December 10, 2020 by Susan Lieberman & Christian Walzer From the most remote terrestrial wilderness to the most densely populated cities, humans are inexorably changing the planet. We have put … | Continue reading
“Scientists who do animal research have long avoided the public eye. But their silence may come at a cost.” June 1, 2020 by The Editors Welcome to the reboot of The Undark Podcast, whic… | Continue reading
By Federico Romano Recently, “tattoo” electrodes have been developed to stick on the skin, used to measure ECG, among other biosignals. But now researchers are beginning to adapt these … | Continue reading
Cover image: Xavier Cortada – “In search of the Higgs boson” Machine learning has found uses in fields as diverse as particle physics and radiology, and its influence is growing. But so… | Continue reading
Researchers and companies are harnessing computers to identify the emotions behind our written words. While sentiment analysis is far from perfect, it manages to distill meaning from huge amou… | Continue reading
© Leandro Castelluccio A usual argument within the philosophical, religious and even scientificfield that is used to refer to the possible existence of a god or creator of the universe re… | Continue reading
By Federico Romano In recent days Neuralink, founded by Elon Musk, presented its advances and possible applications of the controversial brain chip that with thousands of high-t… | Continue reading
July 27, 2020 by Rod McCullom The power of artificial intelligence has transformed health care by using massive datasets to improve diagnostics, treatment, records management, and patient outcomes.… | Continue reading
Cover image: From Ex Machina (2015). Photo courtesy United Pictures International For more than two millennia, Western thinkers have separated emotion from cognition – emotion being the poorer sibl… | Continue reading
The fish will be the last to discover water.Modern proverb Talk to high-school students preparing for their science exams, and you’ll probably hear two things: that they’re scared of physics, and r… | Continue reading
“In a tense moment on a full plane, Ruth King gets a glimpse of the inner strength of equanimity.” Full article at: | Continue reading
Illustration cover by Natalia Lopes via the United Nations COVID-19 Response “Recovering from Covid-19 has felt like a losing game of Chutes and Ladders, says hospital chaplain Kristina Pears… | Continue reading
October 24, 2019 by Erika Check Hayden This year, as in the past, the Nobel Prize’s science awards overwhelmingly went to white men. Nine of the 12 laureates in chemistry, physics, physiology or me… | Continue reading
Survivors of intimate partner violence suffer traumatic brain injuries at alarming rates. Yet science overlooks us. October 17, 2019 by Nechama Moring The first time my then-partner threw me agains… | Continue reading
Two scientific papers in South Africa have raised questions among critics about the quality — and potential biases — of international peer review. July 22, 2019 by Sarah Wild As soon as Barbara Bos… | Continue reading
Libertarians are a quarrelsome lot. Debates about who is the better von, Hayek or Mises, rivalries between the Austrian and the Chicago schools of economics, and fights among Ayn Rand’s objectivist… | Continue reading
Only humans and social insects have large enough populations to engage in all-out warfare. How do such conflicts arise? May 10, 2019 by Mark W. Moffett Look closely enough, and you’ll find that mod… | Continue reading
Cover image: Opening from Lucretius’ De Rerum Natura at the Cambridge University Library, manuscript dated to 1563. Courtesy Wikipedia The modern idea that nature is discrete originated in Ancient … | Continue reading
Cover image: Illustration by Albert Barque-Duran If you’re black in the United States, you’re more than twice as likely as a white person to be unarmed if you’re killed in an encounter with the pol… | Continue reading
Cover image: Photo courtesy of NASA What is it with the philosophy-haters in astrophysics and cosmology? From the late Stephen Hawking’s claim that ‘philosophy is dead’, to Steven Weinberg’s chapte… | Continue reading
Several researchers are exploring innovative ways to combat alcohol abuse and the health impacts associated with it. Regulators are paying attention. April 3, 2019 by Troy Farah Despite the ubiquit… | Continue reading
Cover image: A Map of the Square and Stationary Earth by Professor Orlando Ferguson, South Dakota, 1893. Photo courtesy Wikipedia Today, there is a crisis of trust in science. Many people – includi… | Continue reading
Cover image: A Moonlight with a Lighthouse, Coast of Tuscany (1789) by Joseph Wright of Derby. Courtesy Tate Britain, London Neuroscience was part of the dinner conversation in my family, often a p… | Continue reading
Cover image: Manly Beach (1895) by Arthur Streeton. Courtesy Bendigo Art Gallery/Wikipedia There is a meme that speaks directly to the hearts and minds of the overly self-conscious. Perhaps you’ve … | Continue reading
© Leandro Castelluccio Image taken from link Using neuroscience to explain cross-cultural differences is a relatively new trend, but it has grown enough to also fuel new distinct fields, such as cu… | Continue reading
© Leandro Castelluccio (Image obtained from link) It is a usual question of philosophy: “what is the meaning of life?” or “why are we here?” or “what is our purpose?” … | Continue reading
The author of “Conscience” argues that brain science, evolution, and genetics are key to understanding moral decision-making. August 2, 2019 by Hope Reese Patricia S. Churchland is a key figure in … | Continue reading
Cover image: Courtesy Wikimedia From medication to recreational and spiritual substances, drugs offer us respite from pain, open opportunities for mental exploration, and escape from – or into – al… | Continue reading
Work hard, become successful, then you’ll be happy. At least, that’s what many of us were taught by our parents, teachers and peers. The idea that we must pursue success in order to experience happ… | Continue reading
Cover image: Amhara prayer book, Ethiopia, late 17th century. Courtesy the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York If anything seems self-evident in human culture, it’s the widespread presence of reli… | Continue reading
Cover image: The Couple in the Street (1887) by Charles Angrand. Courtesy Musée d’Orsay/Wikipedia Right now, in millions of bedrooms across the land, people are sighing for love. Love is impo… | Continue reading
© Leandro Castelluccio Today we are seeing an interesting phenomenon that drives the debate regarding the democratization and access to information. We are talking about the website Sci-hub, which … | Continue reading
Cover image: Courtesy of Wikipedia The following article presents a response by Greg Salmieri in “How should philosophy professors approach Ayn Rand?”. Between both one can see two oppo… | Continue reading
Cover image: Photo Wikipedia Utopias are idealised visions of a perfect society. Utopianisms are those ideas put into practice. This is where the trouble begins. Thomas More coined the neologism ut… | Continue reading
It’s challenging to diagnose Alzheimer’s cases early and accurately, but scientists are hoping AI can be applied to brain scans to help. March 4, 2019 by Rod McCullom As many as one in five people … | Continue reading
© Leandro Castelluccio A brief response and reflection to the article: “Benevolent Artificial Anti-Natalism (BAAN) – An EDGE Essay By Thomas Metzinger”- 08/07/2017. Link here In this art… | Continue reading
AI-driven medical tools could democratize health care, but some worry they could also worsen inequalities. July 29, 2019 by Jeremy Hsu You could be forgiven for thinking that AI will soon replace h… | Continue reading
In “Mind in Motion,” Barbara Tversky reveals the many ways in which the interplay of the body and brain is necessary to enable cognition. June 28, 2019 by Dan Falk Suppose I give you the name of a … | Continue reading
Cover image: Day Donaldson/Flickr People like simplicity. Each decade, corporate logos grow progressively minimalistic, pop songs use ever simpler melodies, and visual arts embrace simpler composit… | Continue reading
Cover image: Detail from Patroclus by Jacques Louis David, 1780. Courtesy Wikipedia It’s tempting to think of the mind as a layer that sits on top of more primitive cognitive structures. We experie… | Continue reading