It looks like Bill Nye, the science guy, is coming out with a new book on evolution, with an excerpt at Popular Science: Is The Human Species Still Evolving? | Popular Science. We cannot step away from evolution. Our genomes are always collecting mutations, and we are always making mate selections. Are humans preferentially mating with … Continue reading Is the human species still evolving? Of course.
Author: SelfAwarePatterns
A middle aged guy who loves discussing science, philosophy, history, science fiction, and many other nerdy topics.
Back to Square One: toward a post-intentional future
Why I voted Democrat across the board
This Tuesday, November 4, is election day here in the United States. If you are a US citizen, and you didn't do early voting, then you need to go vote. Getting people, particularly young people, to vote in the midterms is always tough. I know when I was young, I was barely aware that the midterms … Continue reading Why I voted Democrat across the board
New interpretation of quantum physics: Many Interacting Worlds
There's a new interpretation of quantum mechanics: Scientists propose existence and interaction of parallel worlds: Many Interacting Worlds theory challenges foundations of quantum science -- ScienceDaily. This new interpretation appears to be similar to the MWI (Many Worlds Interpretation) where quantum superpositions don't collapse, but spread, creating what amounts to new universes. However, in this theory, … Continue reading New interpretation of quantum physics: Many Interacting Worlds
Why are we still doing daylight savings time?
Here in the United States, daylight savings time ended today. We got an extra hour of sleep (yay!). But this is only a temporary reprieve. It'll be back in the spring, when we'll have to "spring forward" and start waking up an hour earlier again. Multiple people put up articles this weekend pointing out that … Continue reading Why are we still doing daylight savings time?
Atul Gawande: How do we heal medicine?
An interesting TED talk by Atul Gawande discussing some of the problems with the modern medical profession. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3QkaS249Bc I came across this video when reading a recent piece by Dr. Gawande on the medical field's struggles to clearly explain a terminal patient's real situation to them, often relying on a blizzard of facts instead of … Continue reading Atul Gawande: How do we heal medicine?
Are social psychologists biased against conservatives? A simple check for ideological bias.
Maria Konnikova has an article in the New Yorker on whether there is bias in social psychology against conservatives. One of the people calling attention to the issue is Jonathan Haidt, whose work my long time readers will know I'm generally a fan of. The core issue that Haidt is calling attention to is the … Continue reading Are social psychologists biased against conservatives? A simple check for ideological bias.
The tale of the neuroscientists and the computer
Joshua Brown has a sobering editorial on the state of our understanding of the brain. Warning: it requires some familiarity with how a computer works to understand his point: Frontiers | The tale of the neuroscientists and the computer: why mechanistic theory matters | Brain Imaging Methods. Once upon a time, a group of neuroscientists happened … Continue reading The tale of the neuroscientists and the computer
Does the Euthyphro dilemma actually prove anything?
I'm not religious. I don't think morality comes from God, gods, or any religious precept. But often, when I see debates on whether or not morality can only come from God or religion, an atheist philosopher will mention the Euthyphro dilemma, state or imply that the question was conclusively handled over 2300 years by this Plato … Continue reading Does the Euthyphro dilemma actually prove anything?
SMBC: Proof altruism exists?
(Click through for full sized version and for the red button caption.) via Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal. Of course, as we discussed on the Selfish Gene post, even if we are acting completely altruistically at a conscious level, our impulse to do so is broadly tied up with evolutionary survival advantages.
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