LINKS - October 12th, 2022
Welcome to LINKS — my attempt to provide Rhapsody readers with five interesting stories that tell us something about what it means to be human. LINKS is published every Wednesday. Have a link you want to share? Drop it in the comments.
A basic sense of numbers is shared by countless creatures
“The discovery of numerical abilities across the animal kingdom, even among ants, raises the question of whether, to some extent, our own abilities might have descended from the common ancestor of ants and humans. To establish the link, scientists would need to be able to identify genes that we and other animals share that are implicated in numerical abilities. Maybe this isn’t so far-fetched: we share with other animals, even fruit flies, genes for timing.”
Here’s where jazz gets its swing
“For decades, fans of jazz music have debated why some songs have swing — the characteristic swaying feeling that compels feet to tap and heads to bop. Now, scientists may finally have an answer to Louis Armstrong’s classic song “What Is This Thing Called Swing?” and the secret lies in the timing of jazz soloists.”
Neurons in a dish learn to play Pong — what’s next?
By Heidi Ledford, Nature
“The work is a proof of principle that neurons in a dish can learn and exhibit basic signs of intelligence, says lead author Brett Kagan, chief scientific officer at Cortical Labs in Melbourne, Australia. ‘In current textbooks, neurons are thought of predominantly in terms of their implication for human or animal biology,’ he says. ‘They’re not thought about as an information processor, but a neuron is this amazing system that can process information in real time with very low power consumption.’“
How Robin Arzón Learned To Trust Herself
By Amanda Lucci, Women’s Health
“While she was out with friends at a bar in New York City’s East Village, a man walked in armed with three pistols and a sword and ordered everyone to huddle together in the back. He sprayed them with kerosene, threatening to light them on fire. Robin served as his main line of communication with the outside. Held by her hair, drenched in kerosene, with a gun and a lighter against her head, she tried to talk him out of doing the unthinkable. Eventually, the man was jumped by two patrons and distracted long enough that police could intervene. Robin was physically safe, but mentally, she started to rethink the life she’d built. ‘One doesn’t have a gun to their head and not have an existential questioning,’ she says.”
The Chess Cheat in the 21st Century
By Jim Davies, Nautilus
“Since Deep Blue, the best chess playing entities have been computer programs, not humans. It’s trivially easy to cheat online, on platforms like Chess.com, where many people and some of the world’s best play. You simply have a chess program running off to the side and put your opponent’s moves in as your own, then move as the computer would against your opponent. You’re guaranteed to win. Unless, of course, they are cheating, too.”