SPONSORED BY  | | | | September 13, 2023: Why humans love high-fat foods, COVID vaccine recommendations for fall and how we'll know if AI becomes sentient. —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | | Earlier this week I wrote about ultraprocessed foods designed to keep us eating, and which can activate the reward centers of our brains like addictive drugs. But that's only part of the story. A specific brain chemical may be one of the drivers of the human tendency to overindulge in food, alcohol and drugs in the first place. Researchers found higher levels of the brain chemical neuropeptide Y in humans, compared with our closest living primate relatives.
Why this matters: Neuropeptide Y is associated with "hedonic eating"—consuming food strictly to experience pleasure rather than to satisfy hunger. It drives individuals to seek out high-calorie foods, especially those rich in fat. In human evolutionary history, consuming a surplus of rich, fatty foods meant that our species became more reproductively successful as our ancestors stored extra calories. Those increased calorie stores also meant more energy available to develop a larger brain.
What the experts say: "I think this is a first bit of neurobiological insight into one of the most interesting things about us as a species," says Robert Sapolsky, a neuroendocrinology researcher at Stanford University. Neuropeptide Y is likely part of a host of brain chemicals involved in this phenomenon, experts say. | | | How can scientists detect if artificial intelligence systems have developed true consciousness? Two models of tracking consciousness offer some clues. The first, integrated information theory (IIT) holds that consciousness arises in any system whose components swap information in a certain mathematically defined way. The global neuronal workspace theory (GNWT) posits that consciousness serves as the brain's way of spotlighting critical information.
Why this matters: If we want to detect true consciousness, or sentience, in AI systems, we need tools to detect it. But this will be impossible until we have a solid explanation of human consciousness and its neural underpinnings, writes Christof Koch. "We can extend such an understanding to intelligent machines in a coherent and scientifically satisfactory manner."
The future: Chatbots self-trained on enormous data bases are evolving quickly. "Their linguistic skills, knowledge base and social graces will soon become flawless, endowed with perfect recall, competence, poise, reasoning abilities and intelligence," says Koch. We may even achieve artificial general intelligence in the not-too-distant future, he says, where machines possess human-like intelligence that enables them to adapt, respond and evolve. But they may not be sentient. | | | • The CDC has recommended an updated COVID vaccine for everyone six months and older this fall. | 3 min read | | | • Saudi Arabia is building a "line city," in which nine million people will live within a mere 13 square miles. But mathematicians argue that a circle is a more efficient city design. | 3 min read | | | • Last week, a Virgin Galactic spacecraft traveled 88 kilometers above Earth to the edge of space carrying in its cargo remains from two ancient humans. Some experts say it was a distasteful publicity stunt. | 4 min read | | | • Nationwide, as many as 2,000 workers die each year from extreme heat, with an additional 170,000 heat-related incidents that lead to injuries and illnesses. And yet only five states have safety standards to protect workers from extreme heat. The federal government and employers owe workers better safety measures, write Jessica E. Martinez, Marcy Goldstein-Gelb and Roger Kerson, all at the National Council of Occupational Safety and Health. | 6 min read | | | Credit: June Kim; Source: National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention | | | SPONSORED CONTENT BY BioFuture | BioFuture is Where Breakthroughs are Born. Shape the Future of Healthcare at BioFuture Oct. 4-6 in NYC! | This year's event will feature a mix of cross-industry insights that fuse the developing fields of biopharma, digital medicine, big data, artificial intelligence, healthcare systems, and beyond. Discover and connect with the most innovative biotech and digital medicine companies. Build relationships with industry game-changers, investors and potential partners during networking receptions and one-to-one meetings. Register before Sept 15th and SAVE $200 with the Advance Rate! | | | • An engaging examination of CRISPR technology and the ethics surrounding it. | The New Yorker | | | • This woman runs a hotline for people who worry that using drugs alone makes them vulnerable to dying by overdose. | Slate | | | • Climate impacts have reached Burning Man. | Grist | | | Perhaps I'm naive and biased, but I still think that most jobs in journalism will be best done by humans with human consciousness. Here's hoping that's true for newsletter writing for some time to come. | This newsletter is always evolving. Send feedback and suggestions to: newsletters@sciam.com. See you tomorrow! | —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | Subscribe to this and all of our newsletters . | | | | Scientific American
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