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

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  • Jundo
    Treeleaf Founder and Priest
    • Apr 2006
    • 40466


    About to launch ... scheduled July 1 ...

    Solving Dark Cosmic Mysteries: ESA’s Euclid Mission Into the Unknown

    ESA’s Euclid mission is designed to explore the composition and evolution of the dark Universe. The space telescope will create a great map of the large-scale structure of the Universe across space and time by observing billions of galaxies out to 10 billion light-years, across more than a third of the sky. Euclid will explore how the Universe has expanded and how structure has formed over cosmic history, revealing more about the role of gravity and the nature of dark energy and dark matter.

    I will bet at this point that dark matter/dark energy is somehow tied to consciousness ...

    Can Euclid help figure out this mystery? ...

    The Universe Throws a Curveball: The Dark Matter Distribution Paradox

    Astrophysicists found the “clumpiness” of Universe’s dark matter to be 0.76, a figure conflicting with the Cosmic Microwave Background value of 0.83, indicating possible errors or an incomplete cosmological model. The research used the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program data and will further investigate this compelling discrepancy.
    In any event ...

    Not merely a theoretical question ... but does not this "junk code" also result in our tendencies to kill and abuse each other too? ...

    Robot Souls and “Junk Code”: Should AI Be Given a Human Conscience?

    Dr. Eve Poole’s book “Robot Souls” explores the concept of embedding ‘junk code’—traits such as emotions and free will—into AI systems. She proposes this as a solution to ethical dilemmas in AI, arguing these human traits are crucial for societal survival and should be integrated into AI development for ethical and value-aligned automation.

    ... She argues that in its bid for perfection, humans stripped out the ‘junk code’ including emotions, free will, and a sense of purpose.

    She said: “It is this ‘junk’ which is at the heart of humanity. Our junk code consists of human emotions, our propensity for mistakes, our inclination to tell stories, our uncanny sixth sense, our capacity to cope with uncertainty, an unshakeable sense of our own free will, and our ability to see meaning in the world around us.

    “This junk code is in fact vital to human flourishing, because behind all of these flaky and whimsical properties lies a coordinated attempt to keep our species safe. Together they act as a range of ameliorators with a common theme: they keep us in community so that there is safety in numbers.”

    ... She said: “If we can decipher that code, the part that makes us all want to survive and thrive together as a species, we can share it with the machines. Giving them to all intents and purposes a ‘soul’.”

    In the new book, Poole suggests a series of next steps to make this a reality, including agreeing a rigorous regulation process, and an immediate ban on autonomous weapons along with a licensing regime with rules that reserve any final decision over the life and death of a human to a fellow human.

    She argues we should also agree the criteria for legal personhood and a road map for Al toward it.

    ... “Because humans are flawed we disregarded a lot of characteristics when we built AI,” Poole explains. “It was assumed that robots with features like emotions and intuition, that made mistakes and looked for meaning and purpose, would not work as well. “But on considering why all these irrational properties are there, it seems that they emerge from the source code of soul. Because it is actually this ‘junk’ code that makes us human and promotes the kind of reciprocal altruism that keeps humanity alive and thriving. ...

    https://scitechdaily.com/robot-souls...pand_article=1
    That last story makes me all emotional ...

    Decoding Emotional Intelligence: MIT’s Computational Model Excels in Predicting Emotions

    MIT neuroscientists have created a computational model that successfully predicts human emotions — including joy, gratitude, confusion, regret, and embarrassment — in social scenarios, using the prisoner’s dilemma game as a base. The model considers individuals’ desires, expectations, and the influence of observers, deducing motivations, comparing outcomes with expectations, and predicting emotions based on these factors. This model, mimicking human social intelligence, outperformed other emotion prediction models, and researchers aim to adapt it for broader applications.

    Maybe it is too late? ...

    Forget about the AI apocalypse. The real dangers are already here

    Altman, whose company is behind the viral chatbot tool ChatGPT, joined Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis, Microsoft’s CTO Kevin Scott and dozens of other AI researchers and business leaders in signing a one-sentence letter last month stating: “Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war.” ... For Marcus, a self-described critic of AI hype, “the biggest immediate threat from AI is the threat to democracy from the wholesale production of compelling misinformation.”

    Generative AI tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Dall-E are trained on vast troves of data online to create compelling written work and images in response to user prompts. With these tools, for example, one could quickly mimic the style or likeness of public figures in an attempt to create disinformation campaigns.

    In his testimony before Congress, Altman also said the potential for AI to be used to manipulate voters and target disinformation were among “my areas of greatest concern.”

    Even in more ordinary use cases, however, there are concerns. The same tools have been called out for offering wrong answers to user prompts, outright “hallucinating” responses and potentially perpetuating racial and gender biases.

    ...

    https://us.cnn.com/2023/06/16/tech/a...ngs/index.html
    Our leaders met in person to talk about it ... slowly, with our relatively slow brains ...

    Takeaways from the roundtable with President Biden on artificial intelligence

    ... I want people to know - I don't want to alarm people, but I do think that we have to have an honest assessment of the risk so that we can take the actions that are necessary to lower that risk. And I know a lot of people who work inside the AI companies who do not know even how we will safely steward what already exists. There's many dangerous capabilities that are already out there. I do think the stakes of this are incredibly high, and that's why I think people should be calling their members of Congress to advocate for the need to get this international regulation in place and these guardrails. ...

    https://www.npr.org/2023/06/22/11838...l-intelligence
    Think of this the next time you open the faucet ... all things are connected ...

    We’ve Pumped So Much Groundwater That Earth’s Spin Shifted

    Groundwater extraction and redistribution by humans caused the Earth’s rotational pole to shift nearly a meter in two decades (1993-2010), contributing to a sea level rise, reveals a study in Geophysical Research Letters. The most water redistribution occurred in western North America and northwestern India, and efforts to reduce groundwater depletion in such areas could theoretically affect this shift. The phenomenon doesn’t risk shifting seasons but could impact climate over geological time scales.

    https://scitechdaily.com/earth-tilte...pand_article=1
    The Origami of Gene Manipulation ...

    Triplex Origami: A Game-Changer in Gene Therapy and DNA Nanotechnology

    Scientists have developed a method called triplex origami, using Hoogsteen interactions to fold DNA into various compact shapes, offering potential benefits for gene therapy and DNA nanotechnology. The method protects DNA from enzymatic degradation and could revolutionize the way we manipulate DNA, though current limitations in needing specific building blocks are being addressed.

    Every cell in your body contains about 2 meters of DNA, which carries the essential genetic information about you as an individual. If you unwind all the DNA contained in a single person, it would stretch over a staggering distance — enough to reach the sun and back again over 60 times. To handle such astonishingly long molecules, the cell compresses its DNA into compact packages called chromosomes.

    “Imagine DNA as a piece of paper on which all our genetic information is written.” Says Minke A.D. Nijenhuis, co-corresponding author of the new paper. “The paper is folded in a very tight structure to fit all this information in a small cell nucleus. But to read the information, parts of the paper have to be unfolded and then folded again. This spatial organization of our genetic code is a central mechanism in life. We, therefore, wanted to create a methodology that allows researchers to engineer and study the compaction of double-stranded DNA.”

    In nature, DNA is often made up of two strands that are twisted together into a double helix. One strand contains the genes responsible for encoding our traits and the other strand acts as a backup. These two strands are held together by certain bonds, called Watson-Crick interactions, which allow the two strands to recognize and bind to each other. In addition to these well-known interactions, there is a lesser-known type of interaction between DNA strands. These so-called normal or reverse Hoogsteen interactions allow a third strand to join and form a beautiful triple helical structure: a triplex

    In the new article published in the scientific journal Advanced Materials, researchers from Gothelf’s laboratory at Aarhus University have introduced a simple method for organizing DNA strands. The method is based on the aforementioned Hoogsteen interactions. The research shows that using this method, DNA can be bent or “folded” in a way that creates compact structures. These structures can take various forms, from hollow two-dimensional shapes to dense three-dimensional constructions and everything in between. In fact, you can even create structures that resemble a potted flower. The researchers call their method triplex origami (figure below).




    Triplex-mediated folding of dsDNA, a) A dsDNA sequence containing triplex-forming domains (coloured) is folded by four TFO strands, i.e. single-stranded DNA acting as staples, into a hairpin structure b) Images of two hairpin structures made with atomic force microscopy (AFM). c) S-shaped structure formed from a polypyrin DNA. d) Assembly of a large TFO origami resembling a potted flower structure from a 9000 bases long piece of double-stranded DNA. Scale bar = 100 nm.
    Maybe we can see it clearly ...

    Super-Resolution DNA Analysis: Multi-Scanning Individual Molecules for Extreme Precision

    Aleksandra Radenovic, head of the Laboratory of Nanoscale Biology in the School of Engineering, has worked for years to improve nanopore technology, which involves passing a molecule like DNA through a tiny pore in a membrane to measure an ionic current. Scientists can determine DNA’s sequence of nucleotides – which encodes genetic information – by analyzing how each one perturbs this current as it passes through. The research was published on June 19 in the journal Nature Nanotechnology. ... “We have combined the sensitivity of nanopores with the precision of scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM), allowing us to lock onto specific molecules and locations and control how fast they move. This exquisite control could help fill a big gap in the field,” Radenovic says. The researchers achieved this control using a repurposed state-of-the-art scanning ion conductance microscope, recently developed at the Lab for Bio- and Nano-Instrumentation. ...
    https://scitechdaily.com/super-resol...eme-precision/
    We are the products of the past ... including unwanted visitors ...

    A “Genetic Parasite” – The Secret Protector of Fertility

    The genetic makeup of many species, including humans, contains crucial components known as ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequences. Due to their highly repetitive pattern, these DNA sequences tend to reduce in size over time, leading to cell death if they shrink excessively. If this happens in germ cells — cells that give rise to eggs and sperm — it can result in infertility and the potential extinction of the individual’s lineage.

    Scientists have long theorized that some mechanism works to preserve our rDNA over successive generations, thereby maintaining the fertility of humans and other species. However, the specifics of this process remained unclear until recently. New findings from Yukiko Yamashita, a member of the Whitehead Institute, and postdoc Jonathan Nelson, unveiled an unexpected defender of rDNA: a retrotransposon. Prior to this discovery, retrotransposons were predominantly considered genetic parasites because they seemed to exist only to replicate themselves. What the researchers discovered is that rDNA is restored with the help of a retrotransposon, R2. Retrotransposons are genetic sequences whose primary function is to replicate themselves, even at the expense of the rest of the genome. They have been called genetic parasites, but their behavior is most similar to that of a virus, which manipulates cells into making copies of itself.

    ...


    Can we get our brains around this?

    “Cytoelectric Coupling”: A Groundbreaking Hypothesis on How Our Brains Function

    A new study proposes a hypothesis called “Cytoelectric Coupling,” arguing that the brain’s electrical fields, created by neural network activity, can influence the physical configuration of neurons’ sub-cellular components to optimize network stability and efficiency. The research, conducted by scientists from MIT, City University of London, and Johns Hopkins University, builds upon earlier studies that showed how rhythmic electrical activity or ‘brain waves’ in neural networks and the influence of electric fields at the molecular level can coordinate and adjust the brain’s functions, facilitating flexible cognition ...

    ... “The brain adapts to a changing world,” Pinotsis said. “Its proteins and molecules change too. They can have electric charges and need to catch up with neurons that process, store, and transmit information using electric signals. Interacting with the neurons’ electric fields seems necessary.” ...

    ... If the brain carries information in electric fields and those electric fields are capable of configuring neurons and other elements in the brain that form a network, then the brain is likely to use this capability. The brain can use fields to ensure the network does what it is supposed to do, the authors suggest.

    To put it (loosely) in couch potato terms, the success of a television network isn’t just its ability to transmit a clear signal to millions of homes. What’s also important is the details as fine as the way each viewer household arranges its TV, sound system, and living room furniture to maximize the experience. Both in this metaphor and in the brain, Miller said, the presence of the network motivates the individual participants to configure their own infrastructure to participate optimally. ...

    https://scitechdaily.com/cytoelectri...pand_article=1
    And we need to monitor, and manipulate, fine parts of the body ...

    The Future of Medical Diagnostics: All-Purpose Biosensor Chip With 10,000-Fold Increase in Detection Range

    UC Santa Cruz scientists have significantly improved chip-based biosensors, expanding their concentration range detection by over 10,000 times. These advancements enable a single device to perform multiple medical tests simultaneously on different biomolecules, even at vastly different concentrations. The team leveraged machine learning for high accuracy particle recognition, making these devices suitable for real-time data analysis in point-of-care scenarios.

    https://scitechdaily.com/the-future-...pand_article=1
    In colonizing nearby planets and moons, we will need energy, food, materials ...

    Harnessing Photosynthesis: A Green Energy Solution for Martian Occupation & Space Exploration

    Researchers from the University of Warwick propose using artificial photosynthesis devices, capable of harnessing sunlight to generate oxygen and recycle carbon dioxide, for sustainable energy solutions in space exploration. The devices could potentially be used on the Moon and Mars, improving the efficiency of space travel and informing improvements in Earth-based solar technologies. This is an artist’s concept of an artificial photosynthesis device on Mars.

    ... There is a need for efficient and reliable energy sources in space to enable the exploration of our solar system. It is hoped that the technology could be installed on the Moon and Mars to harvest green energy to help power rockets and complement life support systems for the production of oxygen and other chemicals as well as the recycling of carbon dioxide. The insights gained in this study with respect to improving device efficiencies also feed back into their optimization for Earth applications and also provide insights into the performance of traditional solar cells in space. ...

    https://scitechdaily.com/harnessing-...pand_article=1
    But will we get there if we destroy this planet first? ...

    When Carbon Sinks Sink: New Research Uncovers a Climate Change Time Bomb

    A new study reveals that rising global temperatures could convert widespread microbial communities worldwide from carbon sinks to carbon emitters, potentially triggering climate change tipping points. These findings were recently published in the British Ecological Society’s journal, Functional Ecology.

    New research finds that under a warming climate, ocean plankton and other single-celled organisms, known as mixotrophic microbes – can switch from being carbon sinks to carbon emitters. The research also finds that changes in the behavior of these organisms right before they switch can act as an early warning signal for climate change tipping points. However, increases in nutrient levels in the environment, such as nitrogen from agricultural runoff, can mute these warning signals.

    https://scitechdaily.com/when-carbon...nge-time-bomb/
    Dream a little dream ...

    Harnessing Hypnagogia: MIT and Harvard’s Breakthrough in Boosting Creativity Through Targeted Dream Incubation

    Researchers from MIT and Harvard have demonstrated that people are more creative when awakened from early sleep stages and guided to dream about a specific topic. This method, facilitated by a device called Dormio, increased creativity by 43% in comparison to those who napped without specific dream guidance.

    https://scitechdaily.com/harnessing-...am-incubation/
    Gassho, J

    stlah
    ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLE

    Comment

    • Jundo
      Treeleaf Founder and Priest
      • Apr 2006
      • 40466

      We are lucky survivors, time and time and time and time and time again ... whether this is true or not, countless hurdles like it were true ...

      Cosmic Shield: How Our Solar System Survived a Supernova

      Evidence gleaned from isotope ratios within meteorites indicates that a supernova detonation occurred nearby while our Sun and Solar System were still in their formative stages. The resulting blast from that supernova could have potentially destroyed the nascent solar system. ...a supernova that was close enough to deliver the amount of isotopes seen in meteorites would have also created a blast wave strong enough to rip the nascent Solar System apart.

      [BUT] Assuming that the Sun formed along a dense molecular gas filament, and a supernova exploded at a nearby filament hub ... [the] parent filament may have acted as a buffer to protect the young Sun and helped catch the radioactive isotopes from the supernova blast wave and channel them into the still-forming Solar System.


      We also survived the hurdle of the oxygen/atmospheric mix on our planter ... what brought that about? ...

      “Groundbreaking” Findings – Previously Unknown Process Could Be Responsible for 12% of Earth’s Total Oxygen Production

      Take a deep breath. Now take nine more. One of those 10 breaths you just took was made possible due to a newly discovered cellular mechanism that promotes photosynthesis in marine phytoplankton, according to recent research.

