Author: Denyse O’Leary

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Author
Denyse O’Leary

Date
October 12, 2026

Categories
Medicine
Neuroscience & Mind
Tagged
, bones, China, Daniel R. Storm, David J. Linden, evolution, human brain, injuries, intelligent design, kludge, mice, Nature Neuroscience, Nautilus, neuroscience, PIEZO1, pigs, shins, Southern Medical University, stem cells, strokes, The Accidental Mind, traumatic brain injuries, vesicles, Zachary S. Scheiner}

Book on “Brain Evolution” Hasn’t Aged Well

_{Denyse O’Leary
October 12, 2026

Medicine, Neuroscience & Mind

6}

The first problem they mention is magnified. We haven’t got anywhere near figuring out “how the brain works.” Read More ›

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post

Author
Denyse O’Leary

Date
October 12, 2026

Categories
Ethics
Technology
Tagged
, effective altruism, Elon Musk, Émile P. Torres, Epsilon Centauri, ethics, future, Future of Humanity Institute, human race, longtermism, Nick Bostrom, philosophy, posthumans, prophecy, religion, Sam Bankman-Fried, science fiction, technology, The Precipice, Toby Ord, Utopia, What We Owe the Future, William MacAskill}

As an Approach to Ethics, Longtermerism Makes No Sense

_{Denyse O’Leary
October 12, 2026

Ethics, Technology

5}

Elon Musk, whose ambition for space colonies is legendary, has said, “This is a close match for my philosophy.” Read More ›

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post

Author
Denyse O’Leary

Date
October 5, 2026

Categories
Computational Sciences
Cultural Anthropology
Tagged
, Aldous Huxley, algorithms, animals, anthropomorphism, artificial intelligence, Brave New World, cars, chatbots, children, communication, concentration, culture, Delusion, dog care, electronic media, human minds, humans, love, Mind Matters News, Podosphaera leucotricha, polar bears, powdery mildew, Psychology Today, reading, relationships, Richard Stevens, science fiction, Tara Wells, tobacco, toys, trees}

With AI, Anthropomorphism Is High Stakes; But It May Be as Old as the Human Race

_{Denyse O’Leary
October 5, 2026

Computational Sciences, Cultural Anthropology

5}

Such relationships can lead to delusional spirals, including marrying a bot. One man proposed to his bot when he feared it would run out of memory. Read More ›

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post

Author
Denyse O’Leary

Date
October 2, 2026

Categories
Computational Sciences
Political Science
Technology
Tagged
, adults, americans, books, government, Harvard Gazette, humans, Jill Sonke, Nation’s Report Card, National Endowment for the Arts, reading, Return of the God Hypothesis, Rose Horowitch, Sam Leith, Sarah Kuta, Sebastian Faulks, Smithsonian Magazine, The AI Delusion, The Atlantic, The Spectator, thinking, twentysomethings, University of Florida, young people}

Abandonment of Books Would Have Devastating Consequences

_{Denyse O’Leary
October 2, 2026

Computational Sciences, Political Science, Technology

6}

If we reach the point where most people cannot muster that level of sustained attention, changes unwelcome to many of us are inevitable. Read More ›

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post

Author
Denyse O’Leary

Date
September 29, 2026

Categories
Cosmology
Genetics
Origin of Life
Tagged
, A Universe from Nothing, Brian Miller, Bruce Gordon, Casey Luskin, chance, Dan Graur, design, ENCODE project, Jerry Coyne, junk DNA, junk RNA, Lawrence Krauss, Leonard Mlodinow, lizard brain, Michael Shermer, models, physicists, researchers, Richard Dawkins, Sarah Scoles, Science and Culture Today, Scientific American, Stephen Hawking, Stephen Meyer, survival, The God Delusion, The Grand Design, The Telegraph, universe, University of Houston}

In Science, Endless Competing Models Are a Warning Sign

_{Denyse O’Leary
September 29, 2026

Cosmology, Genetics, Origin of Life

5}

Some of us are old enough to remember when the origin of life was a question that science would answer — soon. But that was hundreds of promising theories ago. Read More ›

