Lifeboat Foundation

Check the description to go a little faster.

Join us as we explore the different male personality types and the unique char…

Ever heard just a snippet of a song and instantly known what comes next? Or picked up the rhythm of a chorus after just a few notes? New research from the Center for Music in the Brain at Aarhus University and the Centre for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing at the University of Oxford has uncovered what happens in our brain when we recognize and predict musical sequences.

Generative models have had remarkable success in various applications, from image and video generation to composing music and to language modeling. The problem is that we are lacking in theory, when it comes to the capabilities and limitations of generative models; understandably, this gap can seriously affect how we develop and use them down the line.

One of the main challenges has been the ability to effectively pick samples from complicated data patterns, especially given the limitations of traditional methods when dealing with the kind of high-dimensional and complex data commonly encountered in modern AI applications.

Now, a team of scientists led by Florent Krzakala and Lenka Zdeborová at EPFL has investigated the efficiency of modern neural network-based generative models. The study, published in PNAS, compares these contemporary methods against traditional sampling techniques, focusing on a specific class of probability distributions related to spin glasses and statistical inference problems.

Gentle shockwaves can help regenerate heart tissue.

A study shows music evokes consistent emotional and physical responses globally, driven by inherent biological mechanisms, not culture. Music influences feelings in different body parts based on the emotion it conveys, supporting its role in social bonding.

New research shows that music evokes similar emotions and bodily sensations around the world. The study, by the Turku PET Centre in Finland, was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Music can be felt directly in the body. When we hear our favorite catchy song, we are overcome with the urge to move to the music. Music can activate our autonomic nervous system and even cause shivers down the spine. A new study from the Turku PET Centre in Finland shows how emotional music evokes similar bodily sensations across cultures.

Short clip about perceptron research done in the 1950’s and 1960’s.

In recent years, my lab — or perhaps it’s just me — has developed an obsession with evolutionary transitions. The view that every gene originates from an ancestral state and undergoes impactful changes through its evolutionary journey, whether it’s the gain or loss of an activity or function. The challenge lies in meticulously mapping out these key evolutionary innovations that have significantly influenced function. Addressing this challenge is not merely interesting but absolutely essential in biology. Our aim as biologists transcends understanding how biological systems operate; we seek to unravel how they came to be. And the two questions are more connected than many think.

This post stems from my observation that molecular biologists sometimes appear indifferent to evolution, questioning its relevance to mechanistic research. It baffles me why the centrality of evolution in biology isn’t apparent to some. Maybe they’ve never taken a course on the subject, or perhaps they’ve never fully appreciated the profound concept that every organism and every gene is connected through an unbroken chain of descent to countless ancestors. This perspective holds profound implications for mechanistic molecular biology.

If you already appreciate the link between evolutionary biology and molecular mechanisms, you might find this post to be music to your ears. However, if you’re among those who question the value of evolutionary biology, I encourage you to stay with me; you might discover its significance in ways you hadn’t considered before.

We are not alone 🎶🌐🎶 “Birds as keepers of human history… Read the full story and listen to lyrebirds mimicking the sound of everything from cameras clicking to chainsaws revving”👇

Birds as keepers of human history… Read the full story and listen to lyrebirds mimicking the sound of everything from cameras clicking to chainsaws revving👇

Continue reading “Birds as Keepers of Human History: The Curious Case of the Flute-Playing Lyrebird” »