It has been argued that the worldwide prevalence of certain types of geometric visual patterns fo... more It has been argued that the worldwide prevalence of certain types of geometric visual patterns found in prehistoric art can be best explained by the common experience of these patterns as geometric hallucinations during altered states of consciousness induced by shamanic ritual practices. And in turn the worldwide prevalence of these types of hallucinations has been explained by appealing to humanity’s shared neurobiological embodiment. Moreover, it has been proposed that neural network activity can exhibit similar types of spatiotemporal patterns, especially those caused by Turing instabilities under disinhibited, non-ordinary conditions. Altered states of consciousness thus provide a suitable pivot point from which to investigate the complex relationships between symbolic material culture, first-person experience, and neurobiology. We critique prominent theories of these relationships. Drawing inspiration from neurophenomenology, we sketch the beginnings of an alternative, enactiv...
It is not yet well understood how we become conscious of the presence of other people as being ot... more It is not yet well understood how we become conscious of the presence of other people as being other subjects in their own right. Developmental and phenomenological approaches are converging on a relational hypothesis: my perception of a “you” is primarily constituted by another subject’s attention being directed toward “me.” This is particularly the case when my body is being physically explored in an intentional manner. We set out to characterize the sensorimotor signature of the transition to being aware of the other by re-analyzing time series of embodied interactions between pairs of adults (recorded during a “perceptual crossing” experiment). Measures of turn-taking and movement synchrony were used to quantify social coordination, and transfer entropy was used to quantify direction of influence. We found that the transition leading to one’s conscious perception of the other’s presence was indeed characterized by a significant increase in one’s passive reception of the other’s ...
Swarming behavior is common in biology, from cell colonies to insect swarms and bird flocks. Howe... more Swarming behavior is common in biology, from cell colonies to insect swarms and bird flocks. However, the conditions leading to the emergence of such behavior are still subject to research. Since Reynolds' boids, many artificial models have reproduced swarming behavior, focusing on details ranging from obstacle avoidance to the introduction of fixed leaders. This paper presents a model of evolved artificial agents, able to develop swarming using only their ability to listen to each other's signals. The model simulates a population of agents looking for a vital resource they cannot directly detect, in a 3D environment. Instead of a centralized algorithm, each agent is controlled by an artificial neural network, whose weights are encoded in a genotype and adapted by an original asynchronous genetic algorithm. The results demonstrate that agents progressively evolve the ability to use the information exchanged between each other via signaling to establish temporary leader-follower relations. These relations allow agents to form swarming patterns, emerging as a transient behavior that improves the agents' ability to forage for the resource. Once they have acquired the ability to swarm, the individuals are able to outperform the non-swarmers at finding the resource. The population hence reaches a neutral evolutionary space which leads to a genetic drift of the genotypes. This reductionist approach to signal-based swarming not only contributes to shed light on the minimal conditions for the evolution of a swarming behavior, but also more generally it exemplifies the effect communication can have on optimal search patterns in collective groups of individuals.
Life on Earth must originally have arisen from abiotic chemistry. Since the details of this chemi... more Life on Earth must originally have arisen from abiotic chemistry. Since the details of this chemistry are unknown, we wish to understand, in general, which types of chemistry can lead to complex, lifelike behavior. Here we show that even very simple chemistries in the thermodynamically reversible regime can self-organize to form complex autocatalytic cycles, with the catalytic effects emerging from the network structure. We demonstrate this with a very simple but thermodynamically reasonable artificial chemistry model. By suppressing the direct reaction from reactants to products, we obtain the simplest kind of autocatalytic cycle, resulting in exponential growth. When these simple first-order cycles are prevented from forming, the system achieves superexponential growth through more complex, higher-order autocatalytic cycles. This leads to nonlinear phenomena such as oscillations and bistability, the latter of which is of particular interest regarding the origins of life.
