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Tranferring Human Minds to Robots Is a Pipe Dream

Some people assume too much. This applies to the scientific sphere where people can "get ahead of themselves" and make claims about achievements that are only in the "possible" stage. Science is advancing very fast, but some things are still out of reach. People in positions of power due to wealth or public office can make the wrong decision.

A group of 100 scientists have been put together by Dmitry Itskov a Russian entrepreneur to download, or upload depending how you look at it, human minds into robots. This is fairy tale stuff. They expect to complete this within 10 years. This is probably at least 30 years away.

These human/robot "things" Itskov has called Avatars. He claims it will mean immortality for humans who agree to have their minds "implanted" into robots. This is a silly point of view. Unless consciousness is transferred as well there is no immortality. Claims that consciousness will be transferred with the mind are nonsense. Neither scientists nor theologians know what consciousness is anyway.

The idea has of course been taken from the movie Avatar. Why Itskov should depart from the script and presume consciousness can be moved with the mind but the body must die is not clear. In the movie humans return to their bodies after cohabiting alien bodies on a colonized planet.

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Science

Won't Come Out

"I don't care what you say - I am not coming out."

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Funny Animal Photos

Tyrannosaurus rex Had a Tremendous Bite

Knowledge about ancient animals is going in leaps and bounds. Every month or so something new is discovered. Tyrannosaurus rex, for example, had a bite far stronger than imagined previously. The "Terminator" pig-like Archaeotherium was assumed to have the strongest bite of all. This view has now changed.

Tyrannosaurus rex was no wimp. It could take chunks of meat out of living victims. In-depth research was done on the head of the ancient beast. A computer simulation with skeleton and muscles showed a tremendous bite of 1350 kilograms of force. This was at the back of the mouth where the bite was strongest.

To put this into perspective, modern crocodiles and alligators have a bite of about 1,200 kilogram. The shark is feared, but it has a bite of only 300 kilograms. Dinosaurs were really frightening animals when all animals were very large. Man would have been out of place in such an environment. With animals having tremendous biting power humans would not have survived for long.

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Paleontology

Not Funny Cat

"This ain't funny!"

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Funny Animal Photos

Australia Bans Swearing

Swearing is part of Australian culture. Indeed, to be accepted as truly Australian, you have to swear a lot. So it is with great surprise that Australia is bringing in a swearing ban!

The furore has been caused by the airing of Gordan Ramsey's programs on televisions. In 40 minutes he did say the "f" word more than 80 times. This may be excessive. But if one goes into a public bar, particularly when there are men who have done a hard day's grueling labor, such as shearers, the "f" word will be expressed a lot.

The Australian Government has made recommendations to Australian television networks advising them to review the way they set program guidelines "to stop" coarse language. Just how they are going to do this is a mystery considering Ramsey's programs are very popular, swearing or not.

It is said there is a culture of crudeness. Well, This is Australia and this is part of Australian culture.

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Society

Cats in Coatboots

"Are you sure these are coats?"

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Young People Are More Stressed With Life

It would be expected that people of middle age had problems with life. They are still working, see young people taking over their jobs and worry whether they have accumulated enough superannuation. Perhaps elderly people have a tough time. Many completed their working lives when superannuation was not compulsory and rely on an inadequate state pension. If they have not purchase a home during their time working they have to pay rent out of the little bit the state gives them, then have to live on what is left.

If you thought these two groups were the greatest worriers you would be wrong. Young people aged between 18-25 are most stressed according to an online survey involving 1500 subjects. The young are not really taking jobs from the elderly. Under 25s have a hard time finding a job in the first place even if they have a university degrees.

With the way they are brought up - having anything they wanted from parents who were afraid to discipline them, they find staying at work for 8 hours unbearable. After a short time they feel disillusioned with searching for employment when they are dismissed so easily. Indeed, many really hate work, much, much more that older workers near retirement who were brought up in tougher times, when smacking your child was accepted. Older workers also accept hierarchy as normal. They do what the supervisor or boss tells them. Young people only know "doing their own thing".

