Yann LeCun explains why his startup AMI Labs is pursuing world models, not just larger language models, in a bid to reach human-level A.I.
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Modular coatings customize hydrogel implants to boost adhesion and limit fibrosis
Researchers led by Jiawei Yang, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, have designed a modular system that could potentially improve hydrogel implants in the body by customizing the materials for stiffness and functionality.
The system, described in the journal Science Advances, uses coatings to treat the surface of hydrogels, which are flexible, water-loaded polymers. The researchers reported that by customizing different types of hydrogels with unique coatings, they were able to create two distinct hydrogel implants that maintained adhesion in living tissue and resisted an immune system response.
“It is difficult for a material with a single chemical composition to play two distinct roles in an implant,” Yang said. “We addressed that by developing a way to customize hydrogel implants with two sets of chemical compositions that can be tailored to address specific needs and achieve better results.”
Consciousness is not an object we can observe
Physicist Carlo Rovelli recently proclaimed that consciousness is just another physical thing, while materialist philosophers argue that consciousness is simply one brain state observing another. What such views miss, argues Manfred Frank, a leading figure in contemporary German philosophy, is that consciousness comes with a built-in awareness of itself—an awareness that exists prior to any introspection or observation. Consciousness does not observe itself in the way we observe objects; rather, it dissolves the distinction between observer and observed altogether. This is why consciousness cannot be simply another object in the world, but instead exists in an entirely different dimension.
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If we had no consciousness our lives would be devoid of meaning. We have been immersed in this medium since before we were born and remain in it even in our dreams. And we do so without any effort on our part. Apart from when it is interrupted by deep sleep or we are unconscious after fainting or during anaesthesia, we remain in this state or are enveloped in it throughout our entire lives. Nothing is more familiar to us than consciousness; it is so familiar that we rarely notice it or attend to it.
Connectomics and the neural basis of behaviour
Methods to acquire and process synaptic-resolution electron-microscopy datasets have progressed very rapidly, allowing production and annotation of larger, more complete connectomes. More accurate neuronal matching techniques are enriching cell type data with gene expression, neuron activity, behaviour and developmental information, providing ways to test hypotheses of circuit function. In a variety of behaviours such as learned and innate olfaction, navigation and sexual behaviour, connectomics has already revealed interconnected modules with a hierarchical structure, recurrence and integration of sensory streams.
Non-invasive brain stimulation: current and future applications in neurology
Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) shows considerable promise as a therapeutic strategy for neurological and psychiatric disorders. This Review explores the role of NIBS techniques, including repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial electrical stimulation, for treating cognitive impairments, speech and language difficulties, and motor control deficits in people with neurodegenerative or brain lesion disorders.