life inspired

"From Mozart to the Beatles, music evolves as listeners get used to sounds they initially find strange or even shocking. As trailblazing music becomes mainstream, artists strike out in new directions. But in a new study, a computer program shows how listeners drive music to evolve in a certain way. Although the resulting strains are hardly Don Giovanni, the finding shows how users' tastes exert their own kind of natural selection, nudging tunes to evolve out of noise." Full news piece @ ScienceNOW. Original article:

MacCallum et al [2012]. "Evolution of music by public choice". PNAS. 10.1073/pnas.1203182109

"There are many Web sites supporting instruction in the life sciences. One such effort, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's (HHMI's) BioInteractive (biointeractive.org), developed from a focus on practicing scientists explaining their research; engaging explanations driven by compelling examples and graphics; and meaningful dialogue with instructors to improve products and to facilitate classroom adoption of materials ." Full article @ Science Magazine

Labels: biology, LI, teaching