/sci/ - Science & Math

>>15340826

>but corvids and octopusses are capable of cognition on the level of some mammals so I'm not sure it's essential for that to occur

Indeed, and it is a very good point here which we cannot ignore! Especially with the birds, who both got very complex communication (even the "stupid" ones do have highly complex and individualized songs after all) and with some a problem solution capability easily en par with the smartest apes. Gotta admit here ... I got no answer for that. Back in the lab days I did once try to find out if these examples you've mentioned also have some form of unusually "active" mobile elements in their genomes, maybe even their own ERVs. Sadly didn't find much on it. Or to put it differently perhaps, whether these animal clades do possess some form of similar genetic "fluidity", a different yet similar door. Compare a bit here to another general mechanism such as the neoteny we do see in tamed animals (and humans as well) which does make more sociable and in many cases more lernfähig.

>>15340782

>I was under the impression that you said something about the same adaptation also being important in the world of bacteria and viruses themselves, or am I mistaken?

Which particular one? Sorry, currently not sure what you mean there ...
Btw wanted to also point out one more thing here ... if this "unrestricted" HERV (after all such sequences are usually heavily suppressed in cells, usually through epigenetic means) did allow for higher nutrient draw by the embryo it did perhaps open up a "double door" the degree of cognition humans are capable of, first by allowing more rapid (and larger) embryonal brain growth and by repressing the balance of HERV suppression in the genome overall, allowing for more evolutionary dynamism and more flexible gene regulation in other tissues, in our case the neuronal one.

>>15340573

Look up syncytin and its role in placentation. Afaik only expressed from the male side alleles (typical case of sex-specific epigenetics, expression is also high in the testes). Essential for human pregnancy and syncytins have independently evolved in a beautiful display of parallel evolution in several mammalian clades (in mice for example, different syncytin than we got but exact same function). Transcribed from a HERV, it is effectively nothing but the receptor protein of a former retrovirus, now stably integrated into our genome. Two functions: triggers cell fusion in the outer layer of the placenta (the part touching the uterine wall), creating a syncytium impervious to the maternal immune system ... and also drives parts of the placenta to literally invade the uterine wall like a malign cancer and rip open maternal blood vessels to provide better nutrient exchange for the embryo. The latter part likely occurs through partial cell fusion with maternal immune cells (afaik unproven yet however, might also be the reason for microchimerism after pregnancy). Fyi, HIV for example does the same with immune cells attacking its host cell (syncytia formation via its receptor protein) to knock out the immune response. Funny thing with the malign cancer comparison here ... accidental activation of syncytin in a pre-cancerous cell is likely THE reason for metastasis, fusion of cancer cells with immune cells invading the (usually badly vascularized and "stressed") tumor, creating Frankenstein cells with the immune cell's ability to escape its tissue niche and migrate into other parts of the body.

>>15340428

Ok, so simple concentration issues, got it. So mostly simple fatigue. Might be dopaminergic in our case here, yes, likely not due to exhaustion but due to constant overstimulation ... given that exercise does seem to improve the issue as you just said.

>>15340308

Sadly thus far, but we'll get there. Seems there is a lot of HERVs involved, kind of a regulatory transcriptional superstructure, at least they do get very active during embryogenesis in the nascent brain. Funny to think how these do play an equally important role in the germ line btw.

>>15340254

Correct. And even if we ignore certain Theseus-like effects here for a sec we are still dealing with rearrangements of the DNA superstructure, changes in expression patterns according to incoming signals, etc. ... still a dynamic, oscillating, fluid pattern.

>>15339977

>brain fog

What is that even supposed to mean ...damn zoomies and their imaginary conditions, srsly.

>>15340246

Get out.

>>15339278

Simply relocate the drive to more fruitful tasks.

>>15339893

>I suppose the nucleus is the exception

Must assume a certain level of DNA repair, (mostly silent) mutations, changes in chromatin status and folding, dis- and reassembly of transcription factor complexes ... won't notice ofc so long as functionality is maintained.

>>15339776

>You have to see that it actually is the case in reality.

Haha, hold mein Bier ... :D

>>15339529

Does it maintain the same functionality? If so, it is still of the same use to Theseus.

>>15339958

>modern """"science""""

Neuron-activated monkeys with typewriters, the whole lot.

>>15338718

>almost like the universe was communicating with me about it

Yeah and my bathwater has been smiling at me last night. And the issue with sound waves you got here ... the wave will ofc be reflected and absorbed by the object you want to affect. Likely lose most of the energy you want to actually move the object like that.

>>15338967

>Trickiest part...is catching it in yourself.

Jup. Little shit's slippery, hard to nail down.

>>15335520

>>15335515

>>15334449

Oh really? :)

>>15332392

>Everything is cyclical.

Apparently. There's always that elusive point of discontinuity where the snek eats her own tail.

>>15304193

Advanced gardening. Some branches do need pruning every now and then.

>>15304323
>>15304329

Minitrue busy again this morning ... fuck outa here. :)

>>15301510

>they are indistinguishable to real people

No they aren't. They're simply so common by now that it is hard to find one of the exceptions.

>>15299916

>>15299807

>as would be expected in an evolutionary paradigm

... and where exactly is that expected in the paradigm outside some new ager pop sci bullshit? Not how nature wörks, not how she behaves at all. Rather, we are dealing with certain complexity thresholds which do allow for emergent traits at certain stages ... and these can equally be lost again, either by submerging or actual ablation.

>>15299901

>Intelligence requires a lot of investment of resources.

Yeah that alone is an argument against the initial faulty assumption here. Tendency to invest into self replication itself is still the priority.

>>15297146

>but that isnt a white people problem

Not entirely. The process could need some active support.