James Lyons-Weiler

When participants make judgments about the onset of self-initiated movements they typically report the movement occurred earlier than it had [Obhi, S. S., & Haggard, P.. Free will and free won’t. American Scientific, 92, 358–365.]. One interpretation is that feed-forward processes lead to awareness of the movement prior to execution. Because individuals with autism experience reduced preparatory activity prior to a voluntary movement, the present study sought to determine whether these anticipatory biases are exhibited by persons with autism. Participants watched a dot move in a circle and pressed the spacebar any time after one revolution. A tone either followed the participants’ voluntary movement or was computer generated. Participants in both groups made anticipatory judgements regarding movement initiation. When the movement and tone occurred together this anticipatory bias was also present, regardless of which event participants focused on. Individuals with autism appear to have access to a similar representation of voluntary movements, however this representation may be more variable.

Did you ever wonder whether doctors want cures, or just treatments? Did you know... Grapefruit can interact with over 100 drugs, but it may be useful for reducing blood pressure and for weight loss?ADHD over diagnosis is now recognized widely as a fact, and there are existing — and new ways — to avoid a misdiagnosis?Studies have been conducted demonstrating the utility of Omega 3 fatty acids, meditation, yoga, and melatonin for some important symptoms of ADHD, including executive functions?Vaccines have saved millions of lives in the last decade? But are they safe?Breast cancer rates are declining in the US, but have been steadily increasing in Japan?Doctors are getting better at predicting which chemotherapy will, and will not work, on certain cancers?There are vaccines against cancer? This book reviews recent key, hard-won successes and findings from recent biomedical research. Written by one of the most ardent defenders of the public trust in science, it provides an accessible, detailed look at successes in translational biomedical and clinical research. The author provides an optimistic, forward-looking view for the possibility of change for the public good, cutting through the controversy and gets to very core of each topic. The public can be optimistic about the future of medicine, but only if they learn the facts of these advances, and learn what their doctors should be expected to know. Highly referenced, and filled with interviews from experts and people directly involved in the research behind the new facts in each chapter, this book is a rich source of information on advances in biomedicine that you will want to share with your family & friends. Contents: PrefaceAbuses in MedicineOutrageous Acts of PseudoscienceWait... Grapefruit is Bad for You?Hormone Receptor Status and Breast Cancer TreatmentFecal Microbiota TransplantationOverdiagnosis of ADHD: It's Their Mind, Not YoursVaccination Programs: Eradication of Infectious DiseasesChemosensitivity and Chemoresistance Assays in CancerA Very Special Kind of Brain Cancer SurgeryGenomics and Personalized MedicineRobot-Assisted SurgeryHallmarks and Principles of Translational Research SuccessFuture Medicine 1: Early Detection and Cures for Alzheimer's DiseaseFuture Medicine 2: Cancer VaccinesThe Future of Translational Research Readership: Lay public, scientists, doctors, politicians, policy makers, public health workers, health care worker, investors.

Human evolution sits at several important thresholds. In organic evolution, interplay between exogenous environmental and genetic factors rendered new phenotypes at rates limited by genetic variation. The interplay took place on adaptive fitness landscapes determined by correspondence of genetic and environmental relationships. Human evolution involved important emergences that altered the adaptive landscape: language, writing, organized societies, science, and the internet. These endogenous factors ushered in transformative periods leading to more rapidly evolving emergences. I explore the impact of development of emerging biotransformative technologies capable of being applied to effect self-genetic modification and artificial intelligence-augmented cognition on the evolutionary landscape of phenotypes important to cognitive plasticity. Interaction effects will yield unanticipated emergences resulting in hyperrealm adaptive landscapes with more rapid evolutionary processes that feed back upon more fundamental levels while vastly outpacing organic evolution. Emerging technologies exist that are likely to impact the evolution of cognitive plasticity in humans in ways and at rates that will lead to societal upheaval. I show that the theoretical contribution of organic evolution in future human evolution is expected to become comparatively insignificant relative to that made by endogenous environmental factors such as external cognition aids and manipulation of the human genome. The results support the conclusion of a strong recommendation of a moratorium on the adoption of any technology capable of completely altering the course of human evolution.