[decimon]

Box of chocolates ping.

[DonaldC]

One thing for sure. A university is the last place a supermind would be found anyway... lol

[MarkL]

Says who?!?!?

Mark

[GraceG]

Well there are two possibilities,

Increase the density of brain cells while decreasing their energy usage, or graft technology into the brain.

[GonzoGOP]

I have had the privilege of knowing two people with photographic memories. Admittedly a very small sample size, but both had head problems when it came to dealing with failure or rejection. They would brood on every minor mistake they made until it drove them into deep depression. Most of us lesser mortals just have a couple of drinks and get on with our lives. But neither of them could just let it go.

[longtermmemmory]

these scientists must be democrats since they only believe in a limited brain. ie only one pie.

instead of, making more pie.

seems like a mere publish or perish whatever study.

[Mr. Bird]

I think they're off base. The article speaks in terms of tradeoffs to cognitive "enhancement", specifically noting pharmacological supplementation. I don't think there is any reason to believe the human brain cannot develop into something more than it is. Considering the strides we have made in a few thousand years, to call the current stage of brain development a "sweet spot" is a little narcissistic.

[cuban leaf]

They broke the mold at Adam and Eve. Duh.

Every animal has “evolved” to it’s “sweet spot”. It may be because they were created that way. Just a thought...

[frithguild]

[who_would_fardels_bear]

Ignorance is bliss.

Liberalism is bliss ... at least in concept.

[RitchieAprile]

Like with engines, tuning for performance means sacrifices in reliability and service intervals.

[Da Coyote]

I was wondering about the inverse.

Given Obama’s displayed cretinism, should he not be built like a pro wrestler and have perfect health? (No insult intended to pro wrestlers, all of whom have done a lot more work and dedication to their jobs than has our Cretin-in-Chief. I respect them, I do not respect him.)

Given his mental handicap(s), it seems as if he’s been dealt a double bad blow.

And I cannot think of one who deserves it more.

[PENANCE]

If there was a "sweet spot" in the development of the human intellect, it was about 10,000 years ago or more.

It's been pretty much downhill since.

[rightwingextremist1776]

So...in other words....Zero really is a dumbass.

[sodpoodle]

Simply put: The brain is a receptacle, then a processor and finally a delivery system.

It has a limited life cycle - not dependent upon what is deposited - but what is useful to its host’s survival - the physical body.

Early man had to process far more information for survival than modern man. So no, the brain is not evolving - it is adjusting.

[oncebitten]

I would argue that services like Google and the Internet in general have already created a “supermind” of sorts.

[camle]

“young frankenstein” comes to mind...

[frithguild]

looked at a range of studies, including [1] research into the use of drugs like Ritalan which help with attention, [2] studies of people with autism as well as [3] a study of the Ashkenazi Jewish population.

One of these things are different, One of these things are not like the rest...

[GOP Poet]

This is an interesting article as it brings up all sorts of issues. For instance. Not all people are gifted or evolved similarly. Thus there are also societal adjustment problems for those that may be more 'gifted' than others and as another poster and the article said there can be other areas that 'react' or function differently than the general population many times as an adaptive result.

The article mentions higher evolution as a society and race. Yet this is impossible with the exception of global evolution.

There are so many areas to explore here. Yet this article does touch on the fact that along with enhancement of one area often comes change in another. That right there is an important consideration.

[Bobalu]

The authors are simply not intelligent enough to understand the adaptability that a vastly more intelligent person would have.

It’s somewhat like our inability to create useful IQ tests to assess those who have extreme intelligence....who can create such a test? or grade it?

Besides, it probably is not genetics that will lead to further expansion of human intellect.... we may be moving beyond all that soon.