olfactory bulb, a structure in the forebrain where initial odor processing occurs. 

--The olfactory bulb primarily transmits information to the piriform cortex, the main structure of the olfactory cortex, for more comprehensive processing.

As a person inhales through the nose, the air with the ordorant molecules goes across millions of olfactory neurons in the nasal cavity. 

These specially-designed neurons have surface receptors called GPCRs (G-Protein Coupled Receptors). 

The odorant molecule—called a ligand—specifically binds with a G-protein receptor and immediately causes a biochemical cascade of reactions (intracellular adenyl cyclase components) within the neuron.
When a volatile molecule [ligand] is recognized by a [G-protein] receptor, it is activated 

---and generates a signal that is transmitted to the olfactory bulb in the brain, 

---a signal that is then translated into an odor.....olfactory neurons are not to be considered as sensors simply passing from a resting state to a stimulated state, but that their identity is in permanent [change], not only according to the expressed receptor but also according to past experiences. 

This discovery adds another level to the complexity and flexibility of the olfactory system...."

ICR

The Brains Dividing Line Between Order & Chaos

 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! 

Psalm 139:14

"By walking a tightrope between order and chaos, researchers could one day make computer chips work more like the human brain.
Researchers created conditions at the "edge of chaos," a transition point between order and disorder that allows for rapid information transmission, in an electronic device.

It allowed the scientists to amplify a signal transmitted across a wire without using a separate amplifier — overcoming any signal loss due to electrical resistance.
But many researchers have theorized that the human brain operates on a similar principle.
---Each neuron has an axon, a cable-like appendage that transmits electrical signals to nearby neurons. 

---Those electrical signals help your brain perceive your surroundings and control your body.
Axons range from 0.04 inches (1 millimeter) to more than 3 feet (1 meter) in length. Transmitting an electrical signal across a wire of the same length leads to signal loss, caused by the resistance of the wire. Computer chip designers get around that issue by inserting amplifiers between shorter wires to boost the signal.
But axons don’t need separate amplifiers — they’re self-amplifying and can transmit electrical signals without much signal loss. Some researchers think that they exist at the edge of chaos, which allows them to amplify small fluctuations in electrical signals without letting those signals grow out of control." 

Live Science

Ice Age Simplified

And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry.
Genesis 8:13
There is strong geological evidence for only the most recent of the supposed Ice Ages, which these scientists call the Last Glacial. They call the coldest part of this period the Last Glacial Maximum.
---The best scientific explanation is that the Genesis Flood caused this one and only Ice Age.
*During the Flood, new seafloor formed very rapidly.

*Extruded magma heated the world’s oceans, greatly increasing evaporation from the sea surface.
*This resulted in more precipitation, including large amounts of snowfall at high latitudes and on mountaintops.
*Residual volcanism continued for centuries after the Flood, and the aerosols from the explosive eruptions reflected sunlight back into space, resulting in cooler summer temperatures.
*The cooler summers prevented snow and ice from melting, allowing them to accumulate and form thick ice sheets.
*As the oceans cooled and volcanic activity decreased, the Ice Age slowly came to an end."
ICR

SATURN: Chrysalis Myth

 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.... Hebrews 1:2

"A catastrophic event could have created Saturn’s rings while the

dinosaurs were still roaming Earth.” 

Q: Well, it could have, but did it?

 

At Space.com on 15 Sept 2022, reporter Keith Cooper cheerfully echoed the latest idea coming from planetary science wizards at their computers. “Saturn’s rings might have formed 100 million years ago when one of its icy moons was ripped apart by the planet’s gravity.” But does might make right?

Reporters’ imaginations launched into metaphorical wonderland. 

Theorists have even given a name to this unseen moon: Chrysalis, suggestive of an abiotic transformation that made Saturn the beautiful planet it is today, its shimmering rings shining like the colorful wings of a butterfly hatched from a caterpillar.

The catchy story was hatched by Jack Wisdom from MIT. He used computer models to investigate why Saturn has a 26.7° tilt—unexpected in planetary cosmogony. Fortunately for humans, Saturn’s tilt allows us to view the rings from Earth in all their glory.

 

Leah Crane runs with the metaphor at New Scientist on 15 Sept 2022:

If the extra moon was destroyed, the debris left behind could have later become Saturn’s rings, leading the researchers to name this wrecked moon Chrysalis after the form a caterpillar takes as it transforms into a butterfly. “The butterfly is long dormant in this chrysalis phase and then it unveils itself and flaps its wings,” says Wisdom. “Similarly, this was just a small moon made of ice and then the rings suddenly emerged when it was ripped apart.”

Q: What is the justification for this supposition? 

 Nobody saw Chrysalis. 

   Nobody saw any moon rip apart. 

     Nobody was present in the age of dinosaurs. 

       We know dinosaurs from their bones, 

          but are the rings of Saturn evidence of Chrysalis?"

CEH

Infinite Monkey Theorem tells us......

Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.... 

Romans 1:22

"You’ve probably heard this argument: Give enough monkeys enough typewriters and enough time and they will type out Shakespeare. The Infinite Monkeys Theorem is meant to show that chance rules the universe.
If you sense a problem, you are right.
Q: What does “enough” mean here?

--The Infinite Monkey Theorem only considers the infinite limit, with either an infinite number of monkeys The Infinite Monkey Theorem only considers the infinite limit, with either an infinite number of monkeys or an infinite time period of monkey labor. ..... the estimated world population of 200,000 chimpanzees types one key per second until the universe ends in about 10100 years (1 followed by 100 zeros).

Q: How far would the monkeys get with typing so many words in a correct sequence?
A: The results reveal that it is possible (around a 5% chance) for a single chimp to type the word ‘bananas’ in its own lifetime. 

However, even with all chimps enlisted, the Bard’s entire works (with around 884,647 words) will almost certainly never be typed before the universe ends. “Too short”

If the monkeys couldn’t type out Shakespeare within the life of the universe, human creativity is not just a matter of chance." 

MindMatters

Why We Don't Blow Up Everyday

 "The stability of matter is a continuing puzzle to physicists. 

They point out that when you consider all the physical forces at work in matter, even in something as simple as a glass of water, it’s sort of miraculous that everything doesn’t just collapse and then, releasing huge amounts of energy, blow up. 

Consider that water, H2O, is simply eight electrons orbiting in

“space” around eight tightly packed protons and neutrons (oxygen), with, at a further distance, two electrons each orbiting around independent protons (2 hydrogen atoms). 

This 99% + configuration of space with a few tiny particles, incredibly has bulk and substance. And also incredibly, it has stability under the repelling force of positive proton charges packed together in the nucleus, and the stresses of gravity, atmospheric pressure, and magnetic field.

If matter was not somehow so stable, we’d be at risk of setting off nuclear explosions every time we stirred a cup of coffee or a glass of tea!

Q: Why are the molecules and atoms of life, and all matter as we know them, so incredibly stable? 

Q: Why are all the physical constants of “nature” so well balanced? 

A: The Bible says, speaking of Christ, “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things have been created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (Col 1:16,17).

He who came to earth in love for us. He it is who stabilizes things in the present, and will de-stabilize them one day in the future, to re-stabilize them in “new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13, Revelation 21:21)."
Mark Cadwallader