Tag Archives: neuroscience

AI Not Just a Toy

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I get really tired of people who think AI isn't real science or is just for toys. I also get tired of the AI researchers who work on fluff that perpetuates the stereotypes. Here's an example of AI being used to help "real" scientists. I offer a small caveat, however. I really think AI, as a field of study, should be subdivided. As it is, the term is too broad and lumps too many people of unrelated research together. I also think Computer Science is an abused term. I offer the following taxonomy.

  • Computer Science
    • Computational Mathematics
    • Algorithms
    • Heuristics (formerly part of Weak AI)
  • Software Engineering
    • Programming Languages
    • Systems Design
    • Application Design
  • Artificial Intelligence
    • Computational Cognitive Science (Strong AI)
      • Architectural
      • Phenomenological
    • Intelligent Systems (Weak AI)

Without further ado, here's the article, which I would classify as an intelligent system:

A Map That Maps Gene Functions
By Kristen Philipkoski

"The genetics revolution is generating such a gigantic glut of information that artificial intelligence may be the only way scientists will ever put it to practical use."

"Inspired by an AI effort to record all of the common-sense knowledge shared among humans called Cyc, scientists have come up with a technology that can gather all of the information scientists know about an organism."

Catchin’ Z’s With EEG’s

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Sleep Aid: It’s All in Your Head
By Mark Baard

Instead of counting sheep, insomniacs may find relief listening to the sounds of their own brain waves.

Results of a University of Toronto study indicate that “brain music” — EEG recordings converted into musical compositions in a computerized process — sends sleepless patients to dreamland faster.

Maybe this would help with my recent insomnia. I’m also thinking this could be adapted to help people think more “harmoniously”. If, instead of a CD, this music could be generated dynamically, one could use different types of thoughts to control the music.

Are You Threatening Me?

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I am the Great Cornholio! Are you threatening me? The streets will flow with the blood of the non-believers!!!

Caffeine Boosts Stress Level All Day Long: Study

Jul 31 (Reuters Health) – People who consume caffeine may experience an increase in blood pressure, feel more stressed and produce more stress hormones than on days when they opt for decaf, US researchers report.

Furthermore, Dr. James D. Lane and his colleagues at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina found that the effects of caffeine appear to persist until people go to bed, even if they don’t consume any caffeine after 1 pm.

Created Equal?

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Sex Differences in the Brain
Men and women display patterns of behavioral and cognitive differences that reflect varying hormonal influences on brain development
By Doreen Kimura

Men and women differ not only in their physical attributes and reproductive function but also in many other characteristics, including the way they solve intellectual problems. For the past few decades, it has been ideologically fashionable to insist that these behavioral differences are minimal and are the consequence of variations in experience during development before and after adolescence. Evidence accumulated more recently, however, suggests that the effects of sex hormones on brain organization occur so early in life that from the start the environment is acting on differently wired brains in boys and girls. Such effects make evaluating the role of experience, independent of physiological predisposition, a difficult if not dubious task. The biological bases of sex differences in brain and behavior have become much better known through increasing numbers of behavioral, neurological and endocrinological studies.