Clips

Embodied cognition, the idea that the mind is not only connected to the body but that the body influences the mind, is one of the more counter-intuitive ideas in cognitive science. In sharp contrast is dualism, a theory of mind famously put forth by Rene Descartes in the 17 th century when he claimed that there is a great difference between mind and body, inasmuch as body is by nature always divisible, and the mind...

California’s largest doctor group has called for legalization of marijuana. Despite its remaining uncertainty over marijuana’s medical benefits, the Trustees of the California Medical Association (representing more than 35,000 physicians statewide) adopted the policy last week and called for marijuana to be regulated in the same fashion as alcohol. The policy is the result of growing frustration in doctors being...

(Photo by AlicePopkorn) You are not aware of the electrochemical events occurring at each of the trillion synapses in your brain at this moment. But you are aware, however dimly, of sights, sounds, sensations, thoughts, and moods. At the level of your experience, you are not a body of cells, organelles, and atoms; you are consciousness and its ever-changing contents, passing through various stages of wakefulness an...

A new Gallup poll just released shows a record number of Americans want marijuana legalized — 50 percent of those polled. This comes days after the prestigious California Medical Association called for legalization and regulation of pot like alcohol. Nevertheless, the Obama Administration has continued the aggressive position of the prior Administration in raiding marijuana shops and prosecuting people for federa...

Timberline Lodge dedication, 1938 (image courtesy Friends of Timberline) BY BRIAN LIBBY Perhaps it's fitting that Timberline Lodge is on top given its location, just below the snowy peak of Mt. Hood. The lodge, completed by the Works Progress Administration in 1937 from a design by Gilbert Stanley Underwood (an architect with the US Treasury Department), was the biggest vote-getter in AIA Oregon's survey of archite...

There are few sure investments in this chaotic economic climate, but on a national level, education has proven to pay off big down the road. [More]

Seeing your life pass before you and the light at the end of the tunnel, can be explained by new research on abnormal functioning of dopamine and oxygen flow Near-death experiences are often thought of as mystical phenomena, but research is now revealing scientific explanations for virtually all of their common features. The details of what happens in near-death experiences are now known widely—a sense of being de...

The Dyslexic Advantage: Unlocking the Hidden Potential of the Dyslexic Brain by Brock L. and Fernette F. Eide. Hudson Street Press, 2011 [More]

In this video he talks about The Magic of Reality: How We Know What’s Really True, a book designed to be read by parents and children together. The hardback, out on October 4, is $18.48 at Amazon, and nontheist or science-oriented families will certainly want to buy it. View discussion at WEIT

Graphene is a super strong sheet of carbon that's only one-atom thick. Since its discovery less than a decade ago, researchers have learned that graphene conducts heat and electricity extremely well. It's also transparent and highly flexible, making it an ideal candidate for making better electronics and other devices. [More]