Good News: Our Brains Could Be Bigger
The laws of thermodynamics show that human brains have room to grow. Faced with endless stories of human stupidity day in and day out, this is good news.
The report at the arXiv blog (read here), compares brains to computer chips. There is a limit to the size of most computer chips because the larger the chip, the more cooling it requires. The same can be said for our brains. We encounter a size limit when the amount of energy required for cooling becomes unsustainable and inefficient. Some computer chip makers say we are fools to produce faster and faster chips because of these inevitable cooling problems (once again, good news for anyone who fears a robot apocalypse).
But, calculations by theoritical neurobiologists show that our brains could be much larger.
Are our brains growing? How can we tell?
Robots On Facebook
Filed under: Androids, Anti-Android Research & Development Team, Artificial Intelligence, Psychology, Robot Psychology, Robots, Robots Deserve Rights 2, Science Fiction, Social Media, Technology, The Future
A major breakthrough in human/robot relationships arrives as Facebook allows one of its first robot members. Read more here.
Robot twitterati could be next.
Social media users worry they will not be able to discern between their “human” and “robot” friends. Jackie Topovowitz from the organization Anti-Android Research & Development Team (AARDT) said, “We cannot blur the line any more between man and machine. The simple fact is, robots should be taught to be subservient to humans. Allowing them to interact with people on social networks puts us on equal footing, and we cannot let that happen.”
Members of the group Robots Deserve Rights 2, (RDR2), say the comments made be AARDT are robo-racist. Jeffrey Gottchalk said, “we welcome robots to online social networks with open arms. This is a positive step forward in robot rights.”
What do you think? Do robots have a fundamental right to social media?
2012 Prediction: Apocalypse Caused By Slow Internet
Filed under: Alien Intelligence, Aliens, Computers, Psychology, Science, Science Fiction, Social Media, Technology, The Apocalypse, The Future
Are we running out of internet? This report suggests this could be the case.
As we continue to wonder what might cause the 2012 apocalypse infamously predicted by the Mayans, this report has caused a stir because of the following quote from the article in the Times Online: “From 2012, however, PCs and laptops are likely to operate at a much reduced speed, rendering the internet an ‘unreliable toy’”.
Could a frustratingly slow internet cause the infamous 2012 apocalypse? This is a possibility according to an internet researcher who wishes to remain nameless. The reseacher said, “We’ve become so dependent on the internet that a reduction in its performance could lead to global chaos. Banking systems, transportation, utility grids could all come crashing down. I don’t think it’s unreasonable at all to think the ensuing mayhem could snowball into the end of the world.”
While these points are relevant to this theory, psychologist Dr. Eddie Eddington Jr. says he is more concerned about the psychological damage a slow and evaporating internet would have on the world.
Dr. Eddington said the following when reached for comment: “The instant gratification we’ve become used to with the internet and the immediacy with which we can connect to a world of information has made us extremely ADD. Take for instance the Twitter phenomena. Our attention spans and patience are dwindling at exponential rates. If reports that the internet will start slowing to a sudden halt around 2012 are true, then we could very well see our collective psychology short circuit. The results of such a short circuit could be widespread insanity, which would snowball into chaos, riots, and general anarchy. It very well could trigger a sort of ‘social apocalypse’. Perhaps this is what the Mayans predicted.”
What do you think? Could a slow internet in 2012 be the spark that lights the fire of an apocalypse?
Brain Lasers – Controlling Your Mind
Filed under: Future Weapons, Human Intelligence, Psychology, Science, Science Fiction, Technology, The Future
New research by MIT scientists illustrates how special lasers could affect our brains (read report here).
The researchers say they’ve been able to induce gamma waves in the brains of mice. Gamma waves are high frequency brainwaves tied closely to consciousness. The scientists applied optogenetics, a technology that uses light in conjunction with genetic engineering to control specific nerves, to achieve their goals.
“Brain Lasers” have a variety of applications, including mind control. In its most frightening incarnation, a soldier armed with a “Brain Laser Rifle” would be able to fire at his enemy’s head and scramble their brain so they’d be unable to tell friend from foe. Or, the laser could be calibrated to shut down the enemie’s higher brain processes, reducing them to a moaning, zombie-like creature. However, there is no evidence yet to suggest the research is being used to produce weapons of any kind. Stay tuned to The Loki Times for continuing coverage.
Brain Lasers. Too dangerous for mankind? You decide.
Are Humans Just Big Blobs of Bacteria?
Filed under: Bacteria Intelligence, Bacterial Invasion, Biology, Discoveries, Human Intelligence, Intelligence, Psychology, Science, Science Fiction
A recent article at Seed Magazine shows that individuality is at a crossroads.
The report explores mankind’s complex relationship with the millions of microbes living inside us. New research shows that we are nothing without these little critters running around our intestines, hearts, and brains. The findings are significant enough that the International Human Microbiome Consortium came into being in October. Their goal will be to further characterize and understand our microbial allies and enemies.
Bacterial Microbes Living Inside Our Bodies (NIH)
According to psychologists, the new importance placed on the ecosystems within our bodies could damage our sense of self.
“Are we unique singular beings? Or simply communities of organisms working together, producing the illusion of an individual? Are we really in control, or is a crew of microbes inside our body piloting us along for their own needs? These are the sort of psyche shattering questions this science raises,” says Dr. Caroline McDeegalan, a psychologist working for the Fragile Egos & Humans Consortium.
When these concepts are combined with studies proving bacteria are smarter than we thought (read here), a scary picture of reality begins to open before us. The idea of ‘self’ could be replaced by the idea of ‘we’ – the ‘we’ being us and the millions of bacteria living in our bodies. Who’s in control?
What do you think? Are we humans? Or are we eco-systems?
Read our article Bacteria With Brains and the Mysterious Death of Pirates.