On Episode 7 of the Connectome podcast, we rejoin our two-part roundtable discussion on the nature of intelligence, on the differences between biological and artificial intelligence, and on the ways in which the idea of digital intelligence can inform our understanding of how our own minds work. (Here’s the link to Part 1 of this [...]
Posts Tagged ‘learning’
Podcast 7 – Roundtable With David Saintloth and Wai Tsang (Part 2)
April 15th, 2013 
The Connectome 
Posted in Featured, Podcasts 
Tags: consciousness, intelligence, learning, memory, neurophysiology, senses, technology 
2 Comments »
Science Fights Back With Open Access
November 16th, 2012 The Connectome A major paradigm shift is taking the science world by storm. Open source is taking over. For more than a century, scientists have depended on peer-reviewed journals to keep them up to date on the latest research. But as many of these journals have raised their subscription fees to bank-breaking levels, and locked life-saving research [...]
Posted in Brain News, Featured Tags: connectomics, imaging, learning, neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, technology 1 Comment »
Brains and Brilliance
August 1st, 2012 The Connectome Where in the brain, exactly, is intelligence? Is a high I.Q. just a result of a flawed test – or do high-I.Q. brains have specific, measurable differences from others? Answers await, Intrepid Reader – but first we have to make sure we’re asking the right questions. Let’s start with the big news: a study just published [...]
Posted in Brain News, Featured Tags: anxiety, connectomics, depression, drugs, functional networks, intelligence, learning, neurophysiology 4 Comments »
Memories on a Microchip
July 25th, 2012 The Connectome Are your memories real? How do you know? These sound like questions from a mind-bending thriller – Total Recall, say; or Inception. But this isn’t science fiction. Researchers around the world are implanting memories, turning them on and off – and, according to one team, storing them on microchips. Wow. Okay. Let’s back up here. [...]
Posted in Feature Stories, Featured Tags: learning, memory, neurons, technology, technosophy 3 Comments »
Aliens in the Lab
June 19th, 2012 The Connectome Researchers are creating new lifeforms that are chemically unrelated to any other life on earth. In fact, for the first time ever, scientists in Japan have built an artificial synapse, from the molecules up. What?! How can this be? Read on, intrepid voyager of the unknown, and discover for yourself. The basic idea is that [...]
Posted in Brain News, Featured Tags: biochemistry, biology, learning, neurochemistry, neurons, technology No Comments »
Podcast 3 – Habits: Making ‘Em & Breaking ‘Em
June 15th, 2012 The Connectome On episode 3 of the Connectome podcast, Ben digs into our habits: why they form, why they stick, and how to break ‘em. But he also shares some insights on making your habits work for you – to motivate you to stay fit and productive. Click here to subscribe in iTunes. Here’s a direct [...]
Posted in Featured, Podcasts Tags: anxiety, habits, learning, neuroanatomy, neurochemistry, neurophysiology, psychology 1 Comment »
The Depths of Decisions
May 5th, 2012 The Connectome Our brains – and the brains of other animals – actually run through superfast replays of past experiences as we make decisions, says a new study. This process isn’t one we usually have conscious access to – but without it, we might not be able to learn from the past at all. Memory seems pretty [...]
Posted in Brain News, Featured Tags: consciousness, learning, memory, neuroanatomy, neurons, neurophysiology, senses No Comments »
Memory Control
March 23rd, 2012 The Connectome Scientists can now turn a particular memory “on” and “off” by controlling the specific neurons that help encode it, a new study reports. Thanks to cutting-edge technology that allows researchers to control individual brain cells, a team has found a way to activate and deactivate memories of certain environments in mouse brains. The past few [...]
Posted in Brain News, Featured Tags: biology, learning, memory, neuroanatomy, neurons, neurophysiology, senses, technology 1 Comment »
Reward Lasers
March 21st, 2012 The Connectome Our ability to feel pleasure in rewarding situations depends on a delicate balance of two specific types of brain circuits, a new study reports. By using targeted lasers to activate specific cells in a mouse brain, researchers can disrupt and reactivate small sections of that brain’s reward pathway, causing mice to drastically change their behavior. [...]
Posted in Brain News, Featured Tags: biochemistry, biology, depression, drugs, learning, memory, neurochemistry, neurophysiology, technology 4 Comments »
Mixed-Up Memories
March 13th, 2012 The Connectome Just a minute of physical exertion can seriously impair a person’s memory of the threat that triggered it, says a new study. When we undergo a strenuous task, such as a chase or a fight, immediately after witnessing an event, we have much less ability to remember the event’s details than if we’d taken time [...]
