Mind Matters Natural and Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

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3d illustration of Science background molecule and atom model.

Is Government’s Relationship with Science “Crumbling”?

There are many issues out there on which science disciplines are not earning our trust and we can't properly evaluate the scene without confronting that

The people who do not trust science today would probably like to be able to. And the people who do trust it may simply be unaware of the problems.

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A line of ants marching across a sandy surface with a large area of empty sky above for text.

Monday Micro Softy 84: Meet the Followers

What happens when everyone in the swarm is a follower?

To solve last week’s puzzle, we should picture what must happen when every bug wants to place itself between two other bugs.

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iceberg on blue ocean

A Mystery of Consciousness — Thinking While in a Coma

Researchers are finding that many unresponsive bran-damaged people have covert consciousness. The question is, how to help them?

Neurologist Brian Edlow hopes that brain–computer interface technology like Neuralink will help researchers communicate with covertly conscious people.

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Money inside shimmering bubbles floating in an uncertain financial market Large space for text in center Stock Photo with copy space

Speculation in Large Language Models: The Worst Sort of Business

Speculators buy an asset because they expect the price to keep rising, not because they want the income generated by the asset

The inventions that changed our lives for the better were usually accompanied by speculation bubbles and busts. LLM firms will likely attract the same fate.

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Ants replicate intricate teamwork and precision like a circuit board, symbolizing tech innovation and development.

Monday Micro Softy 82: When Bugs Break Up Fights…

A surprising amount of intelligence of use in the computer industry can be learned from watching insects

To solve last week’s puzzle, keep in mind that every termite is doing the same thing.

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Young entrepreneur man working with a laptop isolated holding hands in pray near mouth, feels confident.

Most Christian Innovators Have Not Read the Pope’s Letter

The calling is to be involved, to be on the site, with your hands in the work, and building with theological clarity and human dignity at the center.

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Group of the small termite on decaying timber. The termite on the ground is searching for food to feed the larvae in the cavity.

Monday Micro Softy 81: Termites Are Surprisingly Smart

Provided we agree to count swarm intelligence, which we also use in computer science

Swarm intelligence enables the colony to converge on the shortest and most efficient path to food without any individual being especially smart.

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Tesla Model Y

My Tesla Y Does What Felt Like Sci-Fi 10 Years Ago

Its supervised self-driving is the most impressively engineered consumer product since the smartphone

One unusual feature is that driver attention is monitored and inattentive drivers can have the self-driving mode suspended.

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AI and math concept

What AI Has and Hasn’t Solved Recently in Math

We need to look at the distinction between horizontal and vertical innovation

AI displays very impressive horizontal integration (integrating existing concepts) but not vertical integration (entirely new inventions).

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A photorealistic view of an abstract puzzle with a magnifying glass highlighting a missing piece shaped like a question mark, symbolizing problem-solving and critical thinking.

Why Egnor Finds Neuroscientists’ Lack of Curiosity “Unbelievable”

It seems as if they simply do not want to know about findings that challenge materialism

Unfortunately, some of them spend a lot of time trying to discredit people who are willing to look at these questions.

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A secret garden back door with a whimsical outdoor retreat.

Do People With Split Brains Have Back Door Communications?

Some neuroscientists think that split brain communications can thus be explained that way. Michael Egnor disagrees

The simpler explanation, he says, is that percepts, perceptions travel through axons. Conceptions don’t travel through axons because they’re not material.

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image illustrates striking representation of human mind, divided into two contrasting halves. One side features blue brain against pink background, while other s orange brain yellow

The Astonishing Fact That Split Brain Patients Reveal

Perception (what we take in from the world around us) can be split but conception (ideas) are not split. And no one has two minds

A misguided article in Popular Mechanics gave neurosurgeon Michael Egnor a chance to shed light on a unique fact about people with split brains here.

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Glass of beer and pizza on wooden table. Beer and food concept. Ale.

Organoid Intelligence?: That’s AI Powered by Pizza and Beer

It may help us address environmental impact issues posed by AI

If organoid computing succeeds, the next generation of computers may need both software updates and daily feedings.

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AI Bubble risk and Economic technology bubbles fear and Artificial intelligence overhyped Stock market speculation and overvalued technologies economy as inflated speculative valuation of Tech.

When AI Headlines Sound Apocalyptic or Miraculous, Time to Slow Down

Most authors of AI hype articles have never taken a foundational computer science course, have never written code, and have never run AI software

Here are a dozen tips for detecting fake and misleading articles about artificial intelligence.

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Domestic parrot in a cage looks at its reflection in the mirror. Beautiful parrot, close-up, selective focus, pet. Parrot and mirror. Colored bird

What Is Consciousness Actually Supposed To Do?

The Royal Society offers sixteen theories of the evolutionary function of consciousness. The trouble is, it's not clear what consciousness even is

Some of the theories of animal mind are interesting but no one really has any idea how consciousness originated.

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a digital photorealistic illustration from an eye-level perspective Imagine a dystopian cityscape with towering screens displaying Big Brothers

The Surest Way to Squelch Intellectual Freedom: Make It Impossible

As reading and writing skills plummet, the chatbot may turn out to be a bigger enemy of intellectual freedom than the censor

Automated writing leads to a decline in intellectual skills for the same reasons as automated walking would lead to a decline in motor skills.

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Colorful space galaxy cloud nebula. Stary night cosmos. Universe spiral science astronomy. Supernova background wallpaper

How Do You Cram the Universe Into A Story — and Keep it Focused?

Philosopher Stephen Meyer narrates the film but never gets in the story’s way

At last, the end of materialism escapes the lecture room; it becomes a story about real people in real time in the midst of a civilizational struggle.

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A young person engages with a virtual reality headset, interacting with an AI chatbot interface, set against a vibrant blue background, showcasing technology potential. XDMCP

Are Young People Getting Tired of AI?

A new article suggests teens are not universally excited about the blossoming technology

Julie Jargon wrote an interesting piece for The Wall Street Journal about teen attitudes towards AI and found that their view of it isn’t so optimistic as many might assume.

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Glass lightbulb with golden gears inside, set against a backdrop of mathematical equations, symbolizing innovation, problem-solving, and the mechanics of ideas

Toward a True — and Also Scientific — Picture of the Human Mind

Alexander Batthyány offers a personal anecdote about Nobel Prize-winning neuroscientist Sir John Eccles that might help point the way

Batthyány also expressed concern that a non-material/spiritual understanding of topics like terminal lucidity risks being taken over today by New Age nonsense.

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