BRAIN POWER
Glimpse into genius: Einstein’s
brain comes to Seoul, Korea
A piece of Albert Einstein’s brain
will be on public display in Seoul through March at a world-renowned exhibition featuring
anatomical specimens of the human body.
The eminent physicist’s brain was sliced
into 240 pieces for research following the death in 1995, and one of them is on display at
the Special Gallery of the Seoul National Science Museum, where the yearlong exhibition,
"Body World: The Anatomical Exhibition of Real Human Bodies," is under way.
This is the first time any part of
Einstein’s brain will be displayed outside of the United States, Einstein spent his
last years in Princeton, New Jersey.
"This is a wonderful change for the
public to familiarize themselves with the anatomy of the human brain," said Choe
Daekyu, managing director of Good Fellows Communication, Inc. Choe’s firm organized
the Body World exhibition.
"Einstein’s brain will allow
visitors to learn about he weight, shapes and functions of the brain and its cells,"
Choe said.
The piece of his brain on display is 2cm in
width and 4cm in length. It is part of the inferior parietal lobule area 39, which experts
believe is linked to written language ability. Slides that magnify the brain image will
also be on display for optimal viewing.
For the past half a century, scientists
sought to find in Einstein’s brain evidence for his genius. But initially no
significant difference was found between Einstein’s brain and those of others.
In 1985, a team of Berkeley researchers
discovered that area 39 of Einstein’s brain contained more glial cells than those of
other people. Glial cells perform critical functions that aid neuron activity.
In 1996, the world found that Einstein’s
brain, weighing 1,230g, was lighter than the average male brain, which is 1,400g. The
thickness of Einstein’s cerebral cortex (area 9) was also thinner than that of other
brains, but the density of neurons in the region was higher.
In 1999, Canadian scientists found that
Einstein’s right and left parietal lobes, the region thought responsible for
mathematical and spatial reasoning abilities, were larger, making his brain 15 percent
wider than the average.
Einstein’s brain also lacks lateral
grooves in the area, possibly allowing better connections between neurons, which enhance
math and spatial reasoning capacity.
At the Body World exhibition, which began in
April and continues until next March, 200 entire bodies and individual organs are on
display. Some of them have horizontal and vertical slices, showing complete blood-vessel
systems.
German Prof. Gunther von Hagens, using a
technique called "plastination," saturated tissues with chemical agents to
harden the bodies and organs. The bodies were donated by people who said their bodies
could be used to train medical students and laymen.
Since 1997, the exhibition has traveled to 11
cities worldwide and has attracted 8.5 million viewers in Brussels, Berlin, Vienna and
Osaka, among others.
The Seoul show has drawn more than 1.3
million visitors, according to Choe at Good Fellows.
The Seoul National Science Museum is located
between Changgyeong Palace and Sungkyunkwan University, and the show’s Web site
address is : www.bodyworlds.co.kr.
Text courtesy: "Korea Now".
November 2002 issue. Embassy of Republic of Korea in Kathmandu-Editor.
Pak-China Relations in the
Shadow of ‘War against Terrorism’
By Fazal-ur-Rahman, Institute of
Strategic Studies, Pakistan
China condemned the terrorist attacks on
Washington and New York and supported UN-led international cooperation to deal with the
spread of terrorism. However, China cautioned and stated that NATO should consult major
countries outside Europe before launching any military action. China considered
consultations important, because the action to be launched was outside Europe and it could
have implications for the other countries’ strategic interest. It also asked
Washington to provide ‘hard proof’ of the links to Osama bin Laden and
Afghanistan to the September 11 attacks. And if the attack on Afghanistan was inevitable,
the US should announce its specific goals and it should not hurt innocent people. China
stood for a multilateral approach under the UN to be adopted to deal with the issue of
global terrorism, resisting unilateral decisions by the US and its allies for the conduct
of war against terrorism.
Shortly after the terrorist’s attacks on
mainland USA, a special envoy of President Jiang Zemin arrived in Islamabad on September
18, 2001, to meet and consult General Musharraf and other officials on the situation
emerging as consequence of the terrorist attacks. Pakistan, along with some other
countries, whose cooperation for the way against terrorism was sought, were given the
choice by the US, ‘either you are with us or against us.’ After having
thoroughly examined pros and cons of the two options, Pakistan choose to be a part of the
coalition against terrorism. Pakistan first sent special delegations to Afghanistan to
negotiate and persuade Afghanistan’s Taliban regime to accept the US demands and hand
over Osama bin Laden, considered as the prime suspect and the other Al-Qaeda member
involved in the September 11 attacks. Pakistan failed to achieve a negotiated settlement
between the US and the Taliban regime. Consequently, Pakistan withdrew its diplomatic
recognition to the Taliban regime and cooperated with the international coalition to
dismantle the Al-Qaeda network in Afghanistan.
Though Pakistan had taken major decisions to
fight global terrorism after September 11, there had been a constant corresponding effort
on the part of the government, well before September 11, to put to an end to religious
extremism, sectarian violence and terrorism. In his speech of January 12, 2002, President
Musharraf announced his government’s resolve to root out all sorts of extremist
tendencies from Pakistani society and to help international efforts against terrorism. The
measure he announced to curb terrorism were highly appreciated by the Chinese leadership
and considered a positive step to reduce tension in the region.
