Sublime

the act of categorizing is one of cognitive economy.

for greater scientific understanding (23andMe) or in propagating user-submitted data to motivate behavior change in others (traineo).

If you could figure out what patterns of neural activity in a 100-dimension population are fundamental to that population – and which are just recycled combinations of those fundamental patterns – you could explain that neural population with fewer than 100 dimensions.

fractal fame

most mental functions require the cooperation of multiple cortical areas, and most cortical areas participate in multiple mental functions. This makes it problematic to use functional criteria to define cortical areas. The right strategy is to identify the areas by structural criteria and then understand how the interactions between areas give rise

it helps us create a society of “phony geniuses,” a society in which the capacities of individuals greatly surpass their individual knowledge.

neuroscientists continue to spar and struggle over the neural code to this day.

“It was a eureka moment,” Ingrid tells us. “It finally gave me a sense of worth.”