Category: Medicine and Health | Page 16

Asian woman is wearing facial mask during virus epidemic

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Heather Zeiger
Date
March 1, 2021

Categorized
Media, Medicine and Health, Science

Tagged
China, COVID-19, COVID-19 lab leak hypothesis, Featured, Peter Ben Embarek, Peter Daszak, SARS-CoV-2, WHO COVID-19 investigation in China, World Health Organization (WHO), Wuhan Institute of Virology}

Was the WHO Investigation of COVID-19’s Origin Thwarted by China?

_{The World Health Organization team was not really allowed to conduct a proper investigation in China} _{Heather Zeiger
March 1, 2021

11

Media, Medicine and Health, Science}

On January 14, 2021, an international team from the World Health Organization (WHO) landed in Wuhan in Hubei province in China to investigate the origins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus which causes COVID-19. From the outset, the investigation was plagued with three issues: 1) It ‘s been a year since the outbreak in Wuhan, which makes an investigation into the origins of the outbreak difficult. 2) WHO has catered to the Chinese government since the beginning of the pandemic, and 3) the scientists involved in the investigation had to be approved by Beijing. Two of them had conflicts of interest. When the WHO team arrived, they faced additional barriers to a thorough investigation. They were quarantined for two weeks so they Read More ›

Glowing yellow implant inside human head. Uses: medical, alien, future tech where monitoring and transmission of biotelemetry is involved.

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News
Date
February 20, 2021

Categorized
Arts & Culture, Medicine and Health

Tagged
Brain implant, loneliness, Science fiction}

Sci-Fi Saturday: Watch What You Wish For. There IS a Tomorrow!

_{Carl, a lonely guy, is determined to proceed through the warning and try the Luvsik procedure, to make him fall in love at first sight} _{News
February 20, 2021

6

Arts & Culture, Medicine and Health}

“Luvsik” at DUST by Norman Bertolino (February 29, 2021,5:00) “A man has a medical procedure done to experience love for the first time.” This short short starts out with a parody promo video for an off-standard medical treatment. It’s just the sort of promo that should — but alas, often doesn’t — send prospective patients fleeing back to their cars, then the freeway. So we know that, if Carl is unfazed, he is pretty serious about finding love. It’s also a clever way of providing the science basis for the story. No spoilers but Carl, the guy who wants the brain implant to cause him to fall in love at first sight, is told that in every case where the Read More ›

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News
Date
February 20, 2021

Categorized
Medicine and Health, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Dreams, Memory, Michael Egnor}

Yes, We Can Communicate With People When They Are Dreaming

_{At one time, the idea of communicating with people while they were dreaming would have been regarded by most scientists as hokey New Age stuff. But now a research group has done it.} _{News
February 20, 2021

5

Medicine and Health, Philosophy of Mind}

A research group surprised the science world by reporting: “We found that individuals in REM sleep can interact with an experimenter and engage in real-time communication,” said senior author Ken Paller of Northwestern University. “We also showed that dreamers are capable of comprehending questions, engaging in working-memory operations, and producing answers. “Most people might predict that this would not be possible — that people would either wake up when asked a question or fail to answer, and certainly not comprehend a question without misconstruing it.” Cell Press, “Real-time dialogue with a dreaming person is possible” at ScienceDaily (February 18, 2021) The paper is open access. There is no clear science explanation for why we dream. But one restriction on dreams Read More ›

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Denyse O'Leary
Date
February 18, 2021

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Medicine and Health

Tagged
COVID-19, Japan and robots, Sophia the Robot}

Sophia the Robot Retooled to Help With Senior Care

_{Hanson Robotics sees a huge opportunity in the COVID lockdowns for a mass robot rollout that substitutes for human companionship} _{Denyse O'Leary
February 18, 2021

5

Artificial Intelligence, Medicine and Health}

Hong Kong-based Hanson Robotics is rolling out Sophia the Robot, to help people cope with loneliness during government-enforced isolation as a response to COVID-19. Brushing aside claims that human contact is preferred, firm’s principals see the lockdowns as creating new opportunities for the robotics industry. Founder and CEO David Hanson says, “Sophia and Hanson robots are unique by being so human-like. That can be so useful during these times where people are terribly lonely and socially isolated”: Social robotics professor Johan Hoorn, whose research has included work with Sophia, said that although the technology is still in relative infancy, the pandemic could accelerate a relationship between humans and robots. “I can infer the pandemic will actually help us get robots Read More ›

Closeup of ill blond senior woman sitting at home and taking oxygen from respirator while nurse with protective mask on sitting next to her and holding her hand during corona virus.

