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POPSSex is the ultimate absurdity Isn't it ironic that we all suffer today the consequences of how single celled organisms that lived a billion years ago choose to procreate? :-)
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POPSGaia's evil twin: Is life its own worst enemy? Recent interesting research shows that life on earth may have distinct suicidal inclinations. Human destruction of the environment is but the most recent episode. If true it has interesting implication on forming of exobiological theories, and the evolution of civilizations outside our precious planet.
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POPSThe most important telescopes in history In celebration of the International Year of Astronomy in 2009, New Scientist takes you on an armchair tour of some of the most important telescopes ever built. For more information on these and other pioneering telescopes, read Eyes on the Skies: 400 Years of Telescopic Discovery by Govert Schilling and Lars Lindberg Christensen (Wiley-VCH, 2009). More interesting stuff on site
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POPSCold Fusion is Hot again (CBS) 60 Minutes wondered what Richard Garwin would think of the Defense Department's appraisal. "The experiments leave 'no doubt that anomalous, excess heat is produced,'" Pelley told Garwin. Watch the video !
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POPSAmerican Stonehenge: Monumental Instructions for the Post-Apocalypse The mysterious story of R. C. Christian and the absence of information about the true meaning of the Guidestones was bound to become an irresistible draw for conspiracy theorists and "investigators"of all kinds. Not surprisingly, three decades later there is no shortage of observers rushing to fill the void with all sorts of explanations. Indeed strange...
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POPSEmpty Promises Many effects of antidepressants seem to be due to the placebo effect. And the published trials are only the tip of the iceberg of material that normally doesn't see the light of day. There are also clinical trials that have not been published. These are studies that have failed to show a significant benefit from taking the drug. When all of the data sets are combined " published and unpublished " the inescapable conclusion is that antidepressants may be little more than active placebos, drugs with very little specific therapeutic benefit, but with serious side effects. Not only this, but antidepressants are liberaly prescribed to treat very mild symthoms that rarely stand to the criteria of clinical depression. This does not make the drugs' effectiveness clearer.
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POPSQuantum Theory May Explain Wishful Thinking The intriguing title hides an interesting application of mathematical tools used in quantum mechanics to model decision making under condition of uncertainty. Pothos and Busemeyer hope that further research on quantum probability models of human cognition could help answer fundamental questions about the nature of how we think. For example, what does it mean to be rational? Another example is Schrodinger’s equation, which predicts a periodic oscillation between choices after a minimum length of time. This oscillation matches with electroencephalography signals and may explain why the longer you debate on a decision, the more you fluctuate. Overall, if our brains use quantum principles, and quantum computation is known to be fundamentally faster than classical computation in computers, then perhaps quantum principles can even help explain the success of human cognition.
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POPSBrain Researchers Open Door to Editing Memory Nothing is going to have a greater impact on the fabric of society and our understanding of human identity more than a reliable tool of editing, erasing and amplifying memories. If not the first, this is one of the holy grails of brain research nd technology. The ethical and other philosophical implications are profound.
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POPSSolving the Mystery of the Vanishing Bees This is a fascinating story. It is not the life of bees which is fascinating, but the vast complexity and interconectedness of life it exposes. From humans to beehives to plants to microbes, fungi, viruses, genes, metagenomics and what not. All are partaking in one orchestrated intelligent whole. This is a must read
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POPSJapan child robot mimicks infant learning
We are entering a new age of robotics. there is no doubt about that, at least in Japan. Robots integrated into everyday life is not only a technological feat but also a conceptual and social adaptation. In Japanese world view it is much easier to relate to robots as endowed with souls. This is fascinating, since it seems that we create our future technological world to reflect our beliefs and expectations. "Robots have hearts," said Kokoro planning department manager Yuko Yokota. "They don't look human unless we put souls in them. "When manufacturing a robot, there comes a moment when light flickers in its eyes. That's when we know our work is done." Public opinion in Japan may be more open to robots than in the West, where dark science fiction visions from movies such as "Bladerunner" and "Terminator" have conjured images of robo-soldiers taking over the world. Thanks to such benign cartoon characters as Astro Boy, "Japanese people have a friendly image towards robots
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POPSMemory Switch Could Enable Brain Hacks Won't be bad to get hold of some of our brain master switches. A memory activation switch, a switch for forgetting certain memories, a switch to make negative emotions go away , a light switch for insight and creative feats and from there the sky is the limit...
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POPSThe Immaculate Designer Prosthesis Human morphology is not only matter of biology it is also a matter of fashion. Atztecs had a practice of reshaping their skulls. Chinese were reshaping females' feet. This is only the next step
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POPSPower and the Illusion of Control "We conducted four experiments exploring the relationship between power and illusory control - the belief that one has the ability to influence outcomes that are largely determined by chance," said Galinksy, "In each experiment, whether the participant recalled power by an experience of holding power or it was manipulated by randomly assigning participants to Manager-Subordinate roles, it led to perceived control over outcomes that were beyond the reach of the individual. Furthermore, the notion of being able to control a 'chance' result led to unrealistic optimism and inflated self-esteem."
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POPSAre we about to eliminate AIDS? Yet the idea of eliminating HIV is so appealing, and the benefit to humanity so huge, that scientists and policy-makers are seriously considering the concept, albeit on regional scales. In the next few months the World Health Organization (WHO) will meet to discuss how the idea could be tried in developing countries, and something approaching elimination might be attempted in the UK within the next decade. "You could eliminate transmission overnight," says Marcus Conant, an HIV specialist in San Francisco. Read on the interesting article.
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