Physicists To Test If Universe Is A Computer Simulation:Physicists have devised a new experiment to test if the universe is a computer. A philosophical thought experiment has long held that it is more likely than not that we’re living inside a machine.
Tumblr CEO David Karp talks monetization, user franchises, and the power of the reblog button:In fact, Karp revealed, if an original piece of content is published to Tumblr, that content is on average reblogged nine times, appears in four Facebook feeds, and five Twitter feeds. So among the 80 million blogs on Tumblr, only between 10 and 15 percent of the content is deemed “original.”
Human brain treats prosthetic devices as part of the body:The researchers found that wheelchair-bound study participants with spinal cord injuries perceived their body’s edges as being plastic and flexible to include the wheelchair. Patients with lower spinal cord injuries who retained upper body movement showed a stronger association of the wheelchair with their body than those who had spinal cord impairments in the entire body.
How Big is Our Observable Universe?:Well, if the Universe is expanding and cooling, that means that in the future, it will be larger and cooler. But it also means that in the past, it was hotter and denser! In fact, we can extrapolate all the way back to an arbitrarily early time, where things were as hot and dense (and compact) as we care to allow them to be.*
Dolphins may be calling each other by name:“Each dolphin produces its own unique signature whistle that describes its individual identity,” the researchers said in a University of St. Andrews press release. “The new study suggests that in fact dolphins are mimicking those they are close to and want to see again.”
Brown University creates first wireless, implanted brain-computer interface:Researchers at Brown University have succeeded in creating the first wireless, implantable, rechargeable, long-term brain-computer interface. The wireless BCIs have been implanted in pigs and monkeys for over 13 months without issue, and human subjects are next.
