Neanderthals and the Dead – NYTimes.com

Early in the 20th century, two brothers discovered a nearly complete Neanderthal skeleton in a pit inside a cave at La Chapelle-aux-Saints, in southwestern France. The discovery raised the possibility that these evolutionary relatives of ours intentionally buried their dead — at least 50,000 years ago, before the arrival of anatomically modern humans in Europe. … Continue reading Neanderthals and the Dead – NYTimes.com →

Think you know what a dinosaur looks like? Think again …

The discovery of soft-tissue comb remnants on a fossil could change the way we visualise dinosaurs. The findings, published today in Current Biology, concern the fossilised remains of an Edmontosaurus regalis skeleton excavated in Alberta, Canada. What makes this specimen notable is the presence of a cranial crest composed entirely of soft tissue — somewhat … Continue reading Think you know what a dinosaur looks like? Think again … →

The mind is the brain, and why that’s good

Mind body dualism is the theory that mind and matter are separate substances.  It's an ancient theory discussed in various forms by philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle, and theologians such as Thomas Aquinas.  In 1641, Rene Descartes put forth his views, usually referred to as Cartesian dualism which laid important foundations for modern philosophy in … Continue reading The mind is the brain, and why that’s good →

Michael Graziano: The Spirit Constructed in the Brain

I perceive consciousness in myself. My brain constructs a perceptual model of a mind that thinks this and that, feels this and that and is aware of this and that; the mind is attributed to my own location. That model provides an organized, coherent way for me to understand myself -- to predict and help … Continue reading Michael Graziano: The Spirit Constructed in the Brain →

Awe Increases Religious Belief | Matthew Hutson

In February 1971, Lunar Module pilot Edgar Mitchell was on his way back from the Moon when he had an epiphany. Staring out the window at the stars, he realized that everything is connected. The experience was so \"puzzling and powerful,\" he told me, that upon touchdown he launched a quest into what it was … Continue reading Awe Increases Religious Belief | Matthew Hutson →

Stephen Cave: The 4 stories we tell ourselves about death

The other day I did a post about soothing the fear of death.  Stephen Cave in this TED talk, after discussing the age old stories we've traditionally used to sooth that fear, covers much the same ground that I did on the Epicurean insight into this fear. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PB7xs7UpIfY Related articles TED: Stephen Cave: The 4 … Continue reading Stephen Cave: The 4 stories we tell ourselves about death →

Do mathematics model real world patterns?

I've recently seen a couple of interesting posts pondering to what degree mathematics models actual real world objects. For an upcoming episode of the Rationally Speaking podcast, Massimo Pigliucci and Julia Galef interviewed Max Tegmark, who seems to believe that all of reality is ultimately mathematical.  Note that Tegmark doesn't mean that it is precisely described … Continue reading Do mathematics model real world patterns? →

Is There a Limit to One’s Learning Capacity? | Quora

When parts of the connection process become weak, a process known as synaptic pruning takes place to remove the old connections and strengthen the rest. Experience is the determining factor of which connections will be strengthened and which ones will be \"pruned\" - active connections will remain whereas those which are no longer active or … Continue reading Is There a Limit to One’s Learning Capacity? | Quora →