We have developed a simple chemical system capable of self-movement in order to study the physico... more We have developed a simple chemical system capable of self-movement in order to study the physicochemical origins of movement. We propose how this system may be useful in the study of minimal perception and cognition. The system consists simply of an oil droplet in an aqueous environment. A chemical reaction within the oil droplet induces an instability, the symmetry of the oil droplet breaks, and the droplet begins to move through the aqueous phase. The complement of physical phenomena that is then generated indicates the presence of feedback cycles that, as will be argued, form the basis for self-regulation, homeostasis, and perhaps an extended form of autopoiesis. We discuss the result that simple chemical systems are capable of sensory-motor coupling and possess a homeodynamic state from which cognitive processes may emerge.
Journal of orthopaedics and traumatology : official journal of the Italian Society of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, 2008
The natural history of osteonecrosis of the femoral head is generally thought to be one of progre... more The natural history of osteonecrosis of the femoral head is generally thought to be one of progressive deterioration if no intervention is undertaken. However, it is unknown whether surgical intervention is beneficial for patients with a small region of osteonecrosis. We observed rapid improvement of MRI findings after rotational acetabular osteotomy (RAO) was performed in a young patient with osteonecrosis of the femoral head. The band-like low signal area on T2-weighted images almost resolved by six months after surgery. He returned to work as an electrician by six months after surgery. Early surgical intervention such as RAO that alters the mechanical force acting on the necrotic region of the femoral head may accelerate the recovery of osteonecrosis and the improvement of symptoms.
In Japan, R&D activities for partitioning and transmutation (P&T) have been promoted under the OM... more In Japan, R&D activities for partitioning and transmutation (P&T) have been promoted under the OMEGA programme for more than 15 years. These activities were reviewed by the Atomic Energy Commission in Japan in 2000. In accordance with the results of the review, three institutes, the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI), the Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute (JNC) and the
It has been argued that the worldwide prevalence of certain types of geometric visual patterns fo... more It has been argued that the worldwide prevalence of certain types of geometric visual patterns found in prehistoric art can be best explained by the common experience of these patterns as geometric hallucinations during altered states of consciousness induced by shamanic ritual practices. And in turn the worldwide prevalence of these types of hallucinations has been explained by appealing to humanity’s shared neurobiological embodiment. Moreover, it has been proposed that neural network activity can exhibit similar types of spatiotemporal patterns, especially those caused by Turing instabilities under disinhibited, non-ordinary conditions. Altered states of consciousness thus provide a suitable pivot point from which to investigate the complex relationships between symbolic material culture, first-person experience, and neurobiology. We critique prominent theories of these relationships. Drawing inspiration from neurophenomenology, we sketch the beginnings of an alternative, enactiv...
It is not yet well understood how we become conscious of the presence of other people as being ot... more It is not yet well understood how we become conscious of the presence of other people as being other subjects in their own right. Developmental and phenomenological approaches are converging on a relational hypothesis: my perception of a “you” is primarily constituted by another subject’s attention being directed toward “me.” This is particularly the case when my body is being physically explored in an intentional manner. We set out to characterize the sensorimotor signature of the transition to being aware of the other by re-analyzing time series of embodied interactions between pairs of adults (recorded during a “perceptual crossing” experiment). Measures of turn-taking and movement synchrony were used to quantify social coordination, and transfer entropy was used to quantify direction of influence. We found that the transition leading to one’s conscious perception of the other’s presence was indeed characterized by a significant increase in one’s passive reception of the other’s ...
Swarming behavior is common in biology, from cell colonies to insect swarms and bird flocks. Howe... more Swarming behavior is common in biology, from cell colonies to insect swarms and bird flocks. However, the conditions leading to the emergence of such behavior are still subject to research. Since Reynolds' boids, many artificial models have reproduced swarming behavior, focusing on details ranging from obstacle avoidance to the introduction of fixed leaders. This paper presents a model of evolved artificial agents, able to develop swarming using only their ability to listen to each other's signals. The model simulates a population of agents looking for a vital resource they cannot directly detect, in a 3D environment. Instead of a centralized algorithm, each agent is controlled by an artificial neural network, whose weights are encoded in a genotype and adapted by an original asynchronous genetic algorithm. The results demonstrate that agents progressively evolve the ability to use the information exchanged between each other via signaling to establish temporary leader-follower relations. These relations allow agents to form swarming patterns, emerging as a transient behavior that improves the agents' ability to forage for the resource. Once they have acquired the ability to swarm, the individuals are able to outperform the non-swarmers at finding the resource. The population hence reaches a neutral evolutionary space which leads to a genetic drift of the genotypes. This reductionist approach to signal-based swarming not only contributes to shed light on the minimal conditions for the evolution of a swarming behavior, but also more generally it exemplifies the effect communication can have on optimal search patterns in collective groups of individuals.