      Described as “groundbreaking” by a team of researchers at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, this hitherto unknown mechanism is responsible for between 7% and 25% of all oxygen production and carbon fixation in the ocean. Taking into account photosynthesis on land, it’s estimated that this process could be responsible for generating as much as 12% of the planet’s total oxygen. ... “This study represents a breakthrough in our understanding of marine phytoplankton,” said lead author Daniel Yee, who conducted the research while a Ph.D. student at Scripps Oceanography and currently serves as a joint postdoctoral researcher at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory and University of Grenoble Alpes in France. “Over millions of years of evolution, these small cells in the ocean carry out minute chemical reactions, in particular to produce this mechanism that enhances photosynthesis, that shaped the trajectory of life on this planet.”

      ... “We were able to generate these images that are showing the protein of interest and where it is inside of a cell with many membranes,” said Yee. “In combination with detailed experiments to quantify photosynthesis, we found that this protein is actually promoting photosynthesis by delivering more carbon dioxide, which is what the chloroplast uses to produce more complex carbon molecules, like sugars, while also producing more oxygen as a by-product.” ...

      Once the underlying mechanism was established, the team was able to connect it to multiple aspects of evolution. Diatoms were derived from a symbiotic event between a protozoan and an algae around 250 million years ago that culminated into the fusing of the two organisms into one, known as symbiogenesis. The authors highlight that the process of one cell consuming another, known as phagocytosis, is widespread in nature. Phagocytosis relies on the proton pump to digest the cell that acts as the food source. However, in the case of diatoms, something special occurred in which the cell that was eaten didn’t get fully digested.

      Brain connections and unconnections are further hurdles ...

      Battle of the Dendrites: How Neurons Compete To Cut Connections

      Researchers at Kyushu University discovered the chemical pathways that regulate synaptic pruning, a crucial phase in brain development where excessive and incorrect neuronal connections are eliminated. The team found that in the presence of neurotransmitter signaling, the receiving dendrite is protected while other dendrites of the same neuron are set on a path to be pruned, a mechanism that helps refine neural networks and contribute to proper brain maturation.

      ... “The elimination of neuronal connections, what we call pruning, was something everybody in the field knew about and observed. But if you look at the literature, there was a lack of study on the exact mechanism that drove the process,” explains first author Satoshi Fujimoto.

      Elimination of connections happens everywhere in the nervous system, for example in neuromuscular junctions, the neurons that send signals to your muscles to move. At first, the muscle fibers receive inputs from many motor neurons. As you grow, these connections are finetuned, where some are strengthened, and others are eliminated, until just one neuron connects to one muscle fiber. It is why you have awkward motor control and coordination at an early age. ...

      https://scitechdaily.com/battle-of-t...pand_article=1
      Another hurdle ... not neuron pruning, but neuron integrity ...

      Key Protein Vital for Structural Integrity of Neurons – Without It Axons Break, Synapses Die

      In a study conducted by MIT’s Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, researchers found that a protein named perlecan plays a crucial role in maintaining the structural integrity of neurons. Perlecan is part of the extracellular matrix that surrounds cells and helps them develop in a supportive, yet non-rigid environment. The study revealed that, without perlecan, the axons (long projections of neurons used for connection) can break apart during development, leading to the death of synapses (neuronal connections).


      Cellular chemistry, more hurdles and hurdles ...

      Cracking the Tubulin Code: A Breakthrough in Cellular Mechanics

      Tubulin is a protein that plays a crucial role in the structure and function of cells. It is the main component of microtubules, which are long, hollow fibers that provide structural support, help the cell divide, give it its shape, and act as tracks for moving molecular cargo around inside the cell.

      There are two types of tubulin: alpha-tubulin and beta-tubulin. Together, they form dimeric (two-part) building blocks, spontaneously assembling into microtubules that undergo further continuous cycles of assembly and disassembly.

      To fine-tune microtubules, the dimers undergo various post-translational modifications (PTMs), which are chemical modifications that occur after they are synthesized, and can affect their structure, activity, and interactions with other molecules.

      Two important PTMs take place on the unstructured tail of alpha-tubulin: Polyglutamylation, which adds chains of glutamate amino acids, and detyrosination, which removes the final tyrosine amino acid. These PTMs, among others, are found together in stable microtubules, e.g. in neurons.

      ... The researchers also found that polyglutamylation of alpha-tubulin facilitated its detyrosination by enhancing the activity of the protein complex vasohibin/SVBP, the key enzyme responsible for this modification. The team confirmed their findings by changing the levels of polyglutamate in living cells and observing the effects on tyrosine removal.

      The study presents a novel approach to designing tubulins with specific PTMs and uncovers a new interplay between two key regulatory systems that control the function of tubulin: polyglutamylation and detyrosination.

      https://scitechdaily.com/cracking-th...pand_article=1
      Another hurdle ... surrounding our DNA ...

      Scientists Completely Define the Process of Methylation

      In a groundbreaking study, researchers from UNSW Sydney have completely defined the essential cellular process known as methylation for the first time. The research, which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, underlines the crucial role that methylation plays in the creation of proteins.

      Methylation is a biochemical process where a small molecule, known as a methyl group, is attached to or ‘tags’ DNA, proteins, or other molecules. The act of methylation can influence cell behavior, such as propelling the growth and differentiation of stem cells.

      https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-...f-methylation/
      Another hurdle, a crucial molecule ... detected far away ...

      Webb telescope detects crucial molecule in space for the first time

      Astronomers have detected a crucial carbon molecule in space for the first time using the James Webb Space Telescope.

      The compound, called methyl cation, or CH3+, was traced back to a young star system located 1,350 light-years away from Earth in the Orion Nebula, according to NASA.

      Carbon compounds are intriguing to scientists because they act as the foundation for all life as we know and understand it. Methyl cation is considered a key component that helps form more complex carbon-based molecules. ... Methyl cation was detected in a young star system, with a protoplanetary disk, known as d203-506, which is located about 1,350 light-years away in the Orion Nebula. ... CH3+ is theorized to be particularly important because it reacts readily with a wide range of other molecules. As a result, it acts like a “train station” where a molecule can remain for a time before going in one of many different directions to react with other molecules. Due to this property, scientists suspect that CH3+ forms a cornerstone of interstellar organic chemistry.

      PHOTO BELOW: The largest image, on the left, is from Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) instrument. At upper right, the telescope is focused on a smaller area using Webb’s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument). At the very center of the MIRI area is a young star system with a protoplanetary disk named d203-506. The pullout at the bottom right displays a combined NIRCam and MIRI image of this young system.


      Astronomers detected a crucial carbon molecule in space for the first time during observations made with the James Webb Space Telescope.


      https://scitechdaily.com/foundation-...pand_article=1
      It is a minefield out there ...

      Ancient galaxy reveals a surprising way to annihilate a star

      During their quest to find the source of one of the brightest and most powerful explosions in the universe, astronomers discovered a new chaotic way that stars can die.

      The bright flash of gamma-ray light was first detected by NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory on October 19, 2019. The explosion lasted just over a minute — considered long, like any gamma-ray burst, or GRB, that lasts more than two seconds.

      Most GRBs have been traced back to the collapse of stars with at least 10 times the mass of our sun or to the mergers between neutron stars — the dense remnants left behind when large stars explode.

      But the October 2019 burst, named GRB 191019A, came from a different source, revealing a type of stellar death that had been theorized but never observed.

      Astronomers believe the burst occurred when stars, or possibly the remnants of stars, collided within the densely crowded environment near the supermassive black hole at the center of an ancient galaxy. A study detailing the findings published Thursday in the journal Nature Astronomy.

      “For every hundred events that fit into the traditional classification scheme of gamma-ray bursts, there is at least one oddball that throws us for a loop,” said study coauthor Wen-fai Fong, assistant professor of physics and astronomy at Northwestern University’s Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, in a statement. “However, it is these oddballs that tell us the most about the spectacular diversity of explosions that the universe is capable of.”

      https://us.cnn.com/2023/06/22/world/...scn/index.html
      Another hurdle by which, not only would we not be here, all matter would not be here ...

      Scientists Discover First Evidence of Symmetry Violation – And It Could Explain Why You Exist

      ... in a new paper, University of Florida astronomers have found the first evidence of this necessary violation of symmetry at the moment of creation. The UF scientists studied a whopping million trillion three-dimensional galactic quadruplets in the universe and discovered that the universe at one point preferred one set of shapes over their mirror images.

      This idea, known as parity symmetry violation, points to an infinitesimal period in our universe’s history when the laws of physics were different than they are today, with enormous consequences for how the universe evolved. The finding, established with a high level of statistical confidence, has two primary consequences. First, this parity violation could only have imprinted itself on the future galaxies during a period of extreme inflation in the earliest moments of the universe, confirming a central component of the Big Bang theory of the origin of the cosmos.

      Parity violation would also help answer perhaps the most crucial question in cosmology: Why is there something instead of nothing? That’s because parity violation is required to explain why there is more matter than antimatter, an essential condition for galaxies, stars, planets, and life to form in the way they have.

      ... Parity symmetry is the idea that physical laws shouldn’t prefer one shape over its mirror image. Scientists usually use the language of “handedness” to describe this trait, because our left and right hands are mirror images we are all familiar with. There is no way to rotate your left hand in three dimensions to make it look like your right hand, which means they are always distinguishable from one another. ...

      Parity violation would mean that the universe does have a preference for either left- or right-handed shapes.

      https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-...why-you-exist/
      More hurdles ... separate men and monkeys from other mammals ...

      New Research Unlocks Hidden Secrets of Primate Evolution

      Analyses of 50 primate genomes through comparative genomics unveil essential genetic processes involved in primate speciation, adaptive phenotypic changes, and the evolution of social systems. ... The study reported detailed genomic rearrangements across primate lineages and identified thousands of candidate genes that have undergone adaptive natural selection at different ancestral branches of the phylogeny. This includes genes that are important for the development of the nervous, skeletal, digestive, and sensory systems, all of which are likely to have contributed to evolutionary innovations and adaptations of primates.

      “It is surprising to see that so many genomic changes involving brain-related genes occurred in the common ancestor of the Simian group which includes New-world monkey, Old-world monkey, and great apes,” states Guojie Zhang, “These genomic innovations evolving deep in time at this ancestral node might have paved the way for the further evolution of human unique traits.” ...



      Those wild apes are still us ...

      French cave markings may be the oldest known engravings by Neanderthals

      [Marks] made by dragging fingers across relatively soft rock, lines, swirls and dots on the walls of a cave in France are the oldest known engravings by Neanderthals, according to a new analysis of the ancient marks.

      A team of researchers, led by Jean-Claude Marquet of the University of Tours in France, believe the markings “demonstrate a deliberate creative process,” the study published in the journal PLOS ONE on Wednesday noted. ... Based on the shape, spacing and arrangement of these engravings, the team concluded that markings in eight panels in La Roche-Cotard cave were intentional shapes and patterns created by human hands. ... Researchers were not able to date the engravings directly, but — by using optically stimulated luminescence dating that measures when mineral in sediment was last exposed to sunlight — they estimated the marks were made at least 57,000 years ago when the cave became sealed off. ... This date, combined with the fact that all stone tools within the cave are Mousterian, a style associated with Neanderthals, is strong evidence that these engravings are the work of the extinct Stone Age hominin, according to the study.

      Neanderthals are considered separate from Homo sapiens, our species, but they are from a close branch of the human family tree. The two groups overlapped in Europe for thousands of years, intermingled and had babies before Neanderthals became extinct. Most people alive today have traces of Neanderthal DNA.

      Examples of the engravings include a circular panel (left) with ogive-shaped tracings and a wavy panel with two contiguous tracings forming sinuous lines.


      Lines, swirls and dots on the walls of a cave in France are the oldest known engravings by Neanderthals, according to a new analysis of the ancient marks.

      Meanwhile, down here on earth, we face hurdles ... many of our own making ...

      Humans approaching limits of ‘survivability’ as sweltering heatwaves engulf parts of Asia

      The weekend downpour in Uttar Pradesh was a welcome change for the northern state of 220 million after temperatures in some areas soared to 47 degrees Celsius (116 Fahrenheit) last week, sickening hundreds with heat-related illnesses.

      ... A study published in April by the University of Cambridge said heatwaves in India are putting “unprecedented burdens” on India’s agriculture, economy and public health systems, stalling efforts to reach its development goals.

      “Long-term projections indicate that Indian heatwaves could cross the survivability limit for a healthy human resting in the shade by 2050,” the study said. “They will impact the labor productivity, economic growth, and quality of life of around 310 - 480 million people. Estimates show a 15% decrease in outdoor working capacity during daylight hours due to extreme heat by 2050.” ...

      https://us.cnn.com/2023/06/26/india/...hnk/index.html
      And we do more damage ...

      Rainforest destruction soared in 2022 despite global pledges to halt deforestation, new report finds

      The destruction of the world’s rainforests ramped up last year, despite global pledges to end deforestation by 2030, according to a new report.

      An area of tropical forest the size of Switzerland was lost in 2022, as forest destruction rose by 10% compared to the previous year, according to the report by the World Resources Institute’s (WRI) Global Forest Watch, which draws on data collected by the University of Maryland.

      The rate of loss was equivalent to losing 11 soccer fields of forest a minute, the report found, as swaths of tropical forest were cleared for farming, mining and other commercial activities.

      As well as having a devastating impact on wildlife, this destruction has significant consequences for climate change, as tropical forests are important stores of carbon dioxide. The amount of carbon pollution produced in 2022 from deforestation was equivalent to India’s annual fossil fuel emissions, according to the report.

      Brazil cut down the most tropical primary forest, amounting to 43% of the global total, the report found. The country’s rate of forest loss rose 15% from 2021 to 2022.

      This comes as some scientists warn the Amazon is approaching a critical tipping point that could see the rainforest transform into a grassy savannah, with huge implications for the world’s ability to tackle the climate crisis.

      https://us.cnn.com/2023/06/27/world/...ntl/index.html
      We may have always been cruel to each other ... but, lunch is lunch, I suppose ...

      Nine cut marks on a fossilized shin bone suggest that ancient human relatives butchered and possibly ate one another 1.45 million years ago, according to a new study.

      “These cut marks look very similar to what I’ve seen on animal fossils that were being processed for consumption,” Pobiner said in a news release.

      “It seems most likely that the meat from this leg was eaten and that it was eaten for nutrition as opposed to for a ritual.”

      ... The cut marks are all oriented in the same direction, making it possible that a hand wielding a stone tool could have made the marks one after another without changing grip.

      It’s not clear what species of ancient hominin the shin bone belonged to — because a leg bone doesn’t offer as much taxonomic information as a cranium or jawbone. The fossilized tibia was initially identified as Australopithecus boisei and then in 1990 as Homo erectus.

      The emergence of sophisticated stone tools is linked with the emergence of the Homo genus that includes our own species, Homo sapiens, but more recent research has suggested that other ancient hominins may have used stone tools even earlier. ... By themselves, the cuts do not definitively prove that the ancient human relative who inflicted the damage also made a meal out of the leg, but Pobiner said it was possible. The marks are located where a calf muscle would have been attached to the bone — a good place to cut if the aim was to remove flesh.

      “The information we have tells us that hominins were likely eating other hominins at least 1.45 million years ago,” Pobiner said.

      “There are numerous other examples of species from the human evolutionary tree consuming each other for nutrition, but this fossil suggests that our species’ relatives were eating each other to survive further into the past than we recognized.”

      [BELOW] Nine of 11 marks on the fossilized bone (numbers 1 to 4 and 7 to 11) were identified as stone tool cut marks. Marks 5 and 6 were identified as identified as tooth marks — likely from a big cat.


      https://us.cnn.com/2023/06/26/world/...scn/index.html
      Getting past eating meat altogether ...

      The plant protein that could push meat off your plate

      I came to this aquatic farm an hour outside of San Diego because I wanted to see what could be the future of humanity’s protein supply.

      At the moment, it looks more like a meth lab out of the drama “Breaking Bad,” jokes Tony Martens Fekini, the chief executive of Plantible Foods.

