12 JAN 2018 by ideonexus
Neurons Use Viruses to Share Information and Learn
When genes are activated, the instructions encoded within their DNA are first transcribed into a related molecule called RNA. Shepherd’s colleague Elissa Pastuzyn showed that the Arc shells can enclose RNA and move it from one neuron to another. And that’s basically what retroviruses do—they use protein shells to protect their own RNA as it moves between cells in a host.
So our neurons use a repurposed viral gene to transmit genetic information between each other in an oddly virus-like... 1 
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notes24 DEC 2013 by ideonexus
Pragmamorphism
Anthropomorphism means attributing the characteristics of human beings to inanimate things or animals. I have invented the word “pragmamorphism” as a shorthand abstraction for the attribution of the properties of inanimate things to human beings. One of the meanings of the Greek word pragma is “a material object.”
Being pragmamorphic sounds equivalent to taking a scientific attitude toward the world, but it easily evolves into dull scientism. It’s pragmamorphic to equate material ...
1 Emanuel Derman on the habit of attributing properties of inanimate things to human beings, like PET scans to emotion, or IQ to intelligence. Like making a digital representation of an analog system.
24 DEC 2013 by ideonexus
The Mediocrity Principle
The reason this principle is so essential to science is that it’s the beginning of understanding how we came to be here and how everything works. We look for general principles that apply to the universe as a whole first, and those explain much of the story; and then we look for the quirks and exceptions that led to the details. It’s a strategy that succeeds and is useful in gaining a deeper knowledge. Starting with a presumption that a subject of interest represents a violation of the pr... 1 notes
notesP. Z. Myers' explanation for how this principle means we cannot look to supernatural explanations for our origins, because there is no reason to think we are an exception to the rules of the universe.
21 JUN 2013 by ideonexus
Intelligence in Animals, Humans and Machines
To build software that is deemed intelligent, it’s helpful to begin with a definition of intelligence. Intelligence can be simply defined as a set of properties of the mind. These properties include the ability to plan, solve problems, and in general, reason. A simpler definition could be that intelligence is the ability to make the right decision given a set of inputs and a variety of possible actions.
Using this simple definition of intelligence (making the right decision),
we can apply ...All have shared intelligences, but some have more than one kind of intelligence. What makes humans special is that we have multiple kinds of intelligence: language communication, problem solving, kinesthetic, etc.
29 MAR 2012 by ideonexus
The Delicate Balance of the Forces of the Universe
the universe
would be a vastly different place if the properties of the matter and force particles were even moderately changed. For example, the
existence of the stable nuclei forming the hundred or so elements of the periodic table hinges delicately on the ratio between the
strengths of the strong and electromagnetic forces. The protons crammed together in atomic nuclei all repel one another
electromagnetically; the strong force acting among their constituent quarks, thankfully, overcomes t... 1 notes
notesIf they were slightly different, the Universe wouldn't look the way it does.
01 JAN 2012 by ideonexus
Black Holes are Separate Universes
In fact, our own universe is very likely itself a vast black hole. We have no
knowledge of what lies outside our universe. This is true by definition, but also
because of the properties of black holes. Objects that reside in them cannot
ordinarily leave them. In a strange sense, our universe may be filled with objects that are not here. They are not separate universes. They do not have the mass of
our universe. But in their separateness and their isolation they are autonomous
universes. 1 notes
notesA strange conceptual idea, that implies our own Universe is a Black Hole as well.
14 DEC 2011 by ideonexus
The False Dichotomy of Mind and Body
The arguments for the two substances [mind and body] have, we believe, entirely lost their validity; they are no longer compatible with ascertained science and clear thinking. The one substance, with two sets of properties, two sides, the physical and the mental—a double-faced unity—would appear to comply with all the exigencies of the case. 1 notes
notesIt is silly to have two substances, where there is actually one substance with two properties.
12 DEC 2011 by ideonexus
Implications of M-Theory
Whether M-theory exists as a single formulation or only as a network, we do know some of its properties. First, M-theory has eleven space-time dimensions, not ten. String theorists had long suspected that the prediction often dimensions might have to be adjusted, and recent work showed that one dimension had indeed been overlooked. Also, M-theory can contain not just vibrating strings but also point particles, two-dimensional membranes. three-dimensional blobs, and other objects that are more...Folksonomies: quantum physics m-theory
Folksonomies: quantum physics m-theory
1 notes
notesM-Theory allows for multiple Universes and 11 dimensions.