Life on Earth must originally have arisen from abiotic chemistry. Since the details of this chemi... more Life on Earth must originally have arisen from abiotic chemistry. Since the details of this chemistry are unknown, we wish to understand, in general, which types of chemistry can lead to complex, lifelike behavior. Here we show that even very simple chemistries in the thermodynamically reversible regime can self-organize to form complex autocatalytic cycles, with the catalytic effects emerging from the network structure. We demonstrate this with a very simple but thermodynamically reasonable artificial chemistry model. By suppressing the direct reaction from reactants to products, we obtain the simplest kind of autocatalytic cycle, resulting in exponential growth. When these simple first-order cycles are prevented from forming, the system achieves superexponential growth through more complex, higher-order autocatalytic cycles. This leads to nonlinear phenomena such as oscillations and bistability, the latter of which is of particular interest regarding the origins of life.
We have developed a simple chemical system capable of self-movement in order to study the physico... more We have developed a simple chemical system capable of self-movement in order to study the physicochemical origins of movement. We propose how this system may be useful in the study of minimal perception and cognition. The system consists simply of an oil droplet in an aqueous environment. A chemical reaction within the oil droplet induces an instability, the symmetry of the oil droplet breaks, and the droplet begins to move through the aqueous phase. The complement of physical phenomena that is then generated indicates the presence of feedback cycles that, as will be argued, form the basis for self-regulation, homeostasis, and perhaps an extended form of autopoiesis. We discuss the result that simple chemical systems are capable of sensory-motor coupling and possess a homeodynamic state from which cognitive processes may emerge.
Journal of orthopaedics and traumatology : official journal of the Italian Society of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, 2008
The natural history of osteonecrosis of the femoral head is generally thought to be one of progre... more The natural history of osteonecrosis of the femoral head is generally thought to be one of progressive deterioration if no intervention is undertaken. However, it is unknown whether surgical intervention is beneficial for patients with a small region of osteonecrosis. We observed rapid improvement of MRI findings after rotational acetabular osteotomy (RAO) was performed in a young patient with osteonecrosis of the femoral head. The band-like low signal area on T2-weighted images almost resolved by six months after surgery. He returned to work as an electrician by six months after surgery. Early surgical intervention such as RAO that alters the mechanical force acting on the necrotic region of the femoral head may accelerate the recovery of osteonecrosis and the improvement of symptoms.
In Japan, R&D activities for partitioning and transmutation (P&T) have been promoted under the OM... more In Japan, R&D activities for partitioning and transmutation (P&T) have been promoted under the OMEGA programme for more than 15 years. These activities were reviewed by the Atomic Energy Commission in Japan in 2000. In accordance with the results of the review, three institutes, the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI), the Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute (JNC) and the
Proceedings of AISB’11: Computing & Philosophy, 2011
There is a growing community of cognitive scientists who are interested in developing a systemati... more There is a growing community of cognitive scientists who are interested in developing a systematic understanding of the experiential or ‘lived’ aspects of the mind. We argue that this shift from cognitive science to consciousness science presents a novel challenge to the fields of AI, robotics and related synthetic approaches. AI has traditionally formed the central foundation of cognitive science, and progress in artificial life has helped to pioneer a new understanding of cognition as embodied, situated and dynamical. However, in the current experiential turn toward the phenomenological aspects of mind, the role of these fields still remains uncertain. We propose that one way of dealing with the challenge of phenomenology is to make use of artificial life principles in the design of systems that include human observers inside the technologically mediated sensorimotor loops. Human-computer interfaces enable us to artificially vary the embodiment of the participants, and can therefore be used as novel tools to systematically investigate the embodied mind ‘as-it-could-be’ from the first-person perspective. We illustrate this methodology of artificial embodiment by drawing on our research in sensory substitution, virtual reality, and interactive installation.
