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Human brains unlikely to evolve into a 'supermind' as price to pay would be too high
University of Warwick ^ | December 7, 2011

Posted on 12/07/2011 8:37:47 AM PST by decimon

Human minds have hit an evolutionary "sweet spot" and - unlike computers - cannot continually get smarter without trade-offs elsewhere, according to research by the University of Warwick.

Researchers asked the question why we are not more intelligent than we are given the adaptive evolutionary process. Their conclusions show that you can have too much of a good thing when it comes to mental performance.

The evidence suggests that for every gain in cognitive functions, for example better memory, increased attention or improved intelligence, there is a price to pay elsewhere - meaning a highly-evolved "supermind" is the stuff of science fiction.

University of Warwick psychology researcher Thomas Hills and Ralph Hertwig of the University of Basel looked at a range of studies, including research into the use of drugs like Ritalan which help with attention, studies of people with autism as well as a study of the Ashkenazi Jewish population.

For instance, among individuals with enhanced cognitive abilities- such as savants, people with photographic memories, and even genetically segregated populations of individuals with above average IQ, these individuals often suffer from related disorders, such as autism, debilitating synaesthesia and neural disorders linked with enhanced brain growth.

(Excerpt) Read more at eurekalert.org ...


TOPICS: Health/Medicine
KEYWORDS: godsgravesglyphs
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To: cuban leaf
Anne Lloyd Francis (September 16, 1930 – January 2, 2011)

Bummer, man.

61 posted on 12/08/2011 7:04:52 AM PST by pabianice (")
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To: decimon

i think so much of what we do is controlled in the ‘background’ processign of the brain.

For example every single nerve has to be monitored all the time- if you get a pin prick on your arm you feel it- it pops up to the top of the processing stack.

I have also noticed that when you are workign on a computer, you find and click on thisn much slower than someone looking over your shoulder can find them- this indicates to me that your brain is multi-tasking many more things than someone who is just watching, and must time-share between them.

Just my theory- based on 20 years of observations


62 posted on 12/08/2011 9:53:10 AM PST by Mr. K (Physically unable to profreed <--- oops, see?)
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To: camle

63 posted on 12/08/2011 10:01:42 AM PST by freedomlover (Make sure you're in love - before you move in the heavy stuff)
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To: Mr. K
I have also noticed that when you are workign on a computer, you find and click on thisn much slower than someone looking over your shoulder can find them- this indicates to me that your brain is multi-tasking many more things than someone who is just watching, and must time-share between them.

Why people despise kibitzers.

64 posted on 12/08/2011 10:03:48 AM PST by decimon
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To: decimon
What if autism, et. al., was "evolutionary"? Science fiction, indeed, has predicted the rise of "specialists" or "talents" who were unlike normal people, but highly specialized. And at the cost of "being human", at least as most folks see it.

So the question comes one of correlation -- are the conditions that make one a savant the cause of things like autism, or is it the other way around? (Or are there additional factors that simply correlate the two?)

65 posted on 12/08/2011 10:06:59 AM PST by kevkrom (Separation of Business and State)
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To: decimon

66 posted on 12/08/2011 10:13:53 AM PST by freedomlover (Make sure you're in love - before you move in the heavy stuff)
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To: freedomlover

ah yes! my dear departed friend abe normal!


67 posted on 12/08/2011 10:30:49 AM PST by camle (keep an open mind and someone will fill it full of something for you)
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To: Salamander

;’)


68 posted on 12/08/2011 4:42:43 PM PST by SunkenCiv (It's never a bad time to FReep this link -- https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: Da Coyote
Given his mental handicap(s), it seems as if he’s been dealt a double bad blow.

Yes, I think it's possible that both his mental and physical abilities have been affected by bad blow. The white powdery bad blow.

69 posted on 12/09/2011 5:49:04 PM PST by ReagansShinyHair
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