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Relatively Quarky: Mind the mind: research on our consciousness is evolving
On Monday morning, throngs of students slowly made their way back to their weekly routines, their thoughts filled with a sense of nostalgia for the past weekend and anxieties for the upcoming last few days of classes. These thoughts, and others like them, are the daily norm. We accept them for what they are and rarely question where they come from.
Our daily consciousness is the sole force that gives rise to what makes up everything we see and feel and think, but where does it come from? We all share the daily experience of “reality” and we accept it, yet neuroscientists today have very little idea of how it happens.
How does something inanimate and material such as the human brain give rise to subjective reality and emotions such as anxiety and nostalgia? For a while this question was strictly in the realm of philosophy, where there was a divide based on whether or not the mind is something entirely separate from the body. This mind-body dualism was most notably proposed by the French philosopher René Descartes.
Descartes posited that the mind—and thus subjective conscious experience—actually originates from an immaterial substance he called “res cogitans,” Latin for thinking thing. This substance allows for conscious thoughts and decision making, and exists somewhere outside the physical world we are so familiar with and on which all observational science is based.
This view, however, is opposed today by many neuroscientists who identify as physicalists, believing that consciousness comes from highly organized normal matter.
This different approach turns out to be exceedingly difficult. Explaining how subjective experience arises from normal matter is so difficult, in fact, that philosophers have dubbed it the “hard” problem. In the past decade, however, the science of consciousness is quickly gaining a legitimate scientific grounding.
This past week, hundreds of the world’s leading experts in consciousness studies gathered in Arizona for the largest conference on the subject. It is here where many scientists and philosophers hope for a significant lead in tackling the “hard” problem. That lead may finally have come to fruition.
Acclaimed MIT physicist, Max Tegmark, is widely known for his work on cosmology, but he recently released a paper that takes a completely different look at what consciousness might be. He supposes that consciousness can be modeled as a state of matter. Although this sounds quite fanciful at first, he gives an interesting and rigorous argument for his novel approach.
Tegmark contends that states of consciousness must obey a set of mathematical rules similar to the rules that govern varying states of matter. Just as ice turns to water under certain conditions, different levels of consciousness vary from one state to another. Approaching the problem in this way allows physicists and neuroscientists to start making progress towards a quantitative approach to consciousness.
For years, neuroscientists have agreed that consciousness must arise from certain parameters such as the processing of information in an integrated way. Now, Tegmark believes that this information processing can be categorized more specifically and will soon be able to be treated in a mathematically rigorous way.
Tegmark’s model, as with all models of consciousness, is still very speculative. Will there ever be a practical physical model for the nature of consciousness, or is this question outside the realm of the observational science that we know today?
Regardless, understanding how the human brain functions is at the frontier of modern science and will push developments in neuroscience through the next century.
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Relatively Quarky: Revived ‘Cosmos’ tv-series illuminates mysteries of the galaxy
As director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City and host of the newly reissued “Cosmos” series, Neil deGrasse Tyson knows a thing or two about the public promotion of science.
In fact, his ability to communicate complex cosmological discoveries to a general audience is practically unparalleled. So it is only natural that he would be the one to carry on the legacy of our greatest communicator of science, Carl Sagan.
In addition to his incredible career in astrophysics and his undeniable penchant for turtle neck sweaters, the late Carl Sagan is best-known for his landmark 1980 television show—the original “Cosmos.” The 13-part series initially featured Sagan promoting the importance of scientific reasoning and explaining everything from the origin of the universe to the beginning of life on earth.
At a time when global warming and rising health care costs are predictable headlines in the daily news, the scientific innovation Sagan so fervently promoted is now even more crucial. In the near future, humanity will depend on the development of alternative energy sources, and the consolidation of engineering and medicine. In order to follow through, scientific awareness and literacy among the next generation of students is critical.
With words that resonate with erudite passion, Neil deGrasse Tyson understands this present situation more than most. After Sagan’s death, there was speculation that Tyson would headline a reissue of “Cosmos.” Finally, after a chance lunch meeting in New York with Seth MacFarlane, this became a reality.
The March 9 premiere of the series was nothing less than a global event. After opening with an introduction by President Obama, the show was broadcast to over 180 countries. Being able to reach and perhaps inspire an audience of that magnitude could be essential to solving the technological and environmental issues at hand.
The potential impact Tyson can have on the progression of scientific education is exciting. Now in its fifth week, the series has spanned many different areas of scientific exploration. Topics have ranged from the origin and development of life on earth to the formation and evolution of various stars and galaxies.
Throughout these episodes, Tyson consistently makes a distinction between scientific and other forms of knowledge such as religious or mythical belief.
He makes clear the benefit of deduction and experimentation, providing examples of how the scientific method has led to incredible predictive power and technological advancement—more so than any other method in human history.