As a member of the international coalition,
Pakistan fulfilled all its commitments and provided the coalition forces with ground
facilities for logistic support in its war effort against the Afghan Taliban and Al-Qaeda
outfits in Afghanistan. Pakistan also shared intelligence on Taliban and Al-Qaeda. In
return, Pakistan expected the lifting of economic and military sanctions imposed on it by
many countries as a consequence of its nuclear testing in May 1998, a relief package by
the IMF and the World Bank for its soaring loans, and some financial assistance for
addressing the macro-economic issues. Pakistan’s expectations were partially
fulfilled, and to date some promised incentives are not forthcoming. For example in a
recent analysis in the New York Times pointed out:
‘Few countries have done as much for
Washington in the war against terrorism as Pakistan but the Bush administration has been
slow to deliver on its promises… Pakistani government has demonstrated how firmly it
is in the camp of cooperation, most lately in allowing the FBI and CIA to conduct a raid
with Pakistani police that rounded up more than 30 men with suspected links to
Al-Qaeda…one of those apprehended, Abu Zubydahg, is suspected of being a top
lieutenant of Osama bin Laden… the Bush administration has recognized the
contributions of Gen. Musharraf, inviting him to Washington and commending his courage,
however, it has been slow to deliver on promises of police assistance, and has not removed
duties and quotas on Pakistani textiles, a move that would give a vital lift to the
economy of this impoverished country. Without some tangible benefits like those, there is
a question of how long the Musharraf government can continue to mobilize public opinion
behind its anti-terrorism policies’.
Pakistan’s decision to side with the US
and to provide the base facilities initially raised concerns in Chinese circles. However,
the exchange of high-level visits clarified Pakistan’s position and, that under no
circumstance would it allow any effort to undermine Chinese strategic interests in the
region. The Chinese side perfectly understood the constraints and compulsions under which
Pakistan made some crucial decisions and in turn expressed its solidarity with Pakistan.
The major problem for Pakistan is that
terrorism must be defined according to the various international treaties and UN
protocols, which makes a clear distinction between terrorism and struggle for the right of
self-determination. Moreover, it should also focus on the state terrorism as being
perpetrated on the innocent Kashmiris and Palestinians.
Beijing’s willingness to express support
to the US anti-terrorist campaign stemmed from several considerations. First and foremost,
China and the US share an interest in curbing the terrorist activities, particularly those
by Islamic fundamentalists who are spread across a vast contiguous region. China has been
affected by the rising Islamic extremism in Afghanistan and some of the Central Asian
sates. In fact, since 1996 China has worked hard to build up the Shanghai process into a
Shanghai Cooperative Organization to combat cross border crime (drugs, arms smuggling
etc.) and terrorism in the region, which has affected its Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous
Region. China’s main concern, as a partner in the ‘war against global
terrorism’ is that the US did not consider the acts of terror by the separatists
Uighur groups as terrorism, rather it is still considered a question of human right to
keep China under pressure. Beijing expects US to reciprocate for its support for the
US-led war against terrorism by considering the separatists in Xinjiang as terrorists, sot
that it can deal with those elements effectively without provoking any international
criticism. Beijing also wants to see Washington moderate its support for the Taiwan and
Tibetan separatists movements, which China considers a threat to its territorial
integrity. On to of all these factors, China considers it in its long-term interests to
have cooperative relationship with US in order to achieve targeted economic prosperity
without any hindrance. However, the differing perspectives on the definition of terrorism
may cause a dent in Chinese support for the US-led war against terrorism. Eventually,
China would much prefer to fight terrorism under the cooperative security framework of
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation that takes into account the regional realities and
shared perspectives of the member states on terrorism.
Beijing has been unsettled by the US military
presence close to its Western borders. Chinese analysts have long maintained that by
fighting the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, Washington had dual political agenda in the
region. The US has not abandoned its policy of containing China – the only country,
which will have the potential and the means to challenge US interests in the future. China
is also cautious about the future implications of the US military presence in Central
Asian states, given the ongoing policy of containment. The changed geo-strategic
environment, regionally and globally, has implications for Chinese long-term strategic
interests in the region. For example:
US control over Central Asian’s oil and
gas reserves will have a direct impact on China’s energy needs, which are expected to
grow manifold in the near future. Presently, China imports 40% of its oil requirements.
Free access to energy resources is a prerequisite for maintaining a sustainable economic
growth rate for China.
US can create instability in the Chinese
areas adjacent to Central Asia as indicated by US approach of not considering the Uighur
separatists as ‘terrorists’.
China’s plans for the economic
development of its western regions, and linking them to Central and West Asian markets
could suffer setbacks as the governments in Central Asia will remain under heavy US
influence, who might then influence them against China.
The US operational strategy in the region
could also undermine the growing cooperation among China, Russia and Central Asian States,
especially the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, the only security architecture in the
world in which the US is not included.
Although post-September 11 developments
provided an opportunity for both China and the US to cooperate on the issue of global
terrorism, however, the US conduct of war against terrorism has shown up its double
standards and which is not approved by China. Moreover, the fundamentals of the
relationship between China and the US have not changed. Specially, on China’s
concerns over US arms sales to Taiwan and the US with-drawl from ABM treaty and its
resolve to develop its National Missile Defence system. Pakistan and China, both are
against development of this system because it will unleash a spiral of arms race
throughout the world.
Since the start of the new millennium,
Pakistan-China relations have moved to a new high-level of strategic understanding. The
two countries have raised the level and frequency of their high-level exchanges and share
identical views on all major issues and developments taking place at global and regional
levels. The focus of their current ‘comprehensive partnership’ is on the
expansion of mutually beneficial economic cooperation. With substantive initiatives taken
by Pakistan on Afghanistan and to deal with the issues of religious extremism, the minor
irritants between the two have been removed. China also supports and appreciates the
policies followed by the present government of President Musharraf. Pakistan attaches
great value to the continued multi-dimensional Chinese support.
(Text Courtsey: Through the kind courtesy
of Dr. Shireen Mazari, who is the Editor in Chief of the Journal of Strategic Studies,
Islamabad. The article is printed in the said journal of summer 2002, No: 2, Vol. XXII) |
