Dr_Ish - Slashdot User

Submission + - Are Plants 'Intelligent'? 1

Submitted by Dr_Ish on Sunday August 28, 2022 @05:56PM

Dr_Ish writes: It is not too common for the world of academic philosophy to be changed by a new discovery, or innovation. Perhaps the last time this happened in a major way can be traced back to Turing’s famous (1950) “Computational Machinery and Intelligence” paper (*Mind*, 49, pp. 433-460), where Turing proposed that computational systems could exhibit mind-like properties. However, it appears to be in the process of happening again.

In a series of recent papers and a book that was published last week, philosopher Prof. Paco Calvo from the University of Murcia, has made a compelling case that plants exhibit cognitive properties, such as memory, planning, intelligence and perhaps even numerical abilities. The book received a positive review in *The Gruniad* (see https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.io?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fbo...). His book, Calvo, P. with Lawrence, N. (2022) *Planta Sapiens: The New Science of Plant Intelligence* was published in the UK last week. It will appear in North America in March next year. It can be ordered from the UK publisher, right now, from https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.io?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.littlebrown.co.uk%2F... . If Calvo is correct, one wonders what this means for people who are vegans, for ethical reasons?

Submission + - BBC is reporting an effective COVID-19 Treatment (bbc.com)

Submitted by Dr_Ish on Tuesday June 16, 2020 @01:40PM

Dr_Ish writes: The BBC is reporting that a well-know steroid drug, Dexamethasone is effective in treating patients with severe cases of COVID-19.

Submission + - News On Recent Weather Model Updates

Submitted by Dr_Ish on Saturday August 15, 2015 @05:49PM

Dr_Ish writes: Jeff Master's, over at Weather Underground has posted a fascinating discussion of the recent improvements that have been made to the major weather models that are used to forecast hurricanes and the like. The post also included interesting links that explain more about the models.

Submission + - British Olympics Cyber-Threat

Submitted by Dr_Ish on Monday July 08, 2013 @02:38AM

Dr_Ish writes: The BBC is reporting that the opening ceremonies of last the Olympics last year were potentially subject to a cyber attack that could have cut all the lights and power. Of course, it did not happen. However, the interesting question is whether this is real, or whether this is a FUD [Fear Uncertainty, or Doubt] story promoted by GCHQ to help shore up their shredded credibility.

Slashdot Top Deals