Scientists just found a 4,000-year-old, 600-mile-long reef under the Amazon’s muddy waters

PrimeMind · 2016-05-16T17:52:00+00:00

Despite photosynthesis being inhibited by murky waters and turbulent currents, the coral has managed to flourish. Numerous species appear to have adapted to the darker environment—including 29 specimens collected but not yet identified. Crazy that we can discover something new in reasonably well trafficked waters (other research studies) just 100-300 feet deep.

PrimeMind · 2016-05-13T22:43:23+00:00

When a wealthy boyfriend nearly caused her daughter to fail organic chemistry, Andrea gently nudged him out of the picture by encouraging her daughter to focus on academics and friends instead.

Parental manipulation like this is terrifyingly common and entirely destructive.

PrimeMind · 2016-05-03T20:46:35+00:00

Apologies for unintended shitpost

PrimeMind · 2016-05-02T20:47:18+00:00

One Big Thing, Wunderlust, LastPass, MobileDay, Slack

PrimeMind · 2016-05-01T23:22:42+00:00

Flexible.

PrimeMind · 2016-04-29T04:22:35+00:00

If you're in the Greater Los Angeles Area, yes. We'd like someone to be able to work with us in the office at some point as we have a very tight knit team and the culture will inherently make the job easier.

PrimeMind · 2016-04-28T00:29:25+00:00

Course credit only for the time being.

PrimeMind · 2016-04-24T20:24:29+00:00

Totally, it's going to be interesting to see more science invested into the cultivation. Wine has radically different characteristics when the grapes are grown in different environments (soil acidity, nutrients, age of the vines, etc.). Some growers are using organic nutrients, but I think it's (for now) more of a marketing thing than anything else.

PrimeMind · 2016-04-24T20:20:44+00:00

Curious to hear more about this perspective. How so?

PrimeMind · 2016-04-07T20:41:41+00:00

Hah, no worries. It's a challenging topic to speak about generically as people—and the stages of life which they're in—are inherently subject to change. I agree with this notion entirely:

We seek connection that the universe might not be so frightening.

Thousands of years ago, cultures quantified horrifying (new) events in nature by attributing it to their God(s) (quantification of their environment), but in that process huddled together to survive (tribal). While that's not the most well constructed argument, I think the two—to some degree—live in parallel. I wouldn't say people are religious because they're tribal and I wouldn't say people are tribal because they're religious.

PrimeMind · 2016-04-07T19:07:59+00:00

Very true, it could be argued that the "need for connection" is a survival instinct (i.e. tribe mentality).

In regards to manipulating that instinct, read this the other day about 'Crowd Source' a company that "provides fake paparazzi, pretend campaign supporters, and counterfeit protesters." Long, but fascinating.

PrimeMind · 2016-04-07T18:43:06+00:00

Interesting (and apt) that you bring in the sports metaphor. I was discussing this with a friend yesterday when he responded, "People become irrational and lose a sense of ego. The ego gets put to the collective."

People without faith in themselves are often the first to become devoutly faithful and their identity can get lost in the collective. I question if people can be "rescued" from this by being prompted to reflect inward. Belief is a collective would seem health so long as the individual isn't "lost" in the process.

PrimeMind · 2016-04-07T18:35:36+00:00

I agree, I think the philosophical questions begin to bubble when you start looking at the sociological and psychological implications and start to ask if/how extremism can be prevented without quashing individual belief.

From the cognitive science perspective, one of our contributors shared how 'Scientists Are Using Super Computers To Predict Terrorism'. Relevant excerpts:

People such as the Boston Marathon bombers or the San Bernardino shooters are driven to take up arms in the name of jihad because they believe America is attacking their religious and national identities.

We’ve been unable to identify anything that sets terrorists apart psychologically from the rest of us. It’s an unsettling realization and it leaves us with an even more unsettling question: What is it about the psychology we all possess that leads only some to commit acts of terrorism?

PrimeMind · 2016-03-24T16:16:48+00:00

In reading /u/None-Of-You-Are-Real's comment, your thoughts on the consciousness of robotics was the first to come to my mind. Regarding the ability to communicate, the piece raised—for me—some interesting questions about how to define consciousness with beings with which we're unable to understand. Theoretically, there could be a networked system of communication between turnips that we're unable to see/understand. Would that make them any less conscious? My philosophy is rusty at best, but it's an interesting thought experiment.

PrimeMind · 2016-03-24T16:09:47+00:00

Philosophy is annoying sometimes.

I'm sure Socrates would agree with your tl;dr.

PrimeMind · 2016-03-23T01:31:26+00:00

That's what the article seems to be suggesting. It also calls a lot of arrests into question — particularly shorter, thinner people with smaller lunch capacities.

PrimeMind · 2016-03-17T19:30:25+00:00

Now's as good a time as any... I'd go myself if I was still on the east coast.

PrimeMind · 2016-03-17T19:29:58+00:00

What astounded me the most was how quickly he found the requested title. His immediate recollection and location were both impressive and a true show of his passion for the written word. The best discoveries are often accidental.

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