So you think we make this stuff up?

[rolanni]

Fighter pilots may owe their ability to perform under pressure to the way their brains are wired-up, scans suggest.

The study found differences in the white matter and connections of the brain's right hemisphere, compared with healthy volunteers who were not pilots.

and...

The findings suggested that optimal cognitive control is accompanied by structural alterations in the brain - not only are the relevant areas of the brain larger but connections between key areas are different, he said.

He told the BBC: "An interesting question is whether these pilots were born like that - and so are good as pilots - or have done this through training.

"There's a suggestion it may be they are born like that."

The whole story here

Comments

[brownkitty.livejournal.com]

This isn't any surprise at all to me.

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

Over the years, we have had people explain to us, gently, and not-so, that no, you can't breed for pilots.

[brownkitty.livejournal.com]

Why on Earth not? You can breed for athletes or physical artists. Smart parents tend to have smart children. A lot of physical defects will give your offspring a greater chance of having that same defect.

Where's the difference?

[liadan-m.livejournal.com]

...my family has been doing it. I've got cousins who are the 3rd generation of pilots in our family.

[malkingrey.livejournal.com]

And why shouldn't it be possible? Would saying "the family culture prioritizes extremely fast reflexes and kinesthetic awareness in combination with high mathematical ability in matters of mate selection and in-group status" make the idea easier for them to swallow?

(I mean, if you can breed for charisma and stage presence, which the existence of Drew Barrymore and Kiefer Sutherland, among others, would seem to prove, then piloting ability isn't all that far fetched.)

Maybe *they* can't breed for pilots

[(Anonymous)]

But you guys have the Tree on your side...
Lauretta@ConstellationBooks

[brock-tn.livejournal.com]

Yeah. Right....

...like you can't breed for athletic prowess, either...

...or, as has been already noted, acting ability...

...or longevity. [Ooops! My bad. That one's been done.]

[jelazakazone.livejournal.com]

This is so cool. Thanks for sharing.

[doccolt.livejournal.com]

Obviously some people are ignorant of genetics and that animals have been bred for certain characteristics for a very long time. If you can breed animals then obviously you can breed people although it will of course take a lot longer.

[malkingrey.livejournal.com]

Fighter pilots may owe their ability to perform under pressure to the way their brains are wired-up, scans suggest

Or, as Himself and his Navy friends were wont to say of aviators in general, "their brains don't function below 30,000 feet."

[mardott.livejournal.com]

It makes sense to me. It always made sense in your books, too.

Somewhat off topic..

[(Anonymous)]

FYI, lest you have not seen it - I just received an email from Amazon asking if I was willing to sell my copy of Saltation back to Amazon - if in good condition for $5.68 - under the used textbook buyback program.

Someone with more experience with the BBP will have to tell me if this is a good or bad indicator ...

Brom

So you think we make this stuff up?

[(Anonymous)]

Well, um . . . yeah.

Barb in Bandon

[star-horse3.livejournal.com]

Not a surprise. My son has a high IQ. He is very good at math. He has extremely quick reflexes. And yes, he is a pilot. So which comes first, brain-wiring or pilot training? I think this article supports something we already knew.

Made Up?

[claire774.livejournal.com]

I figure you don't make any of it up.
C.