ArchiveArticles
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
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
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
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
Famed Ethics Prof Endorses Suicide for Old People in New York Times
Peter Singer supports suicide not just for those who are ill now but who fear that they might become so
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
Reptilian Renaissance: How Did Reptiles Develop Intelligence?
Scientists used to think reptiles were dumb but then they looked more closely
The Ship of Theseus: The Mystery of Personal Identity
If all your parts are slowly replaced, in what sense are you still you? A Mind Matters podcast discussion explores that
How ‘Expedience Ethics’ Busts Through Moral Limits
At Quanta: High Bird Intelligence Developed on a Different Path
High intelligence developing on different paths is consistent with convergent evolution. It’s also consistent with design in nature
Large Language Models: A Lack-of-Progress Report
They will not be as powerful as either hoped or feared
Monday Micro Softy 22: Can There Be Two Daddies?
The solution to last week’s puzzler lies in things we can do with binary numbers
Is the Human Race Evolving Toward a Final Spiritual Unity? Part 2
Teilhard thought that evolution needed to be seen from the inside, viewing humans not only as observers of evolution but also as its products
Is the Human Race Evolving Toward a Final Spiritual Unity? Part 1
Philosopher and paleontologist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin thought so but many other thinkers have found his Omega point too simplistic
Terminator Genisys Review, Part 7: Now John Connor Is the Bad Hat
Why don’t Hollywood screenwriters understand the importance of what the audience thinks is at stake?
Did the Enlargement of the Human Brain Depend on Two Genes?
The genes, unique to humans, spurred brain growth when introduced in mice and chimpanzee stem cells
University Science War: Ideas vs “Dollars per Net Square Footage”
Katalin Karikó, obscure and mistreated at the University of Pennsylvania, won the Nobel Prize. Shouldn’t we have some questions?
Famed Reclusive Novelist to Release New Novel in the Fall
How can writers and creators today attain success in their fields?