Mind Matters Natural and Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

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Are People in a Persistent Vegetative State Mindless? Maybe Not

They often can and do think. Research in the area helps us understand the relationship between the mind and the brain better
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view form medical partition taiwanese female in vegetative state resting alone on bed in bright hospital.

New Jersey Program Aims to Prevent Suicide— Just Not All Suicides

In New Jersey, the self-terminations of people with a prognosis of six months or less ceases to be “suicide” when facilitated by a doctor
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Beauty injection concept. Syringe with violet liquid for hypodermic injection.

Does Our Humanity Really Depend on “Concept Cells”?

A recently discovered type of brain cell, thought to be unique to humans, codes for a variety of types of information around a single concept
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Neuron cell close-up 3D rendering illustration with nervous impulses along dendrites, axon, soma and nucleus. Neuronal brain activity, neuroscience, neurology, anatomy, medicine concepts.

LLMs Still Cannot be Trusted for Financial Advice

The limitations of Large Language Models (chatbots) are illustrated by their struggles with financial advice
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Mock code for an AI Large Language Model (LLM) that could intelligently answer questions. LLMs are one of the most popular implementations of recent Artificial Intelligence research

Mind Rules, Not Matter, Biologists Say — in Journal Article

They argue that simple natural processes cannot explain embryological development. Instead, biology is directed by cognition
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Microscopic Flatworm in Low Light, Detailed Platyhelminthes Anatomy

The Nearly Unfathomable Complexity of Even a Mouse’s Brain

Mapping a small part of a mouse's brain required 1.6 petabytes of data, which is equivalent to 22 years of nonstop high-definition video
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A detailed image of a laboratory white mouse on a structure that mimics neural pathways, highlighting the role of DNA sequencing and genetic research in neuroscience 8K , high-resolution, ultra HD,up3

Terminator Genisys Review Part 8: The Evil Child Murders the Film

The screenwriters tried to adapt the Evil Child theme from horror films without allowing enough time to build the needed suspense
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Blurred silhouette of a child behind a glass door in the darkness (symbolizing sadness, loneliness, horror or fear)

The Nature of Mind, Free Will, and Human Uniqueness: A Deep Dive

The book Minding the Brain sparks some interesting discussions about what is really unique about the human mind
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A human head with glowing neurons in the brain. Generative AI

How Do Individual Cells Make Decisions?

They have no brains but they solve problems for a purpose and make decisions. Claiming they “evolved” to do so doesn’t answer the question
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human cells in a blue background, 3d illustration

Scientists Dare To Hint That the Mind Can’t Just Be the Brain

They start with astonishing facts about the brains of caterpillars and worms and end up discussing human near-death experiences
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Mix Media 3D Render - Brain blue fire smoke effect on the black background

Reptilian Renaissance: How Did Reptiles Develop Intelligence?

Scientists used to think reptiles were dumb but then they looked more closely
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Smart Turtle with Glasses: A Hilarious and Adorable Reptile Portrait