Science Homework Help

After completing reading the excerpts of Seung’s Connectome, please complete the following questions.

Question 1:

The Connectome is one example of how science can be skillfully coupled with art and in doing so can help to make our scientific understanding all the more rich. In many cases, Sebastian Seung poetically uses metaphor and/or analogy to illustrate a point. With this in mind, select the correct term from the drop down that best matches the metaphor or analogy used by Seung.

Term:

Forest:

1: Personality. 2: Genome. 3: Brain. 4: Neuronal activity. 5: Neurons. 6: DNA. 7: Branches. 8: Neuronal pathways or connectome. 9: Synapse.

Trees:

1: Personality. 2: Genome. 3: Brain. 4: Neuronal activity. 5: Neurons. 6: DNA. 7: Branches. 8: Neuronal pathways or connectome. 9: Synapse.

Streambed of conciousness:

1: Personality. 2: Genome. 3: Brain. 4: Neuronal activity. 5: Neurons. 6: DNA. 7: Branches. 8: Neuronal pathways or connectome. 9: Synapse.

Stream:

1: Personality. 2: Genome. 3: Brain. 4: Neuronal activity. 5: Neurons. 6: DNA. 7: Branches. 8: Neuronal pathways or connectome. 9: Synapse.

Question 2:

In an effort to communicate how enormous and daunting the task of studying the human brain might be, Seung stated that the brain’s complexity is so vast that it might as well be considered:

A: More complicated than any other living creature.

B: Empty

C: Infinite

D: Unknowable.

Question 3:

Write a short paragraph that:

1) Explains why is it sometimes better to study a brain that is already dead rather than one that is still alive? In other words, what are the limitations of studying live brains? Please try to paraphrase from the reading two limitations using your own words.

2) Based on the reading, answer why some neuroscientists would argue that living brains or living tissue is required to study the brain?

Question 4: (see files down below)

Question 5:

Which of the following would NOT describe the two notions of selfintroduced by Seung?

A: One might be more like your personality and the other your mood or conciousness.

B: One is quick to change and the other is more stable.

C: One is your genome (your genetic code) and the other is your connectome (how your neurons are connected).

D: One is the activity of your neurons and the other is your connectome.

E: One may be the stream and the other the streambed.

Question 6:

Seung describes 2 notions of self. Which best describes the rate of change for each notion of self?

A: Each notion of self changes very slowly since they are shaped by life experience.

B: Each notion of self changes in an instant since our neurons can communicate in mere milliseconds.

C: One notion of self gradually changes over time while the other notion of self can change moment to moment.

D: The 2 notions of self that Seung describes are stable over time and do not change.

Question 7:

In your own words, please explain the stream and streambed analogy made by Seung. In your explanation, include what the stream and streambed represent and how they can affect each other.