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Category: neuroscience – Page 104

Peter Sjöstedt-Hughes: What is Exogenous Mind Theory? Metaphysics, Psychedelics, & Mind At Large

Dr Peter Sjöstedt-Hughes is a Philosopher of Mind and Metaphysics who specializes in the thought of Whitehead, Nietzsche, Bergson, and Spinoza—and in fields pertaining to panpsychism, pantheism, mental causation, and altered states of consciousness. He is a lecturer at The University of Exeter. Peter is the author of Noumenautics (2015), Modes of Sentience (2021), co-editor and contributor of Bloomsbury’s Philosophy and Psychedelics (2022), the TEDx Talker on ‘psychedelics and consciousness’, and he is inspiration to the recreation of inhuman philosopher Marvel Superhero, Karnak.

TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 — Introduction.
1:00 — The Mind-Body Problem.
4:00 — Idealism vs Panpsychism.
6:45 — Defining Consciousness.
15:30 — Spinozism & Whiteheadian Panpsychism.
19:30 — Kastrup’s Analytic Idealism.
24:07 — Naïve Realism.
29:30 — Huxley, James, Whitehead, Nietzsche, Spinoza, Schopenhauer, Bergson & Kant.
35:15 — What is the Philosophy of Psychedelics?
41:38 — Evidence of Psychedelic Research.
45:35 — Psychedelics & Consciousness.
53:10 — Defining Psychedelics.
59:50 — Metaphysical Shifts & Consensus Reality.
1:04:30 — Peter’s most Psychoactive Experience.
1:09:40 — Psychedelic Research Criticism.
1:13:14 — From Therapeutics to Metaphysics.
1:16:18 — Mind At Large & Exogenous Mind Theory.
1:23:08 — Free Will.
1:27:40 — Panpsychisms.
1:35:40 — Peter’s Philosophical Heroes.
1:40:02 — Final Thoughts.
1:41:10 — Conclusion.

EPISODE LINKS:
Peter’s Lecture: • A Synopsis of Spinoza’s Metaphysics |…
Peter’s Website: https://www.philosopher.eu/
Peter’s X: / petersjostedth.
Peter’s Instagram: / petersjostedth.
Peter’s LinkedIn: / dr-peter-sjöstedt-hughes-2b7a2927
Peter’s BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/petersjosted…
Peter’s YouTube: / @ontologistics.
Peter’s Analytic Idealism Critique: https://www.feedyourhead.blog/p/fligh…

CONNECT:
Website: https://tevinnaidu.com.
Podcast: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show…
YouTube: / mindbodysolution.
Twitter: / drtevinnaidu.
Facebook: / drtevinnaidu.
Instagram: / drtevinnaidu.
LinkedIn: / drtevinnaidu.

Disclaimer: The information provided on this channel is for educational purposes only. The content is shared in the spirit of open discourse and does not constitute, nor does it substitute, professional or medical advice. We do not accept any liability for any loss or damage incurred from you acting or not acting as a result of listening/watching any of our contents. You acknowledge that you use the information provided at your own risk. Listeners/viewers are advised to conduct their own research and consult with their own experts in the respective fields.

#PeterSjöstedtHughes #Psychedelics #Metaphysics #Consciousness

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The Secret to Human Intelligence? Scientists Uncover DNA That Supercharged Our Brains

A study of artificial human and chimpanzee nerve cells revealed how faster-evolving DNA enables neurons to develop increasingly complex brain power.

How did humans evolve brains capable of complex language, civilization, and more?

The answer may lie in exceptional DNA. Scientists at UC San Francisco discovered that certain regions of our chromosomes have evolved at remarkable speeds, giving us an advantage in brain development over apes. However, this rapid evolution may also make us more susceptible to uniquely human brain disorders.

Cancer reversed? New treatment converts tumor cells into healthy ones

In a trailblazing advancement in cancer therapy, researchers at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have developed a technology that transforms colon cancer cells into normal-like cells without destroying them.

This innovative approach, led by Professor Kwang-Hyun Cho of the Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, represents a significant departure from traditional cancer treatments that rely on killing cancer cells, often leading to severe side effects and risks of recurrence.

Brain turned to glass reveals a city’s catastrophic final moments

While his neighbors frantically fled from their oncoming doom, one man stayed in bed. For whatever reason, he didn’t join the other 2000 residents of Herculaneum—the ancient Roman city just north of Pompeii—as they ran from erupting Mount Vesuvius. The first scorching cloud of ash passed through the city so quickly, it turned his brain into black, glasslike shards. Now, a new analysis of these shards, published today in, offers clues about how the man and his neighbors perished in 79 C.E.

Until recently, scientists believed the people of Herculaneum were annihilated by Mount Vesuvius’s avalanche of hot rock, ash, and gas that buried their city, along with Pompeii. But when researchers announced the discovery of those black, glossy chips in 2020, a new culprit emerged: a swift ash cloud preceding this flood of debris. This rethink, however, hinged on whether the brain had indeed turned to glass.

