In a study titled Why Is Intelligence Negatively Associated with Religiousness, Edward Dutton and Dimitri Van der Linded tried to explain the link between intelligence and disbelief in God, as more and more individuals with high IQs prefer to adopt an atheist approach to life.

Religion Seen as Instinct

In a context where religion is seen as a primordial instinct and intelligence is the capability of overcoming and challenging one’s instincts, atheism can be easily explained. According to the two social scientists:

“The link between intelligence and religion can be explained if religion is considered an instinct, and intelligence the ability to rise above one’s instincts.”

In order to learn more about the link between intelligence and disbelief in God, the researchers came up with an Intelligence-Mismatch Association Model based on three pre-existing models that tried to explain the same theorem.

Their results suggested intelligence is an “inclination toward the non-instinctive.” Therefore, individuals with high IQs will have an appetence for solving evolutionary puzzles. Since religion requires a certain amount of instinct, blind faith as followers call it, intelligent individuals will be forced to abandon the practice, thus deepening the hiatus between disbelief and high cognitive capabilities.

Stress Amplifies One’s Religious Beliefs

The same study managed to explain why some people turn to religion after experiencing a traumatic episode. The human brain perceives any impending danger or trauma as stress, and in an attempt to overcome the stressful situation, it will automatically direct more resources towards instinct rather than logic.

Seeing as religion is an instinct, or so Dutton and Van der Linden suggest, people going through stressful times will be more likely to turn to religion because their logic is impaired.

While the two social scientists do make some valid points, their entire theory is based on a supposition, just like all other models created prior to this study. In truth, there are many reasons why people don’t feel attracted to religion or why they renounce it.

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Although it might sound like a horror movie plot, there are around 7,000 bodies buried beneath the Mississippi University campus. The place where the Mississippi Medical Center Campus now stands first belonged to a mental institution named the Insane Asylum. Seeing as medicine in the 19th century wasn’t as evolved as it is today, the institution had its very own cemetery.

Over 35,000 Patients Were Treated in the Insane Asylum

Between 1855 and 1935 more than 35,000 people were admitted to this institution. Some of the patients died while receiving treatment here. Seeing as it was the only mental hospital in the state, the dead were buried in the asylum’s cemetery. After 80 years of activity, the Insane Asylum was relocated, the space now belonging to the Mississippi University.

In 2013, construction workers uncovered 66 coffins while digging on campus. The discovery was just the tip of the iceberg. After a year, they found more than 1,000 coffins. Now, current estimations show the university is home to the remains of around 7,000 insane asylum patients.

Seeing as campus officials can’t simply leave the bodies there, they decided to exhume and rebury them. The problem is that the costs of this process can reach a staggering $28.5 million. In consequence, they have come up with a cost-efficient backup plan.

The Insane Asylum Patients Will Receive a Memorial

The University of Mississippi decided to create a memorial to commemorate the deceased mental patients. Even more, a specialized and one-of-a-kind lab will be built, researchers receiving all equipment necessary to analyze the clothing, coffins, and bodies of the 19th-century insane asylum residents. By doing this, they will learn more about pre-modern mental health care.

With the help of the newly-founded Asylum Hill Research Consortium – a group that reunites renowned archaeologists, historians, and anthropologists – the University of Mississippi will be able to uncover the deep dark secrets of the 66 patients that were unearthed 4 years ago.

The rest of the bodies will remain untouched, the institution preferring to build its adjacent bodies in other locations, leaving the dead rest. As a bonus, tourists will be able to visit the location to pay their respects to the deceased.

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The European XFEL has received the title of the biggest X-ray in the world. There is no wonder to this. The X-ray light can achieve a wavelength of 0.8mm. This is 500 times smaller than a visible light can have. Moreover, the laser is capable of a repetition rate of 27,000 pulses per second. However, during its first light, the laser was programmed to deliver only one pulse per second.

European XFEL’s First Light Symbolized its Last Key Milestone

The European X-ray free-electron laser or XFEL for short is the result of collaborative work among 11 countries. Its location is in Germany at a research unit dubbed as DESY, and it has 2.11 miles in length. By successfully shooting its first light, the project has accomplished the last important milestone in its development. As a consequence, the innovative tool is ready for its official launch in September 2017.

The managing director of the European XFEL, professor Robert Feidenhans, remarked that the completion of such a complex project is the result of an outstanding collaborative effort. The next steps before the official launch imply redirecting the powerful flashes with the use of special mirrors towards the experiment hall. Afterward, workers have to select experiment stations one by one.

“This is an important moment that our partners and we have worked towards for many years.”