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post

Author
Denyse O’Leary

Date
September 28, 2026

Categories
Human Exceptionalism
Life Sciences
Neuroscience & Mind
Tagged
, ant swarms, Audrey Dussutour, biology, brain, carbon, cognition, consciousness, cuttlefish, eliminative materialism, eyes, fungi, Hokkaido University, human exceptionalism, humans, intelligence, jellyfish, limbs, Michael Levin, mouth, nuclei, oat flakes, panpsychism, Physarum polycephalum, plants, protoplasm, Samanth Subramanian, silicon, The Guardian, Tokyo, Toshiyuki Nakagaki, trees}

Slime Smarts: These Brainless Blobs Are Brighter than You Thought

_{Denyse O’Leary
September 28, 2026

Human Exceptionalism, Life Sciences, Neuroscience & Mind

7}

Some want to claim that slime molds poses a threat to the idea that humans are exceptional. Read More ›

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post

Author
Denyse O’Leary

Date
September 24, 2026

Categories
Computational Sciences
Ethics
Zoology
Tagged
, animals, artificial inteligence, biologgers, Bloomberg, buzzards, cave paintings, chimpanzees, Coller Dolittle Challenge, communication, CUNY, Daniela Canestrari, Earth Species Project, ethics, fungi, Kristin Andrews, Marriah Alcantara, mind, New York Post, plants, privacy rights, Ronny Reyes, Spain, Topoi, University of Leon, WEIRD, whales}

Next Big Thing Is… Privacy Rights for Animals?

_{Denyse O’Leary
September 24, 2026

Computational Sciences, Ethics, Zoology

5}

If we came across chimpanzee cave paintings, we would, of course, reconsider. But the thing is, we don’t. Read More ›

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post

Author
Denyse O’Leary

Date
September 11, 2026

Categories
Arts
Intelligent Design
Physics
Tagged
, 9/11 attack, Chicago, CN Tower, demon core, demons, Em Lattimer, ethics, Geoffrey Simmons, Glenn Winders, Hiroshima, Japan, John Zmirak, Los Angeles, Manhattan Project, new york, novels, nuclear weapons, Ontario, Oppenheimer’s Demon, Ottawa, physics, September, thrillers, Toronto, United States, Washington, World Trade Center}

Those Demons at the Core: Taut New Thriller by Geoffrey Simmons

_{Denyse O’Leary
September 11, 2026

Arts, Intelligent Design, Physics

7}

Author Simmons is, among other things, a disaster preparedness expert. The outcome here would make 9/11 seem negligible. Read More ›

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post

Author
Denyse O’Leary

Date
September 10, 2026

Categories
Evolution
Neuroscience & Mind
Tagged
, brain, Carl Sagan, emotion, evolution, explainaway, falsified theories, Georgia Tech, human brain, limbic system, lizard brain, neuroscience, overthinking, Paul D. MacLean, physiology, pop psychology, reptilian brain, Science Daily, smarts, social anxiety, The Dragons of Eden, universe}

Return of the Lizard Brain? It Seems Not

_{Denyse O’Leary
September 10, 2026

Evolution, Neuroscience & Mind

3}

It’s easy to see why people might latch onto the idea of a reptilian brain as an explainer, or an explainaway, for complex topics. Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
Denyse O’Leary

Date
September 4, 2026

Categories
Neuroscience & Mind
Philosophy of Science
Tagged
, Alex Rosenberg, behavior, consciousness, coworkers, David A. Oakley, Duke University, Edward Feser, eliminative materialism, folk psychology, Joe Gough, mental causation, mind-body problem, Newton’s Second Law, Patricia Churchland, Paul Churchland, philosophers, philosophy, souls, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, The Immortal Mind, Thomas Metzinger, University of Mainz}

Overhyping the Mind-Body Interaction Problem

_{Denyse O’Leary
September 4, 2026

Neuroscience & Mind, Philosophy of Science

5}

Eliminative materialism is best seen as a nice try at cementing materialism in a world where it faces mounting serious challenges. Read More ›