Logical Fallacies: The Fallacy Files Genetic switch left in 'on' position identified by scientists as likely cause of autism in children - Science - News - The Independent It is the first time that researchers have been able to identify a precise mutation that appears to lead to autism, which is known to have a strong inherited component as well as being influenced by non-genetic factors. There are an estimated 700,000 people in Britain with some kind of autistic disorder, which is more than 1 in 100 people in the general population. There is no cure for the condition but the researchers behind the research believe that it might eventually lead to the development of drugs that could ameliorate the symptoms. Scientists studying the cells of a child with autism found that a key enzyme needed for the developing brain seems to be permanently switched on rather than being able to be switched on and off at different times of normal brain development. Loading gallery Science News in Pictures 1 of 103 “Genetic studies are showing that there will be about 1,000 genes linked to autism. “The phosphate group is being added to the UBE3A protein, not to DNA.
Ten Virtues for the Modern Age The Virtues Project comes as a response to the wave of discussion and feedback that followed the publication of my book, Religion for Atheists, and a growing sense that being virtuous has become a strange and depressing notion, while wickedness and evil bask in a peculiar kind of glamour. My ultimate aim for the project is that it ignites a vital conversation around moral character to increase public interest in becoming more virtuous and connected as a society. In the modern world, the idea of trying to be a ‘good person’ conjures up all sorts of negative associations: of piety, solemnity, bloodlessness and sexual renunciation, as if goodness were something one would try to embrace only when other more difficult but more fulfilling avenues had been exhausted. Throughout history, societies have been interested in fostering virtues, in training us to be more virtuous, but we're one of the first generations to have zero public interest in this. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
This is how optical illusions work We know the mind can be tricked by an optical illusion, but most people don't know why that happens. This video from Inside Science explains just what goes on inside the brain when, for example, a person looks at the dress. In essence, what you see isn't what you get because the brain takes shortcuts to process information. "When you look at something, what you’re really seeing is the light that bounced off of it and entered your eye, which converts the light into electrical impulses that your brain can turn into an image you can use," the video explains. "The process that takes about a tenth of a second but your eyes receive a constant stream of light, an incredible amount of information, so it’s really difficult for your brain to try to focus on everything at once. To find out more, watch the video below More: These Amazon reviews of the dress are really something We know the mind can be tricked by an optical illusion, but most people don't know why that happens.
The Partially Examined Life | A Philosophy Podcast and Philosophy Blog This optical illusion will make a hole appear in your hand Breaking news: You probably have two eyes. Ok, that's not news, and frankly, this isn't a breaking story either, but it is a neat trick you may want to try if you've got a piece of paper to hand. Roll it up into a tube and look through it with one eye, as if a telescope, while placing your hand over your other eye, a couple of inches from your face. If you look through the tube primarily, it will begin to look like there is a hole in your hand. This is due to a thing called binocular rivalry - ie. your eyes competing for dominance in focus. Watch the full explainer by Vanessa Hill, below: HT Metro More: Seven still images that look like they're moving - and how they work More: The internet is obsessed with the colours of this dress
The Skeptic's Dictionary Presidential optical illusion offers clues to how brain processes faces | Science An optical illusion that appears after looking at pictures of Bill Clinton and George Bush offers important clues to how the brain and eyes see faces. The illusion is conjured by first concentrating for a short while on the red dot between the two men’s faces. When you look down at the second red dot, between a blended version of the faces, you will likely see Clinton’s face on the left side and that of Bush on the right. The illusion, from "Mechanisms of Face Perception" But the bottom two pictures are in fact exactly the same. The illusion comes from an effect called neural adaptation, or sensory adapation, where the way the brain understands things changes over time. It also means that if you look at Clinton for a while and then look at the merged picture, you’ll immediately see Bush, and vice versa. The image was used in a recent study that looked to understand how the eye and brain actually processes such images.
FFR Foundation There's only one type of brain that isn't fooled by this optical illusion Optical illusions are fascinating because of their ability to suspend reality tricking people into seeing a false image. And research indicates that one particular illusion fails to fool those who suffer from schizophrenia. The hollow mask is an illusion in which viewers perceive a concave, rather than convex face. The average brain perceives the world using a combination of bottom-up (what it sees) and top-down processing (the expectation based on experience), Wired reports. Danai Dima, Hannover Medical University and Jonathan Roiser of UCL put 16 healthy subjects and 13 schizophrenia patients through an fMRI machine, and measured their brain activity when they were presented with the image. Danai said: Our top-down processing holds memories, like stock models, all the models in our head have a face coming out, so whenever we see a face, of course it has to come out. Such is the strength of the connection, it makes the person perceive the illusion even when they know it to be one.
Debating a Christian – The Atheist Handbook | Atheism Resource Email by Jeremy L. Moran, JT Eberhard, Adam Brown, and other contributors Part 1. Opening Statements. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5. Part 6: Philosophical Quotes. Credits. This culmination of knowledge is put together in the hopes that both theist, and atheist alike would be able to take something from it & improve upon the human they are. There is no greater debate then that between faith and fact. For the sake of clarification, if & when I state IF god…this, or IF god…that. Memorize some of these to remember when you hear “Religion is good!” For a simple breakdown in 12 arguments against “god”, JT Eberhard gives you: ARGUMENT #1 – Biblical Prophecies / ARGUMENT #2 – Miracles / ARGUMENT #3 – Design / ARGUMENT #4 – Fine-Tuning For a deeper knowledge base, Jeremy Moran gives you a plethora of source (academic and otherwise): Part 3. Part 4. Part 5. Part 6. Part 7: Philosophical Quotes. There is much debate about what it means to be an atheist. Atheism Definition Links: Proper definition: