The brain's processing speed is surprisingly slow. Despite receiving a massive amount of sensory input, the brain processes information at only about 10 bits per second. This is millions of times slower than the input rate. The slow speed explains why we can only focus on one thought at a time. Our brains evolved to handle a slower-paced world, and we're not equipped to process multiple complex thoughts simultaneously. It's a limitation that likely originated in early animals whose primary need was navigation, which required following one path at a time.

TLDW

A paper, by philosopher of physics John Norton, describes a scenario in which a ball is placed at the apex of a perfectly smooth and frictionless dome. The paper argues that, according to Newton's laws, the ball will spontaneously start rolling down the dome at some random time, without any external force acting on it. Norton's claim suggests that Newtonian mechanics may not a deterministic theory or that there are multiple possible interpretations.

https://sites.pitt.edu/~jdnorton/papers/DomePSA2006.pdf

Science reading list from the International Science Council

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Science reading list from the International Science Council

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Readers’ choice: our most shared science blogs this year

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A ground squirrel with cheeks stuffed with nuts, seeds or grains, is a common sight. But a new study provides the first evidence that California ground squirrels also hunt, kill and eat voles. The study, led by the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and the University of California, Davis, is the first to chronicle widespread carnivorous behavior among squirrels.

Introducing the ISC expert group on oceans: Providing science-based inputs for the UN Ocean Conference

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https://council.science/news/isc-expert-group-on-ocean/?utm%5C_source=rss&utm%5C_medium=rss&utm%5C_campaign=isc-expert-group-on-ocean

ISC General Assembly elects new Governing Board members

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Season’s greetings from the ISC

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Call for applications of experts to contribute to a pilot project on science advice in Latin America and the Caribbean

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https://council.science/news/call-for-applications-of-experts-to-contribute-to-a-pilot-project-on-science-advice-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean/?utm%5C_source=rss&utm%5C_medium=rss&utm%5C_campaign=call-for-applications-of-experts-to-contribute-to-a-pilot-project-on-science-advice-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean

Six science advice workshops to be guided by INGSA-Asia in 2025

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https://council.science/news/six-ingsa-asia-science-advice-workshops-to-be-supported-in-2025/?utm%5C_source=rss&utm%5C_medium=rss&utm%5C_campaign=six-ingsa-asia-science-advice-workshops-to-be-supported-in-2025

A new study reveals the secret to the antioxidant that allows the bacteria Deinococcus radiodurans to withstand radiation doses 28,000 times greater than what would kill a human.

A new class of magnetism called altermagnetism has been imaged for the first time in a new study. The findings could lead to the development of new magnetic memory devices with the potential to increase operation speeds of up to a thousand times.

Altermagnetism is a distinct form of magnetic order where the tiny constituent magnetic building blocks align antiparallel to their neighbours but the structure hosting each one is rotated compared to its neighbours.