Category: ideas

“These days most people think it unscientific to believe in ‘miracles’, and irreligious not to believe in them. But would the occurrence of miracles really violate the principles of science? And would their non-occurrence really undermine religion?”

“Are rules made to be broken – or obeyed? Newly published research suggests your answer to that question depends largely upon whether you are mulling it over from a position of power. ‘In determining whether an act is right or wrong, the powerful focus on whether rules and principles are violated, whereas the powerless focus on the consequences,’ states [a new] study.”

“In a new paper, a pair of statisticians at the University of Vermont argue that linguistic analysis — not just of song lyrics but of blogs and speeches — could add a new and valuable dimension to a growing area of mass psychology: the determination of national well-being.”

Although the idea itself isn’t new – “Genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration,” Thomas Edison famously remarked – the researchers are quick to point out that grit isn’t simply about the willingness to work hard. Instead, it’s about setting a specific long-term goal and doing whatever it takes until the goal has been reached. It’s always much easier to give up, but people with grit can keep going.

“Wouldn’t it be great to be back … when there were shamans – spiritual leaders – who could plug us into ‘the realm of the magical,’ show us ‘the reality behind apparent reality,’ and thus lead us to understand ‘how the universe really works’? … What I do doubt is that these earnest, selfless spiritual leaders were any more common in the heyday of shamanism than today, or that the spiritual quest was any less corrupted by manipulation and outright charlatanism than today, or that there was a coherent philosophy of shamanism that makes more sense than the average religion of today.”

“The smell of the sweat you produce when terrified is not only registered by the brains of others, but changes their behaviour too, according to new research. It adds to a growing body of evidence that humans may communicate using scent in a similar way to how other animals use pheromones.”

“Some 2.5 million years ago, our ancestors’ brains expanded from a mere 600 cubic centimetres to about a litre. Two new studies suggest it is no fluke that this brain boom coincided with the onset of an ice age. Cooler heads, it seems, allowed ancient human brains to let off steam and grow. For all its advantages, the modern human brain is a huge energy glutton … [and] would have generated heat faster than it could dissipate it in the warmer climate of earlier times.”

“An invasion led by artificially intelligent machines. Conscious computers. A smartphone virus so smart that it can start mimicking you. You might think that such scenarios are laughably futuristic, but some of the world’s leading artificial intelligence (AI) researchers are concerned enough about the potential impact of advances in AI that they have been discussing the risks over the past year. Now they have revealed their conclusions.”

“An enormous collection of writings and drawings by Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci will go on public display for the first time in September, organisers said Monday. The Codex Atlanticus contains a vast array of his work, from studies of bird flight to sketches of complex machinery.”

“President Dmitry Medvedev recently announced the setting up of a commission to counter the falsification of history. He said this was becoming increasingly ‘severe, evil, and aggressive’. … Many Russians agree with their president.” The most sensitive issue, it seems, is World War II.