Mind Matters Natural and Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

Denyse O'Leary

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A Neurosurgeon Makes the Neuroscience Case for Free Will

Michael Egnor is concerned about the serious social implications of denying free will
Insisting that there is no free will amounts to declaring “I’m a meat robot, so take seriously what I’m saying.” That’s self-refuting nonsense, Dr. Egnor says. Read More ›
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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

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
If it takes a hundred scientists to map a cubic millimetre of a mouse’s brain, even the material world — never mind the immaterial world of the mind — is not likely to have a simple explanation. Read More ›
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Smart Turtle with Glasses: A Hilarious and Adorable Reptile Portrait

Reptilian Renaissance: How Did Reptiles Develop Intelligence?

Scientists used to think reptiles were dumb but then they looked more closely
Maybe if we are looking for general principles underlying the development of intelligence, we would be wise to leave evolution out of it for a bit. Read More ›
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Highly detailed close up portrait of an adult Raven in Yellowstone National Park, species name Corvus corax

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
It is ironic that otherwise intelligent people must play the “we’re just another animal” game while demanding attention for ideas that only humans can give. Read More ›
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3d rendered illustration of the human brain anatomy

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
While it is quite true that the human brain is very large by animal standards, there is no simple one-on-one relationship between brain size and intelligence. Read More ›
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Businesswoman interviewed for a podcast

Information Imperialism: The Battle for Free Access Heats Up

Headline incidents are only one part of an international trend toward attempted government control of the news stream
Regardless of who emerges as the victor in the battle between government censors and independent creators, the traditional media landscape is now history. Read More ›
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a sticky note with an angry face drawn on it by a disgruntled employee

Facebook Ends Fact-Checking, Moves to Community Notes Format

Top executive admits that there was "too much political bias" at Facebook, Instagram, Threads…
For the social media user at X, the advantage of a Community Notes approach is that the volunteer contributors address specific claims, not overall worldviews. Read More ›
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Exploring the intricacies of human cognition a dual brain representation in artistic form

Can One Person Really Have Two Different Consciousnesses?

The idea that split-brain surgery can create two separate minds is immortal — in science fiction
Real-world research shows the remarkable resilience of damaged brains housing single minds. Our brains are full of complexities and exceptions to rules. Read More ›
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Bearded neanderthal man sits by fire in cave at night, caveman and bonfire on dark background. Concept of Homo sapiens, prehistoric era, primitive, ancient, Stone Age

Chinese Neanderthal technology raises some interesting questions

The groups that made the distinctive Quina tools lived 7 to 8 thousand kilometers apart. Did they ever meet? Read More ›
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Intensive care unit in the prison hospital

When Top People “Must Be Right,” Dissent Becomes Mental Illness

A healthcare historian looks at the history of the use of psychiatry to crush alternative viewpoints
If all sadness, however caused, is depression and all anger, however motivated, is aggression, government can easily create contexts or pretexts for interference Read More ›
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A post-apocalyptic cityscape devoid of life, with crumbling buildings, overgrown vegetation, and the remnants of civilization scattered throughout the desolate landscape, Generative AI

At a Science Journal: Humanity Is Just So Doomed

Opinions differ as to the details of what will wipe us all out — or maybe not
In one version, the coming human eclipse originated in a sin against Darwinism: destroying the competition. Read More ›
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baby chimpanzee ape at the zoo.

Study: Human brains differ more from chimps’ than once thought

Discarding decades of pop science, science writer Tom Howarth doubts that there is a single defining switch or pivotal evolutionary event that makes us human. Read More ›
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Digital chatbots on smartphones access data and information in online networks. Robot Applications and Global Connectivity AI Artificial Intelligence innovation and technology

Are chatbots starting to write literature?

Of course, the critical question is, how much does the audience actually want originality and how much does it want the old familiar storyline? Read More ›
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Dark sphere rests on volcanic rocks, Iceland landscape

Why Did Our Very Ancient Ancestors Collect Ball-Shaped Stones?

Over a million years ago, it seems that some of our ancestors hiked through valleys in East Africa, searching for volcanic spheres
Darwinian evolution theory allows any state of affairs that dates to eons ago to be called “evolution” even when, as in this case, the facts imply the opposite. Read More ›
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Cancel word on a red enter key of the black pc keyboard. Concepts of cancel culture, ostracism and call-out culture social media and in the Internet. Computer enter key with message.

How Our Expert Classes Have Torpedoed Public Trust

Long time free speech advocate Greg Lukianoff and Angel Eduardo dissect the Cancel Culture that makes distrust a quite reasonable choice
All that said, it’s not villains who keep Cancel Culture going. It’s people for whom being Nice is far more important than telling the truth. Read More ›
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Brain psychology mind soul and hope concept art, 3d illustration, surreal artwork, imagination painting, conceptual idea

Can Christianity Just Abandon the Idea of the Soul?

Theologian Nancey Murphy thinks that the Christian tradition can do without the idea of a soul, by relying only on faith in a bodily resurrection
The view Murphy outlines at Closer to Truth has more in common with modern materialism than with a traditional Christian understanding of the human soul. Read More ›