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Michael Egnor
Date
February 14, 2021

Categorized
Ethics, Medicine and Health

Tagged
COVID-19 fatalities, Featured, Howard Zucker}

Explosive New Information About New York’s Mass COVID Deaths

_{In a video conference, perhaps accidentally, a health official blurted out the deadly policy and the reasoning behind it} _{Michael Egnor
February 14, 2021

9

Ethics, Medicine and Health}

In November, I wrote about the horrendous consequences of the official directive issued March 25, 2020 by senior New York State officials that required nursing homes to admit residents regardless of their COVID-19 status. In fact, the directive prohibited testing residents prior to admission: No resident shall be denied re-admission or admission to the NH solely based on a confirmed or suspected diagnosis of COVID-19. NHs are prohibited from requiring a hospitalized resident who is determined medically stable to be tested for COVID-19 prior to admission or readmission. [underline in original]. The officials responsible are Governor Andrew Cuomo (pictured), Department of Health (DOH) Commissioner Howard Zucker, and Deputy Commissioner Sally Dreslin. Despite public outrage and strong media criticism, their order Read More ›

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News
Date
February 13, 2021

Categorized
Arts & Culture, Medicine and Health

Tagged
Extraterrestrials (ET), Science fiction}

Sci-Fi Saturday: We Have Met the Aliens and They Are Comb Jellies

_{The alien life form, when it appears, is very well imagined} _{News
February 13, 2021

6

Arts & Culture, Medicine and Health}

Or something. Here’s “Seedling” at DUST, an Irish entry by Michael Donnelly V and Stevie Russell (October 22, 2020, 08:14 min) “Amidst a huge storm, a couple experience an encounter with an alien species.” The opening scene, showing a complete failure of technology (electricity, radio, telephone, car) and the resulting emotional collapse of the female lead, is a stark reminder of how dependent we are on technology today. A thousand years ago, no one would have noticed that anything was wrong, apart from a rather violent storm (which some might attribute to witchcraft, others to sin). The alien life form, when it appears, is very well imagined. It is not remotely what we might have expected (although there are life Read More ›

Newborn premature baby in the NICU intensive care

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News
Date
February 12, 2021

Categorized
Ethics, Medicine and Health

Tagged
Abortion, Featured, Fetal pain, Fetus, Jonathan Wells, Michael Egnor, Pain}

Do Babies Really Feel Pain Before They Are Self-Aware?

_{Michael Egnor discusses the fact that the thalamus, deep in the brain, creates pain. The cortex moderates it. Thus, juveniles may suffer more} _{News
February 12, 2021

6

Ethics, Medicine and Health}

In last week’s podcast, “Jonathan Wells on Why a Baby Should Live,” neurosurgeon Michael Egnor interviewed molecular and cell biologist Jonathan Wells on that topic, which he discussed in articles at Evolution News and Science Today: (here and here). It’s becoming a hot topic now that a bill to protect babies born alive from abortions from being killed or left to die was recently defeated in the Senate. At the heart of the issue is the conflict between those who believe that all human beings have a right to life and those who believe that children do not have a right to live before they are self-aware. In this segment, Egnor and Wells ask another question: whether a child can Read More ›

Cute Baby Lying On Tummy In Parent's Bed

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News
Date
February 11, 2021

Categorized
Ethics, Medicine and Health

Tagged
Abortion, Demography, Featured, Jonathan Wells, Michael Egnor}

Is There Bias in Terms of Which Babies Are Aborted?

