Latest news with #HamburgUniversity
Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- Health
- Free Malaysia Today
People have a better memory for ‘aha! moments'
Research sheds light on how 'aha!' moments help you remember what you learn. (Envato Elements pic) PARIS : Sometimes it only takes a moment for everything to fall into place. A flash of inspiration, an idea that springs to mind without warning, and suddenly the answer is self-evident. These moments of sudden insight, often illustrated by a light bulb above the head, are not just a cartoon image. They cause a real stir in our brains. So reports a study by researchers at Duke University in the US, and Humboldt and Hamburg Universities in Germany, published in the journal Nature Communications. They discovered that when a solution comes to one suddenly, almost magically, it imprints itself more durably in the memory than if it had been found by dint of reasoning. To demonstrate this, the scientists designed an experiment based on visual puzzles. Participants had to interpret black-and-white images with minimal detail until a familiar object emerged. Once the solution had been identified, they noted their degree of certainty and the way in which they had found it: a sudden flash or more logical deduction. Meanwhile, their brain activity was scanned for signs of that cognitive spark. A memory boost The results are illuminating. Not only are flashes of insight better imprinted on the brain, they are also accompanied by striking physiological responses. fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) scans revealed intense activation of the hippocampus, a key region for memory and learning, as well as changes in the ventral occipito-temporal cortex, involved in visual pattern recognition. According to Roberto Cabeza, professor at Duke University and senior author of the study, these flashes of sudden insight seemed to increase people's ability to remember what they had learned. 'If you have an 'aha! moment' while learning something, it almost doubles your memory. There are few memory effects that are as powerful as this,' the researcher explains in a news release. A strong claim, based on solid data: participants who had experienced this kind of epiphany remembered their answers much better, even five days later, than those who had proceeded in a more considered manner. These breakthrough moments don't just leave an imprint. 'During these moments of insight, the brain reorganises how it sees the image,' says first author, Maxi Becker, a postdoctoral fellow at Humboldt University. Indeed, the more powerful the flash, the more the brain's neuronal networks are activated. And that's not all. These moments of clarity are accompanied by improved communication between the different areas of the brain. It's as if, for a moment, internal connections become more fluid, more efficient. These discoveries could open up promising avenues for rethinking teaching methods. Encouraging environments conducive to the emergence of new ideas could strengthen long-term memory and refine comprehension. This underscores the importance of active learning, in which students themselves construct knowledge.
Metro
04-05-2025
- Metro
Manhunt for relatives of children inside of 'House of Horrors' continues
The mystery surrounding Spain's 'House of Horrors' is growing as it emerged local authorities are still trying to track down other relatives of the three children who were rescued. German freelance tech recruiter Christian Steffen, 53, and his American-born wife Melissa Ann Steffen, 48, were held last Monday after being accused of keeping their two eight-year-old twin boys and 10-year-old son locked up inside their home in Oviedo in Asturias for almost four years. Police who raided the property have told local press the youngsters were made to wear nappies and told when and how many times they could use the toilet. Overnight it emerged officials were still trying to locate relatives of the three boys currently in social service care. Regional government vice-president Gimena Llamedo said work will continue this week to try to track down other family members. She said: 'We will carry on working towards trying to locate relatives who could and would meet the criteria to take care of the children, whose welfare is our utmost priority.' Today the youngsters' saviour was identified as a university professor called Silvia, who handed in a 'forensic detective's' diary with evidence minors were inside the large villa. Hamburg University philosophy graduate Mr Steffen was the only registered occupant of the property he and his naturalised German wife had started renting in October 2021. Silvia started chronicling the evidence after she thought she saw a little girl playing in the garden around 65 feet from one of her windows during the Covid lockdown. They included details of the days and times of when curtains were opened or lowered and when she saw Christian collecting deliveries. Her suspicions grew when she saw the amount of supermarket deliveries he received and she began to hear what she believed to be children's voices. Police discovered the purchases included nappies when they started working on Silvia's dossier, sparking a decision to enter the property and see what was going on inside. A city hall source told respected Spanish daily El Mundo: 'The neighbour had collected evidence that during school hours no-one left the house and expressed with certainty there had to be children living there, and even claimed to have seen them. 'She went to Oviedo City Council's Childhood and Family Service on April 14 with what was practically a handmade police report. 'The shopping list was the clue that set it all off. 'It was the list of a family, not a single person, and there was something that didn't fit at all which was the striking amount of nappies.' The source added: 'Without that neighbour, the children would almost certainly have gone undetected in that house for many more years. Some close neighbours didn't even know the house was being lived in.' The boys' dad and his naturalised German wife are being held in Asturias Prison after being remanded in custody by a judge pending the investigation. They face possible prison sentences of between five and seven years. They are currently being investigated on suspicion of domestic violence, psychological mistreatment and child abandonment, although legal sources said the probe could be widened to cover alleged unlawful detention. Vitaly Istomov, owner of Berlin-based tech company Green Beans Technologies, who Mr Steffen did some recent work for as a part-time HR recruiter, told La Nueva Espana yesterday: 'I only had a couple of video calls with him to talk about recruitment. 