      Decrepit recreational vehicles squat on the property. In one corner, people tend to vials, grow lights and centrifuges in a trailer lab. More than a dozen big ponds filled with duckweed, a tiny green plant, bask in the Southern California sunshine.

      But the only thing cooking here is protein. ... Within each tiny floating aquatic plant is a molecule colloquially called rubisco. Without it, most life on Earth would cease to exist.

      Plants use rubisco protein — technically known as Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase — as the catalyst for photosynthesis, combining CO2 from the air with the building blocks for sugars and carbohydrates composing the base of our food chain.

      Rubisco is arguably the most abundant protein on the planet. Every green leaf has it. But this tireless molecule is locked inside plants’ cells, spoiling almost as soon as it comes into contact with the outside world. At the moment, eating salads is the only way to consume much of it. But Plantible’s farm may change that. If it succeeds, duckweed may become humanity’s first new major crop in more than a century, a skeleton key to unlock how plants replace animal protein on an unprecedented scale.

      Rubisco doesn’t just provide the protein we crave. It’s one of the world’s most versatile proteins, shape-shifting into forms resembling egg whites, meat, milk, gluten or even steak — all extracted from leaves. If we can harvest enough, it may elevate plants from a side dish to the main course — and as I found, it tasted delicious.

      https://www.washingtonpost.com/clima...isco-duckweed/
      Plus, pills to reduce human desire, hunger to consume ...

      Effective pills for weight loss, including an oral version of Ozempic, are on the horizon

      Results of two clinical trials, presented here at the 2023 American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions, point toward the progress drug companies have made in the development of a weight loss drug in pill form.

      Popular drugs, including Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro and Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovy, can produce significant weight loss, but all are given as weekly injections.

      A weight loss drug in the form of a daily pill may be a more palatable option for some people.

      “The nice thing about tablets is that virtually everyone is used to taking a tablet for something, even if it’s just a vitamin. It’s not a big deal,” said Dr. Robert Gabbay, the ADA’s chief scientist.

      https://www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...izon-rcna90981
      We are still cruel to each other ... and victims of our own weaknesses ...

      Hepatitis C can be cured. So why aren't more people getting treatment?

      ... Ten years ago, safe and effective treatments for hepatitis C became available.

      These pills are easy-to-take oral antivirals with few side effects. They cure 95% of patients who take them. The treatments are also expensive, coming in at $20 to 25,000 dollars a course.

      A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that the high cost of the drugs, along with coverage restrictions imposed by insurers, have kept many people diagnosed with hepatitis C from accessing curative treatments in the past decade. ... The CDC estimates that 2.4 million people in the U.S. are living with hepatitis C, a liver disease caused by a virus that spreads through contact with the blood of an infected person. Currently, the most common route of infection in the U.S. is through sharing needles and syringes used for injecting drugs. It can also be transmitted through sex, and via childbirth. Untreated, it can cause severe liver damage and liver cancer, and it leads to some 15,000 deaths in the U.S. each year.

      https://www.npr.org/sections/health-...ting-treatment
      Is our heading into space too rash?

      Why do some people get rashes in space? There's a clue in astronaut blood

      ... In a new study in Frontiers in Immunology, Laneuville and her colleagues suggest it could be due to the reduced activity of one hundred immune-related genes, which help give opportunistic infections a toehold.

      Knowing what causes astronauts to be more vulnerable to infections could help make future missions to space safer, experts say — and may improve treatments for those who are immunocompromised back here on Earth.

      Normally, Laneuville says our bodies host a multitude of viruses and bacteria at any given moment — even when we feel just fine.

      "And because we're healthy, we manage to keep those at check and dormant," she says. "But if we're stressed or if there's a dysregulation of the immune system," then those viruses and bacteria can cause infections. Laneuville thought maybe something in space was triggering a change in the gene activity of of the immune cells in astronaut blood that was allowing these opportunistic infections to surface.

      ... Here's what that special blood revealed. Exactly one hundred immune-related genes get dialed down in outer space. It could be due to stress. But Laneuville thinks there's another possibility: "Those genes respond to a decrease in gravitational force." She says that when an astronaut enters microgravity, their blood shifts from their legs to their torsos and heads. It's uncomfortable and throws things out of whack. Their body resolves the problem by reducing the fluid by up to 15%. But that now means that there are too many immune cells crammed into this smaller amount of blood.

      Laneuville thinks the drop in gene activity helps eliminate those extra cells. And this in turn affects the way the immune system responds to pathogens.

      "It's as if the body is telling them, 'Don't defend, put your guards down,'" she says.

      And this would allow viral and bacterial infections — normally held at bay — to rise up, infecting the astronauts. But once they step foot on land again, the whole thing reverses as the genes are dialed back up and fluid levels return to normal. This reversal takes no longer than a year, but for many genes it's only a matter of a few weeks.

      https://www.npr.org/sections/health-...-travel-health

      As to AI ... can we rely on this research result?

      Misinformation Express: How Generative AI Models Like ChatGPT, DALL-E, and Midjourney May Distort Human Beliefs

      Generative AI models such as ChatGPT, DALL-E, and Midjourney may distort human beliefs through the transmission of false information and stereotyped biases, according to researchers Celeste Kidd and Abeba Birhane. In their perspective, they delve into how studies on human psychology could shed light on why generative AI possesses such power in distorting human beliefs. ... They argue that society’s perception of the capabilities of generative AI models has been overly exaggerated, which has led to a widespread belief that these models surpass human abilities. Individuals are inherently inclined to adopt the information disseminated by knowledgeable, confident entities like generative AI at a faster pace and with more assurance. ... These generative AI models have the potential to fabricate false and biased information which can be disseminated widely and repetitively, factors which ultimately dictate the extent to which such information can be entrenched in people’s beliefs. Individuals are most susceptible to influence when they are seeking information and tend to firmly adhere to the information once it’s been received. ...

      https://scitechdaily.com/misinformat...pand_article=1
      I see a ghost ...

      Our own Milky Way is sending out neutrinos, the so-called 'ghost particles'

      A giant detector buried deep within the Antarctic ice at the South Pole has obtained the first evidence of eerie particles called neutrinos coming from the innards of our own home galaxy, the Milky Way.

      The discovery is a step towards scientists being better able to use particles to study hidden or elusive phenomena in the universe, rather than having to rely on light seen by telescopes.

      Neutrinos are subatomic particles that have been compared to "ghosts slipping through the night," because they're so insubstantial and seem to barely interact with the rest of the physical world.

      The Earth is constantly being bombarded by neutrinos, but most originate in the sun or in the atmosphere. ...The IceCube team says in the journal Science that it's used machine-learning techniques to sort through ten years of data, revealing neutrinos emanating from the inner parts of the Milky Way.

      But it's not yet clear whether the neutrinos are coming from a collection of specific sources or if it's a more diffuse kind of emission. "It's probably a combination of both," Taboada says.
      https://www.npr.org/2023/06/29/11850...host-particles
      All that said, the universe is musical ...

      Hear the mesmerizing sounds of space translated by NASA

      NASA has produced cosmic harmonies using astronomical data of objects in space. The mesmerizing sounds represent wavelengths of light detected by NASA telescopes.

      NASA has produced cosmic harmonies using astronomical data of objects in space. The mesmerizing sounds represent wavelengths of light detected by NASA telescopes.


      Another symphony of space ...

      Louder Than Expected: Gravitational Waves From Merging Supermassive Black Holes “Heard” for First Time

      Following 15 years of data collection in a galaxy-sized experiment, scientists have “heard” the perpetual chorus of gravitational waves rippling through our universe for the first time — and it’s louder than expected. The groundbreaking discovery was made by scientists with the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav) who closely observed stars called pulsars that act as celestial metronomes. The newly detected gravitational waves — ripples in the fabric of space-time — are by far the most powerful ever measured: They carry roughly a million times as much energy as the one-off bursts of gravitational waves from black hole and neutron star mergers detected by experiments such as LIGO and Virgo. ... “It’s like a choir, with all these supermassive black hole pairs chiming in at different frequencies,” says NANOGrav scientist Chiara Mingarelli, who worked on the new findings while an associate research scientist at the Flatiron Institute’s Center for Computational Astrophysics (CCA) in New York City. “This is the first-ever evidence for the gravitational wave background. We’ve opened a new window of observation on the universe.”

      https://scitechdaily.com/louder-than...pand_article=1
      Gassho, J

      stlah
      Last edited by Jundo; 07-01-2023, 11:54 PM.
      ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLE

      Comment

      • Tokan
        Treeleaf Unsui
        • Oct 2016
        • 1316

        Wow, you have been busy reading Jundo - as always, thanks for the articles, just fascinating

        Gassho, Tokan

        satlah
        平道 島看 Heidou Tokan (Balanced Way Island Nurse)
        I enjoy learning from everyone, I simply hope to be a friend along the way

        Comment

        • Jundo
          Treeleaf Founder and Priest
          • Apr 2006
          • 40466

          Wonderful news!

          Euclid “Dark Universe” Space Telescope Lifts Off on Quest To Unravel Deepest Cosmic Mysteries

          ESA’s Euclid spacecraft lifted off aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, USA, at 11:12 a.m. EDT on July 1, 2023. The successful launch marks the beginning of an ambitious mission to uncover the nature of two mysterious components of our Universe: dark matter and dark energy, and to help us answer the fundamental question: what is the Universe made of?

          Form is emptiness, emptiness just form ... but what is that "form?" ... especially all the mysterious "dark form!"


          Gassho, J

          stlah
          ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLE

          Comment

          • Jundo
            Treeleaf Founder and Priest
            • Apr 2006
            • 40466

            The early universe ... with all the time in the world ...

            Quasar “Clocks” Show Universe Was 5x Slower Soon After the Big Bang

            In a pioneering study, scientists have used quasars as cosmic clocks to observe the early universe running in extreme slow motion, further validating Einstein’s theory of general relativity. By examining data from nearly 200 quasars, hyperactive supermassive black holes in the centers of early galaxies, the team found that time appeared to flow five times slower when the universe was just over a billion years old.

            ... “If you were there, in this infant universe, one second would seem like one second – but from our position, more than 12 billion years into the future, that early time appears to drag.” ... “Thanks to Einstein, we know that time and space are intertwined and, since the dawn of time in the singularity of the Big Bang, the universe has been expanding,” Professor Lewis said. “This expansion of space means that our observations of the early universe should appear to be much slower than time flows today.

            “In this paper, we have established that back to about a billion years after the Big Bang.”

            Previously, astronomers have confirmed this slow-motion universe back to about half the age of the universe using supernovae – massive exploding stars – as ‘standard clocks’. But while supernovae are exceedingly bright, they are difficult to observe at the immense distances needed to peer into the early universe. By observing quasars, this time horizon has been rolled back to just a tenth the age of the universe, confirming that the universe appears to speed up as it ages.

            I believe in these ghosts ... (follow-up to a report last week) ...

            Ghostlike Astronomical Messengers Reveal New View of Milky Way

            Our Milky Way galaxy is an awe-inspiring feature of the night sky, viewable with the naked eye as a horizon-to-horizon hazy band of stars. Now, for the first time, the IceCube Neutrino Observatory has produced an image of the Milky Way using neutrinos—tiny, ghostlike astronomical messengers. In an article published on June 30 in the journal Science, the IceCube Collaboration, an international group of over 350 scientists, presents evidence of high-energy neutrino emission from the Milky Way. The high-energy neutrinos, with energies millions to billions of times higher than those produced by the fusion reactions that power stars, were detected by the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, a gigaton detector operating at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. ... This one-of-a-kind detector encompasses a cubic kilometer of deep Antarctic ice instrumented with over 5,000 light sensors. IceCube searches for signs of high-energy neutrinos originating from our galaxy and beyond, out to the farthest reaches of the universe.

            ... the final breakthrough came from the implementation of machine learning methods, developed by IceCube collaborators at TU Dortmund University, which improve the identification of cascades produced by neutrinos as well as their direction and energy reconstruction. The observation of neutrinos from the Milky Way is a hallmark of the emerging critical value that machine learning provides in data analysis and event reconstruction in IceCube. ...


            A view of the IceCube Lab with a starry night sky showing the Milky Way and green auroras.

            https://scitechdaily.com/ghostlike-a...-of-milky-way/
            The sun is still hot hot hot ...

            Intensely Powerful X1.0 Solar Flare Witnessed by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory

            The Sun emitted a strong solar flare, peaking at 7:14 p.m. EDT (4:14 p.m. PDT) on July 2, 2023. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, which watches the Sun constantly, captured an image of the event.

            This flare is classified as an X1.0 flare. X-class denotes the most intense flares, while the number provides more information about its strength.

            A solar flare is a sudden and significant release of energy in the Sun’s atmosphere, often associated with sunspots and magnetic activity. These flares are the largest explosive events in our solar system, ejecting bundles of charged particles and electromagnetic radiation into space. ...


            NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of a solar flare – as seen in the bright flash on the top right area of the Sun – on July 2, 2023.

            https://scitechdaily.com/intensely-p...s-observatory/
            Voyage to the center of the earth ... and it's hot down there! ... which led to us ...

            The Inside of the Earth Is As Hot as the Sun’s Surface – How Has It Stayed That Way for Billions of Years?

            The Earth’s layered structure, which includes moving plates, is heated by remnants of the planet’s formation and the decay of radioactive isotopes. Geoscientists use seismic waves to study these internal structures and movements, which are critical for environmental changes and life evolution on Earth. The internal heat drives plate movements, contributing to phenomena like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and the creation of new land and oceans, thus making Earth habitable.

            ... Starting from the top down, there’s the crust, which includes the surface you walk on; then farther down, the mantle, mostly solid rock; then even deeper, the outer core, made of liquid iron; and finally, the inner core, made of solid iron, and with a radius that’s 70% the size of the Moon’s. The deeper you dive, the hotter it gets – parts of the core are as hot as the surface of the Sun.

            ... Where does all that heat come from?

            It is not from the Sun. While it warms us and all the plants and animals on Earth’s surface, sunlight can’t penetrate through miles of the planet’s interior. Instead, there are two sources. One is the heat that Earth inherited during its formation 4.5 billion years ago. The Earth was made from the solar nebula, a gigantic gaseous cloud, amid endless collisions and mergings between bits of rock and debris called planetesimals. This process took tens of millions of years. An enormous amount of heat was produced during those collisions, enough to melt the whole Earth. Although some of that heat was lost in space, the rest of it was locked away inside the Earth, where much of it remains even today.

            The other heat source: the decay of radioactive isotopes, distributed everywhere in the Earth. ...

            No heat, no plate movement, no life

            Even now, the moving plates keep changing the surface of the Earth, constantly making new lands and new oceans over millions and billions of years. The plates also affect the atmosphere over similarly lengthy time scales.

            But without the Earth’s internal heat, the plates would not have been moving. The Earth would have cooled down. Our world would likely have been uninhabitable. You wouldn’t be here.


            The slice you see cut out of the Earth reveals its core, depicted here in bright yellow.

            https://scitechdaily.com/the-inside-...ions-of-years/
            Or maybe not ...

            Life Sprung From a “Stagnant Lid,” Not Plate Tectonics

            A study from the University of Rochester, using zircon crystals, found that plate tectonics was inactive during the period when life first appeared on Earth. Instead, a “stagnant lid” mechanism was operating, releasing heat through surface cracks. This discovery challenges the traditional belief that plate tectonics is essential for life’s origination, potentially reshaping our understanding of conditions required for life on other planets.


            Sadly, the surface of the world is getting warm too ...

            World swelters under unofficial hottest day on record

            The global average temperature hit 17.01 degrees Celsius, or 62.6 degrees Fahrenheit, on Monday, according to the University of Maine’s Climate Reanalyzer, a tool often used by climate scientists to gauge conditions around the world. The next day, July 4, the average global temperature climbed to another high, reaching 17.18 C, or 62.92 F.

            https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...cord-rcna92598
            The environment is killings millions says the W.H.O. ... a environmental war crime in the making ...

