Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
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Russellian monism is a theory in the metaphysics of mind, on which a single set of properties underlies both consciousness and the most basic entities posited by physics. The theory is named for Bertrand Russell, whose views about consciousness and its place in nature were informed by a structuralist conception of theoretical physics. On such a structuralist conception, physics describes the world in terms of its spatiotemporal structure and dynamics (changes within that structure) and says nothing about what, if anything, underlies that structure and dynamics. For example, as it is sometimes put, physics describes what mass and charge do, e.g., how they dispose objects to move toward or away from each other, but not what mass and charge are. Thus, Russell writes the following about the events physics describes:

All that physics gives us is certain equations giving abstract properties of their changes. But as to what it is that changes, and what it changes from and to—as to this, physics is silent. (Russell 1959: 18)

Russellian monism can be seen as breaking that silence. It posits properties that underlie the structure and dynamics that physics describes. Further, according to Russellian monism, those same properties are relevant to, and may at least partly constitute, consciousness.

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It’s not uncommon for tech roles to now receive hundreds or thousands of applicants. Round after round of layoffs since late 2022 have sent a mass of skilled tech workers job hunting, and the wide adoption of generative AI has also upended the recruitment process, allowing people to bulk apply to roles. All of those eager for work are hitting a wall: overwhelmed recruiters and hiring managers.

WIRED spoke with seven recruiters and hiring managers across tech and other industries, who expressed trepidation about the new tech—for now, much is still unknown about how and why AI makes the choices it does, and it has a history of making biased decisions. They want to understand why the AI is making the decisions it does, and to have more room for nuance before embracing it: Not all qualified applicants are going to fit into a role perfectly, one recruiter tells WIRED.

Recruiters say they are met with droves of résumés sent through tools like LinkedIn’s Easy Apply feature, which allows people to apply for jobs quickly within the site’s platform. Then there are third-party tools to write résumés or cover letters, and there’s generative AI built into tools on sites of major players like LinkedIn and Indeed—some for job seekers, some for recruiters. These come alongside a growing number of tools to automate the recruiting process, leaving some workers wondering if a person or bot is looking at their résumé.

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For the first time, researchers have simulated neurological junctions called synapses using the same water and salt ingredients the brain uses, contributing to an emerging field that combines biology with electronics called iontronics.

The team from Utrecht University in the Netherlands and Sogang University in South Korea claim to have been inspired by the functioning of the human brain, which also uses charged particles called ions dissolved in water to transmit signals within neurons.

An important feature of the brain’s ability to process information is synaptic plasticity, which allows neurons to adjust the strength of connections between them in response to input history.

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Hitchhiking aliens are already traveling between planets, new research suggests. This theory, known as panspermia, suggests that life’s building blocks are widespread throughout the cosmos and can travel between different areas in space.

The panspermia hypothesis has been sparking fierce debates for centuries. Anaxagoras, a Greek philosopher from the 5th century BCE, proposed the idea that life exists everywhere in the universe, coining the term panspermia to describe the concept of life traveling between planets as seeds.

Other Greek philosophers such as Anaximander and Thales also discussed the philosophical aspects of the panspermia theory.

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Harvard researcher Dr. David Sinclair has found himself at the center of controversy within the longevity community.

Sinclair has been a poster child of the longevity movement for years. He’s built several biotechnology companies focused on reversing the effects of aging, won acclaim for his research, and cultivated a loyal base of fans who swear by his lifestyle tips.

He’s also earned his share of critics who say his research isn’t always backed up by sufficient evidence. But over the past months, The Wall Street Journal reported that Sinclair has been battling a new level of backlash from colleagues and researchers who say his claims on curing aging have gone too far.

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Research has uncovered important new insights into the evolution of oxygen, carbon, and other vital elements over the entire history of Earth – and it could help assess which other planets can develop life, ranging from plants to animals and humans.

The study, published today in Nature Geoscience and led by a researcher at the University of Bristol, reveals for the first time how the build up of carbon-rich rocks has accelerated oxygen production and its release into the atmosphere.

Until now the exact nature of how the atmosphere became oxygen-rich has long eluded scientists and generated conflicting explanations.

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