Category: Zeitgeist

The Dark Side of Emotional Intelligence – Adam Grant – The Atlantic

Emotional intelligence is important, but the unbridled enthusiasm has obscured a dark side. New evidence shows that when people hone their emotional skills, they become better at manipulating others. When you’re good at controlling your own emotions, you can disguise your true feelings. When you know what others are feeling, you can tug at their … Continue reading The Dark Side of Emotional Intelligence – Adam Grant – The Atlantic →

Anti-aging breakthrough? | Machines Like Us

On December 20th, Machines Like Us cited an article from The Guardian called: Anti-aging compound set for human trials. The study, involving Harvard University and the University of NSW, allegedly discovered a way of restoring the efficiency of cells, completely reversing the aging process in muscles. We invited Michael Rae, science writer for the SENS … Continue reading Anti-aging breakthrough? | Machines Like Us →

Isaac Asimov’s Predictions For 2014 From 50 Years Ago Are Eerily Accurate

Fifty years ago, American scientist and author Isaac Asimov published a story in The New York Times that listed his predictions for what the world would be like in 2014. Asimov wrote more than 500 books in his lifetime, including science fiction novels and nonfiction scientific books, so he was well-versed in thinking about the … Continue reading Isaac Asimov’s Predictions For 2014 From 50 Years Ago Are Eerily Accurate →

Termite inspired robots | Machines Like Us

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFjtRONfae4 Inspired by termites and their building activities, the TERMES project is working toward developing a swarm construction system in which robots cooperate to build 3D structures much larger than themselves. The current system consists of simple but autonomous mobile robots and specialized passive blocks; the robot is able to manipulate blocks to build tall … Continue reading Termite inspired robots | Machines Like Us →

UChicago researchers use Hubble Telescope to reveal cloudy weather on alien world | UChicago News

Weather forecasters on exoplanet GJ 1214b would have an easy job. Today’s forecast: cloudy. Tomorrow: overcast. Extended outlook: more clouds. That's the implication of a study led by researchers in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Chicago who have definitively characterized the atmosphere of a super-Earth class planet orbiting another star … Continue reading UChicago researchers use Hubble Telescope to reveal cloudy weather on alien world | UChicago News →

‘Just Babies – The Origins of Good and Evil,’ by Paul Bloom – NYTimes.com

Is morality innate? In his new book, “Just Babies,” the psychologist Paul Bloom draws from his research at the Yale Infant Cognition Center to argue that “certain moral foundations are not acquired through learning. . . . They are instead the products of biological evolution.” Infants may be notoriously difficult to study (rats and pigeons … Continue reading ‘Just Babies – The Origins of Good and Evil,’ by Paul Bloom – NYTimes.com →

Anti-ageing compound set for human trials after turning clock back for mice | Science | theguardian.com

Australian and US researchers hope an anti-ageing compound could be trialled on humans as early as next year, following a key breakthrough that saw the ageing process reversed in mice. The study, involving Harvard University and the University of NSW, discovered a way of restoring the efficiency of cells, completely reversing the ageing process in … Continue reading Anti-ageing compound set for human trials after turning clock back for mice | Science | theguardian.com →