|
Our second issue based on the theme of “What are human beings?” focuses on the brain. In addition to the areas of research that deal directly with the brain, including neurobiology, physiology, and psychology, there are also several research areas whose approach is more from an engineering perspective, including computer simulations and the manufacture of robots. We at the Biohistory Journal wish to consider the brain by maintaining a focus on the basics and examining the continuum from the basic ability of living creatures to exchange information with the outsidea trait possessed even by single-cell organismsto such overarching themes as examining consciousness and the spirit from the perspective of the human brain. Indeed, this gives rise to the question of whether current brain research excessively emphasizes human beings. In Dialogue, we confronted this question with Kenichiro Mogi, who uses computers to directly face the problem of the spirit. In Research, two people provide a rather audacious overview of the brain’s structure and function. Dr. Nakata considers thermal convection for the formation of the brain structure as part of his analysis of the brains of bilingual people, while Dr. Ueda envisions a common rhythm when dealing with information from the outside. We present the unique and interesting ideas they have developed from their respective experiments. Scientist Library features Dr. Hidesaburo Hanafusa, who discovered cancer genes in normal cells. This researcher describes his ideas and how this is related to the contemporary age in the course of his important research into viruses, cancer, and genes. (Keiko Nakamura) |
|