'In the conversations we had he seemed quite professional and I didn't detect anything strange, let alone anything of this magnitude.' Mr Steffen's wife reportedly told police after their arrests they had left Germany after the Covid crisis when officials there warned them they would alert social services if they tried to take them out of school over their health fears. Police have said that when they were freed, one of the children knelt on the grass and 'touched it with amazement.' Oviedo Police Chief Inspector Francisco Javier Lozano said: 'We have given three children back their lives.' Local reports have pointed to the youngsters suffering from severe constipation after being rescued because they weren't allowed to go to the toilet when they wanted. More Trending A paediatric report identifying their 'severe constipation' flagged up faeces in their intestines because of the long wait they endured between relieving themselves, Spanish news website El Español reported. Although police described the house as filthy and dirty nappies were piled up in one of the bathrooms and used tampons found under the parents' double bed, Mr Steffen and his wife were said to have been using half a dozen air purifier machines they kept in their bedroom. Their large consumption of water has also led to speculation the parents were showering round-the-clock and getting their children to do the same to keep them free of germs. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Eight people arrested in two separate terrorism cases after police raids across the UK MORE: Driver arrested after car ploughs into crowd seriously injuring four including child MORE: Two injured at school after pupil 'seen wandering around brandishing huge knife'
Daily Record
02-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Record
First picture of 'house of horrors' dad who held three kids prisoner for four years
Christian Steffen, 53, and his wife Melissa Ann Steffen, 48, were arrested after neighbours raised the alarm after hearing children making noises in the house, despite never having seen any coming or going. The first photo of a father who kept his three children locked away in a "house of horrors" for four years has been released. This is the face Christian Steffen, 53, who along with his spouse Melissa Ann Steffen, 48, was arrested by police in Spain after neighbours alerted authorities upon hearing the sounds of children from the residence, despite never noticing any children entering or leaving. Police then found three boys – two eight-year-old twins and their 10-year-old brother – living in appalling conditions, amidst heaps of rubbish and animal dirt on the floor. The children were forced to wear nappies and sleep in 'caged beds'. Images of their father have now emerged for the first time. It is reported that he had jobs as a freelance tech recruiter and an HR manager. He is also thought to hold a PhD from Hamburg University, reports the Mirror. A source familiar with the investigation told El Espanyol: "The minors had a schedule for going to the bathroom and a maximum number of times per day because the rest of the time they had to wear diapers. "They were obsessed with the idea their children had serious illnesses and were going to die from the pandemic. "All the blinds in the house were closed, except for those in the children's two bedrooms, which were allowed to be open exactly halfway across the window. At 5.10pm every day, the children were to lower the blinds in their rooms ." The children were not allowed to attend school or leave the house. Instead, they were educated in a study room within the home, learning how to read, write and do maths. When police arrived at the property, in Oviedo, Spain, the children were found barefoot and wearing nappies. When officers took them from the home, the youngsters did not even have fitting shoes to wear. A police officer previously said: 'They were very scared and around the mother, who told us all the time the little ones had serious pathologies and that we should not approach them. 'They had three masks, each on top of each other. They were oblivious to any contact with reality. 'They touched the grass and breathed fresh air as if they had never done so before in their lives. They saw a snail and they were completely taken aback.' Francisco Javier Lozano, the chief commissioner of the Local Police of Oviedo, revealed at a press conference this week that the German couple were arrested. An initial search of the property was complicated due to a power outage causing darkness across Spain. He added: 'We have dismantled the house of horrors.' When police knocked on the front door, the father answered but asked the officers to wait for a few minutes so the children could put their masks on. The children, who spoke in English, were taken to the Central University Hospital of Asturias and placed under the guardianship of the Government of the Principality.
Daily Mirror
02-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
'House of Horrors' dad who kept his three kids prisoner since Covid seen for first time
The first image of a father who kept his three children hidden inside a 'house of horrors' for four years has been pictured for the first time. Christian Steffen, 53, and his wife Melissa Ann Steffen, 48, were arrested after neighbours raised the alarm after hearing children making noises in the house, despite never having seen any coming or going. Police discovered three boys - two eight-year-old twins and their 10-year-old brother - inside the home which was kept in a disgusting state, with piles of rubbish animal excrement on the ground. Each of the boys was also forced to wear nappies and they slept in caged beds. Their father has now been pictured for the first time. He is said to have worked as a freelance tech recruiter and an HR manager. He is also believed to have a PhD from Hamburg University. A source close to the case told El Espanyol: "The minors had a schedule for going to the bathroom and a maximum number of times per day because the rest of the time they had to wear diapers. "They were obsessed with the idea their children had serious illnesses and were going to die from the pandemic. "All the blinds in the house were closed, except for those in the children's two bedrooms, which were allowed to be open exactly halfway across the window. At 5.10pm every day, the children were to lower the blinds in their rooms ." The children were kept out of school and were forbidden to leave the house. Instead, there was a study room where the children were taught how to read, write and do maths. Each child was barefoot and wearing nappies when police arrived. When they were taken out of the building the children did not even have shoes of their sizes to wear. A police officer said earlier: 'They were very scared and around the mother, who told us all the time the little ones had serious pathologies and that we should not approach them. 'They had three masks, each on top of each other. They were oblivious to any contact with reality. 'They touched the grass and breathed fresh air as if they had never done so before in their lives. They saw a snail and they were completely taken aback.' The chief commissioner of the Local Police of Oviedo, Francisco Javier Lozano, told a press conference the German couple were arrested. The initial search of the house had been made more difficult because Spain was in darkness by the electricity outage. He added: 'We have dismantled the house of horrors.' When police knocked on the front door, the father answered but asked the officers to wait for a few minutes so the children could put their masks on. The children, who spoke mostly in English, were evaluated at the Central University Hospital of Asturias and placed under the guardianship of the Government of the Principality.
