Life
Throughout the twentieth century, one of the strongest taboos in biology was against the inheritance of acquired characteristics, sometimes called Lamarckian inheritance, after the pioneering evolutionary biologist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1744-1829). Lamarck proposed that adaptations by plants and animals could be passed on to their offspring. In this respect, Charles Darwin
Thinking
“The futility of everything that comes to us from the media is the inescapable consequence of the absolute inability of that particular stage to remain silent. Music, commercial breaks, news flashes, adverts, news broadcasts, movies, presenters—there is no alternative but to fill the screen; otherwise there would be an
Mind
“The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend.” Henri Bergson A few years ago I was showing my Nana pictures on my phone and though she looked at the phone it wasn’t obvious she understood what she was looking at. It was as if she was
Matthew
I managed to tackle around 20 books in 2012. Mostly for work but some just for fun. Looking back, it looks like 2012 was about acquiring new analytical skills for business. I enjoy my work so most of these were also great to read. I’m pretty sure my favorite
Culture
Myth
Tonight on Belief Joan Bakewell talks to Professor Rupert Sheldrake. Rupert Sheldrake is a biologist and a former Research Fellow of the Royal Society. He’s worked at Clare College Cambridge and at the International Crops Research Institute in Hyderabad. During his seven years in India Professor Sheldrake studied the
Myth
The paranormal is defined in relation to the normal. Paranormal means beyond the normal. Therefore to define it implies that we know what the moments in sciences is often taking to be the materialist theory.
Tech
Rajesh Rao is looking for the computational principles underlying the brain’s remarkable ability to learn, process and store information — hoping to apply this knowledge to the task of building adaptive robotic systems and artificially intelligent agents. Some of the questions that motivate his research include: How does the brain
Film
Before the law, there stands a guard. A man comes from the country, begging admittance to the law. But the guard cannot admit him. May he hope to enter at a later time?
Thinking
In Science Set Free, Dr. Rupert Sheldrake, one of the world's most innovative scientists, shows the ways in which science is being constricted by assumptions that have, over the years, hardened into dogmas. Such dogmas are not only limiting, but dangerous for the future of humanity.
History
If I could go back in history at any time, one place I would love to visit is the Library of Alexandria during its golden age. The Great Library of Alexandria in Alexandria, Egypt, was one of the ancient world's largest and most important libraries. The Library was
Film
From the Science Channel website: The belief in ESP or the sixth sense dates back thousands of years. The Greek historian Herodotus wrote that Croesus, who ruled a kingdom in what is now Turkey in the sixth century B.C., consulted oracles — that is, groups of priests claimed to be