For glass to form, a liquid needs to be cooled so rapidly that its molecules suddenly “freeze” into a rigid structure rather than forming crystals. For this reason, glass is sometimes referred to as a “liquid solid,” says Brian Wowk, a cryobiologist at 21st Century Medicine who was not involved with the work. Thick blankets of pyroclastic flow–the torrent of rocks, ash, and gas expelled by volcanos–cool off far too slowly for glass to form, says study co-author Guido Giordano, a volcanologist at the Roma Tre University. “Once they’re in place, they can take years to cool down.”

On the origin of memory neurons in the human hippocampus

The hippocampus is essential for episodic memory, yet its coding mechanism remains debated. In humans, two main theories have been proposed: one suggests that concept neurons represent specific elements of an episode, while another posits a conjunctive code, where index neurons code the entire episode. Here, we integrate new findings of index neurons in humans and other animals with the concept-specific memory framework, proposing that concept neurons evolve from index neurons through overlapping memories. This process is supported by engram literature, which posits that neurons are allocated to a memory trace based on excitability and that reactivation induces excitability. By integrating these insights, we connect two historically disparate fields of neuroscience: engram research and human single neuron episodic memory research.

Consciousness is the Ground of Phenomena and is Quantum in Nature

In this work, I present a coherent and comprehensive argument for the nature of consciousness as the inherent ground of phenomena backed by experimental evidence confirming the predictions make by this hypothesis.

This argument makes its point by establishing an equivalence between all observers, generating a set of observational and mathematical predictions which were then tested and confirmed.

Furthermore, when the core tenet of the argument is accepted, it provides clear, testable explanations for most of the curently unresolved questions regarding consciousness, intelligence, and the nature of observed phenomena.

Wolfram’s Theory of Everything: The Universe Is a Giant Computer

In human engineering, we design systems to be predictable and controlled. By contrast, nature thrives on systems where simple rules generate rich, emergent complexity. The computational nature of the universe explains how simplicity can generate the complexity we see in natural phenomena. Imagine being able to understand everything about the universe and solve all its mysteries by a computational approach that uses very simple rules. Instead of being limited to mathematical equations, using very basic computational rules, we might be able to figure out and describe everything in the universe, like what happened at the very beginning? What is energy? What’s the nature of dark matter? Is traveling faster than light possible? What is consciousness? Is there free will? How can we unify different theories of physics into one ultimate theory of everything?

This paradigm goes against the traditional notion that complexity in nature must arise from complicated origins. It claims that simplicity in fundamental rules can produce astonishing complexity in behavior. Entering the Wolfram’s physics project: The computational universe!

Thousands of hours have been dedicated to the creation of this video. Producing another episode of this caliber would be difficult without your help. If you would like to see more, please consider supporting me on / disculogic, or via PayPal for a one-time donation at https://paypal.me/Disculogic.

Chapters:
00:00 Intro.
01:48 Fundamentally computational.
08:51 Computational irreducibility.
13:14 Causal invariance.
16:16 Universal computation.
18:44 Spatial dimensions.
21:36 Space curvature.
23:52 Time and causality.
27:12 Energy.
29:38 Quantum mechanics.
31:31 Faster than light travel.
34:56 Dark matter.
36:30 Critiques.
39:15 Meta-framework.
41:19 The ultimate rule.
44:21 Consciousness.
46:00 Free will.
48:02 Meaning and purpose.
49:09 Unification.
55:14 Further analysis.
01:02:30 Credits.

#science #universe #documentary

Scientists observe that smartphone restriction for three days can alter brain activity

A smartphone’s glow is often the first and last thing we see as we wake up in the morning and go to sleep at the end of the day. It is increasingly becoming an extension of our body that we struggle to part with. In a recent study in Computers in Human Behavior, scientists observed that staying away from smartphones can even change one’s brain chemistry.

The researchers recruited for a 72-hour smartphone restriction diet where they were asked to limit to essential tasks such as work, , and communication with their family or significant others.

During these three days, the researchers conducted psychological tests and did brain scans using imaging (fMRI) to examine the effects of restricting phone usage. Brain scans showed significant activity shifts in reward and craving regions of the brain, resembling patterns seen in substance or alcohol addiction.

Inflammation identified as a potential cause of multiple sclerosis progression

For the first time, researchers have identified that inflammation—long associated with multiple sclerosis (MS)—appears to cause increased mutations linked to MS progression.

MS is a progressive neurological disease that affects 33,000 Australians and three million people worldwide. About one-third of people living with MS have progressive disease, which current treatments do not address effectively.

The researchers studied MS brain lesions, visible as spots on MRI scans, which are areas of past or ongoing brain inflammation. They found located in MS brain lesions have a that is two-and-a-half times faster than in normal neurons.