Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.

Friday March 15, 2013 Daily edition   News and Blog Headlines In the beginning was the code Ten extraordinary Pentagon mind experiments Formation of carbon-based life leave little room for error Drug treatment corrects autism symptoms in mouse model In the developing world, MOOCs start to get real Events in the future seem closer than those in the past Texting or some hands-free talking behind the wheel is as dangerous as being over the limit Non-action video-game playing may enhance specific cognitive skills Latest News Ten extraordinary Pentagon mind experiments March 15, 2013   Duke University experiments in connecting the brains of two rats through implanted electrodes and the planned Brain Activity Map project reflect a growing Pentagon interest in neuroscience for applications that range from such far-off ideas as teleoperation of military devices (think mind-controlled drones), to more near-term and less controversial technology, like prosthetics controlled by the human brain, BBC Future reports. The … more… Formation of carbon-based life leave little room for error March 15, 2013   Life as we know it is based primarily on the elements carbon and oxygen. Now a team of physicists, including one from North Carolina State University, is looking at the conditions necessary to the formation of those two elements in the universe. They’ve found that when it comes to supporting life, the universe leaves very … more… Drug treatment corrects autism symptoms in mouse model March 15, 2013   Autism is thought to result from abnormal cell communication. Testing a new theory, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have used a newly discovered function of an old drug called suramin — used medically for the treatment of African sleeping sickness — to restore cell communications in a mouse model … more… In the developing world, MOOCs start to get real March 15, 2013   Students in countries like India and Brazil have been signing up in droves for these massive open online courses, or MOOCs, offered for free from top-tier universities, such as Stanford, MIT, and Harvard. Yet in the world’s poorest regions, where even reliable high-speed Internet access capable of streaming course lecture videos is hard to come … more… Events in the future seem closer than those in the past March 15, 2013   We say that time flies, it marches on, it flows like a river — our descriptions of time are closely linked to our experiences of moving through space. Now, new research suggests that the illusions that influence how we perceive movement through space also influence our perception of time. The findings provide evidence that our … more… Texting or some hands-free talking behind the wheel is as dangerous as being over the limit March 15, 2013   Using a handsfree kit or sending text messages is the same as being above the legal alcohol limit, an experiment by Scientists from  Australian universities in collaboration with the University of Barcelona has demonstrated. The Australian universities of Wollongong, Victoria, Swinburne of Technology, the Institute for Breathing and Sleep, and the University of Barcelona measured … more… Non-action video-game playing may enhance specific cognitive skills March 15, 2013   Playing video games for an hour each day can improve subsequent performance on cognitive tasks that use mental processes similar to those involved in the game, according to research published March 13 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE. Previous evidence points to a causal link between playing action video games and enhanced cognition and perception. But … more… New BLOG POSTS In the beginning was the code March 15, 2013 by Jürgen Schmidhuber   There is a fastest, optimal, most efficient way of computing all logically possible universes, including ours — if ours is computable (no evidence against this). Any God-like “Great Programmer” with any self-respect should use this optimal method to create and master all logically possible universes. At any given time, most of the universes computed so far that contain yourself will be due to one of the shortest and fastest programs computing you. This insight allows for making non-trivial predictions about the future. We also obtain formal, mathematical answers to age-old questions of philosophy and theology. more… New VIDEOS   Doing business with a parrot: Goffin cockatoos trade with nuts in an exchange experiment New books Predictive Analytics: The Power to Predict Who Will Click, Buy, Lie, or Die author Eric Siegel, Thomas H. Davenport   You have been predicted — by companies, governments, law enforcement, hospitals, and universities. Their computers say, “I knew you were going to do that!” These institutions are seizing upon the power to predict whether you’re going to click, buy, lie, or die. Why? For good reason: predicting human behavior combats financial risk, fortifies healthcare, conquers … more… Human Being @ Risk: Enhancement, Technology, and the Evaluation of Vulnerability Transformations (Philosophy of Engineering and Technology) author Mark Coeckelbergh   Whereas standard approaches to risk and vulnerability presuppose a strict separation between humans and their world, this book develops an existential-phenomenological approach according to which we are always already beings-at-risk. Moreover, it is argued that in our struggle against vulnerability, we create new vulnerabilities and thereby transform ourselves as much as we transform the world. … more… Visit KurzweilAI.net You are currently subscribed to the KurzweilAI.net newsletter as *|EMAIL|* To unsubscribe, please click here. To change your email preferences, please click here. *|LIST:ADDRESS|*.