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Genetics

Rush testing if genetic clues identify best candidates for Parkinson’s surgery – Medical Xpress

Rush Neurologist Gian Pal, MD, MS, the primary investigator for the National Institute of Health-funded clinical study Parkinson disease and DBS: cognitive effects in GBA mutation carriers. Credit: Rush Photo Group

In the first ever clinical investigation involving genetic screening for Parkinson's disease, researchers are testing whether the presence of a specific genetic mutation identifies which patients are the best candidates for deep brain stimulation surgery, and whether neurologists should perform that procedure differently based on that genetic information.

"We are at a very promising time in Parkinson's disease (PD) research. Finding the connections between the vast amounts of genetic data and cognitive data we are gathering will allow us to tailor future therapies based on genetic biomarkers," said Rush neurologist Gian Pal, MD, MS, the primary investigator for the National Institute of Health-funded clinical study "Parkinson disease and DBS: cognitive effects in GBA mutation carriers"

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a surgical procedure in which a battery-operated medical device implanted in the brain delivers electrical stimulation to specific areas in the brain that control movement, thus altering the abnormal signals that cause many PD motor symptoms.

DBS is typically used for individuals whose symptoms cannot be adequately controlled with medication and has proven to dramatically improve motor function and potentially reduce medication burden for many PD patients.

Research suggests that patients who carry a mutation in the glucocerebrosidase (GBA) gene may respond differently to DBS than those who do not carry the mutation. These GBA mutation carriers compose 10-17 percent of subjects undergoing DBS, and typically have higher deposits of alpha-synuclein protein in the brain. Abnormal accumulation of alpha-synuclein is thought to be a key reason for the development and progress ion of PD. These higher levels of alpha-synuclein in patients with the GBA mutation carriers may translate to even more problems with thinking, movement, behavior, and mood than expected in typical PD. Dr. Pal and colleagues are hoping to understand how DBS affects motor function and cognition in these GBA mutation carriers over time.

"If we can determine how GBA mutation carriers respond to DBS, we can better counsel patients on expectations from the surgery, and potentially target a different region of the brain to maximize the benefit and minimize side effects from the surgery. This would be the first time that genetics would inform a clinical decision in the field of PD"

"Deep brain stimulation is a tremendous option for many Parkinson's disease patients, but not all," said Pal, who is developing a programmatic line of research involving genetics and surgical treatments for PD at the Rush Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Program.

The Rush Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Program is one of the largest and oldest such centers in the country, treating more than 2,000 patients annually. Rush has been a longstanding Parkinson's Disease Foundation Center of Excellence, based on decades of clinical and research excellence, and is now also recognized as a National Parkinson Foundation Center of Excellence as well.

Explore further: Drug discovery: Alzheimer's and Parkinson's spurred by same enzyme

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Rush testing if genetic clues identify best candidates for Parkinson's surgery - Medical Xpress

Neuroscience

Baba Brinkman, comedy review: Comedy, hip hop and neuroscience will make your brain buzz – Evening Standard

Is it a comedy gig? A hip hop gig? A neuroscience lecture? Baba Brinkman's Rap Guide To Consciousness is all three. You may well walk out laughing, humming and wondering if you are a human being or a robot.

Leave any Vanilla Ice expectations in the cloakroom and imagine if Eminem had read philosopher Daniel Dennett. Brinkman wittily weaves together accessible ideas and inventive rhymes. Discussing artificial intelligence he sings "From Aristotle to Thomas Aquinas, people thought if you wanted design, you need a mind first."

The locquacious Canadian employs case studies in an attempt to clarify what consciousness is. In one adorably cute sequence he raps about his new baby Dylan, while an image of his smiling offspring flickers onscreen. Has Dylan got self-awareness yet? And if so did he have it as a tadpole-like embryo, dad asks.

There is lots to take in. Is there free will or are we all just glorified machines, slaves to our firing neurones? Apparently most of you reading this will have a "Jennifer Aniston neurone", triggered whenever you think of the Friends star, whether you like it or not.

Sara Pascoes favourite comedy venue, and with good reason: the Soho Theatre is arguably Londons finest place to see both up-and-coming and established acts. Being a theatre, rather than a comedy club per se, expect to see full sets from individuals rather than bills with a few comics. Its three rooms host all sorts of things, from the latest Edinburgh winners to big names road-testing their latest bits. The standard is reliably excellent: even if youve never heard of a comedian, chances are, if theyre playing here, theyll be worth watching.

Another old favourite, the Comedy Store benefits from being built for purpose: no other venue in London suits stand-up quite so well (and the beer isnt too ridiculously priced, either). After starting out above a strip club in Soho, this place made its name throughout the eighties by breaking the pioneers in alternative comedy. Its happy to host mainstream stars these days, and never struggles to draw top acts, but if you can only make one thing, try The Comedy Store Players, old pros whose improvised shows on Wednesdays and Sundays all but guarantee hilarity. Tuesdays The Cutting Edge is best for those who like topical humour.

Old Rope is popular with circuit veterans and newbies alike, so the weekly show usually has a mix of big names, comedy veterans and ones-to-watch. Host Tiff Stevenson leads an evening of new material yes, lots of jokes given their test run and its given its name for the noose that hangs over the stage. Ironically, this noose is a bit of a life-saver: if the new act is going badly, comics can grab the rope and fall back on old material.

Always top value, the Knock2bag nights offer the chance to indulge in the odder end of the comedy spectrum: expect serious helpings of whimsy, eccentricity and surrealism. If you're looking for something different, this is your place to go.

A first-rate comedy club and well worth travelling for. Wed pick the Thursday night over Saturday, but youll get a decent show on either day. Theres a mix of big names and up-and-comers, and host Martin Besserman is a pro wholl keep you laughing in between acts. Of which, theres often as many as twelve a night, so youll get your moneys worth. If one isnt to your taste, another promises a laugh.

The Banana Cabaret Club hosts a lot of top drawer comics, and is well loved in comedy circles in part, because theyve been going a good thirty years and in part because of the man running things, David Vickers, whose had everyone from Eddie Izzard to Stephen K Amos performing. Stars pop-in, and comedy circuit regulars play often, but its also on the finest spots to see new talent . No wonder Marcus Brigstocke name-checked it as his favourite London comedy club. Besides, once the two-hour show is done (typically wrapping up around 11pm), DJs strike up and everyone dances till 2am. Splendid.

http://vivivi.co.uk/

Hats off to the Piccadilly for keeping comedy cheap: their shows cost 10 at the most, and they do a meal deal, where you can eat at Tiger Tiger and see the show for 20 all-in. A bargain. Expect a mix of well-known TV regulars alongside the best newcomers on the scene. Line-ups are particularly well thought out here: they dont just sling together anyone, so the nights tend to be uniformly excellent.

The Leicester Square Theatre draws the big names, so expect to see top flight acts: Richard Herring hosts a weekly podcast here on Wednesdays, and the likes of Bridget Christie, Micky Flanagan and Frankie Boyle all make it a stopping point on their tours. That said, check the website for whats upcoming there are chance to see some under-the-radar sets too.

The excellent Brasserie Zdel whose Bar Americain is one of the finest drinking spots in the capital relaunched Crazy Coqs as Live At Zdel last year and following a successful first run, are launching their second season. Besides comedy the standard is usually very decent they also host musical theatre and drag acts. The cocktails are terrific and there's at-table service. Eat in the restaurant beforehand (or after), too: we swung by recently and the food is as good as its ever been. Cheap, too.

This fortnightly show boasts the best new up-and-coming acts in the capital, combined with big name hosts expect the likes of Miles Jupp, Sara Pascoe and Holly Walsh who keep the standard up to scratch. Definitely up to par, somewhere to find your new favourite comedian.