_{Abortion is made easy for Black American women, with abortion clinics strategically located within easy walking distance} _{News
February 11, 2021

6

Ethics, Medicine and Health}

In last week’s podcast, “Jonathan Wells on Why a Baby Should Live,” neurosurgeon Michael Egnor interviewed molecular and cell biologist Jonathan Wells on that topic, which he discussed in articles at Evolution News and Science Today: (here and here). It’s becoming a hot topic now that a bill to protect babies born alive from abortions from being killed or left to die was recently defeated in the Senate. At the heart of the issue is the conflict between those who believe that all human beings have a right to life and those who believe that children do not have a right to live before they are self-aware. In this segment, Egnor and Wells ask, why are Black American abortion rates Read More ›

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News
Date
February 10, 2021

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Medicine and Health

Tagged
Francis COllins, Genome mapping, Genomics, Language, Natural Language Processing, Natural Language Processing (NLP)}

AI Can Fight COVID by Detecting Changes in Virus “Language”

_{One research team is experimenting with natural language processors (NLP), used to analyze human speech, to detect similar virus mutations} _{News
February 10, 2021

5

Artificial Intelligence, Medicine and Health}

One strategy in the fight against COVID-19 relies on the curious fact that genetics is actually a language. Genome sequencer Francis Collins has even called it The Language of God. More practically, AI programs that act as natural language processors can help catch deadly coronavirus mutations. The same strategies the AIs use for reading sentences can be used to read the virus’s attempts to escape destruction by mutations: Galileo once observed that nature is written in math. Biology might be written in words. Natural-language processing (NLP) algorithms are now able to generate protein sequences and predict virus mutations, including key changes that help the coronavirus evade the immune system. The key insight making this possible is that many properties of Read More ›

In vitro image of a human fetus in the womb

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News
Date
February 10, 2021

Categorized
Ethics, Medicine and Health

Tagged
Featured, Fetus, Human embryo, Jonathan Wells, legal personhood, Michael Egnor, personhood}

When Does “Human-ness” Really Begin?

_{Jonathan Wells notes that issues around “personhood” are now purely semantic, especially when the case is being made that many animals are persons too} _{News
February 10, 2021

7

Ethics, Medicine and Health}

In last week’s podcast, “Jonathan Wells on Why a Baby Should Live,” neurosurgeon Michael Egnor interviewed molecular and cell biologist Jonathan Wells on that topic, which he has discussed in articles at Evolution News and Science Today: (here and here). It’s becoming a hot topic now that a bill to protect babies born alive from abortions from being killed or left to die was recently defeated in the Senate. At the heart of the issue is the conflict between those who believe that all human beings have a right to life and those who believe that children do not have a right to live before they are self-aware. In unpacking the issues, Egnor and Wells turned to the question of Read More ›

Bottom view of three professional doctors leaning over the patient and wearing medical masks while holding the anesthetic inhaler

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Michael Egnor
Date
February 2, 2021

Categorized
Medicine and Health, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Anesthesia, Consciousness, Featured, Memory, Soul (concept)}

What Is Your Soul Doing When You’re Under Anesthesia?

_{It’s an intriguing and important question and you may be surprised by some of the answers} _{Michael Egnor
February 2, 2021

7

Medicine and Health, Philosophy of Mind}

First, no one should worry about unpleasant awareness during anesthesia. I’ve performed more than 7000 brain operations and I’ve never had a patient experience unpleasant awareness related to anesthesia. It does happen, but it’s rare, and I’ve never seen it. I’ve had general anesthesia myself four times, and as I tell my anesthesiology colleagues, I’m a big fan of anesthesia. Modern anesthesia is safe, highly effective, and indispensable. Don’t be afraid of it. But I do need to tell you that there are scientific facts about anesthesia and awareness that may surprise you. Second, when I use the word “soul,” rather than “mind” or “consciousness,” to describe mental states, I am not using the word in a spooky or New Read More ›

Hand turning off the bulb lamp.Turning off the light.

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Michael Egnor
Date
January 31, 2021

Categorized
Medicine and Health, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Coma, Consciousness, Featured, Jerry Fodor, John Locke, Persistent vegetative state (PVS)}

Your Soul Has No “Off Switch”

_{A major modern misunderstanding of the human mind is to assume that it is like a machine with an “on” and an “off” switch} _{Michael Egnor
January 31, 2021

9

Medicine and Health, Philosophy of Mind}

I have written, in an earlier post, about the problem of “consciousness:” — that is, the problem inherent to the word itself and to the concept it conveys. I believe that “consciousness” is a mere narrative gloss on the mind — it denotes nothing beyond the mental powers of the soul. This is not just linguistic nitpicking. The concept of “consciousness” is much worse than useless. It leads us to misunderstand the mind in a profound way, as I will explain. The point may seem subtle but I believe that, if you think deeply enough about it, you will see that it is obviously true. First, I am not saying “consciousness” is an illusion. or possibly a delusion. This witless Read More ›

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Michael Egnor
Date
January 27, 2021

Categorized
Medicine and Health, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Adrian Owen, Anesthesia, Consciousness, Featured}

Does the Ability To Think Depend on Consciousness?

