Four statements about the future by John Smart

Virtual assistants will be useful for nany of us by the early 2020’s

Here are four interesting statements about the future:

1. Chemical brain preservation is a technology that may soon be validated to inexpensively preserve the key features of our memories and identity at our biological death.
2. If either chemical or cryogenic brain preservation can be validated to reliably store retrievable and useful individual mental information, these medical procedures should be made available in all societies as an option at biological death.
3. If computational neuroscience, microscopy, scanning, and robotics technologies continue to improve at their historical rates, preserved memories and identity may be affordably reanimated by being “uploaded” into computer simulations, beginning well before the end of this century.
4. In all societies where a significant minority (let’s say 100,000 people) have done brain preservation at biological death, significant positive social change will result in those societies today, regardless of how much information is eventually recovered from preserved brains.

 

 

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How diet affects brain function revealed in studies

Your brain on food

New studies just released explore the neurological component of dietary disorders, uncovering evidence that the brain’s biological mechanisms may contribute to significant public health challenges — obesity, diabetes, binge eating, and the allure of the high-calorie meal. The findings were presented at Neuroscience 2012, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world’s largest source of emerging news about brain science and health.

 

 

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Humans are getting smarter

Don’t be surprised when your toddler can operate your laptop.  There’s a rise in IQ levels all around.

James R. Flynn explains how he came to understand how our minds have gained in cognitive skills during the 20th century in an excerpt from his new book, Are We Getting Smarter? Rising IQ in the Twenty-First Century.

 

 

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Study of brain’s visual center finds men and women really do see things differently

Men and women do see things differently.

New research published in BioMed Central’s open access journal Biology of Sex Differences finds that the way that the visual centers of men and women’s brains works is different. Men have greater sensitivity to fine detail and rapidly moving stimuli, but women are better at discriminating between colors.

 

 

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Chocolate may help lower risk of stroke in men

The beneficial effect of chocolate consumption on stroke may be related to the flavonoids in chocolate.

According to a new study, eating a moderate amount of chocolate each week may be associated with a lower risk of stroke in men. The study was published in the August 29, 2012, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. “While other studies have looked at how chocolate may help cardiovascular health, this is the first of its kind study to find that chocolate, may be beneficial for reducing stroke in men,” said study author Susanna C. Larsson, PhD, with the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.

 

 

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Music we like is more distracting than music we don’t like

The “Irrelevant Sound Effect”, is all about the way background sounds can interfere with our short-term memory.

A lot of people like to listen to music while they work. Previous research suggests this is probably not a bad thing. In lab studies, people who listen to music they like, generally perform better at mental tasks afterwards, an effect that’s been attributed to boosts in mood and arousal.
 

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Work skills you will need to survive in the future

right brain left brain

As employees chart their route to the top of the “Conceptual Age”, it’s important to know the skills that companies are looking for.

IBM’s 2010 Global CEO Study cited “creativity” as the most important leadership quality for the future when “global knowledge” was once essential for leaders. This is one of many signals that the business world is evolving out of the “Information Age,” where left-brain technical skills, knowledge and expertise were king.

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Mind-reading speller allows vegetative-state patients to communicate

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0I7h6Uucnc[/youtube]

The first real-time brain-scanning speller will allow people in an apparent vegetative state (unable to speak or move) to communicate, according to Maastricht University scientists. (video)

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Intel’s neuromorphic chip design that works more like the human brain

Neuromorphic Intel

Intel’s goal is to build chips that work more like the human brain.

The most extraordinary computing machine is the human brain.  It carries out tasks as a matter of routine that would fry the circuits of the most powerful supercomputers on the planet: walking, talking, recognizing, analyzing and so on.

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Your brain on diet soda: How artificial sweeteners trick your brain

diet soda

Sugar substitutes used in diet beverages actually change how our brains’ reward areas work.

There are some major loopholes in the New York soda ban measure that critics have pointed out. For example, convenience stores would still be free to sell large, sugary drinks. Also exempt from the bill are sweetened alcoholic beverages. Researchers that Mayor Bloomberg cited think the whole thing might backfire. But the biggest omission in the New York soda ban has to do with an entirely other class of fizzy, sweetened drink: diet sodas.

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Discover the Hidden Patterns of Tomorrow with Futurist Thomas Frey
Unlock Your Potential, Ignite Your Success.

By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.

Learn More about this exciting program.