Just how a comedy club should be: small, crowded and above a pub. Best of all, its free, and each night offers something different, from open-mic nights to well-known names giving their latest sets an airing. Check the website for details, but you wont be let down just get down early, as it fills up quickly.

Following a decade of success in Shepherd's Bush, this comedy club has found a new home at the ever-popular Roof Gardens. Known as 'Jimmy Carr's favourite comedy club', the Ginglik has had everyone from Al Murray to Robin Williams play, and is set for more success.

The likes of Stewart Lee, Reginald D Hunter and Tony Law play these nights, which gives an idea of just how decent they are. Laugh Out London always do a good job of bringing the highlights from Edinburgh festival to town, so take the chance to see who everyones been tweeting about.

This Leicester Square club is much, much better than you might expect for a place that continually flyers. A big favourite with the Chortle Awards, it always attracts big names it runs a little like Live At The Apollo but on a smaller scale. There are three acts a night, and shows are fairly priced: some are as cheap as a fiver, though most will cost around 10 - 15. Theyve also got venues in Soho and Covent Garden.

Bit of a shame that shows here are so few and far between usually about once a month but theres no place more beautiful than the Union Chapel to see comedy in London. The upside is that, with so few performances, they always get the big names headlining, with unfailingly impressive support. Plus theres usually a live band, who are fab. The atmosphere is everything.

Anthony Devlin/PA Wire

These various plates are kept spinning thanks to Brinkman's enthusiasm and amiability. He is not the world's coolest rapper, but he might be the funniest and most well-read. Exercise any free will you have and buy a ticket.

Until Sept 3, 2 Northdown; tickettext.co.uk

Are you a budding artist? Enter the Evening Standard Contemporary Art Prize in association with Hiscox and you could win 10,000. Visit standard.co.uk/artprize

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Baba Brinkman, comedy review: Comedy, hip hop and neuroscience will make your brain buzz - Evening Standard

Physiology

Another Viewpoint: Watch your neck: Physiology and the advent of the smartphone – News Chief

In his 2010 book "I Live in the Future & Here's How It Works," the technology writer Nick Bilton relayed anecdotes about early 19th-century anxieties in Britain at the dawn of train travel.

It was thought that "people would asphyxiate if carried at speeds of more than 20 mph" and reputable scientists believed that traveling at a certain speed "could actually make our bones fall apart." So far, that hasn't happened. While adjusting to the future is often alarming, as Bilton illustrated, humans find a way to cope.

A recent article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette drove that point home.

Doctors have identified the condition of "text neck," found most often in teenagers and young adults who stare down at their smartphones for two to four hours a day. An orthopedic surgeon quoted in the article advises people to simply "take a break from that thing." If that proves unrealistic, there's a Pilates class geared for teenagers, which includes a focus on overcoming "text neck." The instructor noticed that four girls in a recent class "could not drop their heads in a relaxed position during the exercises" a clear sign of TN.

It is beyond doubt that the proliferation of digital devices is changing the way people process information: smaller gulps from wider sources, less sustained attention. When you can pry your hands from your own smartphone for a minute, go ahead and wring them over this decline in intellectual capacity.

But the endurance of the human species is testimony to its remarkable ability to adapt. And there's one constant: Each generation is horrified by the decadence of the one following.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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Another Viewpoint: Watch your neck: Physiology and the advent of the smartphone - News Chief

Physiology

Watch your neck: Physiology and the advent of the smartphone … – Hawaii Tribune Herald

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Watch your neck: Physiology and the advent of the smartphone ... - Hawaii Tribune Herald

Anatomy

Grey’s Anatomy has "no plans" to bring back Callie in season 14 – DigitalSpy.com

Getty ImagesRon Batzdorff/ABC

Dr Teddy Altman might be returning to Grey's Anatomy in season 14, but don't expect to see Dr Callie Torres back.

Sara Ramirez left her role as Callie in season 12's finale to take "some welcome time off", but with her ex-love Arizona (Jessica Capshaw) losing her love interest Eliza, the door is open for a possible return for Callie.

