Mary Martin

In February, scientists formed a new field, called organoid intelligence (OI), which is now considered the next frontier of biocomputing. To meet AI's growing computational needs, there's a shift away from traditional Von Neumann architecture towards more innovative approaches. One is neuromorphic computing, inspired by the brain's structure, which

... See more

cognition can be seen as a multiscale web of dynamic information processing distributed across a vast array of complex cellular (e.g., neuronal, immune, and others) and network systems, operating across the entire body, and not just in the brain.

This is why the idea that speech is violence is so dangerous. It tells the members of a generation already beset by anxiety and depression that the world is a far more violent and threatening place than it really is. It tells them that words, ideas, and speakers can literally kill them. Even worse: At a time of rapidly rising political polarization... See more

The hippocampus has been a focus in the study of recombination during simulation – perhaps unsurprising given the established role of this structure in relational processing, including the binding together of disparate elements during working memory as well as episodic encoding and retrieval (Axmacher et al., 2010; Eichenbaum, 2001; Hannula &... See more

al­­though piquing interest can indeed drive an urgent desire for answers, it can also elicit more patience, setting people up for those moments of discovery.

Thinking about curiosity as going beyond the need for quick answers also highlights the power of what happens when we engage with un­­cert­ain­ty: having to ponder and anticipate answers can improve learning and memory, and curiosity can facilitate brain states that help us encode new information. Learning new things can be tough, but harnessing... See more

if an animal

’

s life is worth

living without having a point and without being meaningful in any of the usual senses, then

perhaps a human life can also be worth living without that.