There is a theory dubbed “quantum consciousness,” which stipulates that brain functions and consciousness are derived from quantum effects like the collapse of the quantum wavefunction.
This is a strange part of quantum physics, where particles go from a state of simultaneous properties to a more “normal” state where they have one defined characteristic. It has notably been popularized by the concept of Schrödinger’s cat.
Consciousness creep.
Our machines could become self-aware without our knowing it.
Our machines could become self-aware without our knowing it. We need a better way to define and test for consciousness.
The pursuit of a cure for Alzheimer’s disease is becoming an increasingly competitive and contentious quest with recent years witnessing several important controversies.
In July 2022, Science magazine reported that a key 2006 research paper, published in the prestigious journal Nature, which identified a subtype of brain protein called beta-amyloid as the cause of Alzheimer’s, may have been based on fabricated data.
One year earlier, in June 2021, the US Food and Drug Administration had approved aducanumab, an antibody-targeting beta-amyloid, as a treatment for Alzheimer’s, even though the data supporting its use were incomplete and contradictory.
An ischemic stroke is a type of stroke that occurs when a blood clot in an artery, also known as thrombus, or the progressive narrowing of arteries, blocks the blood and oxygen flowing to the brain. This process can cause both temporary and permanent brain damage, for instance, leading to partial paralysis, cognitive impairments and other debilitating impairments.
Statistics suggest that older age increases the risk of experiencing ischemic strokes. While neuroscience studies have shed light on many of the physiological processes underpinning strokes, the immune responses following these events and promoting recovery remain poorly understood.
Researchers at the Institut Blood and Brain @ Caen-Normandie (BB@C), University of Edinburgh and other institutes in Europe carried out a study exploring how central nervous system (CNS)-associated macrophages (CAMs), immune cells residing at the CNS interfaces, contribute to post-stroke immune responses.
Researchers at washington university in st.
The roadmap to promote neural repair after spinal cord injury remains elusive. Here, longitudinal single-cell sequencing in adult zebrafish identifies intersecting modes of neuronal plasticity and neurogenesis during innate neural repair.
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Personal identity seems so strong. We have the same sense of ourselves throughout our lives, even though everything about our physical bodies and brains is changing constantly. What then causes the continuity of personal identity? Where does transhumanism fit in? Some say personal identity is an illusion, but that seems like cheating. Others credit a nonphysical soul. That seems as though it’s cheating too.
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Natasha Vita-More is a faculty member in design, media arts, and theory at the University of Advancing Technology. She is a strategic designer in the area of human enhancement and life extension. Her interests are located within the ethical uses of science and technology and socio-political implications of revolutionary advances impacting humanity’s future.
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Closer To Truth, hosted by Robert Lawrence Kuhn and directed by Peter Getzels, presents the world’s greatest thinkers exploring humanity’s deepest questions. Discover fundamental issues of existence. Engage new and diverse ways of thinking. Appreciate intense debates. Share your own opinions. Seek your own answers.
The hippocampus geometrically represents both physical location and abstract variables on a neural manifold in mice performing a decision-making task in virtual reality.
Researchers have developed a new two-photon fluorescence microscope that captures high-speed images of neural activity at cellular resolution. By imaging much faster and with less harm to brain tissue than traditional two-photon microscopy, the new approach could provide a clearer view of how neurons communicate in real time, leading to new insights into brain function and neurological diseases.
A better understanding of emergent phenomena like the wetness of water, where the properties of a system can’t be explained by those of its constituent parts, could unravel some big mysteries.
