Finding of the week #106

Muscle Memory

During my ongoing literature review I often discover interesting facts about things I’ve never thought about. Sometimes I can connect these facts with my own observations: The result is mostly a completely new idea why things are as they are. Maybe these ideas are new to you, too. Therefore I’ll share my new science based knowledge with you!

This week: This time, I think about the importance of the muscle memory for the gameplay of computer games.

Muscle memory [1] is a special form of procedural memory [2] which involves internalizing motor tasks through repetition. After a long-term muscle memory is created for a certain task, the task can be performed without conscious effort. The process of internalizing motor tasks increases the efficiency by reducing the reaction time to a minimum.

This process can be explained with the process of upshifting a car. At first, we need to understand the utilization of the clutch and the gearshift. Over time, we start to internalize this process and upshifting becomes a natural process.

Muscle memory plays also a key role in typing on a keyboard as it helps us to focus on the content and limits the time we need to find the right keys on the keyboard. As we get used to write on a computer, typing on a keyboard becomes a natural process and we can use our brainpower to contextualize our thoughts.

Computer game players master the muscle memory of utilizing the keyboard as they are challenged by the games to react to a certain situation within a short amount of time. The player has to focus on the gameplay on the screen and has to react to the situation via inputs over the keyboard and the mouse. On the one hand, this process requires a good hand-eye-coordination, as the player has to perform precise inputs in order to exhaust the challenge. On the other hand, performing precise inputs in time can be only done if the process is a memorized task.

In most of the cases, the keyboard is used as an interface to control the own movement inside a computer game. The main movement inputs have become standardized across all computer games. Pressing „W“ results in a forward movement whereas pressing „S“ allows the players to move backwards. „A“ and „D“ are used for a movement to the left and to the right. Pressing the spacebar mostly triggers a jump in the game.

During the gameplay, computer game players constantly repeat these inputs to move through the virtual worlds. This leads to a highly developed muscle memory for these key movement actions. It becomes natural to the players to place their left hand on the keyboard with the fingertips on the W, A, S, D keys and the right hand on the mouse once they are entering the virtual world of a computer game. Inside such a virtual world, experienced computer gamers can perform precise movements without being required to look at the keyboard as they have completely internalized the utilization of the keyboard.

Recently, I was surprised as I observed that I place my hands on the mouse and on the keyboard with the fingertips on these important keys every time I want to do some work on my computer. Yep, I’m a gamer …

Finding of the week #105

Solar Eclipse

During my ongoing literature review I often discover interesting facts about things I’ve never thought about. Sometimes I can connect these facts with my own observations: The result is mostly a completely new idea why things are as they are. Maybe these ideas are new to you, too. Therefore I’ll share my new science based knowledge with you!

This week: This time, I think about yesterday’s solar eclipse.

Yesterday (March 20, 2015), a total solar eclipse occured over the Arctic Ocean and was visible from Svalbard and the Faroe Island. At the same time, sky watchers across Greenland, Iceland, Europe and Asia were able to observe a partial solar eclipse.

Watching the solar eclispe.

Watching the solar eclipse.

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth and (partially) blocks the Sun. This is only possible during a new moon when the Moon and the Sun are in conjunction as seen from Earth. Moreover, the Moon has to cross the Earth’s orbital plane, as the Moon’s orbit is inclined more than 5° to the Earth’s orbit around the Sun.

Solar eclipse over Berlin. Credit: E.W.O.

Solar eclipse over Berlin. Credit: E.W.O.

Personally, I think observing a solar eclipse is a very special moment as it is not only a very beautiful event, but it can also add a completely new dimension to the understanding of the planet’s motion as it visualizes the structure of our solar system.

Finding of the week #104

Stay Focused

During my ongoing literature review I often discover interesting facts about things I’ve never thought about. Sometimes I can connect these facts with my own observations: The result is mostly a completely new idea why things are as they are. Maybe these ideas are new to you, too. Therefore I’ll share my new science based knowledge with you!

