If you have never pondered the nature of exponential change/growth in knowledge, consider this. The human brain is one of the most complex structures in existence. Google, in collaboration with Harvard University, have released a browsable 1.4-petabyte reconstruction of a very small part of the human cortex. This is every cell and connection in a cubic millimeter of the human brain. Petabyte connectomic…
From the University of Melbourne [@UniMelb] A group of paralysed patients will soon undergo a revolutionary procedure that could allow them to walk with the power of thought. The key to returning mobility is a tiny, matchstick-sized device called a stentrode. It will be implanted into a blood vessel next to the motor cortex, the brain’s control centre –…
Watch this Rook closely. It is playing. It is having FUN. http://youtu.be/3dWw9GLcOeA Sensory consciousness in Birds? A fascinating field of research in to the human brain, machine learning and the nature and purpose of consciousness. Where does consciousness come from? And does it exist in other animals? Nicholas Humphrey, Professor Emeritus of the London School of Economics, Darwin College Cambridge,…
Thanks to James for this link to Betty. On the intelligence of crows. If you have read my page on Gestalt learning, you may have seen the amazing case of Betty the Crow. She features again in this longer clip, courtesy of TED.com: http://youtu.be/NhmZBMuZ6vE From James' "Recent Reflections" By noreply@blogger.com (James A). [Recent Reflection]
HUMPBACK whales have a type of brain cell seen only in humans, the great apes, and other cetaceans such as dolphins, US researchers report. Patrick Hof and Estel Van der Gucht, of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, studied the brains of humpback whales and discovered a spindle neuron in the cortex, in areas comparable to where…