But that's not happening anytime soon.

ABC

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Related: Grey's Anatomy season 14 everything you need to know

"There are no plans at the moment. We love her and we miss her, [but] there's been no discussion of it," executive producer Debbie Allen told TVLine of a possible return for Ramirez.

Since leaving the show, Ramirez has called out ABC for airing a joke mocking bisexual people on sitcom The Real O'Neals.

Ramirez, who identifies as bisexual, urged her followers on Twitter to sign a petition that accused the network of biphobia by sharing a link and writing that "WORDS MATTER".

ABCAdam Taylor

Earlier this year, Capshaw had spoken about the possible return of Arizona's ex-love to Grey Sloan Memorial. "I feel like nothing is impossible. There's a great chance she would come back for something," she explained.

Her co-star Giacomo Gianniotti has also been teasing that the new season is "funnier, sexier, lighter" after admitting that the show has been "dreary for a long time".

Grey's Anatomy returns to ABC in the US on September 28. Sky Living airs the show in the UK, with a return date to be announced.

Want up-to-the-minute entertainment news and features? Just hit 'Like' on our Digital Spy Facebook page and 'Follow' on our @digitalspy Twitter account and you're all set.

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Grey's Anatomy has "no plans" to bring back Callie in season 14 - DigitalSpy.com

Anatomy

Album Premiere: The Anatomy of Frank Find Warmth in the Cold on ‘South America’ – Atwood Magazine (blog)

Recommended If You Like: Iron & Wine, Will Graefe, Mappe Of

What an amazing feeling it is, for a whisper to feel like a roar: For a light guitar to feel like the heaviest thing in the world. Such is the experience of The Anatomy of Franks new album,South America, a breathtaking and intimate exploration of life, love, travel and being. Deceptively simple and utterly human, this record is not to be missed.

Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering South America, The Anatomy of Franks powerful third album (independently out 8/31/2017). With the goal of recording an album on every continent (and being the first band to do so), The Anatomy of Frank are not only a talented folk/rock indie act, but also a band with a true mission. Consisting of Kyle Woolard (guitar, vocals), Jimmy Bullis (keyboards) and Max Bollinger (drums), the Charlottesville, Virginia-based trio ascribe to no genre in particular; instead, they often look to themes like personal growth, coping with loss and change, etc, to define their identity. Recorded, as its name suggests, on the South American continent, South Americais the second record and continent to be checked off The Anatomy of Franks list the first being 2015sNorth America.

South America The Anatomy of Frank

Yet you do not need to be familiar with The Anatomy of Franks previous work in order to enjoy their latest output: Sporting an array of marvelous harmonies and incredibly haunting imagery,South Americashoots high and nails the landing. From the slow rise of album openerEcuador (A New Year) to its shuddering close, Viteri and everything in-between, The Anatomy of Frank continually immerse their audience in warm acoustic and electric journeys that capture the heart.

I never felt worse than when I finally let go of these songs, shares guitar and vocalist Kyle Woolard. It was like postpartum depression theyd lived within me for so long, and suddenly they were no longer when I record this one day songs. I struggled for several months before I was able to get back on track. They chronicle a lot of my internal struggles and life experiences throughout the past decade.

Anatomy of Frank 2017

Recorded with Stephen Cope in a private farmhouse in the Ecuadorian mountains in 5 short weeks, South Americacombines hope and strife, passion with vision. Songs like the personal ballad La Llorena leave a lasting impression upon first listen, and though The Anatomy of Franks subject matter is deep and difficult to digest, South America is immediately accessible and easy to fall in love with. In a sense, The Anatomy of Frank have taken some of the hardest, worst aspects of our world, and created something beautiful with them: Theyve found warmth in the cold.

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Album Premiere: The Anatomy of Frank Find Warmth in the Cold on 'South America' - Atwood Magazine (blog)

Anatomy

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ EP Kills Hope of Sara Ramirez Returning in Season 14 … For Now – Moviefone

When Sara Ramirez said goodbye to "Grey's Anatomy" in Season 12, it sounded more like "see you later"; yet, so far, that "later" still hasn't come.

