Lifeboat Foundation

We should assume that animals can have feelings too. From an ethical point of view this should inform our dealings with animals, researchers from Leiden University and Utrecht University argue in an opinion article that was published in the scientific journal Affective Science on Thursday 10 March.

Some of the leading behavioral scientists in the world have hypothesized that many animal species can have emotions. But whether animals also have feelings is the subject of much debate, and some behavioral scientists believe they do not. This is incorrect, say cognitive psychologist Mariska Kret (Leiden University) and behavioral biologists Jorg Massen (Utrecht University) and Frans de Waal (Emory University and endowed professor in Utrecht). Based on observations, there is a good chance that animals can also have feelings; it is just very difficult to investigate this.

New research from Griffith University has shown that a bacterium commonly present in the nose can sneak into the brain and set off a cascade of events that may lead to Alzheimer’s disease.

Associate Professor Jenny Ekberg and colleagues from the Clem Jones Centre for Neurobiology and Stem Cell Research at Menzies Health Institute Queensland and Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, in collaboration with Queensland University of Technology, have discovered that the bacterium Chlamydia pneumoniae can invade the brain via the nerves of the nasal cavity.

Being able to tell the difference between a photo of something and the actual thing itself – picture-to-object equivalence, in science speak – is a useful test for better understanding the visual and cognitive function of other primates, birds, and even rats.

But how far does this ability to interpret a flat image extend in the animal kingdom?

A new study has found mice might also have the capacity, as they demonstrated the ability to link a 2D image of an object with the actual 3D object itself, using the hippocampus part of their brains in the same way that humans do.

𝐂𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐟𝐬, 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐟𝐮𝐥

𝘾𝙤𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙧𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤… See more.

A new correlational study, published in Personality and Individual Differences, found empirical support for these claims by finding an association between frequency of cognitive distortions and stronger safetyism-inspired beliefs.

Continue reading “Cognitive distortions linked to safetyism beliefs, support for trigger warnings, and the belief that words are harmful” »

The drug suppresses an overactive signaling pathway implicated in tuberous sclerosis complex.

Senolytics are an emerging class of drugs designed to target zombie-like cells that have stopped dividing and build up in the body as we age, and the past few years have seen some exciting discoveries that demonstrate their potential. Adding another to the list are Mayo Clinic researchers, who have shown that these drugs can protect against aging and its related diseases, by acting on a protein long associated with longevity.

The zombie-like cells involved in this research are known as senescent cells, and their accumulation during aging is associated with a range of diseases. Recent studies have shown that using senolytics to clear them out could serve as new and effective treatments for dementia and diabetes, and also improve health and lifespan more broadly.

The Mayo Clinic team were exploring how senolytics can influence levels of a protein called a-klotho, known to help protect older people from the effects of aging. The role of this protein in the aging process is well established and has placed it at the center of much research in this space, with studies demonstrating how it could help reverse osteoarthritis and regenerate old muscles.

Summary: Using chemogenetic technology to deactivate a small group of neurons in the claustrum made mice more resilient against chronic stress and reduced anxiety behaviors.

Source: Osaka University.

It is well known that long-term exposure to stress can lead to serious psychiatric problems. However, the precise mechanisms underpinning the stress response have remained elusive.

Brain and Consciousness at New York University, Dr. David Chalmers, about his book Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophy.

Virtual reality is genuine reality; that’s the central thesis of Reality+. In a highly original work of “technophilosophy,” David Chalmers gives a compelling analysis of our technological future. He argues that virtual worlds are not second-class worlds, and that we can live a meaningful life in virtual reality. We may even be in a virtual world already.

Along the way, Chalmers conducts a grand tour of big ideas in philosophy and science. He uses virtual reality technology to offer a new perspective on long-established philosophical questions. How do we know that there’s an external world? Is there a god? What is the nature of reality? What’s the relation between mind and body? How can we lead a good life? All of these questions are illuminated or transformed by Chalmers’ mind-bending analysis.

Continue reading “David Chalmers — Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophy” »