There Are Numerous Utilities for the Largest X-Ray in the World

At the moment, there are only five powerful X-ray lasers in the entire world. The latest one, European XFEL, is the most modern and comprehensive one of them all. Researchers are confident that thanks to this tool, the impossible would turn in possible. As such, the laser will play an important role in unique experiments that belong to a large range of disciplines such as biology, physics, chemistry, nanotechnology, and materials science.

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Penguins must be the most popular birds out there. Due to their inability to fly, they strike a very emotional chord in people as they manage to do just fine with their flightless wings and in an extremely brutal weather conditions. However, their cute waddling walk can’t save them in the face of global change. Penguin populations reached a number of 12 million, yet it is not enough.

The Most Comprehensive Study of Its Kind Signals a Shrinkage in Penguin Populations

On Tuesday, a new report was published that presented the findings of the first comprehensive study on penguin populations. The author is Ron Naveen who received the nickname of the 21^st century Dr. Dolittle. His task for the last two decades was to count penguins. The report suggests that there are around six million breeding couples of penguins that populate Antarctica at this hour. While the study is ongoing, Naveen managed to reach a significant conclusion. He registered a dramatic shrinkage in the number of specimens that belong to certain species of penguins. The collapse of their population coincides with parts of the continent that got warmer in the past years.

Scientists collected all possible data on the five species that were affected by climate change. This includes a complex collection of ground counts, satellite images, and others. As a consequence, researchers created the first comprehensive outlook on penguin populations in the last two decades.

The Evolution of One Species that Settled across Antarctica Points at Climate Change

The report was uploaded on the official site of Oceanites, an environmental organization that Naveen founded back in 1987. The paper managed to notice different evolutions across penguin populations. For instance, two species called Adelie and chinstraps have dropped in number by 50% since the 1980s. However, at the same time, another species dubbed as Gentoo who are living in the same region as the other two showed signs of a reversed evolution. They managed to grow in numbers by as much as 40%. Scientists believe that the latter can adapt faster its nutritional habits.

That leads us to start thinking about climate change and why one species is adapting better than another,”

At the same time, there are some communities of Adelie penguins on the opposite part of the continents. As opposed to their brothers and sisters, these managed to grow in population. As the two sides of the continent have been affected differently by climate change, scientists believe that the Adelie communities that dropped in number have been affected by climate change. They live on the west side which is warmer than usual.

The report is not ready yet. Scientists have to document the situation of other species of penguins as well. Moreover, Oceanite organization plans to release similar updates on penguin populations on an annual basis.

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Marine life continues to play an important role for both nature and people. However, not even the underwater world is fully protected from the intrusion of humans. A new report found a surprisingly high rate of boat and whale collisions. While scientists were aware of this type of unfortunate accidents, they didn’t expect such a high number of cases.

Scientists Analyzed More than 210,000 Images for the Study

The new study focused mainly on the humpback whales. These magnificent marine creatures return every spring to the southern Gulf of Maine to feed themselves from rich sources of krill. However, many of them are badly injured by collisions with boats that travel the waters.

The findings of the study were published in the journal Marine Mammal Science. Researchers based their report on 624 specimens of humpback whales. These individuals were photographed between 2004 and 2013 in an area delimited by the coasts of Maine, Hampshire, and Massachusetts. Many scientists started to analyze around 210,000 images. These captures surprised five types of injuries that are common after boat and whale collisions. In the end, researchers documented a total of 149 injuries.

The results show that 14.7% of the 624 specimens presented wounds that were the result of at least one ship strike. However, most of the individuals bear the visible signs of up to four strike wounds. Seven of them had at least three injuries caused by boats, and two of them had at least four such marks.

Nonetheless, scientists did not have enough data to decide whether multiple injuries in different areas were the result of the same boat or were involuntarily inflicted over time. However, they managed to identify the injuries of a whale calf from two different collisions. The wounds were fresh enough at the time they were photographed.

Boat and Whale Collisions Are a Double-Edged Sword

The Whale and Dolphin Conservation warns people that these events can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, such accidents can pose a powerful enough effect to throw people and cause fatal injuries. Some collisions reportedly sank small vessels. On the other hand, if the strike affects certain parts of the whale, the creature has small chances of survival.

Authorities are aware that the humpback whales are enlisted as an endangered species in U.S. However, there are currently no rules or regulations that have the power to mitigate such unfortunate events.

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The International Space Station has just received a new load of supplies. This essential mission was possible thanks to Cygnus commercial freighter that left Earth five days ago from Cape Canaveral. Thanks to it, the space satellite that is a temporary home for Russian, American, and other international astronauts received 7,500 pounds of cargo. The received assets vary from food, equipment, small satellites, scientific experiments, and others.

Scientists Cheered the Success of the Mission and Underscored Its Importance

After a space journey of four days, the commercial freighter that received the ceremonial name of the late John Glenn was docked to the International Space Station on Saturday at 6:05 a.m. EDT. The cap took flight thanks to the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket on Tuesday. Frenchman Thomas Pesquet was the flight engineer who oversaw the tedious grappling procedure. The successful end came right from the first attempt to connect the commercial freighter to the space station.

Scientists on board of the habitable artificial satellite consider this achievement the result of a fruitful international collaboration. Pesquet ended the mission with heartwarming words on the noble purpose of ISS.

“Achievements like this, fruit of the hard work by space agencies and private companies and the international cooperation across the world, are what truly makes the ISS such a special endeavor at the service of all mankind.”

The Cygnus Commercial Freighter Will Burn Up in Atmosphere in Three Months

The most important assets of the latest cargo are crucial for upcoming space missions. Commander Peggy Whitson together with flight engineer Jack Fischer is going to employ an avionic box of large dimensions and a jumper cable. The mission has the nickname of Expedition 51, and it is scheduled for May 21. The goal is to turn one of the pallets of the ExPRESS Logistics Carrier into a unit for science payloads. Moreover, the cable will determine whether a shuttle-era port that has been in space for six years is still operational or not.

The Cygnus commercial freighter will remain attached to ISS for three months. During this time, the crew will have to unload all the cargo it brought. However, the probe will not remain empty. Scientists will load it with disposables and trash. The spacecraft will not return to Earth, but it will burn up in the atmosphere before it can reach the ground.

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A new study shows that psychedelic drugs have a different effect than previously believed. Researchers discovered that these drugs can actually increase the state of consciousness of the brain. Those who use drugs like LSD and ketamine claim that these substances cause their brain to be more conscious. Now, researchers are starting to agree with them.

Increased Brain Activity

In order to conduct this study, researchers selected healthy volunteers and gave them LSD, psilocybin, and ketamine. Before they received these psychedelic drugs, the volunteers underwent brain tests that measured their brain activity. The researchers measured the brain activity of the participants after they took the drugs. It was observed that the drugs caused more random activities in the brain.

The participants of the study had an increased brain activity after they received the psychedelic drugs. Along with the increased brain activity, the participants also experienced peculiar sensations. Some of the sensations ranged from floating, experiencing inner peace, or disintegrating.

Researchers mentioned that the most notable effects were in the areas of the brain that pay a role in perception. The areas of the brain that play a role in movement and language were not that affected by the drugs. Scientists mentioned that the random brain activity shows that the participants were in a higher state of consciousness.

“These findings suggest that the sustained occurrence of psychedelic phenomenology constitutes an elevated level of consciousness — as measured by neural signal diversity,” stated the research.

The findings of the study were published in the journal Scientific Reports. This researcher can help health experts understand the effects of psychedelic drugs better than they previously did. It can also help doctors understand how their patients respond to these drugs. Some of these “magic mushrooms” can be used to treat mental disorders.

Previous studies have shown that psychedelic drugs can have a great impact on people who suffer from mental disorders. A research that was conducted in 2016 showed that psilocybin can help people reduce the level of distress caused by social exclusion. Depression can also be treated with a low dosage of psilocybin.

Despite the fact that all the studies have shown potential, researchers were unable to demonstrate that these drugs are both safe and effective. This is why health experts advise people against self-treatments with magic mushrooms. People need to understand that these drugs haven’t been tested enough and everybody can react differently to the drugs.

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The scientific world was long ago aware of the existence of an ancient mollusc. However, this creature left behind only a shell as proof of its existence. Nonetheless, as of recently a group of men discovered the first living specimen of the giant shipworm captured in the wild. Its original location was in the Philippines and it was completely enclosed in a shell that resembles a tusk.

A Local TV Footage Sparked Search Parties for the Giant Shipworm in 2010

An international team of scientists from the Northeastern University, University of the Philippines, University of Utah, Drexel University, and Sultan Kudarat State University has just published the first comprehensive paper about the giant shipworm. They managed to capture the first specimen of the Kuphus polythalamia species. Their existence was hinted away by a series of tusk-like shells that were three feet long. They used to be buried in the mud of the Philippines shores. However, the inhabitants of such enclosures were nowhere to be found.

Nonetheless, scientists managed to collect more data about these creatures thanks to this latest discovery. The international team tried to find this specimen of giant shipworm since 2010. This was when the local television broadcasted how a man tried to eat such a mollusc. The character explained his resolution as an attempt to unlock miraculous medicinal properties. Daniel Distel and Ruth Turner were looking for such creatures since the beginning of their careers.

“It’s hard not to be amazed when seeing one in the flesh, even if you know nothing about them. There is no other animal like them.”

