Kensho
Neural correlates of consciousness
The Neuronal Correlates of Consciousness (NCC) constitute the smallest set of neural events and structures sufficient for a given conscious percept or explicit memory. This case involves synchronized action potentials in neocortical pyramidal neurons.[1] Neurobiological approach to consciousness[edit] A science of consciousness must explain the exact relationship between subjective mental states and brain states, the nature of the relationship between the conscious mind and the electro-chemical interactions in the body. Progress in neurophilosophy has come from focusing on the body rather than the mind. In this context the neuronal correlates of consciousness may be viewed as its causes, and consciousness may be thought of as a state-dependent property of some undefined complex, adaptive, and highly interconnected biological system.[4] What characterizes the NCC? Level of arousal and content of consciousness[edit] The neuronal basis of perception[edit]
Please Explain To Me This Weird Thing That Happened In My Childhood
When I was in fourth or fifth grade, my friends got into this weird thing I can only call hypnosis. One person would close their eyes and lie down, and someone else would tell a long story to them. At the end of the story, there would be some weird psychological effect. The stories were passed along as childhood lore, in the same way as Miss Mary Mac and Miss Suzy Had A Steamboat. I know this sounds like a creepypasta, but I swear to God it actually happened. I have not been able to find any online record of things like this, partially because I have no idea what keywords to search for. Did anyone else do this as a kid?
Our brains are wired so we can better hear ourselves speak, new study shows
Like the mute button on the TV remote control, our brains filter out unwanted noise so we can focus on what we’re listening to. But when it comes to following our own speech, a new brain study from the University of California, Berkeley, shows that instead of one homogenous mute button, we have a network of volume settings that can selectively silence and amplify the sounds we make and hear. Activity in the auditory cortex when we speak and listen is amplified in some regions of the brain and muted in others. In this image, the black line represents muting activity when we speak. (Courtesy of Adeen Flinker) Neuroscientists from UC Berkeley, UCSF and Johns Hopkins University tracked the electrical signals emitted from the brains of hospitalized epilepsy patients. Their findings, published today (Dec. 8, 2010) in the Journal of Neuroscience, offer new clues about how we hear ourselves above the noise of our surroundings and monitor what we say.
Science Space Photo of the Day | Wired Science
When the lamp is shattered, The light in the dust lies dead. When the cloud is scattered, The rainbow's glory is shed. These words, which open Shelley’s poem "When the Lamp is Shattered," employ visions of nature to symbolize life in decay and rebirth. It's as if he had somehow foreseen the creation of this new Gemini Legacy image, and penned a caption for it. Polar-ring galaxies are peculiar objects. Models of how polar-ring galaxies form offer two general formation scenarios: 1) a piercing merger between two galaxies aligned roughly at right angles, or 2) when the host galaxy tidally strips material from a passing gas-rich spiral and strews it into a ring. Born of Violence Brian Svoboda of the University of Arizona, who recently studied the chemical and temperature environment of NGC 660, believes that unique morphology arises from a previous interaction with a gas-rich galaxy. Weighing the Evidence Life from Death? Probing Dark Matter Image: Gemini Observatory/AURA [high-resolution]
The Simple Tao (Simple Taoism)
The Way is to benefit others and not to injure. The Way is to act but not to compete.It does not show greatness and is therefore truly great. Be still like a mountain and flow like a great river Tao"the way", "the path". it is often represented by water because water always seeks the path of least resistance, yet is strong enough to demolish even stone when no other recourse is available. everything below flows from this. Here are 10 guides to the Way. Make your goal effortless actionavoid unnecessary action or action that is not spontaneous. Web Site Author: A.
Panpsychism
In philosophy, panpsychism is the view that mind or soul (Greek: ψυχή) is a universal feature of all things, and the primordial feature from which all others are derived. The panpsychist sees him or herself as a mind in a world of minds. Panpsychism is one of the oldest philosophical theories, and can be ascribed to philosophers like Thales, Plato, Spinoza, Leibniz and William James. Panpsychism can also be seen in eastern philosophies such as Vedanta and Mahayana Buddhism. Etymology[edit] The term "panpsychism" has its origins with the Greek term pan, meaning "throughout" or "everywhere", and psyche, meaning "soul" as the unifying center of the mental life of us humans and other living creatures History[edit] Ancient philosophy[edit] Early forms of Panpsychism can be found in pre-modern animistic beliefs in religions such as Shinto, Taoism, Paganism and Shamanism. Renaissance[edit] Illustration of the Cosmic order by Robert Fludd, the World Soul is depicted as a woman. Contemporary[edit]
Visual Categorization in Pigeons
How to Think About the Mind
How to Think About the MindNeuroscience shows that the 'soul' is the activity of the brain Sept. 27 issue - Every evening our eyes tell us that the sun sets, while we know that, in fact, the Earth is turning us away from it. Astronomy taught us centuries ago that common sense is not a reliable guide to reality. Today it is neuroscience that is forcing us to readjust our intuitions. People naturally believe in the Ghost in the Machine: that we have bodies made of matter and spirits made of an ethereal something. Yes, people acknowledge that the brain is involved in mental life. Modern neuroscience has shown that there is no user. This resistance is not surprising. The disconnect between our common sense and our best science is not an academic curiosity. Prozac shouldn't be dispensed like mints, of course, but the reason is not that it undermines the will. To many, the scariest prospect is medication that can make us better than well by enhancing mood, memory and attention.
The Aviator: Science Fiction of the Post Global Warming World
How can you go wrong with blimps? The Aviator is a new book that gives you a world of post-global warming climate and interesting developments in transportation technology and artificial intelligence. It is written by New Zealand based writer Gareth Renowden. The Aviator explores a post-apocalypse world where the apocalypse is not nuclear war or a large object hitting the earth, or even an outbreak of zombi-ism, but rather, unfettered human-caused climate change. The truth is, a future Earth with continued climate change could end up in a number of different states, but the planet ala The Aviator is a reasonable approximation of a switched-over climate, brought to us by someone who knows the science well. I have truly enjoyed it. The book’s web site is here.
