What science book is your most recent read? What do you think about it? Pt. 1

[David]

Aaron wrote: "Just finished reading 'The Social Conquest of Earth' by legendary biologist E.O. Wilson. The book charts the biological and cultural evolution of our species from the time we branched off from the ..."

Thanks for the recommendation, Aaron. I've put the book "on hold" at my local library.

[Aaron]

Just finished `Imagine: How Creativity Works` by Jonah Lehrer. The book explores creativity in individuals, groups, businesses & organizations, cities and societies. The work is heavy on anecdotes (as books by journalists tend to be) but also does a good job of covering the science of creativity that is emerging out of experiments and studies in neuroscience and social psychology. There is much to be learned about creativity here, and how we can get more of it in our personal lives and in the groups, organizations, cities and societies of which we are a part. I`ve written an executive-style summary of the book available at newbooksinbrief.wordpress.com

Cheers,
Aaron

[Steve]

Aaron wrote: "Just finished `Imagine: How Creativity Works` by Jonah Lehrer. The book explores creativity in individuals, groups, businesses & organizations, cities and societies. The work is heavy on anecdotes ..."

I just recently finished his How We Decide which was excellent and also uses anecdotes or case studies, but they were perfect examples to illustrate his points.

[Jim]

Steve wrote: "I just recently finished his How We Decide which was excellent and also uses anecdotes or case studies, but they were perfect examples to illustrate his points."

Steve, I am really glad that you liked How We Decide. I think it is one of the very best of the popular-neuroscience books, because it focuses on the different brain systems that are involved in different types of decisions, and how these systems can conflict (or cooperate) with each other.

Aaron, I bought a copy of Imagine: How Creativity Works, and the bits that I sampled look excellent as well. Hopefully I can get to it soon.

[Steve]

A fellow cyclist loaned me a book he wanted me to read so I though I would take a break from science and read Iron War: Dave Scott, Mark Allen, & the Greatest Race Ever Run. But it turns out this book is also partly about science and has a connection to How We Decide. It seems the ACC (anterior cingulate cortex)has something to do with endurance athletes being able to resist the pain that is pleading with them to stop. And the elite athletes, in this case triathletes, have ACC's that are either genetically or environmentally different than the ACCs of mere mortals. Perhaps I'll have more to say once I've finished the book.

[Jim]

Steve wrote: "It seems the ACC (anterior cingulate cortex)has something to do with endurance athletes being able to resist the pain that is pleading with them to stop. And the elite athletes, in this case triathletes, have ACC's that are either genetically or environmentally different than the ACCs of mere mortals. "

That is very interesting, Steve! And it makes perfect sense from a bit of digging that I did. An excerpt from www.g2conline.org (refers to the cingulate gyrus as a whole):

The Cingulate Gyrus
Overview
An important part of the limbic system, the cingulate gyrus helps regulate emotions and pain. The cingulate gyrus is thought to directly drive the body's conscious response to unpleasant experiences. In addition, it is involved in fear and the prediction (and avoidance) of negative consequences and can help orient the body away from negative stimuli. Learning to avoid negative consequences is an important feature of memory.

Associated functions
pain processing
emotion
memory
self–regulation

Here is a page from Pubmed with links to some original/review literature:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18...

[Steve]

Jim wrote: That is very interesting, Steve! And it makes perfect sense from a bit of digging that I did. An excerpt from www.g2conline.org (refers to the cingulate gyrus as a whole):

Jim, here's the profile page on Dr. Samuele Marcora who did the research cited in "Iron War".

http://www.bangor.ac.uk/sport/staff-s...

It is interesting that the two Ironman champions, who are the subject of the book, appear to have overdeveloped ACCs for different reasons. Dave Scott was apparently born with it; i.e. a genetic gift, whereas Mark Allen's was developed as a result of the negative relationship he had with his father as a young boy.

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads]

Currently reading The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood; very interesting.

[Kenny]

I really enjoyed that book Susanna!

