Dopaminergic action prediction error signals are used by mice as a value-free teaching signal to reinforce stable sound–action associations in the tail of the striatum.
Category: education
Neuroscientists at the Sainsbury Wellcome Center (SWC) at UCL have discovered that the brain uses a dual system for learning through trial and error. This is the first time a second learning system has been identified, which could help explain how habits are formed and provide a scientific basis for new strategies to address conditions related to habitual learning, such as addictions and compulsions.
Published in Nature, the study in mice could also have implications for developing therapeutics for Parkinson’s. The study is titled “Dopaminergic action prediction errors serve as a value-free teaching signal.”
“Essentially, we have found a mechanism that we think is responsible for habits. Once you have developed a preference for a certain action, then you can bypass your value-based system and just rely on your default policy of what you’ve done in the past. This might then allow you to free up cognitive resources to make value-based decisions about something else,” explained Dr. Marcus Stephenson-Jones, Group Leader at SWC and lead author of the study.
Particles can be measured jointly without bringing them together—an advance for quantum communication and computing
Posted in computing, education, encryption, quantum physics | Leave a Comment on Particles can be measured jointly without bringing them together—an advance for quantum communication and computing
But such measurements are notoriously challenging: the instruments used are themselves governed by quantum laws, and their interaction with particles can alter the very properties they are meant to observe.
“The field of quantum measurements is still poorly understood because it has received little attention so far. Until now, research has mainly focused on the states of quantum systems themselves, which feature properties—like entanglement or superposition—that are more directly applicable to areas such as quantum cryptography or quantum computing,” explains Alejandro Pozas Kerstjens, Senior Research and Teaching Assistant in the Department of Applied Physics, Physics Section, at the UNIGE Faculty of Science.
We discuss Michael Levin’s paper “Self-Improvising Memory: A Perspective on Memories as Agential, Dynamically Reinterpreting Cognitive Glue.” Levin is a scientist at Tufts University, his lab studies anatomical and behavioral decision-making across biological, artificial, and hybrid systems. His work spans developmental biology, artificial life, bioengineering, synthetic morphology, and cognitive science. 🎥 Next, watch my first interview with Michael Levin… What are Cognitive Light Cones? • What are Cognitive Light Cones? (Mich… ❶ Memories as Agents 0:00 Introduction 1:40 2024 Highlights from Levin Lab 3:20 Stress sharing paper summary 6:15 Paradox of change: Species persist don’t evolve 7:20 Bow-tie architectures 10:00 🔥 Memories as messages from your past self 12:50 Polycomputing 16:45 Confabulation 17:55 What evidence supports the idea that memories are agential? 22:00 Thought experiment: Entities from earth’s core ❷ Information Patterns 31:30 Memory is not a filing cabinet 32:30 Are information patterns agential? 35:00 🔥 Caterpillar/butterfly… sea slug memory transfer 37:40 Bow-tie architectures are EVERYWHERE 43:20 Bottlenecks “scary” for information ❸ Connections & Implications 45:30 🔥 Black holes/white holes as bow-ties (Lee Smolin) 47:20 What is confabulation? AI hallucinations 52:30 Gregg Henriques & self-justifying apes… all good agents storytellers 54:20 Information telling stories… Joseph Campbell’s journey for a single cell 1:00:50 What comes next? 🚾 Works Cited 🚩 Self-Improvising Memory: A Perspective on Memories as Agential, Dynamically Reinterpreting Cognitive Glue https://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/26/6/481 https://thoughtforms.life/suti-the-se… our way to health with robot cells | Michael Levin (Big Think 2023)
• Biohacking our way to health with rob… https://peregrinecr.com/ 🚀 What is this channel? Exploring Truth in philosophy, science, & art. We’ll uncover concepts from psychology, mythology, spirituality, literature, media, and more. If you like Lex Fridman or Curt Jaimungal, you’ll love this educational channel. p.s. Please subscribe! Young channel here. =) #science #memory #biology #computing #mind #intelligence #attractor #polycomputing #bioelectric #cybernetics #research #life
In this profound and thought-provoking clip from the Quantum Convergence documentary, tech pioneer and physicist Federico Faggin delves into his transformative experience of consciousness — the moment he felt himself as the universe observing itself. Faggin, best known for his work in developing the first microprocessor, explores the fundamental nature of consciousness, its relationship with matter, and the deeper purpose of the universe.
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The new findings could help improve vaccine effectiveness in some immunocompromised patients. Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have uncovered a critical, previously underappreciated role for B cells in vaccine protection. Best known for producing antibodies, B cells also guide other immune cells, specifically CD8 T cells, teaching them how to mount lasting defenses after vaccination.
The study was recently published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.
“Think of CD8 T cells as rookie firefighters,” said lead author Jared Klarquist, PhD, assistant research professor of immunology and microbiology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. “B cells teach the class on pacing. Without them, the rookies rush in, fight hard, and quit. They don’t save anything for the next fire.”
How a group of passionate teachers became full-fledged NASA educator astronauts—and brought STEM to students everywhere.
Since the dawn of philosophy, thinkers from Plato to Kant have considered how beauty affects human experience, and whether it has the power to transform our state of mind.
Now, a new study from the University of Cambridge suggests that stopping to contemplate the beauty of artistic objects in a gallery or museum boosts our ability to think in abstract ways and consider the “bigger picture” when it comes to our lives.
Researchers say the findings offer empirical evidence that engaging with artistic beauty helps us escape the “mental trappings of daily life,” such as current anxieties and to-do lists, and induce “psychological distancing”: the process of zooming out on your thoughts to gain clarity.
RIKEN and Fujitsu Limited have developed a 256-qubit superconducting quantum computer that will significantly expand their joint quantum computing capabilities. The system, located at the RIKEN RQC-FUJITSU Collaboration Center, located on the RIKEN Wako campus, builds upon the advanced technology of the 64-qubit iteration, which was launched with the support of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) in October 2023, and incorporates newly-developed high-density implementation techniques. The new system overcomes some key technical challenges, including appropriate cooling within the dilution refrigerator, which is achieved through the incorporation of high-density implementation and cutting-edge thermal design.
This announcement marks a new step toward the practical application of superconducting quantum computers and unlocking their potential to grapple with some of the world’s most complex issues, such as the analysis of larger molecules and the implementation and demonstration of sophisticated error correction algorithms.
The organizations plan to integrate the 256-qubit superconducting quantum computer into their platform for hybrid quantum computing lineup and offer it to companies and research institutions globally starting in the first quarter of fiscal 2025. Looking further into the future, Fujitsu and RIKEN will continue R&D efforts toward the launch of a 1,000-qubit computer, scheduled to be launched in 2026. For more information, see a longer press release on Fujitsu’s website.