New research has shown that animals too are intelligent. However, intelligence is not limited to “the classically intelligent animals”, such as chimps and apes:

African cichlids can use simple logic to infer their social status. (via Neurophilosophy)

The octopus can learn geography, mimic its surrounding and unscrew jars. (via Slate)

Scrub-jays can anticipate future needs and plan for them. (via Neurophilosophy)

New research has found that it is not simply size or the number of neurons that drives the brain power. Rather, it is the increase in number and complexity of synapse proteins that account for more sophisticated thought.

The study shows that two leaps in sophistication in the structure of nerve junctions could have been the driving force that allowed complex brains to evolve, and that this occurred before brains significantly increased in size. The first major wave of change happened around a billion years ago, when the first multicelled organisms appeared. Then the next wave happened when vertebrates came along, around 500 million years ago.

(via physorg.com)

Science label the ability to stay focused and resist distraction “executive function” (EF). EF also includes working memory and mental flexibility. 

New research shows that EF may be more important to academic success than IQ scores. The good news is, that EF may be boosted with regular exercise, just like physical training. 

(via Newsweek) 

Research in artificial intelligence has shown that intelligence (or the brain) can not be viewed as computation, as algorithm. Instead the brain is embedded in a body which interacts with the physical world.

In this interview (podcast from Talking Robots) Rolf Pfeifer talks about this new approach in AI. Or read his new book: “How the Body Shapes the Way We Think“.

Listen (podcast from sciencefriday.com) to the interview with Ray Kurzweil, inventor, technologist and futurist or watch the video (from ted.com). 

Ray talks about his view of the future. He defines the Singularity as a period of extremely rapid technological progress which leads to a rupture in what it means to be human.

Walter Diggelmann will give a talk on Thursday, June 26, in Zurich. He will discuss the requirements for genuinely intelligent computers and demonstrate the possibilities and abilities of such systems.

The talk will be held in german.

The magazine IEEE spectrum features a special report on the Singularity. What happens, when somewhere in the future we can create or become creatures of more than human intelligence? This special IEEE issue examines the Singularity: What are the signs; can machines be conscious; reverse engineering the brain… 

The special reports includes videos, interactive 3D models and articles from leading researchers such as Rodney Brooks. 

We can use what we learn about the brain to make our lives better. We know, that exercise is beneficial to the brain (see Does Exercise Keep our Brain Fit?). So too is sleep; for example, an afternoon nap can boost our cognitive performance by 20 to 30 percent.

The book “Brain Rules” by John Medina explores what we know about the brain and how to get most of it. In this video (from AtGoogleTalks) John Medina talks about the effects of exercise, sleep and stress on the brain, of multitasking and how to incorporate this knowledge to improve our daily live. 

Scientists have developed a computer model that can predict the word that you are thinking of. The model may help to resolve questions about how the brain organises knowledge, processes words and language, and eventually lead to techniques for decoding people’s thoughts.

(via guardian.co.uk)