Mesmerized

The morning after

Anyone else thankful they did not watch last night’s so-called slugfest?

Mary the Dawn, Christ the Perfect Day; Mary the Gate, Christ the Heav’nly Way! Mary the Root, Christ the Mystic Vine; Mary the Grape, Christ the Sacred Wine! Mary the Wheat-sheaf, Christ the Living Bread; Mary the Rose-Tree, Christ the Rose Blood-red! Mary the Font, Christ the Cleansing Flood; Mary the Chalice, Christ the Saving Blood! Mary the Temple, Christ the Temple’s Lord; Mary the Shrine, Christ the God adored! Mary the Beacon, Christ the Haven’s Rest; Mary the Mirror, Christ the Vision Blest! Mary the Mother, Christ the Mother’s Son. Both ever blest while endless ages run.

“Mary the Dawn” by Father Justin Mulcahy C.F.

Art: Detail, Peter Paul Rubens and Jan Brueghel the Elder,  Madonna and Child Encircled by a Garland of Flowers

I remember that stuffy room above the gym. We danced with a pregnant lady and bantered about things that ring strangely true today. I remember cramming in reading assignments in the hall and all of us arguing about the value of meat and potatoes. I miss those days and yet I don’t think I’d want to go back to them except in a dream. Or maybe all of it was a dream ...

This is my father’s favorite song of all time.

#Space I like Jason A. Alexander for the new Mars Rover!

Name the Mars 2020 Rover!

In 2020, we’re sending our newest robotic scientist to Mars, paving the way for humans to one day live and work on the Red Planet. The only problem? Our Mars 2020 rover doesn’t have a name yet! We’re calling on K-12 students across the country to find the very best name for our next robotic space explorer!

The Mission

Before we can send astronauts to Mars we need to learn more about the planet and its climate. This is where the Mars 2020 rover comes in. Its job will be to explore the Red Planet in search of signs of ancient life! It will also be tasked with characterizing the planet’s climate and geology, and collecting samples from its surface. Because of the groundwork laid by rovers such as this, humans will one day become an interplanetary species!

Meet the rovers that came before it

The-soon-to-be-named rover will be joining the team of historic NASA robots that have been working away in space for the past 27 years! All of our robot explorers have their own missions, personality and names that help tell their own story. The most recent Mars rover is Curiosity, the  ….. 

Submit your entry today!

One grand prize winner will name the rover and be invited to Cape Canaveral, Florida to see the spacecraft launch in July 2020! So, what will it take to win? Just send us your proposed name and a short essay (no more than 150 words), explaining why the name you chose is the best for this very special robotic explorer! The deadline is November 1st, so get your thinking cap on and tell us your most creative idea! Apply here!

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com

Amen!

This is my mantra for today. I am praying. I am praying a lot! What I am not doing is worrying.

Yes, we are in some crazy and scary times right now. God wants us to be prepared, cautious, safe but also trusting.

I am planning and taking precautions, but I am first and foremost trusting God.

He’s got this everyone!

So, say a prayer for strength and comfort today. With God’s grace, we can get through anything.

Image credit: @daily_bibleverses (at Livingchristian.org) https://www.instagram.com/p/B99JqRpHILg/?igshid=u9t2fzalvsxy

(Image caption: Location of neurons predicting partner’s choices superimposed on a stained section through one animal’s amygdala. Colours indicate different nuclei. Courtesy of Fabian Grabenhorst)

‘Mindreading’ neurons simulate decisions of social partners

Researchers at the University of Cambridge identified the previously-unknown neuron type, which they say actively and spontaneously simulates mental decision processes when social partners learn from one another.

The study, published in Cell, suggests that these newly-termed ‘simulation neurons’ – found in the amygdala, a collection of nerve cells in the temporal lobe of the brain – allow animals (and potentially also humans) to reconstruct their social partner’s state of mind and thereby predict their intentions.

The researchers go on to speculate that if simulation neurons became dysfunctional this could restrict social cognition, a symptom of autism. By contrast, they suggest overactive neurons could result in exaggerated simulation of what others might be thinking, which may play a role in social anxiety.

The study’s lead author, Dr Fabian Grabenhorst from the Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, says: “We started out looking for neurons that might be involved in social learning. We were surprised to find that amygdala neurons not only learn the value of objects from social observation but actually use this information to simulate a partner’s decisions.”

Simulating others’ decisions is a sophisticated cognitive process that is rooted in social learning. By observing a partner’s foraging choices, for instance, we learn which foods are valuable and worth choosing. Such knowledge not only informs our own decisions but also helps us predict the future decisions of our partner.

Psychologists and philosophers have long suggested that simulation is the mechanism by which humans understand each other’s minds. Yet, the neural basis for this complex process has remained unclear. The amygdala is well known for its diverse roles in social behaviour and has been implicated in autism. Until now, however, it was unknown whether amygdala neurons also contribute to advanced social cognition, such as simulating others’ decisions.

The study recorded activity from individual amygdala neurons as macaque monkeys took part in an observational learning task. Sat facing each other with a touch screen between them, the animals took turns in making choices to obtain rewards. To maximise their fruit juice reward, the animals were required to learn and track the reward probabilities associated with different pictures displayed on the screen.

The study allowed one animal to observe its partner’s choices so that they could learn the pictures’ reward values. Once the pictures switched between them, the observing animal could make use of this knowledge when it was their turn to choose.

Surprisingly, the researchers found that when an animal observed its partner, the observer’s amygdala neurons seemed to play out a decision computation. These neurons first compared the reward values of the partner’s choice options before signalling the partner’s likely choice, consistent with a simulated decision process. Importantly, these activity patterns occurred spontaneously, well before partner’s choices and without decision requirement for the observer.

Based on their findings, the scientists created the first computer model of the amygdala’s neural circuits involved in social cognition. By showing how specific types of neurons influence one another, this model suggests that the amygdala contains a ‘decision circuit’ which works out the animal’s own choices and a separate ‘simulation circuit’ which computes a prediction of the social partner’s choice.

(Image caption: Graphic showing two decision systems in the primate amygdala. Courtesy of Fabian Grabenhorst)

Grabenhorst said: “Simulation and decision neurons are closely intermingled within the amygdala. We managed to distinguish between them and their different functions by carefully examining one neuron at a time. This would not have been possible with human brain imaging techniques that measure the averaged activity of large numbers of neurons.”

“We think that simulation neurons are important building blocks for social cognition — they allow animals to reconstruct their partners’ mental decision processes. Simulation neurons could also constitute simple precursors for the amazing cognitive capacities of humans, such as ‘Theory of Mind’.”

The scientists suggest that if simulation neurons were dysfunctional or completely absent, this could impoverish social behaviour.

Grabenhorst says: “If simulation neurons don’t function properly, a person might not be able to relate very well to the mental states of others. We know very little about how specific neuron types contribute to social cognition and to the social challenges faced by individuals with autism. By identifying specific neurons and circuit mechanisms for mental simulation, our study may offer new insights into these conditions.”

Catch-22s

One thing I don’t like about our overly sensitive society is the limitation of free speech to preserve a Victorian-esque sensibility. The alternative, as we have seen, is not one to emulate, but trying to redirect a bull is like playing that game at those arcades where you had this big bean-bag hammer that you’d use to pop these groundhogs as they popped up everywhere. You’d get a ticket every time you successfully caught one, but then they’d start going so fast you just get all flustered and curse the damn thing.

Running out of things to do

Spent my Sunday watching church services after throwing up in the morning. It’s finally sunny today, but we might in our neighborhoods waiting for life to resume.