Artificial Life 13: Proceedings of the Thirteenth International Conference on the Synthesis and Simulation of Living Systems, 2012
Most researchers in the science of the origin of life assume that the process of living is nothin... more Most researchers in the science of the origin of life assume that the process of living is nothing but computation in the chemical domain, i.e. information processing of a genetic code. This has had the effect of restricting research to the problem of stability, as epitomized by the concept of the hypercycle and its potential vulnerability against parasites. Stability is typically assumed to be ensured by a rigid compartment, but spatial self-structuring is a viable alternative. We further develop this alternative by proposing that some instability can actually be beneficial under certain conditions. We show that instability can lead to adaptive behavior even in the case of simple prebiotic reaction-diffusion systems. We demonstrate for the first time that a parasitic sidereaction on the metabolic level can lead to self-motility on the behavioral level of the chemical system as a whole. Moreover, self-motility entails advantages on an evolutionary level, thus constituting a symbiotic, behavior-based hypercycle. We relate this novel finding to several issues in the science of the origin of life, and conclude that more attention should be given to the possibility of a movement-first scenario.
Advances in Artificial Life, ECAL 2011: Proceedings of the Eleventh European Conference on the Synthesis and Simulation of Living Systems, 2011
We argue that the phenomenon of life is best understood as a process of open-ended becoming and t... more We argue that the phenomenon of life is best understood as a process of open-ended becoming and that this potentiality for continuous change is expressed over a variety of timescales, in particular in the form of metabolism, behavior, development, and evolution. We make use of a minimal synthetic approach that attempts to model this potentiality of life in terms of simpler dissipative structures, using reaction-diffusion systems to produce models that exhibit these characteristics. An analysis of the models shows that its structures exhibit some instances of relevant changes, but we do not consider them open-ended enough to be called alive. Still, the models shed light on current debates about the origins of life, especially by highlighting the potential role of motility in metabolism-first evolution.
According to the enactive approach to cognitive science, perception is essentially a skillful eng... more According to the enactive approach to cognitive science, perception is essentially a skillful engagement with the world. Learning how to engage via a human-computer interface (HCI) can therefore be taken as an instance of developing a new mode of experiencing. Similarly, social perception is theorized to be primarily constituted by skillful engagement between people, which implies that it is possible to investigate the origins and development of social awareness using multi-user HCIs. We analyzed the trial-by-trial objective and subjective changes in sociality that took place during a perceptual crossing experiment in which embodied interaction between pairs of adults was mediated over a minimalist haptic HCI. Since that study required participants to implicitly relearn how to mutually engage so as to perceive each other's presence, we hypothesized that there would be indications that the initial developmental stages of social awareness were recapitulated. Preliminary results reveal that, despite the lack of explicit feedback about task performance, there was a trend for the clarity of social awareness to increase over time. We discuss the methodological challenges involved in evaluating whether this trend was characterized by distinct developmental stages of objective behavior and subjective experience.
The state space of a conventional Hopfield network typically exhibits many different attractors o... more The state space of a conventional Hopfield network typically exhibits many different attractors of which only a small subset satisfy constraints between neurons in a globally optimal fashion. It has recently been demonstrated that combining Hebbian learning with occasional alterations of normal neural states avoids this problem by means of self-organized enlargement of the best basins of attraction. However, so far it is not clear to what extent this process of self-optimization is also operative in real brains. Here we demonstrate that it can be transferred to more biologically plausible neural networks by implementing a self-optimizing spiking neural network model. In addition, by using this spiking neural network to emulate a Hopfield network with Hebbian learning, we attempt to make a connection between rate-based and temporal coding based neural systems. Although further work is required to make this model more realistic, it already suggests that the efficacy of the self-optimizing process is independent from the simplifying assumptions of a conventional Hopfield network. We also discuss natural and cultural processes that could be responsible for occasional alteration of neural firing patterns in actual brains.
