A Nobelist (1967), he was among other things an origin-of-life chemist and in that capacity he authored Eigen’s paradox
Month: February 2019
A new approach to probability?
Hmmm. “Thinking” is a risky strategy suggestion in a world where consciousness is supposed to be an illusion or else a material thing —unless, of course, your coffee mug has it too.
Gaming the Science system: How replication can be gamed in neuroimaging
They tested that and came up with some dramatic variances. Remember that when you hear what neuroimaging supposedly shows about how people think.
Darwinian cheating story about birds not confirmed
The strategy is not outstandingly successful and the researchers are now looking for an explanation other than a selective advantage. That’s wise on their part. This sounds like another strategy where the bird merely adapts; sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. No big Darwin theory is needed.
Steve Meyer: What is intelligent design?
Steve Meyer is the author of Darwin’s Doubt Hat tip: Philip Cunningham See also: A free discussion guide to Darwin’s Doubt
NASA recreates the origin of life and it’s totally shocking
What’s shocking is the hype. Essentially, the team created some amino acids and “Some researchers believe these could combine (like Legos) and create further complex molecules which could then be a precursor to life.”
Researchers: “profound yet intuitive: Every species has evolved backup plans”
To study this “interactome,” researchers collecting data on 9 million protein interactions among species: The scientists studied 1,840 species – from bacteria to primates – to understand how evolution built life forms that could survive in the face of natural adversities. What they discovered was profound yet intuitive: Every species has evolved backup plans that […]
Why can top scientists get away with extraordinary claims?
The opinion piece is basically an extended defense of the kind of atmosphere in which the most ridiculous claims for Darwinism, for example, flourish and any questioners had better be careful. There is a lot of that out there in many areas now and the faithful are continually exhorted all the more to trust science, whether it’s sense or nonsense.
Eric Holloway: Strong Artificial Intelligence Must Be Possible! Really…?
He argues that many arguments for strong artificial intelligence depend on an ideological commitment to explicit, unproven theories about the universe.
Why speech is unique to humans
Even if nothing else about this article were interesting, its title would be: Vocal communication is a central feature, but language encompasses much more, as linguist and neuropsychologist Angela Friederici pointed out at a recent meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. “Language is more than speech,” said Friederici, director of the Max Planck Institute for […]
Move over, bee! Tortoise, feared extinct, turns up again
As with Wallace’s giant bee, also feared extinct, the researchers had gone out looking for the tortoise.
Could the 2.1 billion-year-old organism have been like a slime mold?
The behavior of the slime mold (if that’s what it is) sounds altogether too modern for Dr. Cohen’s liking. That’s understandable. See, for example, “Is an amoeba smarter than your computer? (yes, in certain respects, it is) The trouble is, many forms of behaviour, like nest-sharing and parental care, have been found earlier than expected. We shall see.
Jonathan Bartlett: Why I Doubt That AI Can Match the Human Mind
There are fundamental limits on what a calculating machine can do.
Logic and First Principles, 11: The logic of Ultimate Mind as Source of Reality
After we headlined and began discussing PS on hearing and consciousness yesterday, H raised a significant issue: H, 15: >> . . . the invocation of a Creator who “beautifully designed what each sound should sound like” and “put the special program that can interpret each frequency pattern of air vibration into each sound, thus […]
SM on Gerrymandering of definitions and the breakdown of responsible discussion
Sometimes a gem of a comment gets overlooked, but is well worth promotion to headlined status. Here, let us belatedly highlight SM on gerrymandering definitions in the slippery slope thread: SM, 13: >>If three successfully interbreeding populations of finches on a single island are separate species then whenever a Japanese person marries a Sicilian we […]