I have been travelling much over the last 2 weeks to speak at a number of conferences and universities. I promised I would be sharing some of the key highlights, but we have decided to do something better to do justice to the richness and complexity of the field we cover. We are going to launch an experiment: a Brain Fitness Webinar Series.

This inaugural Brain Fitness Webinar Series will consist of 3 free live sessions. The series covers the most fundamental advances in cognitive science and their implications for individuals, companies and organizations. And we are honored to have John Medina lead of the sessions!

Each event is independent, in topic and in registration process.

Webinar #1: In “The State of the Brain Fitness Software Market, 2008,” I will provide an overview of the science, market, and vendor landscape of the emerging brain fitness software market, based on our recent market report on this growing category.
- Target audience: Executives, professionals, investors, reporters and bloggers interested in learning more about the brain fitness market.
- More information: Market Report.
- Date and time: Tuesday May 27th, 2pm EDT/ 11am PDT
Register: Here

 

Webinar #2: In “Brain Rules for Thinking Smarter,” John Medina, developmental molecular biologist and author of Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Striving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School will emphasize the importance of physical exercise, stress management…and avoiding multitasking altogether.
- Target audience: Anyone who wants to learn more about brain health and performance.
- More information: The Science of Thinking Smarter, by John Medina.
- Date and time: Tuesday June 3rd, 2pm EDT/ 11am PDT
Register: Here

 

Webinar #3: In “The Science and Practice of Brain Fitness,” I will provide an overview of the Brain 101, latest research findings and implications for how to improve brain health and performance based on my classes and speaking engagements.
- Target audience: Anyone who wants to learn more about brain health and performance
- Date and time: Tuesday June 10th, 2pm EDT/ 11am PDT
Register: Here

 

I hope you find this series stimulating. Just pick the event that sounds more relevant to your interests! 

A dolphin made a lot of blog-buzz this Monday, being the 14th pink bottlenose dolphin described in history. Bottlenoses are quite special; did you know that they are one of a few species in addition to humans that is observed to use tools? Their relative brain size isn’t that different from humans either.

The Bottlenose dolphins are actually the most common and well known of all dolphins. Not too long ago, scientists used to believe that “tool use” was one of the characteristics that set humans apart from all other animals. Later, scientists discovered the use of tools by great apes. More recently, bottlenose dolphins in Australia’s Shark bay are observed to carry sea sponges on their beaks for protection when searching for food in the sandy sea bottom.

What is really fascinating is that the dolphins probably learned the trick from their moms rather than inheriting a sponge-shuttling gene. Dr. Michael Krutzen at the University of Zürich which first discovered the phenomena, writes in his Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences publication that dolphins’ sponge use is a case of cultural transmission-the passing along of a learned behaviour.
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