Lifeboat Foundation

The Journal of Consciousness Studies has an issue out on the meta-problem of consciousness. (Unfortunately, it’s paywalled, so you’ll need a subscription, or access to a school network that has one.)

As a reminder, there’s the hard problem of consciousness, coined by David Chalmers in 1995, which is the question of why or how we have conscious experience, or as described by others, how conscious experience “arises” from physical systems.

Then there’s the meta-problem, also more recently coined by Chalmers, on why we think there is a hard problem. The meta-problem is an issue long identified by people in the illusionist camp, those who see phenomenal consciousness as an illusion, a mistaken concept.

“Surfaces were invented by the devil” — this quote is attributed to the theoretical physicist Wolfgang Pauli, who taught at ETH Zurich for many years and in 1945 received the Nobel Prize in physics for his contributions to quantum mechanics. Researchers do, indeed, struggle with surfaces. On the one hand they are extremely important both in animate and inanimate nature, but on the other hand it can be devilishly difficult to study them with conventional methods.

An interdisciplinary team of materials scientists and electrical engineers led by Lukas Novotny, Professor of Photonics at ETH Zurich, together with colleagues at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin has now developed a method that will make the characterization of surfaces considerably easier in the future.

They recently published the results of their research, which is based on an extremely thin gold membrane, in the scientific journal Nature Communications (“Bulk-suppressed and surface-sensitive Raman scattering by transferable plasmonic membranes with irregular slot-shaped nanopores”).

Join my mailing list https://briankeating.com/list to win a real 4 billion year old meteorite! All.edu emails in the USA 🇺🇸 will WIN!Is the universe twice as old as we thought?Current estimates suggest that the Big Bang occurred 13.8 billion years ago. But today, we’re joined by Rajendra Gupta, a luminary in the field of cosmology who claims that the universe is actually 26.7 billion years old. I’ve invited him on the show so he can make a case for his claims!Professor Gupta is a theoretical physicist currently teaching astrophysics to senior undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Ottawa. His research focuses on astrophysics, cosmology, general relativity, the dynamics of the universe under evolutionary physical constants beyond the standard model, CMB, JWST, BAO, Big Bang nucleosynthesis, the large-scale structure and formation of galaxies, dark matter, and dark energy. To say I am thrilled to have him on the show for the second time would be an understatement. So, without further ado, let’s jump right in! Key Takeaways:

00:00 Intro.

01:50 Judging Rajendra’s paper.

A high school robotics team has built the world’s smallest and cheapest network switch.

The device was created by Murex Robotics and formed by students from Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire.

The invention was necessary because they could not find an affordable embedded ethernet switch for a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) they were building for an underwater drone competition.

Dr. Ben Murnane has published an Opinion piece in FEE, the Foundation for Economic Education, a major US think thank. The essay covers #transhumanism and the new biography Transhuman Citizen, out in 10 days.

It’s telling that with the rise of AI the first instinct of many politicians is to regulate it.

Embark on a captivating journey through the intricate pathways of the brain. This video delves into the fascinating realm where neuroscience and the philosophy of knowledge converge. Explore how brain structures facilitate learning, the dynamic interplay between cognition and perception, and the profound mysteries of consciousness and self-awareness. Discover the roles of language, emotion, and sensory integration in shaping our reality. Delve into the ethical considerations of brain manipulation and the revolutionary potential of educational neuroscience and brain-computer interfaces. Join us as we push the boundaries of knowledge, uncovering the secrets of the mind and envisioning the future of human cognition.

#Neuroepistemology #BrainScience #Cognition #Neuroplasticity #BrainComputerInterface.

Continue reading “The Brain’s Pathways to Knowledge: Neuroepistemology” »

Rising costs of living and education have presented unique challenges for Gen Z. NYU Professor of Marketing Scott Galloway describes the inequities in opportunity and education young people face, while offering possible solutions. #Education #GenZ #WSJ

Mentally stimulating activities and life experiences can improve cognition in memory clinic patients, but stress undermines this beneficial relationship. This is according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association.

In the late 1980s, researchers discovered that some individuals who showed no apparent symptoms of dementia during their lifetime had brain changes consistent with an advanced stage of Alzheimer’s disease. Since then it has been postulated that so-called cognitive reserve might account for this differential protective effect in individuals.

Cognitively stimulating and enriching life experiences and behaviors such as higher educational attainment, complex jobs, continued physical and leisure activities, and healthy social interactions help build cognitive reserve. However, high or persistent stress levels are associated with reduced social interactions, impaired ability to engage in leisure and physical activities, and an increased risk of dementia.

Through the looking glass: Researchers now have a way to conduct experiments on biological neurons in vitro. These human brain organoids – there are 16 in total – are aimed at developing the world’s first living processor and can be accessed remotely through an online platform for $500 a month if you are a university or educational institution.

The platform was developed by FinalSpark, a Swiss biocomputing startup, which reports that three dozen universities have expressed interest in using their platform. FinalSpark highlights the significant energy savings it could offer in the training and operation of large artificial neural networks, such as those used in large language models. However, this achievement is still a ways off: the project is just in its beginning phases, and co-founder Fred Jordan states that such an ambitious goal can only be achieved through international collaboration.

The biological component uses forebrain organoids derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells. These organoids can survive for years and contain neurons, oligodendrocytes, and astrocytes characteristic of the forebrain region, according to a paper published in the scientific journal Frontiers.