Sciam - cover

From the June 2007 Scientific American Mind | 0 comments

The Powers and Perils of Intuition ( Preview )

Understanding the nature of our gut instincts

By David G. Myers   

 
e-mail print comment

More from this issue of Mind

On an April morning in 2001 Christopher Bono, a clean-cut, well-mannered 16-year-old, approached Jackie Larsen in Grand Marais, Minn. His car had broken down, and he needed a ride to meet friends in Thunder Bay. As Larsen talked with him, she came to feel that something was very wrong. “I am a mother, and I have to talk to you like a mother,” she said. “I can tell by your manners that you have a nice mother.” Bono replied: “I don’t know where my mother is.” After Bono left, she called the police and suggested they trace his license plates.

On July 1, 2002, a Russian Bashkirian Airlines jet’s collision-avoidance system instructed its pilot to ascend when a DHL cargo jet approached in the Swiss-controlled airspace over southern Germany. Nearly simultaneously, a Swiss air traffic controller—whose computerized air traffic system was down—offered an instant human judgment: descend. The Russian pilot overrode the software, and the plane began to angle downward.

Graphic - Get the Rest of the Article
Graphic - Get the Rest of the Article
If your institution has site license access, enter here.

Read Comments (0) | Post a comment


Share
Propeller    Digg!  Reddit delicious  Fark 
Slashdot    RT @sciam The Powers and Perils of IntuitionTwitter Review it on NewsTrust 
sharebar end

Discuss This Article


Click here to submit your comment.

VIEW:

2,573 characters remaining
 
  Email me when someone responds to this discussion.
 

risk free issue 

Sciam - cover Email:
Name:
Address:
Address 2:
City:
State:  
spacer



World Changing Ideas Video Contest



Editor's Pick


Newsletter

Mind & Brain Newsletter

Get weekly coverage delivered to your inbox


 Podcasts

  • 60-Second Psych     RSS  · iTunes It's Very Tough to Tell Just How Drunk Someone Is
    click to enable

    Download

  • 60-Second Science     RSS  · iTunes Organic Strawberries Beat Conventionally Grown In Test Plots
    click to enable

    Download



Science Jobs of the Week

 



ADVERTISEMENT
 
 


Also on Scientific American


© 2010 Scientific American, a division of Nature America, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
ADVERTISEMENT