            OFFICIALS RAISE ALARM OVER WHAT THEY SAY CAUSED OVER A MILLION DEATHS IN EUROPE ALONE

            Each year, across the 53-country WHO European Region [alone], an estimated 1.4 million deaths are linked to environmental risk factors, such as pollution and climate change. ... “A healthy environment in the WHO European Region: why it matters and what steps we can take to improve health” – shows that air pollution, unsafe water, poor sanitation and hygiene, climate change and chemical pollution continue to pose a significant threat to health in the Region, with a disproportionate impact on the most vulnerable, including children, women, and elderly people. Environmental risks also contribute to a quarter of all noncommunicable diseases globally, including cancer, along with cardiovascular, respiratory, and mental diseases.

            This new report shows the following, in the Region, covering Europe and central Asia.
            Every year, there are more than 1.4 million deaths associated with avoidable environmental risks to health. These deaths account for approximately 15% of the burden of disease in the Region.
            About 570 000 deaths could be attributed to ambient air pollution, and more than 150 000 deaths to household air pollution in 2019.
            About 77 million people lacked access to safely managed drinking water in 2020.
            Only last year, at least 20 000 people died from extreme heat in what was the hottest summer ever recorded in Europe.
            Green spaces have a protective health effect that can reduce natural-cause mortality by nearly 1%.

            https://www.who.int/europe/news/item...imate%20change
            Bad for the oceans too ...

            Climate Change’s Deadly Grip: Coral Disease Prevalence Projected To Skyrocket to 76.8% by 2100

            Global warming is leading to the increased spread of deadly coral disease, which, according to new research, is predicted to become endemic to reefs worldwide by the next century.

            The research, recently published in the journal Ecology Letters, demonstrates the potential severity of climate change impacts on coral health. It warns of the potential eradication of entire reef ecosystems and the subsequent detrimental effects on coastal populations.

            ... They found coral disease increased with ocean temperatures over time, tripling over the past 25 years to 9.92 percent globally. Their modeling also predicts disease prevalence can increase to 76.8 percent in 2100 if temperatures continue to rise on the same trajectory – the most conservative worst-case scenario. ...

            https://scitechdaily.com/climate-cha...-76-8-by-2100/
            Something good for the environment may be lab grown meats ... but there are critics ...

            ... and, sorry, I am VERY SUSPICIOUS of the reasoning here ... I'll will bet that this article was funded by the pro-meat industry (like the cigarette industry used to do) ...

            Opinion: Lab-grown meat is an expensive distraction from reality

            ... Lab-grown meat has more in common with meat produced at a slaughterhouse than you might think. Some critics of the meatpacking industry have gotten excited about the idea of lab-grown meat as an alternative to Big Chicken. But among those most likely to profit from these experiments are the major meatpacking companies. Tyson Foods, the largest meatpacking company in the US, was an early investor in the plant-based meat company Beyond Meat and has put money in Upside Foods. Meatpacking giants JBS and Cargill have also invested in lab-grown meat. ...

            ... Cultured meat seems visionary, but the biology and economics don’t add up. Live animal cells are put in stainless steel bioreactors to grow the meat. For cultivated meat production to reach 1% of the protein market, the industry would need 88 to 176 Olympic swimming pools of fermentation capacity, according to a 2021 report on cultivated meat by McKinsey & Company. The biopharma industry has less than 10 swimming pools of capacity, the report said then.

            At farms and labs, the process begins with a living animal. In the case of cultured meat, the process starts when cells are extracted from a live animal’s muscle and skin tissue, and fetal bovine serum is collected from the unborn fetuses of slaughtered cows. Cell-cultured meat is grown in a lab; the resulting product is a single-cell slurry, a mix of 30% animal cells and 70% water. The slurry is used to make ground-meat products. ... Like slaughterhouses, cultured-meat labs will have to confront problems with infection. Cultured animal cells are alive and can become infected with viruses. At the scale required to mass-produce lab-grown meat, the challenges would multiply.

            In 2018, David Humbird, who has a doctorate in chemical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, began work on a comprehensive study of cultivated meat’s potential. Humbird found that the cost of cultivation facilities would be too high for lab-grown meat to significantly displace the meatpacking industry’s market share, according to a 2021 analysis published in the journal Biotechnology and Bioengineering.

            Both the meatpacking industry and lab-cultured meat exert a high environmental cost. While we know the meatpacking industry contributes to climate change, a 2023 study (not yet peer-reviewed) by the University of California, Davis, suggests lab-grown meat may be worse for the environment than the products it wants to replace. The study found that lab-grown meat’s carbon footprint is potentially greater than retail beef. Before celebrating cultured meat as a victory for anyone, surely more studies are needed to explore this point further. ...
            Lab-grown meat has been hailed as the future, a more ethical and environmentally friendly option than factory farm meat. Unfortunately, the hype is mostly an illusion, writes Alice Driver.

            And what will we eat on Mars? ...

            Does this look appetizing? If you go to Mars, it may be your meal

            As part of a NASA competition called the Deep Space Food Challenge, a San Francisco based design firm shows CNN its ideas for tasty treats astronauts can grow themselves and even grill while on a long flight to Mars.


            https://us.cnn.com/videos/business/2...td-gr-orig.cnn
            Bamboo may be a renewable resource ... Zen Master and Poet Ryokan wrote ...

            There is a bamboo grove
            around my house.
            Several thousands stand together,
            forming a placid shade.
            Young shoots run wild,
            blocking the roads here and there.
            Old branches stretch all the way,
            cutting across the sky.
            Frosty winters have armed them
            with a spiritual strength.
            Rising mists wrap them
            with the veil of profound mystery.
            In their healthy beauty
            they even rank with pine and oak,
            Although they do not vie in grandeur
            with peach and plum.
            Their trunks are upright
            and their knots are far between.
            Their hearts are void of stuffing
            and their roots sturdy.
            Bamboo trees, I admire you
            for your honesty and strength.
            Be my friends, and stand
            about my retreat until eternity.
            (Translation adapted from Nobuyuki Yuasa)

            Bamboo: The Next Source of Renewable Energy?

            A new article published in the journal GCB Bioenergy explores why bamboo could be a sustainable, eco-friendly renewable energy source that could serve as an alternative to fossil fuels.

            The authors highlight bamboo’s rapid growth, its proficiency in carbon dioxide absorption, and its ability to contribute substantial quantities of oxygen to the environment. They describe various processes—such as fermentation and pyrolysis—that can be performed to convert its raw material into bioethanol, biogas, and other bioenergy products.

            https://scitechdaily.com/bamboo-the-...pand_article=1
            Wait a second ... I thought that the whole thing about cavemen and dinosaurs was wrong ...


            WELL, ALMOST ...

            Shocking Study: Humans’ Ancestors Lived Among Dinosaurs and Survived Asteroid Strike

            A Cretaceous origin for placental mammals, the group that includes humans, dogs, and bats, has been revealed by in-depth analysis of the fossil record, showing they co-existed with dinosaurs for a short time before the dinosaurs went extinct.

            The catastrophic destruction triggered by the asteroid hitting the Earth resulted in the death of all non-avian dinosaurs in an event termed the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction. Debate has long raged among researchers over whether placental mammals were present alongside the dinosaurs before the mass extinction, or whether they only evolved after the dinosaurs were done away with.

            In the (near) future, we will exist with the robots ...


            ... But what does Confucius have to say about that? ...

            Giving Robots Rights Is a Bad Idea – But Confucianism Offers an Alternative

            Notable philosophers and legal experts have delved into the moral and legal implications of robots, with a few advocating for giving robots rights. As robots become more integrated into various aspects of life, a recent review of research on robot rights concluded that extending rights to robots is a bad idea. The study, instead, proposes a Confucian-inspired approach. ...

            ... Although many believe that respecting robots should lead to granting them rights, Kim argues for a different approach. Confucianism, an ancient Chinese belief system, focuses on the social value of achieving harmony; individuals are made distinctively human by their ability to conceive of interests not purely in terms of personal self-interest, but in terms that include a relational and a communal self. This, in turn, requires a unique perspective on rites, with people enhancing themselves morally by participating in proper rituals.

            When considering robots, Kim suggests that the Confucian alternative of assigning rites—or what he calls role obligations—to robots is more appropriate than giving robots rights. The concept of rights is often adversarial and competitive, and potential conflict between humans and robots is concerning. “Assigning role obligations to robots encourages teamwork, which triggers an understanding that fulfilling those obligations should be done harmoniously,” explains Kim. “Artificial intelligence (AI) imitates human intelligence, so for robots to develop as rites bearers, they must be powered by a type of AI that can imitate humans’ capacity to recognize and execute team activities—and a machine can learn that ability in various ways.”

            Kim acknowledges that some will question why robots should be treated respectfully in the first place. “To the extent that we make robots in our image, if we don’t treat them well, as entities capable of participating in rites, we degrade ourselves,” he suggests.

            Various non-natural entities—such as corporations—are considered people and even assume some Constitutional rights. In addition, humans are not the only species with moral and legal status; in most developed societies, moral and legal considerations preclude researchers from gratuitously using animals for lab experiments.

            Reference: “Should Robots Have Rights or Rites?” by Tae Wan Kim and Alan Strudler, 24 May 2023, Communications of the ACM.
            DOI: 10.1145/3571721



            Are we biological robots ...

            Illuminating Neural Pathways: A New Technique for Brain Imaging

            The Scattering Light Imaging (SLI) technique provides a cost-effective, high-resolution method to map neural connections in the brain. The technique, which involves analyzing light scattering patterns in thin brain slices, offers more detailed results than existing methods like dMRI, and is more accessible and faster than SAXS.


            Color-coded nerve fiber orientations in a brain section obtained from scattered light imaging (SLI, left) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS, right)

            https://scitechdaily.com/illuminatin...brain-imaging/
            We are living Origami ... think of this the next time you dip into a salad ...

            Beyond the Helix: DNA’s Complex Folding Unveils New Functions

            In a groundbreaking study, researchers from Weill Cornell Medicine and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, a department of the National Institutes of Health, found that DNA can emulate the functions of proteins by forming intricate, three-dimensional structures.

            This research, which was recently published in the journal Nature, made use of high-definition imaging technologies to uncover the unique and multifaceted configuration of a synthesized DNA molecule. This molecule was designed to simulate the behavior of a protein known as green fluorescent protein (GFP). Originally extracted from jellyfish, GFP has become a critical tool in labs, serving as a luminescent marker or beacon within cells. The findings advance the science of how DNA can be made to fold into complex shapes, and will help researchers build such DNA molecules for a variety of laboratory and clinical applications. An all-DNA fluorescent tag that mimics GFP, for example, would often be ideal for labeling targeted pieces of DNA in biological studies and in diagnostic test kits, and would be relatively inexpensive to make.

            “These findings really change our understanding of what we can do with DNA,” said study co-author Dr. Samie Jaffrey, Greenberg-Starr Professor of Pharmacology and a member of the Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medicine.

            DNA in nature exists mostly in a double-stranded, “twisted ladder” or “helical” form, and serves as a relatively stable store of genetic information. All of the other complex biological processes in cells are done by other types of molecules, especially proteins.

            ... In the research led by Dr. Luiz Passalacqua, a research fellow at Dr. Ferré-D’Amaré’s team, advanced structural imaging techniques were used, including cryo-electron microscopy, to resolve the structure of lettuce at atomic-scale resolution. They found that it folds into a shape that has at its center a four-way junction of DNA, of a type never seen before, enclosing the fluorophore in a way that activates it.

            They also observed that lettuce’s foldings are held together with bonds between nucleobases—the building blocks of DNA that are often referred to as the “letters” in the four-letter DNA alphabet. ...

            “Studies like this are going to be essential for the creation of new DNA-based tools,” Dr. Jaffrey said.


            And when you get the desire to eat a salad and more ... and a way to manipulate desires ...

            MIT’s New Technology Can Probe the Neural Circuits That Influence Hunger, Mood, and Diseases

            MIT engineers have developed a new optogenetic technology that can manipulate the neurological connections between the brain and gut, potentially offering insights into the links between digestive health and neurological conditions.

            The brain and the digestive tract are in constant communication, relaying signals that help to control feeding and other behaviors. This extensive communication network also influences our mental state and has been implicated in many neurological disorders. MIT engineers have designed a new technology for probing those connections. Using fibers embedded with a variety of sensors, as well as light sources for optogenetic stimulation, the researchers have shown that they can control neural circuits connecting the gut and the brain, in mice.

            In a new study, the researchers demonstrated that they could induce feelings of fullness or reward-seeking behavior in mice by manipulating cells of the intestine. ... “The exciting thing here is that we now have technology that can drive gut function and behaviors such as feeding. More importantly, we have the ability to start accessing the crosstalk between the gut and the brain with the millisecond precision of optogenetics, and we can do it in behaving animals,” says Polina Anikeeva, the Matoula S. Salapatas Professor in Materials Science and Engineering, a professor of brain and cognitive sciences, director of the K. Lisa Yang Brain-Body Center, associate director of MIT’s Research Laboratory of Electronics, and a member of MIT’s McGovern Institute for Brain Research.


            Eyes from bacteria ...

            500 Million-Year Journey: The Bacterial Origins of Our Vision

            New discovery reveals that vertebrates gained a unique protein from bacteria over half a billion years ago.
            Humans and other backbone-bearing organisms possess a marvel of evolution: eyes that operate similarly to cameras, offering a finely tuned visual system. Charles Darwin acknowledged the eye’s intricacy as a significant potential stumbling block to his theory of natural selection through incremental evolutionary steps.

            The distinction in visual capabilities between vertebrates and invertebrates can be traced back to a distinctive protein. This protein is responsible for specializing cells that play a vital role in vision. Mutations in the protein... have been known to cause a variety of diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa, but its evolutionary origin has remained elusive with no obvious genetic precursor. Scientists in the University of California San Diego School of Biological Sciences, publishing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, have now traced the 500 million-year-old origin of vertebrate IRBP to a bacterial source. Their discovery, using phylogenetic reconstruction methods, was made possible because of the growing number of fully detailed genomes now available. Their analysis of more than 900 genomes across the tree of life revealed that the IRBP integration in vertebrate eyes was not the result of traditional vertical gene transfer, in which an evolutionary advancement is adapted, or “tinkered with” using available genetic material. Rather, the IRBP was acquired, duplicated, and integrated through horizontal gene transfer from foreign bacterial genes.

            “It’s a massive shift because this is an entirely new piece of genetic material that’s been introduced from bacteria,” said Biological Sciences Associate Professor Matt Daugherty, the paper’s senior author. ...“This study shows that a major innovation that distinguishes vertebrate eyes from all the rest of the eyes out there wasn’t done by molecular tinkering but rather a big leap of genetic innovation.”

            ... Once the key gene that eventually became IRBP was acquired from bacteria, a new door opened in vertebrates that allowed retinoids, molecules in the eye that directly sense light, to be shuttled between cell types to efficiently recycle it for further light sensing. This separation of photoreception, or light sensing, and retinoid recycling provides unique functionality to vertebrates and the way they can see.

            https://scitechdaily.com/500-million...of-our-vision/
            Seeing small as an atom ...

            For the Very First Time: Scientists Analyze a Single Atom With X-Rays

            Scientists at Argonne National Laboratory and various universities have successfully used X-ray beams to analyze a single atom, marking a groundbreaking achievement in X-ray technology. This leap forward could revolutionize numerous scientific fields, including quantum technology and medical research, and could lead to the development of new technologies.


            On left, image of a ring-shaped molecular host that contains just one iron atom.
            I want my own designer vaccines ...

            Revolutionizing Cancer Treatment: The Power of Personalized Vaccines

            Researchers at Edith Cowan University have found promising results from a trial combining an mRNA vaccine, tailored to individual tumor genetics, with conventional immunotherapy for high-risk melanoma patients. The results showed a significant increase in cancer-free survival rates and decreased disease recurrence, potentially marking a significant stride toward personalized cancer treatment.

            Incorporating a personalized mRNA vaccine, designed to match an individual’s tumor genetics, into standard immunotherapy substantially boosts survival rates and reduces the recurrence of high-risk skin cancers in patients who have had these malignancies removed.

            Professor Khattak outlined how survival and disease recurrence rates among people who’d had high-risk skin cancers (melanomas) removed improved significantly when an mRNA vaccine tailored to suit an individual’s tumor genetics was added to common immunotherapy treatment.

            After 18 months, cancer-free survival among patients who received the vaccine and the immunotherapy treatment was 78.6 percent, compared to 62.2 percent of those who only received the immunotherapy.

            https://scitechdaily.com/revolutioni...ized-vaccines/
            And more designer precision ...

            Artificial Intelligence Meets CRISPR: The Rise of Precision RNA-Targeting and Gene Modulation

            Researchers have developed an artificial intelligence model, TIGER, that predicts the on- and off-target activity of RNA-targeting CRISPR tools. This innovation, detailed in a study published in Nature Biotechnology, can accurately design guide RNAs, modulate gene expression, and is poised to drive advancements in CRISPR-based therapies. ... A key goal of the study is to maximize the activity of RNA-targeting CRISPRs on the intended target RNA and minimize activity on other RNAs which could have detrimental side effects for the cell. Off-target activity includes both mismatches between the guide and target RNA as well as insertion and deletion mutations. Earlier studies of RNA-targeting CRISPRs focused only on on-target activity and mismatches; predicting off-target activity, particularly insertion and deletion mutations, has not been well-studied. In human populations, about one in five mutations are insertions or deletions, so these are important types of potential off-targets to consider for CRISPR design. ... The researchers also demonstrated that TIGER’s off-target predictions can be used to precisely modulate gene dosage—the amount of a particular gene that is expressed—by enabling partial inhibition of gene expression in cells with mismatch guides. This may be useful for diseases in which there are too many copies of a gene, such as Down syndrome, certain forms of schizophrenia, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (a hereditary nerve disorder), or in cancers where aberrant gene expression can lead to uncontrolled tumor growth.

            “Our deep learning model can tell us not only how to design a guide RNA that knocks down a transcript completely, but can also ‘tune’ it—for instance, having it produce only 70% of the transcript of a specific gene,” said Andrew Stirn, a PhD student at Columbia Engineering and the New York Genome Center, and the study’s co-first author.


            News from TSUKUBA (home to Treeleaf Japan) ... or maybe PARALLEL TSUKUBA TREELEAF ...

            ... (maybe, in a parallel universe, I understand this )

            Physicists Prove That Parallel Worlds Cannot Be Extremely Different From Each Other

            In the realm of theoretical physics, superstring theories propose the existence of parallel worlds (A-side and B-side). Although it’s impossible to differentiate between these universes, they are interlinked. A team of researchers at the University of Tsukuba have demonstrated through mathematical evidence that under specific circumstances, dramatic transformations (“blowing up”) which do not transpire within the A-side, similarly do not occur within the B-side.

            Theoretical string theory in theoretical physics predicts the existence of parallel worlds (mirror symmetry prediction). These two worlds (A-side and B-side) are supposed to differ in terms of the six-dimensional spaces (A and B) hidden in each world. However, as these spaces are extremely similar and invisible, theoretically, we cannot distinguish the world that we live in. Considerable research has been conducted on the properties of space A, and extreme changes (i.e., blowing up) do not occur in it under certain conditions.

            However, recently it has been discovered that spaces A and B are transformed in a certain way and their apparently different objects correspond to each other. However, the nature and extent of this transformation are not well understood, and research on the properties of space B has not yet progressed. In this study, the scientists mathematically investigated whether the behavior of space B also has the same properties as that of space A. They transferred a known phenomenon from the A-side to the B-side and proved that no blowing up occurs even in space B under certain conditions.

            This achievement provides mathematical proof for one of the previously intuitively expected similarities between A-side and B-side. Although the researchers made some assumptions to prove this theorem, in the future, they will clarify whether this theorem holds even without these assumptions.

            Reference: “An ε-regularity theorem for line bundle mean curvature flow” by Xiaoli Han and Hikaru Yamamoto, 27 April 2023, The Asian Journal of Mathematics.
            DOI: 10.4310/AJM.2022.v26.n6.a1

            More science news from the ocean right off our Ibaraki Prefecture coast ...


            The U.N.'s nuclear watchdog says Japan can release nuclear waste water into the ocean

            The International Atomic Energy Agency has approved a plan by Japan to release more than a million tons of treated nuclear waste water from the destroyed Fukushima power plant into the ocean, despite vehement international opposition.

            In a report released Tuesday, the IAEA said it has concluded after a two-year assessment that the plan is "consistent with relevant international safety standards" and that while societal, political and environmental concerns have been raised, the discharged water "will have negligible radiological impact on people and the environment." ... The water, which was used to cool the fuel rods of the plant in 2011 following meltdowns in three of its reactors, will be treated and released into the Pacific Ocean over the next 30-40 years. The disaster was caused by tsunami waves triggered by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake. https://www.npr.org/2023/07/04/11859...ter-into-the-o
            That articles causes me to have an out-of-body experience ...

            Having an out-of-body experience? Blame this sausage-shaped piece of your brain

            Dr. Josef Parvizi remembers meeting a man with epilepsy whose seizures were causing some very unusual symptoms.

            "He came to my clinic and said, 'My sense of self is changing,'" says Parvizi, a professor of neurology at Stanford University.

            The man told Parvizi that he felt "like an observer to conversations that are happening in my mind" and that "I just feel like I'm floating in space."

            Parvizi and a team of researchers would eventually trace the man's symptoms to a "sausage-looking piece of brain" called the anterior precuneus.

            This area, nestled between the brain's two hemispheres, appears critical to a person's sense of inhabiting their own body, or bodily self, the team recently reported in the journal Neuron.

            ... In 2019, when the man first came to Stanford's Comprehensive Epilepsy Program, Parvizi thought his symptoms were caused by seizures in the posteromedial cortex, an area toward the back of the brain.

            This area includes a brain network involved in the narrative self, a sort of internal autobiography that helps us define who we are. Parvizi's team figured that the same network must be responsible for the bodily self too.

            "Everybody thought, 'Well, maybe all kinds of selves are being decoded by the same system,'" he says. ... When the team stimulated the anterior precuneus, "lo and behold, everybody has changes in their sense of what we call the bodily or physical self," Parvizi says.

            In other words, the stimulation produced an out-of-body experience. People felt detached from their own thoughts and no longer anchored in their own bodies.

            The finding was surprising because the anterior precuneus is separate from the brain's system for maintaining a narrative self. Instead, it appears devoted to the sense that something is "happening to me," not another person, Parvizi says.

            https://www.npr.org/sections/health-...ody-experience
            Gassho, J

            stlah
            Last edited by Jundo; 07-07-2023, 01:37 PM.
            ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLE

            Comment

            • Jundo
              Treeleaf Founder and Priest
              • Apr 2006
              • 40466


              Some of the responses seemed more rational than some of the questions ... and some of the robots can lie and spin as well as any human ...

              AT A UN AI SUMMIT IN GENEVA, A GROUP OF NINE HUMANOID ROBOTS FIELDED QUESTIONS FROM REPORTERS.

              A United Nations technology agency assembled a group of robots that physically resembled humans at a news conference Friday, inviting reporters to ask them questions in an event meant to spark discussion about the future of artificial intelligence.

              The nine robots were seated and posed upright along with some of the people who helped make them at a podium in a Geneva conference center for what the U.N.’s International Telecommunication Union billed as the world’s first news conference featuring humanoid social robots.

              Among them: Sophia, the first robot innovation ambassador for the U.N. Development Program, or UNDP; Grace, described as a health care robot; and Desdemona, a rock star robot. Two, Geminoid and Nadine, resembled their makers.

              ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLE

              Comment

              • Jundo
                Treeleaf Founder and Priest
                • Apr 2006
                • 40466

                I barely can keep up with all the wonderful findings and announcements ...

                Although we still have plentiful other ways to destroy ourselves, this is one step forward ...


                The world is officially 'free' of chemical weapons. Here's what that means

                The United States has officially destroyed its stockpile of chemical weapons.

                In doing so, it is the last of eight countries to destroy its declared stocks of chemical weapons under the Chemical Weapons Convention – an international treaty signed by nearly 200 nations that bans the possession, production and use of the weapons on the battlefield.

                The milestone was reached on Friday at the Bluegrass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant in Kentucky. A final rocket was drained of sarin nerve agent, and that agent was then chemically deactivated and destroyed.

                The destruction of that single rocket means that "one hundred percent of the world's declared chemical weapons have now been destroyed," says Kingston Reif, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Threat Reduction and Arms Control, who oversaw the process.

                ... Chemical weapons were used to terrible effect during World War I. More than 1.3 million soldiers were exposed to chemical weapons during the Great War and 100,000 died directly as a result of chemical attacks.

                During World War II, nations around the world stocked up on chemical weapons, in case they were used again. They were never deployed on the battlefield, though Nazi forces used poisonous gas to murder millions of people in concentration camps.

                During the Cold War, the U.S. and Russia stockpiled vast quantities of chemical weapons. By 1990, the U.S. had more than 30,000 tons of chemical agents, and Russia likely had at least 40,000 tons, according to David Koplow, a professor of law at Georgetown University in Washington, DC.

                ... There are still nations who have used covertly produced chemical weapons in recent years. Most notably, Syria deployed chlorine and nerve agents in its civil war with horrible effects. Russia has used some chemicals for targeted assassination attempts, and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un used nerve agent to kill his half brother.

                But those are isolated cases. More broadly, vast quantities of chemical weapons have been disposed of by nations all over the world. And Reif says that overall that's something to celebrate.

                https://www.npr.org/2023/07/07/11865...hat-that-means
                The earliest universe contained the potential (shown by our ability here and now to so act) for us both to destroy ourselves, and to save ourselves ...

                Webb Space Telescope Illuminates Earliest Strands of the Cosmic Web

                A filament of 10 galaxies seen just 830 million years after the birth of the universe.


                Woven across our universe is a weblike structure of galaxies called the cosmic web. Galaxies are strung along filaments in this vast web, which also contains enormous voids. Now, astronomers using Webb have discovered an early strand of this structure, a long, narrow filament of 10 galaxies that existed just 830 million years after the big bang. The 3 million light-year-long structure is anchored by a luminous quasar – a galaxy with an active, supermassive black hole at its core. The team believes this early thread of the cosmic web will eventually evolve into a massive cluster of galaxies.


                This deep galaxy field from Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) shows an arrangement of 10 distant galaxies marked by eight white circles in a diagonal, thread-like line. (Two of the circles contain more than one galaxy.) This 3 million light-year-long filament is anchored by a very distant and luminous quasar – a galaxy with an active, supermassive black hole at its core. The quasar, called J0305-3150, appears in the middle of the cluster of three circles on the right side of the image. Its brightness outshines its host galaxy.

                We're still in the dark about dark matter ...

                Dark Matter Discrepancy: A Cosmic Conundrum in the Standard Cosmological Model

                An international team of scientists used advanced techniques and the Hyper Suprime-Cam to study dark matter’s “clumpiness,” finding an S8 value of 0.76, conflicting with the 0.83 value from the Cosmic Microwave Background, which dates back to the universe’s origins when the universe was about 380,000 years old. This discrepancy could indicate measurement errors or an incomplete standard cosmological model. ... The gap between these two values is small, but as more and more studies confirm each of the two values, it doesn’t appear to be accidental. The possibilities are that there’s some as-yet unrecognized error or mistake in one of these two measurements or the standard cosmological model is incomplete in some interesting way.

                https://scitechdaily.com/dark-matter...logical-model/
                Is this like Krypton, where Superman came from?

                “Super-Earth” May Reveal Secrets About the Edge of Habitability

                How close can a rocky planet be to a star, and still sustain water and life? A recently discovered exoplanet may be key to solving that mystery.

                “Super-Earth” LP 890-9c, also referred to as SPECULOOS-2c, is offering valuable information concerning the conditions at the inner boundary of a star’s habitable zone and explaining the contrasting development of Earth and Venus. The research was led by Lisa Kaltenegger, an associate professor of astronomy at Cornell University. Her team found LP 890-9c, which orbits close to the inner edge of its solar system’s habitable zone, would look vastly different depending on whether it still had warm oceans, a steam atmosphere, or if it had lost its water – assuming it once had oceans like Earth’s.

                https://scitechdaily.com/super-earth...-habitability/
                And speaking of water ... it ain't everywhere perhaps, but it is lots of places ...

                Astronomical Boost: Chances of Finding Water on Alien Worlds Increased by x100

                New research presented at the Goldschmidt geochemistry conference suggests a significantly higher likelihood of finding Earth-like exoplanets with liquid water, essential for life, than previously estimated.

                A new analysis shows that there are probably many more Earth-like exoplanets with liquid water than had been thought, significantly increasing the chance of finding life. The work finds that even where the conditions are not ideal for liquid water to exist at the surface of a planet, many stars will harbor geological conditions suitable for liquid water under the planet’s surface.

                ... The researchers found that even if the surface of a planet is frozen, there are two main ways that enough heat can be generated to allow water to liquify underground. ... For example, heat from radioactivity deep in the Earth can warm water enough to keep it liquid ... “Some of the moons you find in the solar system (for example, Europa or Enceladus) have substantial underground liquid water, even though their surfaces are completely frozen. This is because their interior is continually churned by the gravitational effects of the large planets they orbit, such as Saturn and Jupiter. ...

                ... Before we started to consider this sub-surface water, it was estimated that around 1 rocky planet every 100 stars would have liquid water. The new model shows that if the conditions are right, this could approach 1 planet per star. So we are a hundred times more likely to find liquid water than we thought. There are around 100 billion stars in the Milky Way Galaxy. That represents really good odds for the origin of life elsewhere in the universe.” ...

                https://scitechdaily.com/astronomica...eased-by-x100/
                More about the stardust that is our world ...

                Origins of Earth Elements: Supernova Findings in UGC 11860 Galaxy

                A supernova explosion detected in the distant spiral galaxy UGC 11860 in 2014 has been studied by two teams of astronomers using the Hubble Telescope, yielding insights into the origins of chemical elements on Earth and the value of robotic telescopes in identifying transient astronomical phenomena. ... The hugely energetic processes during supernova explosions are predominantly responsible for forging the elements between silicon and nickel on the periodic table. This means that understanding the influence of the masses and compositions of the progenitor star systems is vital to explaining how many of the chemical elements here on Earth originated.

                https://scitechdaily.com/origins-of-...-11860-galaxy/
                Our planet is layers upon layers ...

                “A Planet Within a Planet” – Seismologists Peer Into Earth’s Inner Core

                Researchers from the University of Utah have discovered that Earth’s inner core is not a homogenous mass but a complex tapestry of different fabrics. The findings, published in Nature, come from seismic data from earthquakes and CTBTO’s sensing instruments. They suggest that the inner core initially grew rapidly, slowed down over time, and may have liquid iron trapped within.

                At the center of Earth is a solid metal ball, a kind of “planet within a planet,” whose existence makes life on the surface possible, at least as we know it.

                How Earth’s inner core formed, grew, and evolved over time remains a mystery, one that a team of University of Utah-led researchers is seeking to plumb with the help of seismic waves from naturally occurring earthquakes. While this 2,442-kilometer-diameter sphere comprises less than 1% of Earth’s total volume, its existence is responsible for the planet’s magnetic field, without which the planet would be a much different place.

                But the inner core is not the homogenous mass that was once assumed by scientists, but rather it’s more like a tapestry of different “fabrics,” according to Guanning Pang, a former doctoral student in the University of Utah’s Department of Geology & Geophysics.

                ... The protective field of magnetic energy surrounding Earth is created by convection occurring within the liquid outer core, which extends 2,260 kilometers (1,795 miles) above the solid core, he said. The molten metal rises above the solid inner core, cools as it approaches Earth’s rocky mantle and sinks. This circulation generates the bands of electrons enveloping the planet. Without a solid inner core, this field would be much weaker and the planetary surface would be bombarded with radiation and solar winds that would strip away the atmosphere and render the surface uninhabitable. ...

                https://scitechdaily.com/a-planet-wi...hs-inner-core/
                But something closer to the surface presents a danger ...

                Arctic’s Melting Glaciers Reveal Hidden Methane Time Bomb

                Shrinking Arctic glaciers are uncovering bubbling groundwater springs that release large amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, according to a study in Nature Geoscience. As glaciers retreat further due to global warming, these emissions are expected to increase, potentially exacerbating climate change. This new and growing methane source was previously unrecognized in methane budget estimations. ... Professor Andrew Hodson, study co-author from the University Centre in Svalbard said, “Living in Svalbard exposes you to the front line of Arctic climate change. I can’t think of anything more stark than the sight of methane outgassing in the immediate forefield of a retreating glacier.”

                Previously, research has centered on methane release from thawing permafrost (frozen ground). “While the focus is often on permafrost, this new finding tells us that there are other pathways for methane emissions which could be even more significant in the global methane budget,” said study co-author Professor Alexandra Turchyn, also from Cambridge’s Department of Earth Sciences. ... “The amount of methane leaking from the springs we measured will likely be dwarfed by the total volume of trapped gas lying below these glaciers, waiting to escape,” said Hodson, “That means we urgently need to establish the risk of a sudden increase in methane leakage, because glaciers will only continue to retreat whilst we struggle to curb climate change.”

                https://scitechdaily.com/arctics-mel...ane-time-bomb/
                On the other hand, we benefit from more moss ...

                Moss: An Unassuming Pillar of Planetary Health

                While many individuals view the growth of moss in their gardens as a nuisance, they may not know that this ancient ancestor of all vegetation carries numerous advantages for our green spaces, including its significant role in combating soil erosion.

                Now, a comprehensive global study led by UNSW Sydney discovered that mosses are not merely advantageous to our gardens, but they also critically contribute to the overall health of our planet, especially when growing on the topsoil. Mosses establish the groundwork for plant growth in ecosystems worldwide, and could potentially play a pivotal role in climate change mitigation through their substantial carbon capture capabilities.

                In a study published today in the journal Nature Geoscience, lead author Dr. David Eldridge and more than 50 colleagues from international research institutions described how they collected samples of mosses growing on soil from more than 123 ecosystems across the globe, ranging from lush, tropical rainforest, to barren polar landscapes, through to arid deserts like those found in Australia. The researchers found that mosses cover a staggering 9.4 million km2 in the environments surveyed, which compares in size to Canada or China. ...

                ... It turns out that mosses are the lifeblood of plant ecosystems, that plants actually benefit from having moss as a neighbor. The researchers assessed 24 ways that moss provided benefits to soil and other plants. In patches of soil where mosses were present, there was more nutrient cycling, decomposition of organic matter, and even control of pathogens harmful to other plants and people.

                On top of that, the authors say mosses may be instrumental in reabsorbing carbon dioxide. They estimated that compared to bare soils where there was no moss, this ancient precursor to plants is supporting the storage of 6.43 gigatonnes – or 6.43 billion tonnes – of carbon from the atmosphere. These levels of carbon capture are of a similar magnitude to levels of carbon release from agricultural practices such as land clearing and overgrazing.

                “So you’ve got all the global emissions from land use change, such as grazing, clearing vegetation, and activities associated with agriculture – we think mosses are sucking up six times more carbon dioxide, so it’s not one to one, it’s six times better,” Dr Eldridge says ...


                https://scitechdaily.com/moss-an-una...netary-health/
                Time = Change ...

                Scientists Discover Astonishing 36-Million-Year Geological Cycle That Triggers Bursts of Biodiversity

                Scientists have published research indicating that movements in Earth’s tectonic plates indirectly stimulate bursts of biodiversity through 36-million-year cycles by causing sea levels to rise and fall. They believe that these geological cycles, traceable back 250 million years, critically influence marine species diversity. ... These cycles, altering shallow sea and shelf habitats, are found to significantly shape marine life diversity over millions of years, challenging previous notions of species evolution. ... “In terms of tectonics, the 36-million-year cycle marks alterations between faster and slower seafloor spreading, leading to cyclical depth changes in ocean basins and in the tectonic transfer of water into the deep Earth.

                “These in turn have led to fluctuations in the flooding and drying up of continents, with periods of extensive shallow seas fostering biodiversity. ... This animation is a 250 million-year re-creation of the geography of Earth, showing the interplay between plate tectonics and sea level variations.


                https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-...-biodiversity/
                Are we living in a new human epoch ... or not? Some humans will decide ...

                Scientists have identified the geological site that they say best reflects a proposed new epoch called the Anthropocene — a major step toward changing the official timeline of Earth’s history.

                ... The term Anthropocene, first proposed in 2000 to reflect how profoundly human activity has altered the world, has become a commonly used academic buzzword uniting different fields of study. ... The group determined in 2016 that the Anthropocene epoch began around 1950 — the start of the era of nuclear weapons tests, the geochemical traces of which can be found around the world. Since then, the researchers have considered 12 sites that could provide the key piece of evidence needed to support their proposal, nine of which were put to a vote.

                On Tuesday, the scientists announced the geological site — Crawford Lake in Ontario, Canada — that best captures the geological impact of the Anthropocene, according to their research.

                However, not everyone agrees the Anthropocene is a geological reality — or that researchers have enough evidence to formally declare it a new epoch. ... Stan Finney, secretary general of the International Union of Geological Sciences and a professor in the department of geological sciences at the California State University at Long Beach, said the stratigraphic record of the Anthropocene is relatively minimal — barely a human life span — given a proposed starting point of around 1950. ... Finney said it’s more accurate to describe humanity’s profound impact on Earth as an ongoing geological event rather than a formal epoch with a precise global start date. It’s also possible, he said, that stratigraphers may decide that the Anthropocene doesn’t rise to the level of epoch, but it could be the fourth age of the Holocene — the much less catchy Crawfordian Age. ...

                ... For the Anthropocene, the proposed golden spike location is sediment cored from the bed of Crawford Lake that reveals the geochemical traces of nuclear bomb tests, specifically plutonium — a radioactive element widely detected across the world in coral reefs, ice cores and peat bogs.

                https://us.cnn.com/2023/07/11/world/...scn/index.html
                Now, turning to the connections within us ...

                Unraveling the Mysteries of Human Tissue: A Comprehensive Atlas

                Which types of cells can be located in various human tissues, and where? Which genes show activity in these individual cells, and which proteins can be identified within them? Detailed answers to these inquiries and more are expected to be supplied by a specialized atlas. This atlas will particularly elucidate how different tissues take shape during embryonic development and the underlying causes of diseases.

                In the process of developing this atlas, the researchers have the goal to chart not just tissues directly procured from humans but also structures referred to as organoids. These are three-dimensional tissue aggregates that are grown in the lab and develop in a manner similar to human organs, albeit on a smaller scale. ... At the heart of the methods the scientists used for their approach was the 4i technology: iterative indirect immunofluorescence imaging. This new imaging technique can visualize several dozen proteins in a thin tissue section at high resolution using fluorescence microscopy. ...


                Detail of a cross-section of a retinal organoid. Different tissue structures are made visible with different colors.
                https://scitechdaily.com/unraveling-...hensive-atlas/
                AI looks at Old I ...

                Synaptic Secrets Revealed: Scientists Use AI To Watch Brain Connections Change

                Scientists from Johns Hopkins have leveraged artificial intelligence to create a technique that allows for the visualization and monitoring of alterations in the strength of synapses — the connection points through which nerve cells in the brain communicate — in living organisms. The technique, as outlined in Nature Methods, could, according to the researchers, pave the way for an improved comprehension of how these connections in human brains evolve with learning, age, trauma, and disease.

                ... Nerve cells transfer information from one cell to another by exchanging chemical messages at synapses (“junctions”). In the brain, the authors explain, different life experiences, such as exposure to new environments and learning skills, are thought to induce changes at synapses, strengthening or weakening these connections to allow learning and memory. Understanding how these minute changes occur across the trillions of synapses in our brains is a daunting challenge, but it is central to uncovering how the brain works when healthy and how it is altered by disease. To determine which synapses change during a particular life event, scientists have long sought better ways to visualize the shifting chemistry of synaptic messaging, necessitated by the high density of synapses in the brain and their small size — traits that make them extremely hard to visualize even with new state-of-the-art microscopes.


                Thousands of SEP-GluA2 tagged synapses (green) surrounding a sparsely labeled dendrite (magenta) before and after XTC image resolution enhancement. Scale bar 5 microns.

                https://scitechdaily.com/synaptic-se...ctions-change/
                And don't forget this story ...

                Scientists Uncover Molecular Mechanisms Behind Childhood Memory Development

                How do our brains develop the ability to form particular memories? A pioneering preclinical study conducted by a research group at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) might have discovered a molecular cause behind memory changes during early childhood.

                The type of memories often associated with the term “memory” are event-based memories, or episodic memories, which are associated with a certain context. In contrast, the memories of young children are typically more general or “gist”-based and usually lack a specific contextual link.

                In a study published in Science led by Drs. Paul Frankland and Sheena Josselyn, both Senior Scientists in the Neurosciences & Mental Health program at SickKids, the researchers pinpoint the molecular mechanisms underlying the change from gist-like to episodic memory in mice. The team notes that understanding this change, which generally occurs between four and six years old in children, may inform new insights into child development research and conditions which affect the brain, from autism spectrum disorder to concussion.

                ... In adults, memory traces (also known as engrams) are made up of 10 to 20 percent of neurons, but the overall size of these engrams is doubled in young children, with 20 to 40 percent of neurons making up an engram supporting a memory.

                So why the change? The hippocampus, a part of the brain responsible for learning and memory, contains a variety of neurons including a type of inhibitory cell called a parvalbumin-expressing (PV) interneuron. These inhibitory cells constrain the size of the engram and enable memory specificity. The research team identified that as these interneurons mature, memory transitions from general to more specific and engrams are formed at the appropriate size.

                Using viral gene transfer technology developed by Dr. Alexander Dityatev, head of the Molecular Neuroplasticity research group at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, the researchers decided to delve deeper and explore the reason for this change. They found that as a dense extracellular matrix, known as the perineuronal net, develops around these interneurons in the hippocampus, the interneurons mature, shifting the way our brain creates engrams and stores memories.

                “Once we identified the perineuronal net as a key factor in interneuron maturation, we were able to accelerate the net’s development and create specific episodic, rather than general, memories in juvenile mice ...”


                A parvalbumin interneuron (blue) surrounded by the perineuronal net.

                https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-...y-development/
                Music to my ears ...

                Brain Surgery on an Awake Musician Reveals the Complexity of Music and Language Processing

                Scientists have discovered that distinct brain regions are involved in music and language processing, with specific areas engaged for complexity in melodies and sentences. The research was conducted during an awake craniotomy on a musician, with his musical and language function fully preserved post-surgery. ... The patient heard music and played a mini-keyboard piano to map his musical skills, heard and repeated sentences and heard descriptions of objects that he then named to map his language. Musical sequences were melodic or not melodic and differed in complexity, while auditory recordings of sentences differed in syntactic complexity. ... Direct brain recordings with electrodes placed on the brain surface mapped out the location and characteristics of brain activity during music and language. Small currents were passed into the brain to localize regions critical for language and music perception and production. ... “The unparalleled, high resolution of intracranial electrodes allows us to ask the kinds of questions about music and language processing that cognitive scientists have long awaited answers for, but were unable to address with traditional neuroimaging methods,” ...

                ... Specifically, cortical stimulation mapping of the posterior superior temporal gyrus (pSTG) disrupted music perception and production, along with speech production. The pSTG and posterior middle temporal gyrus (pMTG) activated for language and music. While pMTG activity was modulated by musical complexity, pSTG activity was modulated by syntactic complexity.

                Tandon resected the patient’s mid-temporal lobe tumor at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center. At his four-month follow-up, the patient was confirmed to have fully preserved musical and language function, without evidence of deterioration.



                https://scitechdaily.com/brain-surge...ge-processing/
                May we soon find better treatments, and cures ...

                Schizophrenia Research Breakthrough: The Hidden Culprits Are Somatic Genetic Mutations

                A study in Cell Genomics has found a link between somatic genetic mutations and schizophrenia. Researchers analyzed over 20,000 blood samples, identifying genes NRXN1 and ABCB11 as associated with schizophrenia when disrupted during fetal development. The finding highlights the role of non-inherited genetic mutations in psychiatric disorders, and the team plans to explore other potential associated mutations. ... [The study found] a correlation between schizophrenia and somatic copy-number variants, a type of mutation that occurs early in development but after genetic material is inherited. This study is one of the first to rigorously describe the relationship between somatic—not inherited—genetic mutations and schizophrenia risk.

                “We originally thought of genetics as the study of inheritance. But now we know that genetic mechanisms go way beyond that,” says senior author Chris Walsh, an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and chief of genetics and genomics at Boston Children’s Hospital. “We’re looking at mutations that are not inherited from the parents.” ...

                https://scitechdaily.com/schizophren...tic-mutations/
                Getting to know our genes better ...

                Innovative Approach Successfully Traces Genomic Variants to Genetic Disorders

                National Institutes of Health (NIH) researchers have published an assessment of 13 studies that took a genotype-first approach to patient care. This approach contrasts with the typical phenotype-first approach to clinical research, which starts with clinical findings. A genotype-first approach to patient care involves selecting patients with specific genomic variants and then studying their traits and symptoms; this finding uncovered new relationships between genes and clinical conditions, broadened the traits and symptoms associated with known disorders, and offered insights into newly described disorders. The study was published in the American Journal of Human Genetics.

                “We demonstrated that genotype-first research can work, especially for identifying people with rare disorders who otherwise might not have been brought to clinical attention,” says Caralynn Wilczewski, Ph.D., a genetic counselor at the National Human Genome Research Institute’s (NHGRI) Reverse Phenotyping Core and first author of the paper.

                Typically, to treat genetic conditions, researchers first identify patients who are experiencing symptoms, then they look for variants in the patients’ genomes that might explain those findings. However, this can lead to bias because the researchers are studying clinical findings based on their understanding of the disorder. The phenotype-first approach limits researchers from understanding the full spectrum of symptoms of the disorders and the associated genomic variants.

                https://scitechdaily.com/innovative-...tic-disorders/
                The bouncers of our cells ...

                Unlocking the Secrets of the Cell: Scientists “Dive” Into the Dark Hole of the Nuclear Pore Complex

                Tiny pores within the cell nucleus are crucial to healthy aging, as they safeguard and maintain the DNA. A group from the Department of Theoretical Biophysics at the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, and the Synthetic Biophysics of Protein Disorder Group at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz has literally filled a hole in the understanding of the structure and function of these nuclear pores.

                In their study, the scientists elucidated the behavior of intrinsically disordered proteins located at the center of the pore. They found that these proteins form a mobile, spaghetti-like barrier. This barrier allows essential cellular factors to pass through while blocking viruses and other harmful pathogens.

                Human cells shield their genetic material inside the cell nucleus, protected by the nuclear membrane. As the control center of the cell, the nucleus must be able to exchange important messenger molecules, metabolites, or proteins with the rest of the cell. About 2000 pores are therefore built into the nuclear membrane, each consisting of about 1000 proteins.

                For decades, researchers have been fascinated by the three-dimensional structure and function of these nuclear pores, which act as guardians of the genome: substances that are required for controlling the cell are allowed to pass, while pathogens or other DNA-damaging substances are blocked from entry. The nuclear pores can therefore be thought of as molecular bouncers, each checking many thousands of visitors per second. Only those who have an entrance ticket are allowed to pass.

                How do the nuclear pores manage this enormous task? About 300 proteins attached to the pore scaffold protrude deep into the central opening like tentacles. Until now, researchers did not know how these tentacles are arranged and how they repel intruders. This is because these proteins are intrinsically disordered and lack a defined three-dimensional structure. They are flexible and continuously moving – like spaghetti in boiling water.

                https://scitechdaily.com/unlocking-t...-pore-complex/
                Stripped down cells do well in evolution ...

                Synthetic Evolution: Genetically Minimal Artificial Cells Prove “Life Finds a Way”

                Scientists discovered that a synthetic cell with a reduced genome could evolve as quickly as a normal cell. Despite losing 45% of its original genes, the cell adapted and demonstrated resilience in a laboratory experiment lasting 300 days, effectively showcasing that evolution occurs even under perceived limitations. ... “Every single gene in its genome is essential,” says Lennon in reference to M. mycoides JCVI-syn3B. “One could hypothesize that there is no wiggle room for mutations, which could constrain its potential to evolve.”

                The researchers established that M. mycoides JCVI-syn3B, in fact, has an exceptionally high mutation rate. They then grew it in the lab where it was allowed to evolve freely for 300 days, equivalent to 2000 bacterial generations or about 40,000 years of human evolution. ...


                Electron micrograph of a cluster of minimal cells magnified 15,000 times. The synthetically streamlined bacterium, Mycoplasma mycoides, contains less than 500 genes.
                Turning now to our robotic children ...

                Artificial Muscles Flex for the First Time: Ferroelectric Polymer Innovation in Robotics

                A new type of ferroelectric polymer that is exceptionally good at converting electrical energy into mechanical strain holds promise as a high-performance motion controller or “actuator” with great potential for applications in medical devices, advanced robotics, and precision positioning systems, according to a team of international researchers led by Penn State.

                Mechanical strain, how a material changes shape when force is applied, is an important property for an actuator, which is any material that will change or deform when an external force such as electrical energy is applied. Traditionally, these actuator materials were rigid, but soft actuators such as ferrroelectric polymers display higher flexibility and environmental adaptability. ... “Potentially we can now have a type of soft robotics that we refer to as artificial muscle,” said Qing Wang, Penn State professor of materials science and engineering and co-corresponding author of the study recently published in the journal Nature Materials. “This would enable us to have soft matter that can carry a high load in addition to a large strain. So that material would then be more of a mimic of human muscle, one that is close to human muscle.”

                https://scitechdaily.com/artificial-...n-in-robotics/
                Maybe that will help put a little muscle into this marriage ...

                Tokyo man 'married' to virtual singer Hatsune Miku fights for acceptance of 'fictosexuals'

                Four and a half years have passed since a Tokyo man "married" the popular virtual character Hatsune Miku. The Mainichi Shimbun recently interviewed the man about his life, including an association he started for people who have romantic feelings for fictional characters.

                Akihiko Kondo, now 40, wed Miku, a Vocaloid with striking blue hair, in November 2018. Even now, when the local government employee comes home from work, he calls out to the life-sized Miku doll, "I'm home." She never replies, but it makes him feel at ease and brings a smile to his face anyway.

                Like any human family, Kondo says "Good morning" to Miku when he wakes up and eats his meals facing her as she "looks" at him. He told the Mainichi that his love for her has not changed.

                ... Being in love with a fictional character may seem outlandish, but it is in fact not that uncommon as a form of sexual orientation.

                According to the "national survey on sexual behavior of youth" conducted in 2017 by the Tokyo-based Japanese Association for Sex Education, more than 10% of both male and female students from junior high school to university said they have had romantic feelings for characters in games and anime. The highest figure recorded was for female university students, at 17.1%. ...

                ... In June, Kondo and his peers launched the Association of Fictosexuality, a general incorporated association. "Fictosexual" refers to having romantic feelings for fictional people such as dolls and anime characters. The purpose of the association is to hold meetings with concerned individuals to exchange views and to expand public understanding.

                Habuchi said of forming the association, "There are many people connected to this issue who are having a hard time. We believe it's necessary to call for social consensus against discrimination and prejudice toward minorities." ...

                ... What led Kondo to develop affection for Miku? He had been romantically interested in human women until he was in high school. He has confessed his love seven times, but says none of his attempts was successful.

                It was four years after he became a working adult that he "met" Miku. Kondo suffered from an adjustment disorder due to bullying at work and had to take a leave of absence. While recuperating at home, he heard Miku singing on a video-sharing site. He became enamored with her clear voice, which soothed him and helped him escape his shut-in life. He returned to work and since then, Miku has been his "life partner." ... Kondo does not confuse these characters with reality. He and Miku eat their meals facing each other, but he prepares food only for one person. "I don't think Miku has any human rights," he said. ...

                ... This is the fifth year since he married Miku. Asked if there was any possibility of divorce, Kondo laughed.

                "I can't say that my mind will never change in the future. The divorce rate for humans is not low, either. I think it's the same for us," he said calmly, looking very happy. ...


                https://mainichi.jp/english/articles...0m/0na/018000c
                They can fly off in their flying car ...

                Suzuki, SkyDrive to jointly start producing flying cars in 2024

                Flying cars are a type of aircraft with the ability to vertically take off and land using multiple rotors. The vehicles are typically meant for carrying a small number of people, with some models also equipped for use on land.

                SkyDrive will set up a fully-owned production subsidiary that will assemble vehicles utilizing the Suzuki group's plant in Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan.



                Lean green flying machines take wing in Paris, heralding transport revolution

                After years of dreamy and not always credible talk of skies filled with flying, nonpolluting electric taxis, the aviation industry is preparing to deliver a future that it says is now just around the corner.

                Capitalizing on its moment in the global spotlight, the Paris region is planning for a small fleet of electric flying taxis to operate on multiple routes when it hosts the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games next summer. Unless aviation regulators in China beat Paris to the punch by greenlighting a pilotless taxi for two passengers under development there, the French capital's prospective operator -- Volocopter of Germany -- could be the first to fly taxis commercially if European regulators give their OK.

                LE BOURGET, France (AP) -- Just a dot on the horizon at first, the bug-like and surprisingly quiet electrically-powered craft buzzes over Paris and it


                Who remembers Dick Tracy? ...

                Palm-Sized Powerhouse: RIKEN’s Handheld Terahertz Device to “X-Ray” Things Without Harmful Radiation

                RIKEN researchers have developed a handheld device that effectively uses the terahertz band of the electromagnetic spectrum for ‘X-raying’ objects without harmful radiation. By optimizing certain techniques and utilizing specific materials, they significantly improved terahertz wave power output and miniaturized the device. The technology promises various applications including non-destructive imaging and quantum research, with industrial collaborations underway.




                https://scitechdaily.com/palm-sized-...ful-radiation/
                Gassho, J

                stlah
                Last edited by Jundo; 07-12-2023, 07:08 AM.
                ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLE

                Comment

                • Tokan
                  Treeleaf Unsui
                  • Oct 2016
                  • 1316

                  I can't keep up, so thanks for the summaries Jundo! Great to see people working on so much to make the world a better place!

                  Gassho, Tokan

                  satlah
                  平道 島看 Heidou Tokan (Balanced Way Island Nurse)
                  I enjoy learning from everyone, I simply hope to be a friend along the way

                  Comment

                  • Alina
                    Member
                    • Jul 2023
                    • 181

                    They shouldn't be able to destroy humans if they are programmed not to, the questions arise more from old fears than from trying to engage in a meaningful conversation,
                    though I admit I also wouldn't know what to ask...
                    Robots could be useful in healthcare for sure, there's so many areas that are understaffed, as assistants to nurses they could be great I think.

                    So many interesting posts in this thread! Thanks for sharing all of it.

                    Gassho

                    Alina
                    ST

                    Comment

                    • Tai Shi
                      Member
                      • Oct 2014
                      • 3422

                      Originally posted by Jundo
                      I barely can keep up with all the wonderful findings and announcements ...

                      Although we still have plentiful other ways to destroy ourselves, this is one step forward ...



                      The earliest universe contained the potential (shown by our ability here and now to so act) for us both to destroy ourselves, and to save ourselves ...



                      We're still in the dark about dark matter ...



                      Is this like Krypton, where Superman came from?



                      And speaking of water ... it ain't everywhere perhaps, but it is lots of places ...



                      More about the stardust that is our world ...



                      Our planet is layers upon layers ...



                      But something closer to the surface presents a danger ...



                      On the other hand, we benefit from more moss ...



                      Time = Change ...



                      Are we living in a new human epoch ... or not? Some humans will decide ...



                      Now, turning to the connections within us ...



                      AI looks at Old I ...



                      And don't forget this story ...



                      Music to my ears ...



                      May we soon find better treatments, and cures ...



                      Getting to know our genes better ...



                      The bouncers of our cells ...



                      Stripped down cells do well in evolution ...



                      Turning now to our robotic children ...



                      Maybe that will help put a little muscle into this marriage ...



                      They can fly off in their flying car ...



                      Who remembers Dick Tracy? ...



                      Gassho, J

                      stlah
                      For me, my hope is for Astrophysics to uncover relationships that will result in humans finding a way to travel to planets and ultimately the stars and other galaxies. So much needs to happen in Engineering for more efficient rockets propulsion systems systems to power ships to Mars. Then the moons of outer planet. Finally from there launched the probes and ultimately humans to the stars. We must have a better understanding of the universe than we do now. We are finally mapping parts of the universe with the Web telescope. This will result in the ability of our galaxy and our planets and the understanding of the universe evolving in the time between galaxies and the actual understanding of Evolutionary development and a future universe of energy and time in general that we may ultimately know how gravity works and even when it came into existence. With space exploration even with finer robotic technology and computers with AI onboard space vehicles we could still see much more than the Web Telescope and further explore the universe and from such vantage ass The Asteroid Belt we can make the jump to the moons of Jupiter. I’ve read that travel into further parts of the solar system is not possible without huge developments in propulsion systems and the immense distances to Saturn and beyond may be limited by our knowledge of science and engineers and we are making progress in AI, this may be how we will explore beyond Saturn or even Neptune and Uranus. I’m so excited by new developments in computer science and how it will impact the world and scientific research.
                      Gassho
                      Tai Shi/sat and lah


                      Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
                      Peaceful, Tai Shi. Ubasoku; calm, supportive, for positive poetry 優婆塞 台 婆

                      Comment

                      • Tai Shi
                        Member
                        • Oct 2014
                        • 3422

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

                        My hope for us all as Buddhists is that we can see a new Epoch.
                        If Those People with a fine understanding of hope care. My wife who does not claim Buddhism, believes that humanity is learning from mistakes to be kind and this is the beginning. We have both become kind to our family and friends in our lives and share wears her favorite shirt that has in big letters “Kindness.” She has helped me understand the nature of anger and understanding. We are both very grateful for my Buddhism and especially my sitting practice which encourages us in our daily activities and kindness. We are editing my third book called Children of Loving Kindness and showing my personal development from wife and mother to daughters and father completely in the process of making our lives better and more fulfilling.
                        Gassho
                        sat/ lah

                        Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
                        Last edited by Tai Shi; 07-13-2023, 07:12 PM.
                        Peaceful, Tai Shi. Ubasoku; calm, supportive, for positive poetry 優婆塞 台 婆

                        Comment

                        • Jundo
                          Treeleaf Founder and Priest
                          • Apr 2006
                          • 40466

                          Get your head around this, mindbending ...

                          Century-Old Paradigm Overturned – Brain Shape Matters More Than Neural Connectivity

                          Researchers have discovered that the shape of a person’s brain significantly impacts thought, feeling, and behavior, overturning the prevailing emphasis on complex neuronal connectivity. Utilizing MRI scans and the principle of eigenmodes, they found that brain function is closely linked to its geometric properties, much like how the shape of a musical instrument determines its sound, offering new avenues for exploring brain function and disease. ... The study, recently published in the prestigious journal, Nature draws together approaches from physics, neuroscience, and psychology to overturn the century-old paradigm ...

                          ... “We have long thought that specific thoughts or sensations elicit activity in specific parts of the brain, but this study reveals that structured patterns of activity are excited across nearly the entire brain, just like the way in which a musical note arises from vibrations occurring along the entire length of a violin string, and not just an isolated segment,” he said.

                          The research team used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to study eigenmodes, which are the natural patterns of vibration or excitation in a system, where different parts of the system are all excited at the same frequency. Eigenmodes are normally used to study physical systems in areas such as physics and engineering and have only recently been adapted to study the brain. “Just as the resonant frequencies of a violin string are determined by its length, density, and tension, the eigenmodes of the brain are determined by its structural––physical, geometric and anatomical––properties, but which specific properties are most important has remained a mystery,” said co-lead author, Dr Kevin Aquino, of BrainKey and The University of Sydney. ... “This result counters conventional wisdom, in which activity during different tasks is often assumed to occur in focal, isolated areas of elevated activity, and tells us that traditional approaches to brain mapping may only show the tip of the iceberg when it comes to understanding how the brain works,” Dr. Pang said.


                          And this is also mindbending ... the universe might be twice as old as we thought ...

                          Cosmic Paradigm Shift: New Research Doubles Universe’s Age to 26.7 Billion Years

                          ... “Our newly-devised model stretches the galaxy formation time by several billion years, making the universe 26.7 billion years old, and not 13.7 as previously estimated,” says author Rajendra Gupta, adjunct professor of physics in the Faculty of Science at the University of Ottawa. For years, astronomers and physicists have calculated the age of our universe by measuring the time elapsed since the Big Bang and by studying the oldest stars based on the redshift of light coming from distant galaxies. In 2021, thanks to new techniques and advances in technology, the age of our universe was thus estimated at 13.797 billion years using the Lambda-CDM concordance model.

                          However, many scientists have been puzzled by the existence of stars like the Methuselah that appear to be older than the estimated age of our universe and by the discovery of early galaxies in an advanced state of evolution made possible by the James Webb Space Telescope. These galaxies, existing a mere 300 million years or so after the Big Bang, appear to have a level of maturity and mass typically associated with billions of years of cosmic evolution. Furthermore, they’re surprisingly small in size, adding another layer of mystery to the equation.

                          Zwicky’s tired light theory proposes that the redshift of light from distant galaxies is due to the gradual loss of energy by photons over vast cosmic distances. However, it was seen to conflict with observations. Yet Gupta found that “by allowing this theory to coexist with the expanding universe, it becomes possible to reinterpret the redshift as a hybrid phenomenon, rather than purely due to expansion.”

                          In addition to Zwicky’s tired light theory, Gupta introduces the idea of evolving “coupling constants,” as hypothesized by Paul Dirac. Coupling constants are fundamental physical constants that govern the interactions between particles. According to Dirac, these constants might have varied over time. By allowing them to evolve, the timeframe for the formation of early galaxies observed by the Webb telescope at high redshifts can be extended from a few hundred million years to several billion years. This provides a more feasible explanation for the advanced level of development and mass observed in these ancient galaxies.

                          Moreover, Gupta suggests that the traditional interpretation of the “cosmological constant,” which represents dark energy responsible for the accelerating expansion of the universe, needs revision. Instead, he proposes a constant that accounts for the evolution of the coupling constants. This modification in the cosmological model helps address the puzzle of small galaxy sizes observed in the early universe, allowing for more accurate observations.

                          https://scitechdaily.com/cosmic-para...billion-years/
                          But we might get younger ... a true "fountain of youth" ...

                          Age Reversal Breakthrough: Harvard/MIT Discovery Could Enable Whole-Body Rejuvenation

                          Scientists from Harvard Medical School, the University of Maine, and MIT have published a groundbreaking study revealing a chemical method to reprogram cells to a more youthful state. This technique offers a potential alternative to gene therapy for reversing aging. The implications of this research are vast, with potential applications in regenerative medicine, treatment of age-related diseases, and whole-body rejuvenation. ... This work, undertaken by scientists at Harvard Medical School, introduces the first chemical method to rejuvenate cells, bringing them to a more youthful state. Prior to this, only powerful gene therapy could achieve this feat. ...

                          ... The Harvard team has previously shown the possibility of reversing cellular aging without causing unregulated cell growth. This was done by inserting specific Yamanaka genes into cells using a viral vector. Studies on various tissues and organs like the optic nerve, brain, kidney, and muscle have yielded encouraging results, including improved vision and extended lifespan in mice. Additionally, recent reports have documented improved vision in monkeys.

                          These findings have profound implications, paving the way for regenerative medicine and potentially full-body rejuvenation. By establishing a chemical alternative to gene therapy for age reversal, this research could potentially transform the treatment of aging, injuries, and age-related diseases. The approach also suggests the possibility of lower development costs and shorter timelines. Following successful results in reversing blindness in monkeys in April 2023, plans for human clinical trials using the lab’s age reversal gene therapy are currently underway.

                          ... The team at Harvard envisions a future where age-related diseases can be effectively treated, injuries can be repaired more efficiently, and the dream of whole-body rejuvenation becomes a reality. “This new discovery offers the potential to reverse aging with a single pill, with applications ranging from improving eyesight to effectively treating numerous age-related diseases,” Sinclair said. ...