_{From a medical perspective, “consciousness” adds nothing to the description of mental states} _{Michael Egnor
January 27, 2021

8

Medicine and Health, Philosophy of Mind}

The title question might seem like a strange one but it is vitally important if we are to interpret neuroscience correctly and if we are to understand the mind–brain relationship. In my view, the capacity for thought does not depend on consciousness. The term “consciousness” is at best meaningless and at worst an impediment to understanding the mind. “Consciousness” is a very vague term and, ultimately, I don’t think it has any useful meaning at all, apart from other categories such as sensation, perception, imagination, reason etc. Aristotle had no distinct term for it. Nor do I think did any of the ancient or medieval philosophers. Consciousness is a modern term that seems to subsume all of the sensate powers Read More ›

Global virus and disease spread, coronavirus

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Heather Zeiger
Date
January 26, 2021

Categorized
Medicine and Health, Science, Technocracy

Tagged
China, COVID-19, Featured, Freedom of expression}

How China Has Tried To Suppress Coronavirus Science

_{So far as investigative journalists have been able to determine, the suppression came directly from the top} _{Heather Zeiger
January 26, 2021

10

Medicine and Health, Science, Technocracy}

An investigation by the Associated Press reveals what everyone has suspected since the beginning of the SARS-CoV-2 (coronavirus) pandemic: The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been keeping a tight rein on the publication or distribution of any scientific research on the coronavirus conducted within the country. AP recently found out just how extensive the muzzling of scientific findings has been. Its report also confirms that the orders came from the top: The AP investigation was based on dozens of interviews with Chinese and foreign scientists and officials, along with public notices, leaked emails, internal data and the documents from China’s cabinet and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. It reveals a pattern of government secrecy and top-down control Read More ›

Chain of amino acid or biomolecules called protein - 3d illustration

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News
Date
January 22, 2021

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Medicine and Health

Tagged
AlphaFold, Eric Holloway, Featured, Jonathan Bartlett, protein folding, Robert J. Marks}

#1 Smash Hit in AI 2020: AI Cracks Protein Folding!

_{The reason it became possible, of course, is many years of human creativity} _{News
January 22, 2021

10

Artificial Intelligence, Medicine and Health}

Our Walter Bradley Center director Robert J. Marks is back with the second instalment of 2020 smash hits in AI—and now, the #1 Smash Hit! Readers may recall that we offered a fun series during the holidays about the oopses and ums and ers in the discipline (typically hyped by uncritical sources). This time, Dr. Marks talks with Jonathan Bartlett and Eric Holloway about AI programs that can beat humans at understanding the complexities of protein folding, the immensely complex ways that proteins in our bodies actually work. Robert J. Marks: AI has cracked a problem that stumped biologists for 50 years. And it’s a huge deal. Jonathan and Eric, elaborate on this a little bit. Jonathan Bartlett: Well, protein Read More ›

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News
Date
January 20, 2021

Categorized
Medicine and Health

Tagged
Electronics, Eric Holloway, exoskeleton, Featured, Paralysis, Robert J. Marks}

#3 AI Smash Hits 2020: AI Can Help Paralyzed People Move Again

_{The human brain can interface directly with electronics} _{News
January 20, 2021

7

Medicine and Health}

Our Walter Bradley Center director, Robert J. Marks, is back with the second instalment of the 2020 Smash Hits in AI. Readers may recall that we offered a fun series during the holidays about the oopses and ums and ers in the discipline (typically hyped by uncritical sources). This time, Dr. Marks talks with Eric Holloway about ways AI can help people with disabilities. A major, often unrealized, fact is that the human brain can work directly with electronic devices, provided that they are positioned or implanted so as to interface with neurons. Many possibilities are being explored. And the “exoskeleton” is our #3. Our story begins at 10:12 min: https://episodes.castos.com/mindmatters/Mind-Matters-117-Eric-Holloway-Jonathan-Bartlett.mp3 Robert J. Marks: We’re up to number three, where Read More ›

Macro photo of human eye, iris, pupil, eye lashes, eye lids.