Each episode unveils discoveries that reveal the beauty tucked away behind the stars. Just as Sagan did, Tyson encourages ravenous curiosity and incessant questioning in order to further reveal these beautiful layers of understanding.
He retells the stories of science’s intellectual giants such as Edmond Halley and Isaac Newton, sharing the dramatic paths leading to their discoveries.
Even though the shoes Tyson had to fill were enormous, the reissue of “Cosmos” has done exactly what it intended: to inspire and remind viewers that there is much more out there to be discovered. In the words of Carl Sagan, “We are a way for the cosmos to know itself.”
The Society of Physics Students will host a Cosmos viewing event every Monday for the rest of the semester at 8 p.m. in Burnett House. All students looking for an insight into the nature of the universe are welcome to come, and you may even find a physics faculty member doing the same.
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Relatively Quarky: Proof of the big bang is mind-blowing
Over Spring Break, physicists from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics made an announcement that has been reverberating throughout the scientific community ever since. The discovery came from a small telescope known as BICEP2 located less than a mile from the geographic South Pole. From this location, scientists were able to glimpse much more than space through the telescope; they were able to see ripples formed at the very beginning of the universe.
Albert Einstein first theorized the existence of these ripples, known as gravitational waves, in his 1916 general theory of relativity. On March 17, however, it was announced that direct images of gravitational waves were detected for the first time.
Einstein’s general theory of relativity is currently our best model for gravity. It beautifully unites the dimensions of space and time, describing it as a fabric known as space-time that permeates throughout the cosmos.
General relativity describes the gravitational force as a curvature of space-time.
The more massive an object, the more the object warps the space-time surrounding it. Think of what happens to the fabric of a trampoline when someone stands in the middle. If you were to roll billiard balls around that person, they would ride along this curvature and begin to orbit like planets around a star.
Einstein’s equations of general relativity predict that large accelerations of mass in space-time create gravitational waves, not unlike the waves traveling through a bed sheet when you make your bed. For the most part, these waves are so absurdly small that they are nearly impossible to measure.
In the first fractions of a second after the big bang, however, the theory maintains that the universe accelerated so rapidly that the ripples that were sent through space-time then are still detectable now.
The effects of these primordial ripples are exactly what the BICEP2 telescope detected.This period of incredible expansion at the beginning of the universe is known as inflation, and the gravitational waves detected from the early universe are the most compelling evidence of inflation theory to date.
I had the opportunity to talk with Bowdoin professor Thomas Baumgarte, of the physics and astronomy department, about the recent discovery. Baumgarte specializes in a field known as numerical relativity, where he uses computers to solve Einstein’s equations and to model astrophysical systems.
On the significance of the discovery Baumgarte said, “It’s the first time that the imprint of gravitational waves is measured in the cosmic microwave background and it’s also the firmest confirmation of the phase known as inflation.”
He went on to say, “It’s amazing that [we] can actually detect the effect of gravitational radiation from the first tiniest fractions of seconds of the beginning of the universe.”
Baumgarte is very familiar with gravitational waves due to the nature of his numerical relativity models. He has focused on modeling what the gravitational radiation would look like if two black holes or two massive stars known as neutron stars orbited each other in a binary system.
As for the reward for this incredible insight into the early inflationary universe, Baumgarte agreed that the Nobel committee will have quite a headache picking three out of the dozens of ingenious scientists behind this extraordinary discovery.
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Relatively Quarky: Discovering neurotechnology breakthroughs
The word telepathy comes from the ancient Greek “tele,” meaning distant, and “pathos,” meaning feeling. It has been the subject of countless science fiction stories over the past half-century. Just in the past few years, however, scientists at Harvard Medical School have been making incredible breakthroughs that may place telepathy in the realm of science fact rather than that of science fiction.
Last year, a team led by Harvard scientist Seung-Schik Yoo released a study published in PLOS ONE journal, unveiling a successful, non-invasive brain-to-brain interface that allows human test subjects to mentally stimulate a rat to move its tail.
No, this is not some pseudoscience study to rile up the nervous pessimists who think we’re heading toward a dystopian demise. This is a watershed moment in the development of neurotechnologies that may lead to profound applications in medicine, such as helping paralysis victims relearn how to use previously paralyzed limbs.
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Relatively Quarky: Gun show: the prosthetics breakthrough
At a liberal arts college with a long history of fostering leaders in medicine, it is important that we learn to adapt to the drastically different future of the field. This future is going to rely heavily on the integration of biotechnology.
One of the holy grails of modern biotechnological research is making artificial prosthetics indistinguishable from real limbs. After preliminary tests of a study that was published Wednesday in “Science Translational Medicine,” researchers at two European universities are coming closer than ever to achieving this incredible dream.
Almost a decade ago, Dennis Aabo Sørensen had to have his left arm amputated after a New Year’s Eve firework accident. Sørensen, who lives in Denmark, decided to participate in a trial being conducted by researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Italy.