There is a growing community of researchers who are interested in establishing a science of the e... more There is a growing community of researchers who are interested in establishing a science of the experiential or ‘lived’ aspects of the human mind. This shift from cognitive science to consciousness science presents a profound challenge to synthetic approaches. To be sure, symbolic artificial intelligence constituted the original foundation of cognitive science; subsequent progress in robotics has helped to pioneer a new understanding of the mind as essentially embodied, situated, and dynamical, while artificial life has informed the concept of biological self-organization. However, with regard to the development of a science of the experienced mind, the relevance of these synthetic approaches still remains uncertain. We propose to address the challenge of first-person experience by designing new human–computer interfaces, which aim to artificially mediate a participant’s sensorimotor loop such that novel kinds of experience can emerge for the user. The advantage of this synthetic approach is that computer interface technology enables us to systematically vary the ways in which participants experience the world and thereby allows us to systematically investigate ‘mind-as-it-could-be’ from the first-person perspective. We illustrate the basic principles of this method by drawing on examples from our research in sensory substitution, virtual reality, and interactive installation.
Scientists have traditionally limited the mechanisms of social cognition to one brain, but recent... more Scientists have traditionally limited the mechanisms of social cognition to one brain, but recent approaches claim that interaction also realizes cognitive work. Experiments under constrained virtual settings revealed that interaction dynamics implicitly guide social cognition. Here we show that embodied social interaction can be constitutive of agency detection and of experiencing another’s presence. Pairs of participants moved their ‘‘avatars’’ along an invisible virtual line and could make haptic contact with three identical objects, two of which embodied the other’s motions, but only one, the other’s avatar, also embodied the other’s contact sensor and thereby enabled responsive interaction. Co-regulated interactions were significantly correlated with identifications of the other’s avatar and reports of the clearest awareness of the other’s presence. These results challenge folk psychological notions about the boundaries of mind, but make sense from evolutionary and developmental perspectives: an extendible mind can offload cognitive work into its environment.
Due to recent advances in synthetic biology and artificial life, the origin of life is currently ... more Due to recent advances in synthetic biology and artificial life, the origin of life is currently a hot topic of research. We review the literature and argue that the two traditionally competing replicator first and metabolism-first approaches are merging into one integrated theory of individuation and evolution. We contribute to the maturation of this more inclusive approach by highlighting some problematic assumptions that still lead to an impoverished conception of the phenomenon of life. In particular, we argue that the new consensus has so far failed to consider the relevance of intermediate time scales. We propose that an adequate theory of life must account for the fact that all living beings are situated in at least four distinct time scales, which are typically associated with metabolism, motility, development, and evolution. In this view, self movement, adaptive behavior, and morphological changes could have already been present at the origin of life. In order to illustrate this possibility, we analyze a minimal model of lifelike phenomena, namely, of precarious, individuated, dissipative structures that can be found in simple reaction-diffusion systems. Based on our analysis, we suggest that processes on intermediate time scales could have already been operative in prebiotic systems. They may have facilitated and constrained changes occurring in the faster- and slower-paced time scales of chemical self-individuation and evolution by natural selection, respectively.
Synthetic approaches to social interaction support the development of a second-person neuroscienc... more Synthetic approaches to social interaction support the development of a second-person neuroscience. Agent-based models and psychological experiments can be related in a mutually informing manner. Models have the advantage of making the nonlinear brain–body–environment–body–brain system as a whole accessible to analysis by dynamical systems theory. We highlight some general principles of how social interaction can partially constitute an individual’s behavior.
In important ways, Clark’s “hierarchical prediction machine” (HPM) approach parallels the researc... more In important ways, Clark’s “hierarchical prediction machine” (HPM) approach parallels the research agenda we have been pursuing. Nevertheless, we remain unconvinced that the HPM offers the best clue yet to the shape of a unified science of mind and action. The apparent convergence of research interests is offset by a profound divergence of theoretical starting points and ideal goals.
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Papers by Takashi Ikegami