David Colaço

Today is the deadline to submit your abstracts for our minisymposium, 'Life As It Could Be: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on #ALife'! So wrap up those abstracts and come join us! It's going to be a fun event! 🦠🖥️ 🔗 hiw.kuleuven.be/clps/events/... #HPBio #philsci #philsky #academicsky #AI #evosky 🧪

Philosophers! Submit your proposals for SSPP 2027 in Atlanta. submissions due November 20th! We have an amazing collection of keynote speakers including Şerife Tekin (Suny Upstate Medical University) and Shannon Spaulding (University of Oklahoma), and a special memorial session for George Graham.

Biological brains "accept higher metabolic cost to gain both robustness and capability" www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... Brains are expensive but they're good at what they do.

In light of #optogenetics interest following the Nobel Prize award, I will take this moment to advertise a paper @sarahrobins.bsky.social and I wrote on its role in memory science (and what this role tells us about the relation between theories and tools): #philsci #philsky

🪩🌟 Updated speakers for the ISPSM workshop coming up this week (23/10, 8am EDT/1pm BST): Don't forget to register: tinyurl.com/ISPSMInConve...

The International Society for the History, Philosophy and Social Studies of Biology (ISHPSSB), 18–23 JULY 2027 Buenos Aires, Argentina congressin.com/e/ishpssb2027/ Submissions due October 29, 2026 #philsci #philsky (I didn't see this posted elsewhere) @ishpssb.bsky.social

Call for Papers: 2027 Congress for Logic, Methodology, & Philosophy of Science & Technology (CLMPST) in Kobe, Japan 🇯🇵, August 23-28, 2027 Deadline: November 15, 2026 #HPS clmpst2027.org/call-for-pap...

Today at the 3rd symposium on the connection between physics and metabolism in brain functions, I will speak on metabolic considerations for cognitive modeling:

if you want to hear more of my thoughts in this space, I'll be giving a talk at #PSA2026 in the Friday morning symposium on "A “metabolic turn” in studying cognition and computation" -- more details available here! virtual.oxfordabstracts.com/event/75802/...

@phaueis.eurosky.social and my BBS response: "Giving metabolism its due"

Learn more about the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine Press release: bit.ly/4rgMBol Popular information: bit.ly/4xBghhH Advanced information: bit.ly/4j2v4OM

BREAKING: The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel “for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics.” More to follow.

SPAN was a very good conference the first time around, so I encourage scholars to submit to its second meeting. Follow @socphilneuro.bsky.social for their updates:

John Graham Dalyell said of a planarian worm that it "is privileged to multiply its species in proportion to the violence offered to its otherwise delicate frame. It may almost be called immortal under the edge of the knife." New research addresses neurogenesis during planarian regeneration:

The International Symposium on the Connection Between Physics and Metabolism in Brain Functions is soon, with talks on: Quantum Biology Physical Approaches to Brain Metabolism Mechanodiseases Clinical Translation and Patient Perspectives And me closing on metabolism and cognition Please share

Hivemind: does anyone here have experience with (and ideally recommendations for) hosting services for academic podcasts? If so, please respond to this post or contact me directly.

The sign on the back entrance to the office:

A thread on bacterial learning and memory:

This is the main case I discuss in "Detecting Phenomena in Datasets: Is the Rest Noise?" link.springer.com/chapter/10.1...

Psychological Science special issue call 📣 Ever had your research denigrated bc it's "only descriptive", "what's the mechanism though?" and "but what are the theoretical implications?" Now has come your time to shine. Send your best descriptive work! www.psychologicalscience.org/publications...

If anyone is interested in what data centers, this work provides first- and second-hand experiences of it, along with historical, social, and political context for the building of AI infrastructure:

My @lmu-mcmp.bsky.social colleauges have launched a new diamond open access journal, The Journal of Mathematical Philosophy: mathematicalphilosophy.org/mathphil/abo... If you have work in areas of mathematical philosophy (broadly understood), consider submitting:

I had a good time speaking as an MCMP fellow on metabolism, cognition, and computation. The Summer School Students have things to say about cognition, computation, and computationalism. #philsci, #cogsci, #philsky

Philosophers of the PSA #philsci @philsci.bsky.social: 2 reminders of deadlines on August 1st from the PSA Outreach and Engagement Committee! PSA Outreach & Engagement Prize, and AAAS | SciLine Workshop!... 1/4

October 9th, I will give the closing lecture at the 3rd International Symposium on the Connection Between Physics and Metabolism in Brain Functions. It will take place in Barcelona. Registration is open. Junior scholars can apply for travel scholarships #philsci, #cogsci, #neuroskyence, #philsky

This Friday, I will be helping with the @lmu-mcmp.bsky.social Summer School for Widening Participation in Mathematical Philosophy. I will speak on "Thinking about metabolism when modeling cognition":

More works coming out about the relation between brain energy efficiency and AI. @meganakpeters.bsky.social is also a contributor to quite a nice commentary for @phaueis.eurosky.social and my BBS target article on "Metabolic considerations for cognitive modeling".