[Betsy, co-mod]

The Information... was our group read last May. I really enjoyed it until the end. If you want to read the discussion thread, here it is:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/5...

but you need to skip down about 35 posts to get to the actual discussion.

[Jim]

Steve wrote: "Jim, here's the profile page on Dr. Samuele Marcora who did the research cited in "Iron War".

http://www.bangor.ac.uk/sport/staff-s...

It is interesting that the two Ironman champions, who are the subject of the book, appear to have overdeveloped ACCs for different reasons. Dave Scott was apparently born with it; i.e. a genetic gift, whereas Mark Allen's was developed as a result of the negative relationship he had with his father as a young boy. "

Just saw your post, Steve. Notifications are still screwy on GR now and then. I looked at the site - lots of good info there, definitely worth a closer look.

I have to say, when a guy posts his own brain scan (MRI), you just gotta love it! At least I assume those are his. You can see his anterior cingulate in the top left panel. I tried to illustrate, but can't get the pic to post - maybe later.

Does 'overdeveloped ACC' just mean larger than normal, or did they do functional scans (fMRI) or some other testing?

[Patricrk]

A well-known law of geology, the best outcrop of a field season is always found on the last day, at the most remote location, just as it's getting dark.

by Walter Alvarez The story of how the K/T impact came to be researched, the evidence for the impact and the science behind it. Very readable.

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads]

Yes, I enjoyed both T. Rex and the Crater of Doom and Night Comes to the Cretaceous: Comets, Craters, Controversy, and the Last Days of the Dinosaurs.

[Margie]

I can certainly testify to Walter's law. And having done a field trip with him, I've experienced it myself. I'll have to add Night Comes to the Cretaceous to my TBR shelf.

[David]

I just finished an excellent book: The Believing Brain: From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies How We Construct Beliefs and Reinforce Them as Truths by Michael Shermer. It is a very well-written book. Shermer has an interesting, well thought-out hypothesis that explains how and why we believe in things. The book is a comprehensive exploration of all types of beliefs, ending with a history of our beliefs about cosmology. Here is my review of the book.

[David]

I just finished The Power of Music: Pioneering Discoveries in the New Science of Song by Elena Mannes. It is a very good book about the effects of music (and naturally-produced sounds) on the brain. I posted the book on my shelves: Music, Biology, Psychology, and Astronomy. Astronomy? Yes, there is a chapter about music and cosmology. I've posted a review of the book.

[Aloha]

I'm currently reading Mind Children: The Future of Robot and Human Intelligence by Hans Moravec, a leading thinker in the field of robotics. I received it in the mail yesterday and was able to skim through the book to see what his general thought might be. I need to read it in detail, but it seems to me he advocates evolutionary psychology and computational theory of the mind to support of his hypothesis that we're able to transfer the mind to a robot body. According to him, the mind is composed of mathematical patterns. I had posted this excerpt in my Sword & Laser forum, but I thought that members here would be interested in this.



This ties in with books I've been reading by Steven Pinker, who advocates evolutionary biology and computational theory of the mind.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_P...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolutio...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computat...

We had a discussion in my S & L forum as to what a human mind is composed of. Since what composes a human mind is highly biological, there were doubts as to whether the transferring of the mind can be made. Moravec, in his hypothesis, bypasses the problems of biology.

[Kenny]

Thanks for posting that Aloha. I read that book ages ago but had forgotten about it and it ties in with and essay I'm working on. Will have to skim/re-read it.

P.S. your links are not working.

[Aloha]

Sorry, Kenny. I should have copied and pasted while in editing mode. Here they are again.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_P...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolutio...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computat...

Good luck with your essay, Kenny.

[Aloha]

I see that Godel, Escher, Bach won for June. I will be participating in that. That looks like an intriguing book.

[Aloha]

Kenny, if you're interested, we had a thoughtful discussion as to whether mind transferring to a robotic entity is a feasable option.

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/8...

[Kenny]

Thanks I'll check it out. That is one of my areas of interest and while I don't think we are even close to the capability at the moment, the capacity is quickly approaching.

