master Jack ass of some trades, PhD of none, research engineer, computational neuroscience, neuromechanics ⚾ follows not equal to endorse. Peace to all.
Joined November 2015
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Manta Array retweeted
hi anil! "three reasons why people overestimate the probability of AI consciousness" would have been a reasonable title for your article. "three reasons why AI consciousness is extremely unlikely" would have been a bad title, in the same ways (discussed above) that the current title is bad.
in general i find people on both sides of this debate are constantly sliding from "argument X for/against AI consciousness doesn't succeed" to "AI systems (probably) can/can't be conscious". or likewise, people slide from "theory X (e.g. computational functionalism) hasn't been established" to "theory X is (probably) false". those are just very different claims. in an area with this much uncertainty, it's important to keep these claims apart.
Manta Array retweeted
"three reasons why AI isn't conscious." really?
"consciousness is not intelligence": not a reason why AI isn't conscious, just rebuts a bad argument for AI consciousness (AI: intelligent therefore conscious).
"consciousness is substrate-dependent"/"noncomputational": would be a reason if true, but truth needs to be established.
more accurate title: "three reasons why AI might not be conscious".
xitter.cf/Nature/status/21121504…
LLMs can mimic thought and feeling with uncanny skill, but intelligence alone is not enough for subjective experience
go.nature.com/3VSXWQ4
Manta Array retweeted
So, like the Huns pushing the Germanic tribes into Rome, the worst thing about AI taking over physics will be that those physicists will be showing up in your field claiming that, yes, your problem also is just a trivial Ising model.
Manta Array retweeted
NIH had a strong FY2026:
✅ $35.2 billion in extramural funding
✅ 15% increase in funding for competing awards
✅ Record-breaking 1,648 R01-equivalent grants supporting early-stage investigators
Yet some have fixated on a single number: fewer grant awards. But the grant count measures transactions, not scientific investment, much less scientific progress.
The questions that matter are whether the best science is funded, whether the next generation is able to test their ideas, and whether taxpayer dollars are being soundly invested to help Americans live longer, healthier lives. On those measures, FY2026 was a strong year.
Manta Array retweeted
You only have so much time and energy; make sure you are investing them in exploring the problems that, if fixed, will yield you the biggest returns. #principleoftheday
Manta Array retweeted
There is something oddly satisfying about building the exact opposite of what people think we do that actually keeps them safe and keeps their privacy and civil liberties intact.
Manta Array retweeted
"We had a good thing going you stupid SOB. We had string theory. We had everything we needed, it all ran like clock work"
Manta Array retweeted
String theory is what happens when an intelligent system is starved of sensory input and starts hallucinating. Intelligence needs grounding.
For this reason, intelligence is practically never the bottleneck to solving impactful problems. The bottleneck is iterated contact with reality.
Manta Array retweeted
Remember this: The pain is all in your head.
If you want to evolve, you need to go where the problems and the pain are. By confronting the pain, you will see more clearly the paradoxes and problems you face. Reflecting on them and resolving them will give you wisdom.
The harder the pain and the challenge, the better. #principleoftheday
Manta Array retweeted
When there is pain, the animal instinct is flight-or-fight. Calm yourself down and reflect instead.
The pain you are feeling is due to things being in conflict--maybe you've come up against a terrible reality, such as the death of a friend, and are unable to accept it; maybe you've been forced to acknowledge a weakness that challenges the idea you'd had of yourself. #principleoftheday
Manta Array retweeted
A subset of people diagnosed with severe psychiatric illnesses may actually have immune-mediated brain diseases. Properly diagnosing and effectively treating these patients is an important area of discovery in the mental health space.
I had a deeply interesting and informative time visiting researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health yesterday, who are working on cutting-edge approaches to that issue and many more.
ALT Dr. Jay Bhattacharya poses in an NIMH lab with a group of scientists and staff.
ALT Dr. Jay Bhattacharya looks on at a screen with a slide reading "Psychosis is a state of disordered information processing". An NIMH researcher explains the slide.
ALT NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya listens to an NIMH employee who is presenting a test tube and wearing purple gloves in a lab.
Manta Array retweeted
Researcher says academia will fall due to “[p]erverse incentives” that “sustained the publishing industry as we know it and blew up the bubble. AI is now pushing that trend into Weimar territory, and papers will be worth nothing.”
giorgio.gilest.ro/the-weimar…
Manta Array retweeted
Alzheimer’s disease remains a significant public health challenge, affecting millions of Americans and their families.
NIH-funded research is driving important progress in our understanding of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias while advancing new approaches to prevention, earlier diagnosis, treatment, and care.
📑 The 2026 NIH Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias Research Progress Report highlights key advances made in 2025 and reflects the breadth of NIH-supported research—from discoveries that deepen our understanding of dementia to progress toward improving prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care.
🔗 Read the report: bit.ly/4hPDhom
ALT A person in a lab coat works in a laboratory setting. The text reads: "2026 NIH Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias Research Progress Report: Advances and Achievements." Logos for the Department of Health and Human Services and NIH are at the bottom.
Manta Array retweeted
We are delighted that $PSUS and $PS are now listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange. We will be visiting our Mexican shareholders next month and look forward to a long-term relationship.
¡Damos la bienvenida a Pershing Square al mercado mexicano!
Nos entusiasma anunciar el listado en el Sistema Internacional de Cotizaciones (SIC) de:
- Pershing Square USA, Ltd. ($PSUS)
- Pershing Square Inc. ($PS)
Con su incorporación, el mercado mexicano amplía las alternativas de inversión disponibles para los participantes.
Desde Grupo BMV, celebramos la llegada de nuevos valores internacionales y continuamos fortaleciendo la conexión de México con los mercados globales.
#GrupoBMV #SIC #MercadoDeValores #Inversión
Manta Array retweeted
🔬 Advancing today’s biomedical research to build a healthier tomorrow involves more than publishing research results in journal.
It involves verifying those findings through scientific rigor and scrutiny, transforming promising research into discoveries upon which the world can act.
To that end, NIH has launched a new reproducibility and replication initiative rooted in one clear conviction—that discovery and independent verification are inseparable pillars of science.
Read more in my @ScienceMagazine editorial ➡️ science.org/doi/10.1126/scie…
Manta Array retweeted
One of the hardest things for people to do is to objectively look down on themselves within their circumstances (i.e., their machine) so that they can act as the machine's designer and manager.
Most people remain stuck in the perspective of being a worker within the machine.
If you can recognize the differences between those roles and that it is much more important that you are a good designer/manager of your life than a good worker in it, you will be on the right path. #principleoftheday
Manta Array retweeted
If you don't mind being wrong on the way to being right you'll learn a lot--and increase your effectiveness.
But if you can't tolerate being wrong, you won't grow, you'll make yourself and everyone around you miserable, and your work environment will be marked by petty backbiting and malevolent barbs rather than by a healthy, honest search for truth. #principleoftheday
Manta Array retweeted
NIH’s peer review process depends on the participation of experts across the research community.
We’re seeking scientists with expertise in human-based research approaches to serve as NIH grant reviewers.
If that’s you, I encourage you to bring your perspective to this important work.
More information: bit.ly/3V2Akbn
ALT A person wearing a lab coat and protective eyewear uses a microscope in a laboratory. The text reads: "Now Seeking Scientists with Expertise in Human-Based Research Approaches to Serve as NIH Grant Reviewers." Logos of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and NIH are displayed.