Plus: Yawning Explained by Science and a Future Mind-Reading Car.

Yawning Finally Explained
It’s one of the oldest mysteries in human behavior: why do we yawn? New research may have finally answered the question, showing that a yawn is not simply an indication of tiredness or boredom, but an important mechanism for cooling the brain.

According to a study published in the journal Frontiers in Evolutionary Neuroscience this month, people are more likely to yawn when their body temperature exceeds the heat surrounding them, and the act allows them to draw in cooler air to help bring the brain down to a healthier temperature. For this reason, yawning is a key part of promoting and maintaining thermoregulation.

“Temperature recordings indicate that yawns and stretches occurred during increases in brain temperature, with brain temperatures being restored to baseline following the execution of each of these behaviors,” the study explains. “The circulatory changes that accompany yawning and stretching may explain some of the thermal similarities surrounding these events. These results suggest that yawning and stretching may serve to maintain brain thermal homeostasis.”

The researchers tested the yawning frequency of 160 subjects in Arizona, science and sci-fi blog io9 explains. Half were tested during the summer, when average temperatures exceed human body temperatures, and the other half during winter. Subjects yawned considerably more often during colder seasons and less during warmer seasons. Moreover, the amount of time spent outside exposed to climate conditions — whether hot or cold — strongly affected yawning frequency.

“This is the first report to show that yawning frequency varies from season to season,” Princeton University says. “The applications of this research are intriguing, not only in terms of basic physiological knowledge, but also for better understanding diseases and conditions, such as multiple sclerosis or epilepsy, that are accompanied by frequent yawning and thermoregulatory dysfunction.”

What Computer Problems Would Look Like in Real Life
Everyone faces problems with their computers, sometimes on a daily basis. In fact, we’ve become so used to these types of malfunctions, we’ve stopped connecting them to any of the real-world events from which their names are derived.

Providing some much needed perspective, sketch troupe Awkward Spaceship provides this video showing what computer problems would look like if they were literally happening:

The Mind-Reading Car
Automotive engineers and scientists are working to develop the first automobile capable of reading its driver’s thoughts and responding to them accordingly.

A team of developers from Nissan Motor Company and Switzerland’s Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) are collaborating to create a vehicle that anticipates a driver’s next move and prepares itself for an upcoming task, such as taking a turn or changing lanes to reach an exit. In essence, the technology is intended to blend driver and car intelligence in such a way that eliminates any conflicts and provides a smoother and safer driving experience.

“Thought control via brain machine interface isn’t a new idea — EPFL researchers are already working on mind-reading wheelchair systems,” Fast Company reports. “But the concentration levels required to control thought-reading systems is extremely high, which is why EPFL and Nissan are working on a device that uses statistical analysis to predict a driver’s next move.”

The system will rely on sensors embedded in the car to track brain activity and eye movement patterns, as well as scanning the environment surrounding the vehicle. Once the patterns have been identified and analyzed, the vehicle will be able to use statistical probability to determine the action the driver would like to take, for example, selecting the correct speed and road positioning before completing a turn.

“This may be a unique system for cars, but the military is already planning an anticipation system for drones. That system would use data from air traffic control and model how piloted planes take off and land,” according to Popular Science. “So could a similar driver-behavior system someday be used for fleets of autonomous cars? For now, we’re OK with our cars helping us pay attention to the tasks at hand.”

Have a great weekend, folks.