GenAI and what it does to the brain.

Truly excellent "long read" article about genAI and what it does to those who come to rely on it. Well researched, with insightful quotes from thoughtful people.

Good science/tech journalism used to be like that, but on AI topics this has become rare. So much easier for the salaried writer of a mainstream paper just to follow the hype.

The author, Sophie McBain, is listed as a "freelance writer" for Guardian, Times and New Statesman. I am glad she's kept her free mind.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/oct/18/are-we-living-in-a-golden-age-of-stupidity-technology

Scientists enlist AI to map regions of the brain in unprecedented detail — and that’s just the start - An AI-produced rendering shows a map of mouse brain regions, overlaid with networ... - https://www.geekwire.com/2025/ai-map-brain-regions/ #alleninstituteforbrainscience #artificialintelligence #health/lifesciences #alleninstitute #neuroscience #science #brain #ai

Scientists shine a laser light on the brain cells that show us illusions - Allen Institute researcher Jerome Lecoq points to one of the diagrams that was us... - https://www.geekwire.com/2025/laser-light-brain-cells-illusions/ #alleninstituteforbrainscience #health/lifesciences #alleninstitute #neuroscience #openscope #science #brain

DefModNet is my jam.

#brain #defaultModeNetwork #bored
https://youtu.be/orQKfIXMiA8

How Older People Are Reaping Brain Benefits From New Tech - Overuse of digital gadgets harms teenagers, research suggests. But ubiquitous technology ... - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/09/health/technology-cognition-older-people.html #mentalhealthanddisorders #computersandtheinternet #artificialintelligence #agechronological #unitedstates #smartphones #research #dementia #elderly #brain

With age, almost all humans deal with decline in memory and other #brain functions. But the minds of some people in their 80s and beyond function as though they were decades younger. Scientists have been studying these superagers for 25 years, testing their memory skills and autopsying their brains when they die. Two things stand out: Not all superagers do all the healthy things you might expect, but nearly all of them are highly social. https://medium.com/wise-well/secrets-of-remarkable-superager-brains-revealed-1a2ef69bc752 #neuroscience #science

The Familiar Suicide & Final Wish of the NYC Gunman

#ShaneTamura is not the first former #football player to shoot himself in the chest & request that his #brain be examined.

The scenario has become grimly familiar to football fans: A former player experiencing cognitive issues kills himself with a gunshot to his chest, rather than his head, to allow for his brain to be examined for the disease linked to repeated blows sustained on the field.

#NFL #CTE
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/29/us/nfl-cte-suicides-violence.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Meta Unveils Wristband For Controlling Computers With Hand Gestures - When you write your name in the air, you can see the letters appear on your smartphone. - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/23/science/meta-computer-wristband-reardon.html #computersandtheinternet #artificialintelligence #nervesandnervoussystem #metaplatformsinc #nature(journal) #medicaldevices #disabilities #smartphones #prostheses #muscles #brain

You might've heard adults can't grow new neurons. Or you might've heard we can. Such has been the state of science on this question. New research offers some of the most solid evidence yet that neurogenesis occurs in adult humans, but to what extent we still don't know. Further research could lead to treatments for dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases.

https://medium.com/wise-well/can-you-grow-new-brain-cells-59d4a7adf5fb

Who's got an MRI scan of their own brain in a video file?
Would you be happy for people to use it for a broadcast TV bit? You wouldn't have to be in it, but we'd obviously like to credit you (if you want).

Let me know..?
#WeirdRequests #scicomm #ScienceCommunication #MRI #brain #brainHealth #cancerResearch

Silicon Valley’s Elusive Fantasy of a Computer as Smart as You - The titans of the tech industry say artificial intelligence will soon match the powers of... - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/16/technology/what-is-agi.html #assnfortheadvancementofartificialintelligence #intelligenceandintelligencetests(iq) #computersandtheinternet #artificialintelligence #anthropicaillc #microsoftcorp #altmansamuelh #pinkersteven #amodeidario #openailabs #googleinc #research #go(game) #muskelon #brain

I ask periodically but haven't found an answer yet. My partner has dyslexia, and I definitely don't have that (I can easily help her spell any word she asks), but I when typing I transpose S/2/5, 1/L and of course 0/O. I also substitute words like suitcase/briefcase. I also reverse the order of letters. When reading, numbers in particular, the digits seem to shift around, and if a digit is repeated I struggle to count how many times it is repeated. Is there a name for this? #actuallyAutistic #dyslexia #brain #neuroscience

Via my son: