The Zen of Technology & Scientific Discovery! (& Robots)

[Jundo]

Looking back, closer than ever to the start of time ...

Journey to the Edge of Time: James Webb Space Telescope Reveals Most Distant Galaxies

An international team of astronomers has discovered the earliest and most distant galaxies confirmed to date using data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The telescope captured light emitted by these galaxies more than 13.4 billion years ago, which means the galaxies date back to less than 400 million years after the Big Bang, when the universe was only 2% of its current age. ...

... Coauthor Sandro Tacchella from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom added, “It is hard to understand galaxies without understanding the initial periods of their development. Much as with humans, so much of what happens later depends on the impact of these early generations of stars. So many questions about galaxies have been waiting for the transformative opportunity of Webb, and we’re thrilled to be able to play a part in revealing this story.”

According to Robertson, star formation in these early galaxies would have begun about 100 million years earlier than the age at which they were observed, pushing the formation of the earliest stars back to around 225 million years after the Big Bang.

“We are seeing evidence of star formation about as early as we could expect based on our models of galaxy formation,” he said.

https://scitechdaily.com/journey-to-...tant-galaxies/

And another ancient ancient mystery comes into focus ...

Unraveling the Secrets of an Invisible Galaxy

A mysterious and very distant object, in a universe as it was ‘just’ two billion years after the Big Bang, that hides from even the most advanced instruments. Its features have finally been described by a SISSA study published in The Astrophysical Journal.

An extremely remote celestial body in a still young Universe, one-sixth the size of the present one. An object so dark that it is almost invisible, even to highly sophisticated instruments. Its nature has long been the subject of debate, but by means of surveys made with the ALMA interferometer, the SISSA research group led by Prof. Andrea Lapi that conducts research into the formation and evolution of galaxies has finally succeeded in identifying its main properties. Compact, and containing large quantities of interstellar dust, it is a young galaxy, forming stars at about 1000 times the rate of the Milky Way. The description of this galaxy will be useful for revealing more about this very distant object and indicating new approaches for the study of other ‘dark’ celestial bodies. The research just published in The Astrophysical Journal will also provide new insights for developing advanced models of galaxy formation and evolution.

BELOW: mage of the lensed galaxy acquired with the ALMA interferometer

https://scitechdaily.com/dark-myster...isible-galaxy/

Gassho, J

stlah

[Jundo]

The amazing story of Adderall, its successes, overuse and now shortage:

It has been four years since I received my ADHD diagnosis from a psychiatrist. Only when I announced it on Facebook did my former teacher relay his side of that story to me. In the years since, I’ve taken Adderall, or its generic version, almost every day at varying dosages to help me function in a society in which any lack of productivity is seen as a moral failing. Before then, I’d been decent enough at most of the jobs I’d held, terrible at others. After I began treatment, I could actually remember what I was in the middle of doing as I was doing it. I didn’t feel the need to get up to wander the office every few minutes. I could motivate myself to start projects even when there were more promising distractions. It was a revelation.

... over the last half-decade as diagnosis rates for ADHD in adults have soared. The “why” of that increase is complex and still not fully understood. Doctors and medical experts once considered ADHD a childhood disease, something that someone grew out of as the hyperactivity diminished with age. More recent research has emphasized the struggles with focus and organization, leading to rising diagnoses in adults and even seniors.

There’s no official nationwide tracking system for ADHD, which one 2021 study estimates as affecting “approximately 6% in children and 3% in adults” worldwide. Among the data we do have, a 2019 study found a 43% increase in the rate of adults’ being newly diagnosed with ADHD from 2007 to 2016. (Those numbers have most likely increased further in the aftermath of the Covid pandemic, when the rate of stimulant prescriptions jumped significantly.) ... At the same time, it’s impossible not to wonder how much of the boost comes from the spate of self-diagnosis via TikTok and memes that have become ubiquitous. Last year, a Canadian study found that about half of the most popular ADHD-related videos it studied on TikTok were misleading. The rise of telehealth during the early pandemic also led to a surge in potentially predatory ads from companies that offered fast and easy diagnoses for ADHD. The Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department have launched investigations into the practice and whether these businesses have been overprescribing controlled substances. ...

Whatever the reason, the surge in demand has been met in the last several months with a depletion in the supply of ADHD medications. Anecdotally, I had been hearing about the struggles my friends have had for months. I managed to avoid it for the most part, being on a high dose of the extended-release formula. But in February, my local pharmacy told me its order was backlogged. It would remain so for the next month, forcing me to dip into a supply of older low-dose instant release pills that I’d saved for just such an emergency.

I could tell that their effectiveness had dulled slightly by the time I reached near the end of my supply. I was fortunate enough that my pharmacy had a supply of a slightly lower dose of the extended-release formula when my next appointment with my psychiatrist came around late last month. Thousands of people around the country weren’t so lucky and were left without any backstop once their prescriptions were fully depleted. ... https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-...licy-rcna76851

Gassho, J

stlah

[Jundo]

For those too lazy to find the remote control ...

Mind-Controlled Robots: New Graphene Sensors Are Turning Science Fiction Into Reality

Researchers have designed a 3D-patterned, graphene-based, dry sensor that can measure the brain’s electrical activity without relying on conductive gels. The dry sensors are less irritating and allergenic compared to traditional “wet” sensors used in electroencephalography (EEG) to diagnose neurological disorders or control external devices through brain-machine interfaces. When incorporated into an elastic headband and used with an augmented reality headset, the dry sensors enabled hands-free control of a robot by interpreting brain signals. Although not as effective as wet sensors yet, this development marks progress toward easily implemented, non-invasive brain-machine interfaces.

https://scitechdaily.com/mind-controlled-robots-new-graphene-sensors-are-turning-science-fiction-into-reality/

The ECONOMIST has its own recent feature on brain-machine interfaces ...

https://youtu.be/BYxzrFyES6I

Gassho, J

stlah

[Jundo]

Very good interview on a new book (entitled "Higher Animals") by an MIT professor on the latest in gene editing, including mRNA tech, coming benefits and risks ... quote "we are becoming higher animals in the sense that we are now able to control biology in ways we have not in 4 billion years ... "

https://youtu.be/7G364_ymAk4

Gassho, J

stlah

[Jundo]

This is all so funny and weird, I post the entirety. It starts about 1 minute in ...

https://youtu.be/MXyjWCgdlqs

And, though not funny, it brings tears of joy to some of us ...

https://youtu.be/lPyl6d2FJGw

(Now, let's also fix our problems here on earth before we just spread them in space by taking them with us ... )

Gassho, J

stlah

[Jundo]

Not very reassuring though lol, at least it will be quick, speed of light quick! Just the universe universing as usual....

Gassho, Tokan

satlah

Just one more reason to realize what lucky winners we are in the cosmic "lottery of all lotteries," one more thing that could have taken us out of the show (or never let us be in the show in the first place), but did us no harm ... at least so far.

Gassho, J

stlah

[Tokan]

The youtube I added to the post is pretty cool too ...

Gassho, J

stlah

Not very reassuring though lol, at least it will be quick, speed of light quick! Just the universe universing as usual....

Gassho, Tokan

satlah

[Mokuso]

Cool . Interesting .
Gassho . Stlah .

[Jundo]

Cool!



Gassho, Tokan (satlah)

The youtube I added to the post is pretty cool too ...

Gassho, J

stlah

[Tokan]

Cool!



Gassho, Tokan (satlah)

[Jundo]

Did you feel it as it hit us head on?

The BOAT Event: Brightest Gamma-Ray Burst in History Puzzles Astronomers Worldwide

On October 9, a pulse of intense radiation swept through the solar system, so exceptional that astronomers quickly dubbed it the BOAT – the brightest of all time. The source was a gamma-ray burst, or GRB – the most powerful class of explosions in the universe.

The burst triggered detectors on numerous spacecraft, and observatories around the globe followed up. After combing through all of the data, astronomers can now characterize just how bright it was and better understand its scientific impact. ... “You would expect one of this magnitude about once in 10,000 years.” ... The signal from the gamma-ray burst, dubbed GRB 221009A, had been traveling for about 1.9 billion years before it reached Earth, making it among the closest known “long” GRBs, whose initial, or prompt, emission lasts more than two seconds. Astronomers think these bursts represent the birth cry of a black hole that formed when the core of a massive star collapsed under its own weight. As it quickly ingests the surrounding matter, the black hole blasts out jets in opposite directions containing particles accelerated to near the speed of light. These jets pierce through the star, emitting X-rays and gamma rays as they stream into space.

... The jets themselves were not unusually powerful, but they were exceptionally narrow – much like the jet setting of a garden hose – and one was pointed directly at Earth, Alexander explained. ...

https://scitechdaily.com/the-boat-event-brightest-gamma-ray-burst-in-history-puzzles-astronomers-worldwide/

https://youtu.be/RLykC1VN7NY

Gassho, J

stlah

[Jundo]

Tomatoes in trouble talk in morse code ... I will include them in an ultrasonic Metta chant today ...

Hidden Plant SOS: Scientists Record Ultrasonic Distress Calls From Stressed Flora

Researchers at Tel Aviv University have recorded and analyzed ultrasonic sounds emitted by plants for the first time. The study found that plants emit specific sounds when under stress, which may be detectable by animals like bats, mice, and insects. Using machine learning algorithms, the researchers were able to distinguish between different plants and types of stress, even in noisy environments. This breakthrough could potentially help humans develop tools to better understand plant conditions and needs, such as sensors for when plants require watering. The team plans to further investigate the mechanisms behind plant sounds and their impact on other organisms.

• The sounds emitted by plants are ultrasonic, beyond the hearing range of the human ear.
• Plant sounds are informative: mostly emitted when the plant is under stress, they contain information about its condition.
• The researchers mainly recorded tomato and tobacco plants; wheat, corn, cactus, and henbit were also recorded.
• The researchers: “Apparently, an idyllic field of flowers can be a rather noisy place. It’s just that we can’t hear the sounds!”

https://scitechdaily.com/hidden-plant-sos-scientists-record-ultrasonic-distress-calls-from-stressed-flora/

https://youtu.be/hOWaXi0I2YE

Is it really possible to predict such complex systems so far in advance? The Buddhist "sidi" power to predict the future comes true ...

New Machine Learning Model Can Accurately Predict Events Like Tornadoes and Hail Eight Days in Advance

As severe weather approaches with potential life-threatening hazards such as heavy rain, hail, or tornadoes, early warnings, and precise predictions are crucial. Weather researchers at Colorado State University have provided storm forecasters with a powerful new tool to enhance the reliability of their predictions, potentially saving lives in the process. ... Led by research scientist Aaron Hill, who has worked on refining the model for the last two-plus years, the team recently published their medium-range (four to eight days) forecasting ability in the American Meteorological Society journal Weather and Forecasting. ... The tool is not a stand-in for the invaluable skill of human forecasters but rather provides an agnostic, confidence-boosting measure to help forecasters decide whether to issue public warnings about potential weather. ... “They have developed probabilistic machine learning-based severe weather guidance that is statistically reliable and skillful while also being practically useful for forecasters,” Jirak said. The forecasters in Oklahoma are using the CSU guidance product daily, particularly when they need to issue medium-range severe weather outlooks. ...

...

The model is trained on a very large dataset containing about nine years of detailed historical weather observations over the continental U.S. These data are combined with meteorological retrospective forecasts, which are model “re-forecasts” created from outcomes of past weather events. The CSU researchers pulled the environmental factors from those model forecasts and associated them with past events of severe weather like tornadoes and hail. The result is a model that can run in real-time with current weather events and produce a probability of those types of hazards with a four- to eight-day lead time, based on current environmental factors like temperature and wind.

https://scitechdaily.com/new-machine...ys-in-advance/

The big and the small, not so much in the middle ...

Scientists Baffled by New “Size of Life” Discovery About Our Planet’s Biomass

Life comes in all shapes in sizes, but some sizes are more popular than others, new research from the University of British Columbia (UBC) has found.

In the first study of its kind published today (March 29) in PLOS ONE, Dr. Eden Tekwa, who conducted the study as a postdoctoral fellow at UBC’s department of zoology, surveyed the body sizes of all Earth’s living organisms, and uncovered an unexpected pattern. Contrary to what current theories can explain, our planet’s biomass—the material that makes up all living organisms—is concentrated in organisms at either end of the size spectrum.

“The smallest and largest organisms significantly outweigh all other organisms,” said Dr. Tekwa, lead author of “The size of life,” and now a research associate with McGill University’s department of biology. “This seems like a new and emerging pattern that needs to be explained, and we don’t have theories for how to explain it right now. Current theories predict that biomass would be spread evenly across all body sizes.”

https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-...anets-biomass/

Talk about a "Mammoth BigMac"! ....

Meatballs made with mammoth DNA created by Australian food startup

Woolly mammoth remains, with fur and tissue still in tact, are regularly found entombed in Arctic permafrost. Their discovery has allowed scientists to sequence the mammoth genome and learn intriguing details about the lives of these extinct Ice Age giants.

Now, some of that information is being used to grow an approximation of mammoth meat in a lab.

Vow, an Australian cultured meat startup, has made what it describes as a mammoth meatball. The project’s goal, according to the company, is to draw attention to the potential of cultured meat to make eating habits more planet friendly. On Tuesday, the meatball will join the collection at Rijksmuseum Boerhaave — a museum of science and medicine in the Netherlands.

“We need to start rethinking how we get our food. My biggest hope for this project is … that a lot more people across the world begin to hear about cultured meat,” said James Ryall, Vow’s chief scientific officer.

A wonderfully wacky publicity stunt, the meatballs aren’t intended for human consumption. Even calling the creation mammoth meat is a bit of a stretch. It’s more like lab-made lamb mingled with a tiny amount of mammoth DNA. ...

Advocates hope cultured meat will reduce the need to slaughter animals for food and help fight the climate crisis. The food system is responsible for about a third of global greenhouse gas emissions, most of which result from animal agriculture.

Vow hopes to soon get regulatory approval in Singapore, the first country to approve cultured meat, to sell lab-made quail meat it has developed. In the United States, the FDA has said that lab-grown chicken is OK for human consumption.

https://us.cnn.com/2023/03/28/world/...scn/index.html

Gassho, J

stlah

[Jundo]

If you read my mind right now, you will know that I think this TOTALLY AMAZING ... and also KINDA SCARY ...

From brain waves, this AI can sketch what you're picturing
Researchers around the world are training AI to re-create images seen by humans using only their brain waves. Experts say the technology is still in its infancy, but it heralds a new brain-analysis industry.

Zijiao Chen can read your mind, with a little help from powerful artificial intelligence and an fMRI machine.

Chen, a doctoral student at the National University of Singapore, is part of a team of researchers that has shown they can decode human brain scans to tell what a person is picturing in their mind, according to a paper released in November.

Their team, made up of researchers from the National University of Singapore, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Stanford University, did this by using brain scans of participants as they looked at more than 1,000 pictures — a red firetruck, a gray building, a giraffe eating leaves — while inside a functional magnetic resonance imaging machine, or fMRI, which recorded the resulting brain signals over time. The researchers then sent those signals through an AI model to train it to associate certain brain patterns with certain images.

Later, when the subjects were shown new images in the fMRI, the system detected the patient’s brain waves, generated a shorthand description of what it thinks those brain waves corresponded to, and used an AI image-generator to produce a best-guess facsimile of the image the participant saw.

The results are startling and dreamlike. An image of a house and driveway resulted in a similarly colored amalgam of a bedroom and living room. An ornate stone tower shown to a study participant generated images of a similar tower, with windows situated at unreal angles. A bear became a strange, shaggy, doglike creature.

The resulting generated image matched the attributes (color, shape, etc.) and semantic meaning of the original image roughly 84% of the time. ... Researchers believe that in just a decade the technology could be used on anyone, anywhere. “It might be able to help disabled patients to recover what they see, what they think,” Chen said. In the ideal case, Chen added, humans won’t even have to use cellphones to communicate. “We can just think.” ....

Like many recent AI developments, brain-reading technology raises ethical and legal concerns. Some experts say in the wrong hands, the AI model could be used for interrogations or surveillance.

“I think the line is very thin between what could be empowering and oppressive,” said Nita Farahany, a Duke University professor of law and ethics in new technology. “Unless we get out ahead of it, I think we’re more likely to see the oppressive implications of the technology.”

She worries that AI brain decoding could lead to companies commodifying the information or governments abusing it, and described brain-sensing products already on the market or just about to reach it that might bring about a world in which we are not just sharing our brain readings, but judged for them.

“This is a world in which not just your brain activity is being collected and your brain state — from attention to focus — is being monitored,” she said, “but people are being hired and fired and promoted based on what their brain metrics show.”

“It’s already going widespread and we need governance and rights in place right now before it becomes something that is truly part of everyone’s everyday lives,” she said.

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/brain-waves-ai-can-sketch-picturing-rcna76096

SHOWN BELOW IN RED: Singapore results compared to original images ...

Gassho, J

stlah

[Jundo]

[Jundo]

I think kids with "two dads" or "two moms" is a wonderful thing, but I always remind folks (as the father of 2 adopted kids) ... adoption is lovely, please consider ...

SCIENTISTS CREATE MICE FROM TWO DADS AFTER MAKING EGGS FROM SKIN CELLS

Scientists have created mice with two biologically male parents for the first time — a significant milestone in reproductive biology.

The team, led by Katsuhiko Hayashi, a professor of genome biology at Osaka University in Japan, generated eggs from the skin cells of male mice that, when implanted in female mice, went on to produce healthy pups, according to research published March 15 (2023) in the peer-reviewed journal Nature.

The proof-of-concept research, the culmination of years of pain-staking lab work, could expand the possibilities for future fertility treatments, including for same-sex couples, and perhaps help prevent the extinction of endangered animals.

However, scientists warn there’s still much to learn before cultured cells can be used to make human eggs in a lab dish.

“It is expected that application into humans takes a long time, maybe 10 years or more. Even if it is applied, we never know whether the eggs are safe enough to produce (a) baby,” Hayashi said.

... He said that it would be more challenging to accomplish the reverse — that is, making sperm from female cells because they contain no Y chromosome, which is essential for making sperm. Duplicating an X chromosome, which male cells already have, is easier than conjuring up a Y chromosome in female cells, Hayashi explained.

Glenn Cohen, the James A. Attwood and Leslie Williams Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, said the work raised thorny ethical and legal questions that society needed to start thinking about. These issues include embryo farming — producing hundreds of embryos to pick the best one — and the unauthorized use of a person’s cells.

“What happens to all the embryos created but not used? Does it violate ethical norms of respect to create so many potential human lives knowing that the vast majority will be destroyed or indefinitely stored?” said Cohen, who is also the faculty director of Harvard Law’s Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology & Bioethics.

“In the most extreme case, imagine an individual using sloughed skin cells left on a bathtub by Brad Pitt, for example, to derive sperm or egg in order to reproduce,” he added.

... The technique holds promise for conserving endangered species, although it’s not known whether the process in mice that resulted in the spontaneous loss of a Y chromosome and the duplication of the X chromosome would occur in other mammal species, said Mike McGrew, Personal Chair of Avian Reproductive Technologies at The Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh.

“This is a very exciting finding for species conservation,” he said via email. “You could imagine that the many ‘biobanks’ that are being established to capture genetic diversity stored for endangered species of animals. By chance, only or predominantly male cells may be conserved for some species.”

https://us.cnn.com/2023/03/24/world/mice-eggs-from-male-cells-scn/index.html?fbclid=IwAR1I4dZdYYkWhull3cMSDp9XHmTECFQJzlrP0mGnRq8_4LLM7_6DQrZBxiE

A step ahead in neural implants ... helping the paralyzed walk and move their limbs ...

New “Biohybrid” Neural Implant Could Restore Function in Paralyzed Limbs

Researchers have developed a new type of neural implant that could restore limb function to amputees and others who have lost the use of their arms or legs.

In a study carried out in rats, researchers from the University of Cambridge used the device to improve the connection between the brain and paralyzed limbs. The device combines flexible electronics and human stem cells – the body’s ‘reprogrammable’ master cells – to better integrate with the nerve and drive limb function. Previous attempts at using neural implants to restore limb function have mostly failed, as scar tissue tends to form around the electrodes over time, impeding the connection between the device and the nerve. By sandwiching a layer of muscle cells reprogrammed from stem cells between the electrodes and the living tissue, the researchers found that the device integrated with the host’s body and the formation of scar tissue was prevented. The cells survived on the electrode for the duration of the 28-day experiment, the first time this has been monitored over such a long period.

The researchers say that by combining two advanced therapies for nerve regeneration – cell therapy and bioelectronics – into a single device, they can overcome the shortcomings of both approaches, improving functionality and sensitivity.

While extensive research and testing will be needed before it can be used in humans, the device is a promising development for amputees or those who have lost function of a limb or limbs. The results were reported on March 22, 2023, in the journal Science Advances.

https://scitechdaily.com/new-biohybrid-neural-implant-could-restore-function-in-paralyzed-limbs/

In a study carried out in rats, researchers from the University of Cambridge used a biohybrid device to improve the connection between the brain and paralyzed limbs. The device combines flexible electronics and human stem cells – the body’s ‘reprogrammable’ master cells – to better integrate with the nerve and drive limb function.

A (Second Generation) Star is Born ... like Julian Lennon or Michael Douglas to Kirk? ...

State-of-the-Art Artificial Intelligence Sheds New Light on the Mysterious First Stars

By using machine learning and state-of-the-art supernova nucleosynthesis, a team of researchers has found the majority of observed second-generation stars in the universe were enriched by multiple supernovae, reports a new study in The Astrophysical Journal.

Nuclear astrophysics research has shown elements including and heavier than carbon in the Universe are produced in stars. But the first stars, stars born soon after the Big Bang, did not contain such heavy elements, which astronomers call ‘metals’. The next generation of stars contained only a small amount of heavy elements produced by the first stars. To understand the universe in its infancy, it requires researchers to study these metal-poor stars. Luckily, these second-generation metal-poor stars are observed in our Milky Way Galaxy, and have been studied by a team of Affiliate Members of the Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU) to close in on the physical properties of the first stars in the universe. ... they found that 68 percent of the observed extremely metal-poor stars have a chemical fingerprint consistent with enrichment by multiple previous supernovae.
The team’s results give the first quantitative constraint based on observations on the multiplicity of the first stars.
https://scitechdaily.com/state-of-th...s-first-stars/

Think about the galactic link of the Zinc in your kitchen sink where you drink, plus your blood so pink ... wink ...

The Far-Flung Origin of Life’s Building Blocks: Researchers Uncover “Completely Unexpected” Findings


Imperial College London researchers have discovered the probable distant origin of Earth’s volatile chemicals, some of which form the building blocks of life, through the analysis of meteorites.

The researchers found that approximately 50% of the Earth’s supply of the volatile element zinc came from asteroids originating from the outer Solar System, beyond the asteroid belt which encompasses planets such as Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus. This material is believed to have also supplied other crucial volatiles, such as water. Volatiles are elements or compounds that easily transition from solid or liquid to a gaseous state at relatively low temperatures. They include the six most frequently occurring elements in living organisms, as well as water. As such, the addition of this material will have been important for the emergence of life on Earth.

Prior to this, researchers thought that most of Earth’s volatiles came from asteroids that formed closer to the Earth. The findings reveal important clues about how Earth came to harbor the special conditions needed to sustain life. Senior author Professor Mark Rehkämper, of Imperial College London’s Department of Earth Science and Engineering, said: “Our data show that about half of Earth’s zinc inventory was delivered by material from the outer Solar System, beyond the orbit of Jupiter. Based on current models of early Solar System development, this was completely unexpected.”

Previous research suggested that the Earth formed almost exclusively from inner Solar System material, which researchers inferred was the predominant source of Earth’s volatile chemicals. In contrast, the new findings suggest the outer Solar System played a bigger role than previously thought.

Professor Rehkämper added: “This contribution of outer Solar System material played a vital role in establishing the Earth’s inventory of volatile chemicals. It looks as though without the contribution of outer Solar System material, the Earth would have a much lower amount of volatiles than we know it today – making it drier and potentially unable to nourish and sustain life.”

The findings were recently published in Science.

https://scitechdaily.com/the-far-flung-origin-of-lifes-building-blocks-researchers-uncover-completely-unexpected-findings/

This is interesting to me personally, as I have a similar condition in which I can remember faces, but struggle to associate with names ... really (please, never be offended if your name eludes me for a time, as I sometimes call my own daughter by the cat's name) ...

Harvard Study Indicates That Face Blindness Is More Common Than Previously Thought

• A study by researchers at Harvard Medical School/VA Boston Healthcare System suggests that face blindness lies on a continuum and may be more common than currently believed.
• The study found similar face-matching performance between prosopagnosics diagnosed with stricter vs. looser criteria, suggesting that the diagnostic criteria should be expanded.
• As many as 1 in 33 people may meet the criteria for face blindness: 1 in 108 have major prosopagnosia whereas 1 in 47 have mild prosopagnosia.

Previously estimated to impact between 2-2.5% of the global population, face blindness is a perplexing condition that can lead individuals to mistakenly believe they know someone they’ve never met, or conversely, not recognize individuals they are familiar with.

https://scitechdaily.com/harvard-study-indicates-that-face-blindness-is-more-common-than-previously-thought/

Gassho, J

stlah