The Longest Bivalve Worm Feeds on Symbiotic Bacteria

The TV material gave solid grounds for professionals to start looking for the giant shipworm across the Philippines shores. There were two expeditions that the local researchers organized. They took place in 2010 and 2011. The latter one was successful. Researchers brought back to their labs several specimens for in-depth study.

The giant shipworm is the longest bivalve worm in the world. It is also the last living species of its genus. Unlike its cousins that burrow and eat driftwood, the giant shipworm prefers a more passive lifestyle. It surrounds itself with nothing but mud. Its nourishment is extremely limited. It seems that it consumes only symbiotic bacteria that develop in its gills.

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The entire world has been intrigued of the intellectual capacity of an octopus. Such a cephalopod mollusk has proven for numerous times that it is an intelligent sea creature. Scientists influenced them to take part in many problem-solving experiments. Each time, octopi showed they are capable of long and short-term memory. Moreover, they can escape tanks, unscrew jars, and talk with one another through their own codes. As of recently, a new team of researchers discovered another ability of theirs that enable them to alter their own brain genes.

Only Coleoid Cephalopods Can Alter Their Brain Genes

Scientists from Woods Hole, Marine Biological Laboratory, and Tel Aviv University have joined their research to uncover an amazing fact about Coleoid cephalopods such as octopi and squids. Their work was published in journal Cell, and it contains some insightful discoveries. Their attention was attracted by the fact that the RNA of such invertebrates seemed to be rewritten. The codes for proteins bore numerous alterations, especially for those in neurons.

Scientists got to name this unusual phenomenon as RNA editing. Basically, the cephalopods can take one enzyme from one base of RNA and repurpose it for a different base. The authors of the study suspect that this ability was developed as a mechanism of adaptability. By changing their brain genes, cephalopods can be flexible and thrive in any type of environment. By comparison, humans have 20,000 genes. However, only a few of them show an overwritten material which makes them different from the original DNA.

Scientists Believe RNA Editing Is a Tool of Adaptability

The scientific world was aware that octopi and squids are capable of RNA editing. However, the new study measured how frequently the creatures of the sea resort to this practice. The answer is surprising. For instance, squids are also hosting a total of 20,000 genes. However, in comparison to humans, they can change a whopping number of 11,000 RNA sequences. Two species of octopus and the cuttlefish are capable of the same performance.

There is no clear reason why this feature evolved to such a complex extent within Coleoid cephalopods. Some scientists believe that this flexibility of genes permitted octopi to adapt to the harshest forms of environment. Other persons of science are more excited about the discovery. They believe that the RNA editing has led to an exceptionally intellectual capacity for both squids and octopi.

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In today’s world, life seems meaningless without any form of contact with technology. We need news feeds, instant online socialization, entertainment, music, fast business operations, information sources, fast exploration of the world, and many others. Technology helps us learn, order food, create, work, communicate, and have fun. However, the human body and AI are still two standalone parts despite such an interdependent relation. Nonetheless, today’s genius minds such as Elon Musk have already started endeavors to facilitate the evolution of humankind toward a digital person.

Elon Musk’s Acquistion of Neuralink Reveals Business Interest in a Digital Person

The CEO of SpaceX and Tesla has already revolutionized the world with fast and yet eco-friendly vehicles and reusable space shuttles. However, Elon Musk is now thinking of the future once more. The young entrepreneur has turned to a domain that seems a subject of Sci-Fi literature only. He acquired Neuralink. The team that empowers this company is working to create a link between the computer and the human mind. This is a novel territory for a businessperson. This is why many people wonder how profitable and sustainable this new ambitious project really is.

Jacques Vidal is the father of neurotechnology. Back in the 1970s, he discovered that electroencephalography or EEG which records brain waves through electrodes is powerful enough to control devices. This means that a certain type of gadget can facilitate the mediation between human mind and computers. The theory requires the employment of computer algorithms that are capable or translating thoughts into commands for devices. This type of technology can create a digital person and has ignited many ambitious projects since then.

A New Market Takes Shape around the EEG Technology

The collaboration between human mind and technology could surpass the limits of artificial intelligence. Many sci-fi books condemned robots for their lack of depth. Their rationality is too mathematical to be able to take the right decision in the real world. However, if technology is combined with the human mind, the result will be powerful.

However, since recently, the potential of EEG has remained a matter of the scientific world only. Researchers studied EGG only as a means to an end. They used this technology just to map the human mind. However, they did not extent their research to commercial usages. These can be even cyborgs or simpler appliances such as controlling a car with one’s mind. Elon Musk can be the necessary link that will merge technology with humans to create the next evolutionary step for humankind, which is the digital person.

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