Carboncopies attended the Future of Neurotechnology With: Human Intelligence + Artificial Intelligence open discussion with Bryan Johnson and David Eagleman. A picture at our annual Whole Brain Emulation dinner in San Diego. Randal and Jevon after the discussion.
Tiny antenna-like organelles once thought to be holdovers from our ancient past appear to play a crucial role in keeping track of time, according to a recent study on mice by researchers from the University of California, Irvine (UCI), in the US. Known as cilia, the microtubule projections can be found throughout the more complex branches of the tree of life, including on many of our own cells.
In a study from Cedars-Sinai, scientists suggest irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), the most common gastrointestinal disorder, may be caused by gravity. They explain that IBS—and many other conditions—could result from the body’s inability to manage gravity. The hypothesis describes how the intestines, spine, heart, nerves and brain evolved to manage gravity.
Laser light therapy has been shown to be effective in improving short term memory in a study published in Science Advances.
Scientists at the University of Birmingham in the U.K. and Beijing Normal University in China, demonstrated that the therapy, which is non-invasive, could improve short term, or working memory in people by up to 25%.
The treatment, called transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM), is applied to an area of the brain known as the right prefrontal cortex. This area is widely recognized as important for working memory. In their experiment, the team showed how working memory improved among research participants after several minutes of treatment. They were also able to track the changes in brain activity using electroencephalogram (EEG) monitoring during treatment and testing.
Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University have discovered a key molecule that contributes to understanding and treating neurological diseases like epilepsy and autism.
Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University have discovered a long-sought gene-encoded protein that allows the brain to communicate a number of signals across synapses, or gaps between neurons.
The discovery was recently published in the journal Nature.
Abstract
Transcranial photobiomodulation enhances visual working memory capacity in humans
Transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM) is a safe and noninvasive intervention that has shown promise for improving cognitive performance.
Whether tPBM can modulate brain activity and thereby enhance working memory (WM) capacity in humans remains unclear.
Why is consciousness so contentious? Neuroscience can increasingly explain many facets of consciousness, but what about conscious awareness itself? Some philosophers claim that although facets of consciousness—such as how we see edges or colors—can be explained, we have no possibility of explaining, in purely physical terms, the experience of consciousness.
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Tim Bayne received his undergraduate education from the University of Otago, New Zealand, and his graduate education at the University of Arizona. He taught at Macquarie University, Sydney from 2003 until 2006, and at the University of Oxford from 2007 until 2012.
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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.
A complete map of the neurons inside the brain of a fruit fly larva is the largest example of a whole-brain “connectome”, and is a stepping stone to describing the brains of more complex animals, including mice and humans.
Your brain and gut are more connected than you think. Learn how to shut down a negative stress response to help the digestive symptoms of Crohn’s disease.
Scientists in Europe may have discovered a direct link between the human brain and the quantum nature of the universe itself.