[Patricrk]

I've just finished by Richard Dawkins
This really helps you appreciate the timeline for evolution and the fact that we really live in a world dominated by single cell life.

[Aloha]

I'm currently reading Beyond Boundaries: The New Neuroscience of Connecting Brains with Machines and How It Will Change Our Lives, which relates to my recent interest in robotics and the brain. Here is an interesting YouTube link on its application. It's easy to understand yet informative. Excellent.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogBX18...

[Aloha]

An interesting article on BMI (Brain Machine Interface) research, which is what my above YouTube link deals with. The article is scholarly, but the book is easy to understand and gives information relevant for a layman interested in the science.

http://www.cns.nyu.edu/events/spf/SPF...

[Jim]

Aloha wrote: "I'm currently reading Beyond Boundaries: The New Neuroscience of Connecting Brains with Machines and How It Will Change Our Lives, which relates to my recent interest in robotics and the brain."

This is extremely interesting work, Aloha! I know Miguel Nicolelis fairly well from past years, and have chatted with him over dinner and seen several talks by him.

The YouTube link is excellent, and that work is extremely promising. I have met John Donoghue, and saw a seminar a few years back on the work in the video - I think it was Leigh Hochberg who gave the talk, in our Neurosurgery Research Day.

Good stuff! The Brown group's demonstration of feasibility for the basic idea is really powerful, and implies that there is much more that can be done in the future. As with all such advances, there are also ethical and potentially sinister implications as well..

[Aloha]

I think robotics now bring up the image of The Terminator and the apocalypse in popular culture. I think any tool, in the wrong hand, can be sinister, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try to move forward. Miguel Nicolelis mentioned Alberto Santos-Dumont's work as an aviation pioneer. He killed himself because he was depressed over the usage of aircraft in warfare. If the invention of aircraft was stopped because of such potential, society wouldn't be as mobile as it is today. Mobility is important in the advancement of society.

[Aloha]

He also mentioned the possibility of being able to explore other planets from the comfort of our living room. Imagine basically being able to leave our body, using our robot extension to travel on a distant and environmentally hostile planet, and seeing and sensing with robotic body.

[Jim]

Yes, it is the conundrum of the technological advance. In practice, we need to keep moving forward just to deal with the consequences - and potentials - of our past advances.

I heard this idea in a seminar many years ago by Bruce Murray, who was the Director of JPL (Jet Propulsion Lab) at Caltech/NASA. Paraphrasing his answer to a question about the negatives of 'progress', he said 'my view is that the decision to move forward was made thousands of years ago, with the use of fire to cook food and keep warm, the invention of the wheel, stone tools, and so on. We really are not in a position to simply jump off the moving vehicle now - our best strategy is to be as careful as we can, but keep going'.

I have never found a better summary of the big picture than that. And the potential of the brain-machine interface is, as you say, pretty incredible.

[David]

I just finished Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking. I suspect that there are many introverts (like me) here at goodreads.com. This is an excellent book, very well written. I highly recommend it. Here is my review.

[Sarah]

David wrote: "I just finished Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking. I suspect that there are many introverts (like me) here at goodreads.com. This is an excellent book, very well wri..."

Oh, me and my mother need this book! The rest of our family nags us for being introverts, so I always appreciate a bit of data backing up my lifestyle.

[David]

I just finished a book I started a long time ago: The Best American Science Writing 2006. It is a collection of marvelous essays, each on a completely different subject. The nice thing about this type of book is that you can read a chapter, put the book down and come back to it months later without fear of losing your train of thought. Here is my review.

[Kenny]

Yeah, that's some 6 years ago David. :p

I love those Best American books though and have most of them for the last 10 years or so:

Science
Stories
Essays

As well as Best American Magazine writing.

Great stuff! And they started becoming available as ebooks last year! Whoop!
:)

[David]

Can a fiction book be considered a good book about science and inquiry? I think I have found such a book:
A Certain Ambiguity: A Mathematical Novel by Gaurav Suri. It is a novel, with themes from mathematics, provability, and the dichotomy between freedom of speech and religious tolerance!