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News
Date
January 18, 2021

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Medicine and Health

Tagged
Featured, Greg Hammerly, Robert J. Marks}

#4 AI Smash Hits 2020 AI Helps Detect Dreaded White Eye Disease

_{The first step in treatment is correct diagnosis} _{News
January 18, 2021

5

Artificial Intelligence, Medicine and Health}

Our Walter Bradley Center director Robert J. Marks is back with the second instalment of 2020 smash hits in AI. Readers may recall that we offered a fun series during the holidays about the oopses and ums and ers in the discipline (typically hyped by uncritical sources). This time, Dr. Marks wants to talk about a serious issue: The use of AI apps developed at his university, Baylor in Texas, to detect “white eye,” an eyeball cancer in children. “White eye” or leukocoria can be caused by a number of conditions, many of which are treatable. In some cases, however, it is a form of cancer (retinoblastoma). Our story begins at 14:32: https://episodes.castos.com/mindmatters/Mind-Matters-117-Eric-Holloway-Jonathan-Bartlett.mp3 Robert J. Marks: Now, the story behind Read More ›

colonnade in medieval spanish monastery of Santo Estevo

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Denyse O'Leary
Date
January 12, 2021

Categorized
Medicine and Health, Religion

Tagged
Aging, mental health}

Can Religion Improve a Person’s Mental Health?

_{That’s a big claim but there is considerable evidence for it. The question is, what does the evidence mean?} _{Denyse O'Leary
January 12, 2021

3

Medicine and Health, Religion}

In 2020, a year when Americans’ perception of their own mental health dropped significantly, we are told that Gallup reported: The only demographic subgroup who didn’t report a decline were those who attend religious services weekly. That group showed an increase of 4 percent compared to 2019. Joe Carter, “New Study: Frequent Churchgoers Have Better Mental Health” at Gospel Coalition Carter cites several sources arguing for the benefits of religion but, in truth, it’s not really a new idea. Religion gives people something to believe in, provides a sense of structure and typically offers a group of people to connect with over similar beliefs. These facets can have a large positive impact on mental health—research suggests that religiosity reduces suicide Read More ›

Female doctor consoling senior woman wearing face mask during home visit

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News
Date
December 25, 2020

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Medicine and Health

Tagged
Doctors, Eric Holloway, Featured, Gary Smith, hype, Phantom patterns, Robert J. Marks, Texas Sharpshooter Fallacies}

#8 in our AI Hype Countdown: AI Is Better Than Doctors!

_{Sick of paying for health care insurance? Guess what? AI is better ! Or maybe, wait…} _{News
December 25, 2020

7

Artificial Intelligence, Medicine and Health}

Merry Christmas! Our Walter Bradley Center director Robert J. Marks has been interviewing fellow computer nerds (our Brain Trust) Jonathan Bartlett and Eric Holloway about 12 overhyped AI concepts of the year. From AI Dirty Dozen 2020 Part II. Now here’s #8. Sick of paying for health care insurance? Guess what? AI is better! Or maybe, wait… “Is AI really better than physicians at diagnosis?” starts at 01:25 Here’s a partial transcript. Show Notes and Additional Resources follow, along with a link to the complete transcript. Robert J. Marks: We’re told AI is going to replace lawyers and doctors and accountants and all sorts of people. So, let’s look at a case of the physicians. This was a piece on Read More ›

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Gary Smith
Date
December 23, 2020

Categorized
Medicine and Health

Tagged
Big Data, Featured}

The British Medical Journal’s Top Picks in Offbeat Medical Science

_{In its legendary Christmas edition, the Journal highlights interesting findings that are often junk science} _{Gary Smith
December 23, 2020

9

Medicine and Health}

The British Medical Journal (BMJ) is one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious medical journals. Each Christmas, they take time off from the usual dry academic papers and publish studies that are noteworthy for their originality: “We don’t want to publish anything that resembles anything we’ve published before.” Although the papers are unusual, BMJ’s editors state that: While the subject matter may be more light-hearted, research papers in the Christmas issue adhere to the same high standards of novelty, methodological rigour, reporting transparency, and readability as apply in the regular issue. Christmas papers are subject to the same competitive selection and peer review process as regular papers. The articles are often goofy, and four have won the dreaded satiric Read More ›