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Conversation with Nic Rouleau, part 1: “Some thoughts on the mind as material”

This is a ~1 hour talk and discussion, comprising part 1 of a conversation with a really interesting young neuroscientist, as well as friend, collaborator, and our Center member, Nicolas Rouleau (https://allencenter.tufts.edu/nicolas… goes over unconventional aspects of neuroscience touching on free will, cybernetics, consciousness, and a lot more. We start a discussion which is continued in part 2. For more information:

Nic’s website: www.rouleaulab.com.
X account: @DrNRouleau.

Recent papers to check out:

Sellar, E.P., Rouleau, N. (In Review). A cybernetic framework for synthetic biological intelligence in the era of neural tissue engineering. Preprint doi: 10.31234/osf.io/md2wf_v1.

Kansala, C., Cicek, E., Nkansah-Okoree, V., Golding, A., Murugan, N.J., Rouleau, N. (In Review). Superstitious conditioning forms the experience of free will under causal determinism. Preprint doi: 10.31234/osf.io/fk3yt_v2.

Roskies, A. \& Rouleau, N. (Forthcoming, In Press). Research on brain organoids should prioritize questions of agency, not consciousness. AJOB Neuroscience.

Scientists create supercharged vitamin K that helps the brain heal itself

Scientists in Japan have created powerful new vitamin K-based compounds that may help the brain regenerate lost neurons — a breakthrough that could one day change how diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s are treated. By combining vitamin K with components related to vitamin A, the researchers developed compounds that were about three times more effective at turning neural stem cells into neurons than natural vitamin K alone.

Scientists Create the First Artificial Neuron That Can Communicate

A major breakthrough in artificial intelligence may have arrived: scientists have created an artificial neuron capable of communicating with other neurons.

Inspired by the human brain, this technology could allow machines to process information in a far more biological and efficient way. Instead of traditional computing architectures, future systems could operate more like living neural networks.

In this video we explore how artificial neurons work, why this breakthrough matters, and how it could reshape AI, robotics, and neuroscience.

#ArtificialNeuron, #ArtificialIntelligence, #Neuroscience, #FutureTechnology, #AIResearch, #NeuralNetworks

AI-Powered BCIs Are Changing Human Cognition

Further Reading.

N3: Next-Generation Nonsurgical Neurotechnology.
https://www.darpa.mil/research/progra

Advancements in neural closed-loop manipulations in awake, behaving animals.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science

INSIGHT: Universal Neural Simulator for Analog Circuits Harnessing Autoregressive Transformers.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2407.

MouseGoggles: an immersive virtual reality headset for mouse neuroscience and behavior.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s4159

Michael Levin: Consciousness, Biology, Universal Mind, Emergence, Cancer Research

Michael Levin is an American developmental and synthetic biologist at Tufts University, where he is the Vannevar Bush Distinguished Professor. Levin is a director of the Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University and Tufts Center for Regenerative and Developmental Biology. He is also co-director of the Institute for Computationally Designed Organisms with Josh Bongard.

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e Join TOEmail at https://www.curtjaimungal.org.
Timestamps:
00:00 — Intro.
00:30 — Biggest Myths of Biology.
07:18 — Tying Michael’s Work Together.
35:25 — Who Are We (Humans)?
56:10 — Cognition.
01:14:10 — Conscious Agents.
01:33:25 — Bioelectricity and Cancer.
02:16:15 — Support TOE

Join TOEmail at https://www.curtjaimungal.org.

Thanks to Ekkolapto! Ekkolapto is thinkubator that creates ecosystems for the most creatively intelligent to discuss their most unorthodox, interdisciplinary ideas to a critically receptive audience. Visit Ekkolapto at https://ekkolapto.org.

Links Mentioned:
Michael’s paper on cognition — https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti
Gabriele Carcassi Video — • Newtonian/Lagrangian/Hamiltonian mechanics…
Michael Levin’s blog post on advice — https://thoughtforms.life/what-advice
TOE ep with Levin, Tung and Gumuskaya — • New Groundbreaking Research, Anthrobots, H…
TOE ep with Levin — • Unveiling the Mind-Blowing Biotech of Rege…
TOE ep with Bach and Levin — • Michael Levin Λ Joscha Bach: Collective In…
TOE ep with Lang, Friston and Levin — • Levin Λ Friston Λ Fields: \.

Scientists say the hidden “third eye” inside your skull is the bizarre reason you can see

A newly published hypothesis suggests that human eyes evolved from a single “third eye” on an ancient ancestor’s head. This proposed evolutionary detour would explain why vertebrate vision is unique, leaving a functional remnant inside our brains.

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