Debbie Allen, one of the ABC drama's executive producers, has made it clear that a Ramirez return as her character, Dr. Callie Torres, is not currently in the works. The EP told TVLine that "there are no plans at the moment" to bring back the fan favorite orthopedic surgeon.

"We love her and we miss her, [but] there's been no discussion of it," Allen said.

We also miss Callie, so we're focusing on the possible silver lining here: Allen said "at the moment," which leaves the door open for the future. Ramirez herself did the same when she left the show, saying that she was taking "some time off." The actress even indicated that she and producers would "definitely continue our conversations, making it seem very possible that Callie could someday do another stint at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.

If Callie does return at any point, many fans will be angling for her to rekindle her relationship with Dr. Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw). Her former co-worker and love is going to be back on the market in Season 14 after the departure of Dr. Eliza Minnick (Marika Dominczyk). With that being the case, "Calzona" shippers have reason to hang onto at least some hope.

No, we won't see Ramirez when "Grey's Anatomy" Season 14 premieres on Sept. 25 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, but we will wait and see what the future holds.

[via: TVLine]

Some doctors at a hospital in Seattle -- including several who began their careers at the facility as interns -- try to balance life and work. Read More

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'Grey's Anatomy' EP Kills Hope of Sara Ramirez Returning in Season 14 ... For Now - Moviefone

Anatomy

‘Grey’s Anatomy’: Is Sara Ramirez Returning As Callie In Season 14? – Hollywood Life

OMG! Is another Greys Anatomy alum returning to the ABC series for its upcoming Season 14? First Kim Raver and now Sara Ramirez?! Find out here, as EP Debbie Allen just spilled the tea!

While we would love to report the opposite, currently, there are no plans at the moment forSara Ramirezto return as Callie in Greys Anatomys upcoming 14th season, executive producer Debbie Allen told our sister site, TVLine. Then, Debbie added, We love her and we miss her, so maybe theres hope for the future? But like we said, dont hold your breath for a Season 14 return. Theres been no discussion of it at this time, Debbie concluded.

We have to admit, now would have been the perfect time for Sara to return to Greys Anatomy. Especially if she and Arizona (Jessica Capshaw) were ever going to consider getting back together.Marika Dominczyk, who played Arizonasmost recent love interest, Eliza Minnick will not be back for Season 14, TVLine also reports. This means, Arizona will be single and ready to mingle when Season 14 premieres on Sept. 28. Its unclear if Callies still dating Penny, but who ever really cared about that relationship anyway?

As youll recall, Eliza was fired in the Season 13 finale. In her final scene, she told Arizona about her termination. We never saw them break up, butthe couples split is going to be addressed in the two-hour premiere, Debbie confirmed. Its very interesting how we address it.

As for Sara Ramirez, Callie made her final appearance in the Season 12 finale of Greys Anatomy, when she relocated to New York to live with her girlfriend, Penny. At the time, the actress said,Im deeply grateful to have spent the last 10 years with my family atGreys Anatomyand ABC, but for now, Im taking some welcome time off. [Series creator] Shonda [Rhimes has] been so incredible to work for, and we will definitely continue our conversations.

HollywoodLifers, how do YOU feel? Should Sara Ramirez return as Callie? Tell us below!

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'Grey's Anatomy': Is Sara Ramirez Returning As Callie In Season 14? - Hollywood Life

Anatomy

Is Sara Ramirez Returning to Grey’s Anatomy for Season 14? – SheKnows.com

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Could the upcoming season of Grey's Anatomy get any better? We've already received enough incredible casting news to completely blow our minds, and now there are rumors that Sara Ramirez could be returning to the hit show to reprise her role as Callie Torres.

More: Jesse Williams' Insta Is Making Us So Hungry for Grey's Anatomy

But don't hold your breath, Grey's fans. According to executive producer Debbie Allen, "there are no plans at the moment" for Ramirez to return to the series, even for a guest role, during Season 14.

