November 2008
9 posts
Patternicity: Finding Meaningful Patterns in... →
“Why do people see faces in nature, interpret window stains as human figures, hear voices in random sounds generated by electronic devices or find conspiracies in the daily news?” Because:… the evolutionary rationale for superstition is clear: natural selection will favour strategies that make many incorrect causal associations in order to establish those that are essential for...
Regenerating a Mammoth for $10 Million →
“Scientists are talking for the first time about the old idea of resurrecting extinct species as if this staple of science fiction is a realistic possibility, saying that a living mammoth could perhaps be regenerated for as little as $10 million.” (via.)
Phoenix is dead →
“Nasa says its Phoenix lander on the surface of Mars has gone silent and is almost certainly dead.” We’ll miss you. But at least the mission was a success.
Putting Thoughts into Action: Implants Tap the... →
Scientific American:
Eight years ago, when Erik Ramsey was 16, a car accident triggered a brain stem stroke that left him paralyzed. Though fully conscious, Ramsey was completely paralyzed, essentially “locked in,” unable to move or talk. (…)
Today Ramsey sports a small metal electrode in his brain. Its thin wires penetrate a fraction of an inch into his motor cortex, the part of the brain...