This week: This time, I think about the way how computer games can help us to stay focused while performing activities which are requiring a multitasking skill.

Controlling vehicles demands in the most cases the ability to multitask. This can be as easy as driving a car at a constant speed while monitoring the traffic. On the other hand, it can be also as complex as performing a crosswind landing with an airplane.

All these activities require us to focus on the indications of certain instruments, to assess the current position of the vehicle and to monitor the environment. Moreover, we are required to perform certain interactions in order to successfully complete the activity. As an example, driving a car requires us to control the speed and to follow the course of the road.

Performing all these tasks at once needs a lot of practice and the ability to focus on the most critical elements of the activity. Driving at a constant speed can be achieved by monitoring the speedometer and reacting to the indications by increasing or decreasing the throttle. However, the driver has also to follow the course of the road and to monitor the traffic at the same time. This results in the demand of a multitasking ability in order to fulfill all the tasks at once. It requires an ability to constantly process the information in time, to make the right decision and to subsequently execute the decision.

Playing computer games can train such a multitasking ability. Simulation and action-based computer games often require the players to perform several tasks at once in order to successfully play the game. Especially simulation games are a great training environment for all these skills as these games require the players to monitor several indications at once. Furthermore, the players have to analyse these indications and give the right inputs based on their observations.

This can be explained with the landing of a spacecraft on a celestial body in Kerbal Space Program. This activity requires the players to monitor their altitude, their lateral and vertical velocities and the environment, so that their are not trying to land on a steep slope. Subsequently, the player has to process and analyse all these information in order to be able to make the correct decision. Finally, the player has to execute his decision by giving the right inputs.

Successful landing on Minmus

Successful landing on Minmus

Playing these kinds of computer games on a regular basis can improve our multitasking ability. Moreover, it can help us to stay focused while performing a demanding activity as playing these games is also training our capacity to monitor several information at once.

Finding of the week #103

Five Swims in Antarctica

During my ongoing literature review I often discover interesting facts about things I’ve never thought about. Sometimes I can connect these facts with my own observations: The result is mostly a completely new idea why things are as they are. Maybe these ideas are new to you, too. Therefore I’ll share my new science based knowledge with you!

This week: This time, I think about the Five Swims expedition of Lewis Pugh to raise global attention for the Ross Sea.

A couple of weeks ago, I read an inspiring tweet from Lewis Pugh (@LewisPugh):

After reading a few more of his tweets, I found out that he is currently on an expedition to do five swims in freezing Antartic waters merely wearing a Speedo swimming costume. At this point, he really got my attention and I visited his website (lewispugh.com) in order to learn more about his expedition and his goals.


The goal for these ambitious five 1km swims in sub-zero waters is to gain global support for the Ross Sea to become a Marine Protected Area (MPA). The Ross Sea is one of the most prestine marine ecosystems on Earth and also represents one of the last marine ecosystems in a near-natural state. However, this status is endangered as fishermen are now targeting the Antarctic toothfish. After only a few years of fishing, the toothfish population is reduced by a significant degree. This in return has a strong effect on the whole ecosystem of the Ross Sea. Humans have already caused severe damage to the ecosystem during the early 1900s as Blue Whales were hunted and now they are about to endanger the next species.

An MPA would protect this special marine ecosystem as it would limit the human interference. A Marine Protected Area is a geographically defined area that is protected for a conservation purpose. Unfortunately, the Ross Sea is not such an MPA. However, there is a proposal for a Ross Sea MPA with a size of 1.34 million km2, but the motion to establish it has been held up by a lack of consensus of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR).

Now, Lewis Pugh, United Nations Patron of the Oceans, likes to raise the attention to bring forth the establishment of a Ross Sea MPA by doing five swims in the freezing Antartic waters. He likes us to urge the CCAMLR nations to declare the Ross Sea as an MPA.

A great project. We all should work together to protect the nature instead of finding new ways to exploit it.