"We love her and we miss her, [but] theres been no discussion of it," Allen added.

We probably shouldn't have gotten our hopes up. But from the moment we learned that Marika Dominczyk, who played Arizona's most recent girlfriend on the show, won't be returning for the upcoming season, we couldn't help but wonder who would pick up the pieces of newly single Arizona's broken heart. And who better than her old flame Callie? They were so great when they were together. We need them back together.

More: Using Only 9 Words, Meredith Just Destroyed Fans During the Grey's Anatomy Finale

Ramirez starred in the show up until Season 12, when she was written out because Callie announced she was relocating to take a job in New York.

"Im deeply grateful to have spent the last 10 years with my family at Greys Anatomy and ABC, but for now, Im taking some welcome time off," Ramirez said at the time. "[Series creator] Shonda [Rhimes has] been so incredible to work for, and we will definitely continue our conversations."

More: Grey's Anatomy's Finale Had a Sad Goodbye but These Deaths Were Way Worse

So far, though, those conversations haven't continued, at least to the point of getting Ramirez back on the show. Fans will just have to keep waiting and hoping, we guess.

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Is Sara Ramirez Returning to Grey's Anatomy for Season 14? - SheKnows.com

Human Behavior

Self-driving cars still can’t mimic the most natural human behavior – Quartz

What do you need to build a self-driving car? Roboticists and computer scientists have generally settled on similar requirements. Your autonomous vehicle needs to know where the boundaries of the road are. It needs to be able to steer the car and hit the brakes. It needs to know the speed limit, be able to read street signs, and detect if a traffic light is red or green. It needs to be able to react quickly to unexpected objects in its path, and it gets extra points if it knows where it is on a map.

All of those skills are important and necessary. But by building from a list of technical requirements, researchers neglect the single most important part of real-world driving: our intuition. Using it to determine the motivations of those around us is something humans are so effortlessly good at that its hard to even notice were doing it, nonetheless program for it.

A self-driving car currently lacks the ability to look at a personwhether theyre walking, driving a car, or riding a bikeand know what theyre thinking. These instantaneous human judgments are vital to our safety when were drivingand to that of others on the road, too.

As the CTO and cofounder of Perceptive Automata, an autonomous-vehicle software company started by Harvard neuroscientists and computer scientists, I wanted to see how often humans make these kinds of subconscious calls on the road. I took a camera out to a calm intersection near my former lab at Harvard with no traffic signals. It is not by any stretch of the imagination as congested or difficult as an intersection in downtown Boston, let alone Manhattan or Mexico City. But in 30 seconds of video, it is still possible to count more than 45 instances of one person intuiting whats in the mind of another. These non-verbal, split-second intuitions could be that person is not going to yield, that person doesnt know Im here, or that person wouldnt jaywalk while walking a dog. Is that bicyclist going to turn left or stop? Is that pedestrian going to take advantage of their right-of-way and cross? These judgments happen instantaneously, just watch.

We have lots of empirical evidence that humans are incredibly good at intuiting the intentions of others. The Sally-Anne task is a classic psychology experiment. Subjectsusually childrenwatch a researcher acting out a scene with dolls. A doll named Sally hides a marble in a covered basket. Sally leaves the room. While Sally is gone, a second dollAnnesecretly moves the marble out of the basket and into a closed box. When the first doll comes back, children are asked where she will look for the marble. Its easy to say, Well, of course shell still look in the basket, as Sally couldnt have known that the marble had moved while she was gone. But that of course is hiding an immensely sophisticated model. Children have to know not only that Sally is aware of some things and not of others, but that her awareness only updates when she is able to pay attention to something. They also have to know that her mental state is persistent, even when she leaves the room and comes back. This task has been repeated many times in labs around the world, and is part of the standard toolkit researchers use to understand if somebodys social intuitions are intact.