Its no wonder more than half of young people surveyed cannot live on average income. They received everything as children with no money worries. Normal income does not allow a person to have takeaway for every meal. Experts say, "Small adjustments to the way you think or behave can often have a big impact." I doubt this. This is a structural problem within Western societies. The shock of stepping from a protected childhood to working young adults is just too great.

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Cat Food

"The food is not good around here."

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Funny Animal Photos

Depression Treatment from Magic Mushrooms

Doctors do not know how "recreational" drugs work. Police forces worldwide fight drug abuse, but the battle is being lost. Until medications can be developed to stop the euphoric effects almost immediately the battle will rage on.

There are possible benefits from some of these drugs. For example, magic mushrooms are being tested for treating mental conditions by psychiatrists. Neural circuits in the brain are altered by the use of the drug. What actually happens though was unknown, until now.

It was thought that dormant brain cells were being activated, the ones that are used during sleep. It has been discovered, however, that blood flow to the brain is decreased when psilocybin is used. MRIs showed blood flow reductions to the thalamus and cortical regions. The front and back of the brain are separated when the drug is taken. Primary sensory areas still retained good blood flow, while higher association regions became "starved" of blood.

Previous theories in regard to brain stimulation are now completely undermined. With brain separation taking place there are possibilities for medical uses. Depression is believed to be caused to a person's brain being too rigid. Such drugs as psilicybin from magic mushrooms could help by making the brain more "flexible".

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Society

Carburetor Horse

"It's the carburetor, man. Believe me, I know!"

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Funny Animal Photos

Ants Know Friend or Foe by Scent

If you are human, knowing one's enemies is easy. The brain evaluates another person as to whether he/she is friendly or not. It may be necessary to work alongside an enemy but the enemy tag still remains. Insects do not have have such advanced brain power to discriminate friend or foe.

Ants need a frame of reference to identify who they have to attack. When an ant from a colony meets an ant from another and they fight, the ants keep a memory of the enemies' odor. This occurs even though they may be of the same species. The "smell of fear" is passed on to fellow ants in the same colony. Ants also use scent to know other ants in their colony.

In tests individual ants were familiarized with individuals from another colony. They could see each other. Actual contact was prevented. When 20 intruders were placed near to the other colony they were attacked despite attackers knowing the other ants.

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Entomology

Box Car Cat

"Where's the steering wheel?"

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Funny Animal Photos

Handwriting Shows Whether a Person Has Heart Problems

Just as jerky handwriting can indicate that a person has cancer, so handwriting shows if a person has heart disease. Christina Strang gave a presentation at the International Graphonomics Society in Melbourne stating that she examined the handwriting of over 1,000 people in their 60s.

The handwriting expert magnified handwriting looking for traits such as momentary stop-starts, location of dots, odd shaped 'o's, etc. She found that people with cardiac problems had more "resting dots" in the upper parts of 'a', 'e' and 'o's, vis-a-vis the control group.

Doctors have dismissed the findings as being too general and unscientific, in much the same way as they did with similar research into Alzheimer's, Huntington's and Parkinson's diseases.

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Health

Kitten Sleeps

"Stop laughing. I can't sleep."

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Funny Animal Photos

Gene Therapy on the Brain Dangerously Changes Neuron Structure

Gene therapy for brain injuries and illnesses may be a good thing, but this treatment changes the shape of brain cells. Researchers in Western Australia say there is nothing to worry about because damaged brain cells regenerate or live longer. They say this when there is no proof that in the long term everything will be alright.

They say it is wonderful how brains cells function better after nine months of treatment. Apparently, the neurons become round due to new growth-promoting genes that stimulate them. The fact that surrounding genes away from the treatment area also change is in my opinion something to worry about. Obviously, when this occurs it cannot be reversed.

Doctors admit that the way neurons deal with information after treatment is never the same again. Furthermore, they suspect that the long-term effects may not be beneficial to the patient. It is a good thing that researchers are looking for a way to stop gene therapy in its tracks if anything goes wrong.