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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 21, 2008

Beach Updates Online

People wanting to enjoy the beach have an online tool that provides twice-daily updates on conditions at beaches from Pinellas County south to Collier County. Mote Marine Laboratory's Beach Conditions Report provides real-time information about the presence of red tide and other conditions at 23 locations along the west coast. The report can be found at www.mote.org/beaches.

Naps And Memory

A 90-minute daytime nap may help improve long-term memory for some people, say scientists at the Center for Brain and Behavior Research at the University of Haifa in Israel.

"We still don't know the exact mechanism of the memory process that occurs during sleep, but the results of this research suggest that it is possible to speed up memory consolidation, and, in the future, we may be able to do it artificially," said Avi Karni, author of the new study.

Long-term memory is a person's "permanent" memory that doesn't disappear or that fades in old age. Scientists divide it into memories of "what" happened or will happen, and memories of "how" to do things, such as play the piano. In the study, both types of permanent memory improved in a group of people who took 90-minute day naps, as opposed to those who did not.

"After a night's sleep, the two groups were at the same level, but the group that slept in the afternoon improved much faster than the group that stayed awake," Karni said.

Sculpting With Light

Engineers are using ultraviolet light to sculpt three-dimensional microparticles that could have many applications in medical diagnostics and tissue engineering. A team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is working on ways for the light to act as a probe to detect certain molecules, such as DNA, or to release drugs or nutrients.

The new technique offers unprecedented control over the size, shape and texture of the particles. It also allows researchers to design particles with specific chemical properties. "With this method, you can rationally design particles and precisely place chemical properties," said Patrick Doyle, a chemical engineer at MIT.

Science Stumper

Nora Morris of Tampa was the first of dozens of readers to answer our most recent trivia question: The writer and humorist Samuel Langhorne Clemens was known as Mark Twain. What was the scientific origin of his pen name? Answer: "Mark Twain" meant "second mark," the two fathoms of safe depth required by paddle steamer boats on the Mississippi River.

Now for today's stumper: What animal has the fastest reflex ever recorded? Send your answers to kloft@tampatrib.com. No phone calls, please.

Kurt Loft

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