The ability to predict the mental state of others is so innate that we even apply it to distinctly non-human objects. The Heider-Simel experiment shows how were prone to ascribe perceived intent even to simple geometric shapes. In this famous study, a film shows two triangles and a circle moving around the screen. With essentially no exceptions, most people construct and elaborate narrative about the goals and interactions of the geometric shapes: One is a villain, one a protector, the third a victim who grows courageous and saves the dayall these mental states and narratives just from looking at geometric shapes moving about. In the psychological literature, this is called an impoverished stimulus.

Our interactions with people using the road are an example of an impoverished stimulus, too. We only see a pedestrian for a few hundred milliseconds before we have to decide how to react to them. We see a car edging slightly into a lane for a half second and have to decide whether to yield to them. We catch a fleeting glimpse of a cyclist and judge whether they know were making a right turn. These kinds of interactions are constant, and they are at the very core of driving safely and considerately.

And computers, so far, are hopeless at navigating them.

The perils of lacking an intuition for state of mind are already evident. In the first at-fault crash of a self-driving vehicle, a Google self-driving car in Mountain View incorrectly assumed that a bus driver would yield to it, misunderstanding both the urgency and the flexibility of a human driver trying to get around a stopped vehicle. In another crash, a self-driving Uber in Arizona was hit by a turning driver who expected that any oncoming vehicles would notice the adjacent lanes of traffic had slowed down and adjust its expectations of how turning drivers would behave.

Why are computers so bad at this task of mind reading if its so easy for people? This circumstance comes up so often in AI development that it has a name: Moravecs Paradox. The tasks that are easiest for people are often the ones that are the hardest for computers. Were least aware of what our minds do best, said the late AI pioneer Marvin Minsky. Were more aware of simple processes that dont work well than of complex ones that work flawlessly.

So how do you design an algorithm to perform a task if you cant say with any certainty what the task entails?

The usual solution is to define the task as simply as possible and use what are called deep-learning algorithms that can learn from vast quantities of data. For example, when given a sufficient number of pictures of trees (and pictures of things that are not trees), these computer programs can do a very good job of identifying a tree. If you boil a problem down to either proving or disproving an unambiguous fact about the worldthere is a tree there, or there is notalgorithms can do a pretty good job.

The only way to solve these problems is to deeply understand human behavior by characterizing it carefully using the techniques of behavioral science.But what to do about problems where basic facts about the world are neither simple nor accessible? Humans can make surprisingly accurate judgments about other humans because we have an immensely sophisticated set of internal models for how those around us behave. But those models are hidden from scrutiny, hidden in the black boxes of our minds. How do you label images with the contents of somebodys constantly fluid and mostly nonsensical inner monologue?

The only way to solve these problems is to deeply understand human behaviornot just by reverse-engineering it, but by characterizing it carefully and comprehensively using the techniques of behavioral science. Humans are immensely capable but have opaque internal mechanisms. We need to use the techniques of human behavioral research in order to build computer-vision models that are trained to capture the nuances and subtleties of human responses to the world instead of trying to guess what our internal model of the world looks like.

First, we need to work out how humans worksecond comes training the machines. Only with a rich, deep characterization of the quirks and foibles of human ability can we know enough about the problem were trying to solve in order to build computer models that can solve it. By using humans as the model for ideal performance, we are able to gain traction on these difficult tasks and find a meaningful solution to this intuition problem.

And we need to solve it. If self-driving cars are going to achieve their promise as a revolution in urban transportationdelivering reduced emissions, better mobility, and safer streetsthey will have to exist on a level playing field with the humans who already use those roads. They will have to be good citizens, not only skilled at avoiding at-fault accidents, but able to drive in such a way that their behavior is expected, comprehensible, and clear to other vehicles drivers and the pedestrians and cyclists sharing space with them.

Follow Sam on Twitter. Learn how to write for Quartz Ideas. We welcome your comments at ideas@qz.com.

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Self-driving cars still can't mimic the most natural human behavior - Quartz