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Relatively Quarky: Meditation offers beneficial neurological effects, relieves stress
If you walk up to the third floor of Buck on your average weekday night, you may find a group of students sitting in deeply reflective silence in a room toward the northeast corner. This is not a secret cult that Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once took part in, nor is it an eccentric psychonaut club for hippie liberal arts students. It’s just your average mindfulness meditation class.
For those who are not familiar, meditation is simply an act of quiet, contemplation or introspective focus on a specific area of attention such as breath or a “deep feeling of universal love and compassion.” Meditation has been part of eastern religious practice for almost three millennia, yet only recently has it garnered enough attention to be studied extensively by western scientists.
For any experienced practitioner of meditation, the personal benefits are obvious: increased focus, serenity and insight into the subjective experience of the mind, and perhaps even an experience of enlightenment. However, with recent advancements in neuroimaging and genomics technology scientists are now able to measure the physiological changes that the human mind and body experiences during meditation.
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Relatively Quarky: Drone delivery to expedite online shopping, medical relief
This year’s Black Friday seemed relatively normal. Nothing too out of the ordinary. It still had the compulsive shoppers who were barbarically fighting over that last coffeemaker on sale for ten dollars, and the cruel parents who dragged their poor children with them to Walmart to save on that outdated television that’s hardly worth the sale. All the tell tale signs of an average American Black Friday were there. However, Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos made an announcement this past weekend that may change the way Americans shop in the near future.
Bezos introduced Amazon Prime Air, a drone delivery system for the online mega-retailer, in an interview with Charlie Rose on 60 Minutes. The autonomous drones will be able to deliver packages to customers within 30 minutes of ordering. They will be flown from Amazon’s various fulfillment centers, massive warehouses that resemble Santa’s workshop and will be able to deliver almost 90 percent of goods purchased through Amazon.
It hopes to send out its first fleet of drones four or five years from now, though Amazon is focusing on delivery to urbanized areas. So for all of you who uncontrollably order new boots during orgo lecture or three pounds of exotic tea before a snowy weekend, you may have to wait a bit longer until you see a 30 minute delivery to Smith Union come to fruition.
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Relatively Quarky: New brain tumor identification technology, Tumor Paint, fluoresces hope for cancer patients
In 1888, William Williams Keen, the man who is considered to be the first neurosurgeon in the United States, successfully remove a malignant brain tumor.
Unsurprisingly, this moment is a watershed moment in the history of modern surgery. You can imagine that 125 years later, there would be many more radical and advanced methods of brain tumor removal.
However, the most significant change in surgical procedure may have just occurred.Since its invention, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has been giving surgeons an unprecedented level of detail into the structure of the human brain.
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Relatively Quarky: Hyperloop will bring futuristic transportation today
The year is 2015 and you’re in Los Angeles. Annoyed by the overwhelming smog, you decide to make a trip to San Francisco. You buy your $20 ticket and step into a pod situated behind an immense tube extending far into the distance. The pod door closes and thirty minutes later you’re considering filters for your Instagram of the Golden Gate Bridge.
No, this isn’t a dream or a hallucination. This is the future of transportation: the Hyperloop. It begins to make sense when you learn more about the mind behind this incredible machine. Though some consider him the real-life Tony Stark, others just call him Elon Musk.
As a child growing up in South Africa, Musk taught himself computer programming and sold his first video game “Blast Star” for a modest $500 before moving to Canada for college. Shortly thereafter, Musk transferred to The Wharton School of Business at The University of Pennsylvania, to complete degrees in economics and physics. Four days after starting a physics Ph.D. program at Stanford, he dropped out to pursue entrepreneurship in nearby Silicon Valley. A few years later, Musk founded a company that eventually turned into PayPal.
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Relatively Quarky: Napping your way to the top: why your brain needs sleep to maintain memories
Sleep. We all need it, yet for many Bowdoin students it can seem far from necessary. Lying there unconscious on an uncomfortable rectangular spring-loaded cushion hardly seems like the most productive use of your time. And from an evolutionary standpoint, what’s the survival advantage of spending more than a third of the day as an unconscious lump?
It seems absurd that an animal who lies down—unable to defend themselves for a significant amount of time every day—would rank higher in Darwinian fitness than one that didn’t. But sleep is ubiquitous throughout the animal kingdom. Even marine mammals who must surface to breathe will sleep, albeit one brain hemisphere at a time. Sleep’s ubiquity suggests that something productive must happen during our nightly paralysis.
The necessity of sleep becomes more clear after an all-nighter. Things start to feel crazy after the insane caffeine rush and the hopeless existentialism sets in around 3 a.m., followed by the grandiose euphoria realizing you might have actually written a decent paper shortly after sunrise. Aside from emotional instability, you may notice difficulty remembering how you spent the last five hours or what building you just came from.