If you are interested in mathematics, philosophy, the Socratic method, or how mathematicians view the world, take a look at this intriguing book. Here is my review.

[Kenny]

Thanks David, will check it out.

[Betsy, co-mod]

Looks interesting, David. Thanks. There must be other good fiction about science and inquiry. But I can't think of any.

[Adam]

David wrote: "Can a fiction book be considered a good book about science and inquiry? I think I have found such a book:
A Certain Ambiguity: A Mathematical Novel by Gaurav Suri. It is a novel, with themes from..."

Definitely adding this to my wish list now. Good find!

[Rafael]

The Quest for Food: A Natural History of Eating


This book is good. It covers all about food from biochemical mechanisms of nutrition to sociology and agriculture.

[Jonathan]

I just finished An Introduction to Modern Cosmology by Andrew Liddle. It's an excellent text on cosmology for anyone with a qualitative understanding of calculus who wants to dig a bit deeper into the subject than the typical popular treatment.

[Jonathan]

Although I must add that it is a textbook, but not a terribly dense one.

[Aloha]

Thanks, David. I added it to my reading list.

David wrote: "Can a fiction book be considered a good book about science and inquiry? I think I have found such a book:
A Certain Ambiguity: A Mathematical Novel by Gaurav Suri. It is a novel, with themes from..."

[Aloha]

We really have no choice but to move forward. Competition with other countries is tough. If a country does not move forward, it will fall behind in critical ways, because there will always be countries that will want to move forward with a technology.

Jim wrote: "Yes, it is the conundrum of the technological advance. In practice, we need to keep moving forward just to deal with the consequences - and potentials - of our past advances.

I heard this idea in ..."

[Jim]

Aloha wrote: "We really have no choice but to move forward. Competition with other countries is tough. If a country does not move forward, it will fall behind in critical ways, because there will always be countries that will want to move forward with a technology."

I definitely agree, Aloha.

[Aloha]

I finally finished Mind Children: The Future of Robot and Human Intelligence, which got my mind thinking of possibilities and gathering materials on robotics research and artificial intelligence.

Currently reading two books that actually are related to each other, The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology and Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid. The Singularity discusses about the possibilities of artificial intelligence, and how a computer aided brain can greatly expand its ability. Godel, Escher is about cognition and will discuss as to whether artificial intelligence is possible.

[Aloha]

A couple of interesting links if you're interested in AI.

Introduction to Machine Learning:
http://robotics.stanford.edu/~nilsson...

Cellular Computers? Scientists Train Cells to Perform Boolean Functions:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/...

[Jim]

Thanks, Aloha! Very interested in all of them. I have dipped a toe into Godel, Escher, Bach, which I made a pass through many years ago (and don't remember much). The others all look very interesting, and I will add to my list.

[Aloha]

Jim, I started reading Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid. It's terrific. I was scared of the table of content, which described the analysis the book will go through. Starting the book, though, I find it not difficult to read. So far, I'm into the section on Escher, who I'm very familiar with. If you've had any musical schooling, the first section on Bach should be no problem. If you don't, then you would learn some new terms such as "canon", a single theme that plays against itself, like "Row, Row, Row Your Boat." I love the comparison of what Bach does with his pieces to what Escher does. I highly recommend this book. I'm reading two terrific books simultaneously. This is great!

[Aloha]

The hypothesis of The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology is not that we will be overtaken by robots, but that we will be enhanced by interfacing with robots. Our intelligence and ability will be exponentially enhanced.

[Adam]

Aloha wrote: "The hypothesis of The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology is not that we will be overtaken by robots, but that we will be enhanced by interfacing with robots. Our intelligence and a..."

I have this book, but haven't read it yet. However, my impression of Kurzweil is that he's a bit of a nut job. Other people I know have made similar criticisms of the things he claims.

[Aloha]

What are some examples to illustrate he's a nut job? His ideas are very interesting so far, although I've only started. How would you compare his speculations with Hans Moravec's?