                          Some discoveries about our senses ...

                          Taste Detection Unmasked: The Eight-Armed Octopus Pore in Our Neurons

                          ... The human body’s neurons are speckled with tiny pores that enable the passage of essential molecules into and out of our cells. These channels are vital for neurons to transmit signals that facilitate our movement, cognition, and perception of the world. Recently, structural biologists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) have acquired unprecedented images of one of the most sizable pores present in human neurons, known as the Calcium Homeostasis Modulator Protein 1, or CALHM1. ... In our tongues, CALHM1 contributes to our perception of tastes like sweet, sour, or umami. In our brains, it may play a part in regulating the accumulation of a plaque-forming protein linked to Alzheimer’s. ... These images illustrate how eight copies of the CALHM1 protein come together to form the circular channel. Each protein features a flexible appendage that extends into the pore, potentially managing its opening and closing, a characteristic that Syrjänen equates to “octopus tentacles.” ... The researchers also discovered that fatty molecules, phospholipids, are crucial for stabilizing and controlling this eight-part channel. These important fats are abundant in eggs, cereal, lean meats, and seafood. ...


                          Cryo-electron microscopy reveals that the human CALHM1 channel has an eight-protein assembly pattern, similar to that found in chickens. Note the number of colored arm-like structures above. The dot at the center of the image is ruthenium red, a chemical researchers use to block off the channel.

                          Don't believe your own eyes ...

                          Debunking the Illusion: It’s All About the Eyes, Not the Mind

                          Research from the University of Exeter indicates that visual illusions result from our eyes and brain’s neural limitations rather than complex mental processes. The study’s model successfully predicts human visual illusions and explains our ability to perceive high-contrast images, like those on high-definition TVs, despite our neurons’ limited bandwidth. ... Scientists and philosophers have long debated whether these illusions are caused by neural processing in the eye and low-level visual centers in the brain, or involve higher-level mental processes such as context and prior knowledge. ... In the new study Dr. Jolyon Troscianko, from the University of Exeter, co-developed a model that suggests simple limits to neural responses – not deeper psychological processes – explain these illusions. “Our eyes send messages to the brain by making neurons fire faster or slower,” said Dr. Troscianko, from the Centre for Ecology and Conservation on Exeter’s Penryn Campus in Cornwall. “However, there’s a limit to how quickly they can fire, and previous research hasn’t considered how the limit might affect the ways we see color.”

                          ... “This throws into the air a lot of long-held assumptions about how visual illusions work,” Dr. Troscianko said. He said the findings also shed light on the popularity of high-definition televisions. “Modern high dynamic range televisions create bright white regions that are over 10,000 times brighter than their darkest black, approaching the contrast levels of natural scenes,” Dr. Troscianko added. “How our eyes and brains can handle this contrast is a puzzle because tests show that the highest contrasts we humans can see at a single spatial scale is around 200:1.“Even more confusingly, the neurons connecting our eyes to our brains can only handle contrasts of about 10:1. “Our model shows how neurons with such limited contrast bandwidth can combine their signals to allow us to see these enormous contrasts, but the information is ‘compressed’ – resulting in visual illusions.

                          “The model shows how our neurons are precisely evolved to use of every bit of capacity.

                          “For example, some neurons are sensitive to very tiny differences in grey levels at medium-sized scales, but are easily overwhelmed by high contrasts.

                          “Meanwhile, neurons coding for contrasts at larger or smaller scales are much less sensitive, but can work over a much wider range of contrasts, giving deep black-and-white differences. ...


                          The bar in the middle of this figure is all one grey level, but it appears lighter on the left and darker on the right due to the gradient in the background. This is called simultaneous contrast, where dark surrounds make targets appear lighter, and vice-versa.


                          The two grey bars in the middle of this figure are the same grey, but the one on the left (surrounded by more black bars) appears darker. This is the opposite of the simultaneous contrast example above, because darker surroundings now make the target look darker.

                          https://scitechdaily.com/debunking-t...-not-the-mind/
                          When our standard senses need supplementing ...

                          Vibrating haptic suits give deaf people a new way to feel live music

                          ... they worked with engineers at the electronic components company Avnet to develop a light haptic suit with a total of 24 actuators, or vibrating plates. There's 20 of them studded on a vest that fits tightly around the body like a hiking backpack, plus an actuator that straps onto each wrist and ankle. When you wear the suit, it's surprising how much texture the sensations have. It can feel like raindrops on your shoulders, a tickle across the ribs, a thump against the lower back.

                          It doesn't replicate the music — it's not as simple as regular taps to the beat. It plays waves of sensation on your skin in a way that's complementary to the music. ...

                          https://www.npr.org/2023/07/17/11861...eel-live-music
                          Plus possible uses to enable touch at a distance ...


                          Using our eyes and other extended senses by instruments to detect possible ...

                          Life on Mars? NASA’s Perseverance Rover Finds Evidence of Diverse Organic Compounds

                          ... Scientists have long been fueled by the possibility of finding organic carbon on Mars, and while previous missions provided valuable insights, the latest research introduces a new line of evidence that adds to our understanding of Mars. The findings indicate the presence of a more intricate organic geochemical cycle on Mars than previously understood, suggesting the existence of several distinct reservoirs of potential organic compounds.

                          Notably, the study detected signals consistent with molecules linked to aqueous processes, indicating that water may have played a key role in the diverse range of organic matter on Mars. The key building blocks necessary for life may have persisted on Mars for a far more extended period than previously thought. ...

                          https://scitechdaily.com/life-on-mar...nic-compounds/
                          Sprinkled stardust ... blowing on the cosmic wind ... and now part of you ...

                          Researchers discover stardust sprinkled on a nearby asteroid

                          Scientists have made a surprising discovery in a sample returned from an asteroid: Embedded in its rocks are grains of stardust.

                          The dust, which came from distant stars and drifted through space for millions or billions of years, could provide clues about how the solar system formed, according to Ann Nguyen, a cosmochemist at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. ... Stars forged nearly all of the elements of the Universe. Many of the atoms that make up our bodies were themselves made inside of the core of a star somewhere else. That's because the high pressures and temperatures can fuse lightweight atomic nuclei into heavier elements. Think of these little grains as cosmic dust motes. Sometimes the star that formed these grains would explode, blowing them across the galaxy like dandelion seeds. Other times they would drift away on their own — traveling on the stellar wind into deep space. ...

                          "Probably a lot of them do get destroyed," Nguyen says, "but some of them survive and they make it to our region of the universe where our solar system formed."

                          The stardust swirled and clumped and eventually became part of the sun, and the planets, and even us. That idea led the astronomer Carl Sagan to famously remark that "We're made of star-stuff."

                          ... Nguyen says the grains look different than the material from our own solar system, because different stars leave different nuclear signatures in the atoms.

                          "It kind of lights up like a Christmas tree light," she says. "Their isotopic signatures are just so different than the material that formed in our solar system or got homogenized in the solar system."

                          Nguyen says that the stardust grains provide some clues about the types of stars that contributed to our solar system. It also shows that exploding stars, or supernovae, probably contributed more of the dust than researchers had previously believed.

                          But above all, she says, these tiny grains are a reminder of the way in which we fit into the vast cosmos.

                          "It just shows us how rich our Universe is," she says. "These materials all played a part in our life here on Earth."

                          https://www.npr.org/2023/07/14/11878...nkled-asteroid
                          And more blowing in the winds of space ...

                          The Ultra-Fast Space Winds That Shape the Evolution of Galaxies

                          ... They are the ultra-fast outflows: space winds that emerge from the surroundings of supermassive black holes and blow at speeds close to that of light. An international research team has explored this still little-understood phenomenon, hunting for these gas emissions, which are crucial to understanding the mechanisms regulating the behaviour of supermassive black holes in their active phase. ... The investigation showed that in about 30% of the active galactic nuclei analyzed, there are space winds traveling at speeds between 10% and 30% of the speed of light. ... “And we were able to confirm that the intensity of these gas flows is sufficient to significantly change the ecosystem of their galaxies.”

                          Between a supermassive black hole and the galaxy that surrounds it, there is in fact a close relationship that reciprocally influences their formation and evolution. The mechanisms driving this reciprocal relationship are still poorly understood, but among the key ingredients may be the ultra-fast winds emitted by active galactic nuclei. These powerful emissions arise when part of the gas in the accretion disk is ejected outwards, thus transferring some of the matter and energy produced to interstellar space, a mechanism that has important implications for regulating the process of star formation.

                          https://scitechdaily.com/ufos-the-ul...n-of-galaxies/
                          Are there "Dark Stars" ?? .

                          Powered by Dark Matter: Webb Space Telescope Catches Glimpse of Possible First-Ever “Dark Stars”

                          A team of astrophysicists has discovered three potential “dark stars” using the James Webb Space Telescope. These theoretical bodies, thought to be powered by dark matter particles, are much larger and brighter than our sun. If confirmed, they could significantly illuminate our understanding of dark matter, one of the most significant unresolved issues in physics. Furthermore, their existence could reconcile the discrepancy between the current standard cosmology model and the observation of large galaxies early in the universe.

                          And Dark Matter aside ... Dark Energy ...

                          On the Trail of a Mysterious Force in Space – Scientists Shed New Light on Dark Energy

                          Using advanced space telescopes and data sets, researchers concluded that dark energy, representing about 76% of the universe’s energy density, is evenly spread throughout space and remains constant over time. ...

                          ... The anti-gravity possibly caused by dark energy pushes objects away from each other and suppresses the formation of large cosmic objects that would otherwise form due to the attractive force of gravity. As such, dark energy affects where and how the largest objects in the universe form – namely, galaxy clusters with total masses ranging from 10^13 to 10^15 solar masses. ...

                          https://scitechdaily.com/on-the-trai...pand_article=1
                          Webb also found this ...

                          Webb Space Telescope Detects Universe’s Oldest Active Supermassive Black Hole

                          Researchers, using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), have identified the farthest active supermassive black hole ever recorded. Located in galaxy CEERS 1019, this black hole was active about 570 million years following the Big Bang and is unique in that it is smaller than any other discovered from this early epoch of the universe. ... The presence of this relatively small black hole so early in the universe’s timeline poses interesting questions about how it formed so rapidly after the universe’s inception. It has been a longstanding belief among researchers that smaller black holes would have existed in the early universe, but solid evidence was not available until JWST began its observations.


                          There are other great mysteries in space ...

                          An unusual object has been releasing pulses of radio waves in space for decades. Astronomers just discovered it

                          Astronomers have discovered a new type of stellar object that could change their understanding of extreme celestial bodies in the universe.

                          Initially, Curtin University doctoral student Tyrone O’Doherty spotted a spinning celestial space object in March 2018. The unfamiliar object released giant bursts of energy and beamed out radiation three times per hour. In those moments, it became the brightest source of radio waves viewable from Earth through radio telescopes, acting like a celestial lighthouse. ... “We were stumped,” said Dr. Natasha Hurley-Walker, senior lecturer at the Curtin University node of ICRAR, in a statement. “So we started searching for similar objects to find out if it was an isolated event or just the tip of the iceberg.” ...

                          ... The scientists discovered an object 15,000 light-years from Earth in the Scutum constellation. The object, dubbed GPM J1839−10, released radio waves every 22 minutes. The bursts of energy lasted up to five minutes.

                          Astronomers believe it could be a magnetar, or a rare type of star with extremely strong magnetic fields that is capable of releasing powerful, energetic bursts. But if the object is a magnetar, it defies description because all known magnetars release energy in a matter of seconds, or a few minutes at the most. ...

                          A new type of stellar object has been discovered releasing energetic bursts of radio waves every 22 minutes.

                          Closer to home ...

                          The sun’s activity is peaking sooner than expected

                          As the sun nears the peak of its current solar cycle, our star is growing increasingly active. And that peak may be occurring sooner than predicted, according to scientists.

                          Every 11 years or so, the sun experiences periods of low and high solar activity, which is associated with the amount of sunspots on its surface. These dark regions, some of which can reach the size of Earth or larger, are driven by the sun’s strong and constantly shifting magnetic fields. Over the course of a solar cycle, the sun will transition from a calm to an intense and active period. During the peak of activity, called solar maximum, the sun’s magnetic poles flip. Then, the sun will grow quiet again during a solar minimum.

                          Initially, peak activity was forecast to begin in July 2025. Now, experts believe the cyclical peak is more likely to take place in mid- to late 2024.

                          ... The increased activity has also included strong solar flares and coronal mass ejections, or large clouds of ionized gas called plasma and magnetic fields that erupt from the sun’s outer atmosphere. The solar storms generated by the sun can affect electric power grids, GPS and aviation, and satellites in low-Earth orbit. These events also cause radio blackouts and even pose risks for crewed space missions. ... A well-known example happened when a series of coronal mass ejections erupted from the sun on January 29, 2022, causing Earth’s outer atmosphere to heat and expand. This expansion caused 38 of the 49 Starlink satellites launched by SpaceX to burn up.

                          ... Once solar maximum is reached, the activity can persist for years. ...

                          ... Predicting when the next big solar storm will have an impact on Earth is difficult. Extreme storms have occurred before, such as one that knocked out the power grid in Quebec in 1989 and the Carrington Event of 1859.

                          The latter remains the most intense geomagnetic storm ever recorded, causing telegraph stations to spark and catch fire.

                          If such an event were to occur today, it could cause trillions of dollars’ worth of damage and bring down some power grids for a substantial amount of time.

                          “We do not know when the next big one will occur,” Murtagh said. “It could happen a couple of weeks from now or 50 years from now.”


                          This illustration shows the release of a coronal mass ejection. The magnetically generated solar phenomenon can send billions of tons of plasma into space that can reach Earth between one and three days, affecting electronic systems both in satellites and on the ground.

                          The sun will reach solar maximum, or a peak in activity across its 11-year cycle, about a year sooner than originally predicted. Auroras, solar flares and space weather are all expected to increase.
                          ... so NASA sending more satellite swarms ... a test of autonomous spacecraft ...

                          Autonomous Invasion: NASA’s Starling Mission Sending Swarm of Satellites Into Orbit

                          This July, NASA is set to dispatch a group of four six-unit (6U)-sized CubeSats into Earth’s orbit to examine whether they’re able to cooperate on their own, independent of real-time updates from mission control. While that kind of autonomous cooperation may not sound too difficult for humans, this team will be robotic – composed of small satellites to test out key technologies for the future of deep space missions, where more complex and autonomous spacecraft will be essential. ... Starling’s four primary objectives include autonomously maneuvering to stay grouped, creating a flexible communications network among the spacecraft, tracking each other’s relative positions, and independently responding to new sensor information by initiating new activities. Essentially, Starling aims to establish a swarm of small satellites capable of functioning as an autonomous community, proficient at reacting to their environment and working as a team. ... After its primary mission is complete, the next stage for Starling will be a partnership with SpaceX’s Starlink satellite constellation to test advanced space traffic management techniques between autonomous spacecraft operated by different organizations. ...


                          https://scitechdaily.com/autonomous-...es-into-orbit/
                          SpaceX (like its owner) does make a mess of things sometimes ... good and bad ...

                          Debris from Elon Musk's SpaceX launch scattered, raising environmental concerns

                          CNN's Ed Lavandera explores the surroundings of Elon Musk's SpaceX launch pad tower in Brownsville, Texas where remnants from April's launch, in which the rocket blew up before reaching space, are scattered. A group is tracking the environmental impact of SpaceX launches on the peninsula.

                          India is joining the race ...

                          India blasts rocket into space, aiming to be first country to land on moon's south pole

                          If the mission succeeds, India would join a group of three other countries that have managed a controlled lunar landing, including the United States, the former Soviet Union and China.

                          ... The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) LVM3 launch rocket blasted off from the country’s main spaceport in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh on Friday afternoon, leaving behind a plume of smoke and fire. ... The lunar landing is expected on Aug. 23, ISRO has said....

                          If the mission succeeds, India would join a group of three other countries that have managed a controlled lunar landing, including the United States, the former Soviet Union and China.

                          And that other technology for good and bad ...

                          Artificial Intelligence Unlocks New Possibilities in Anti-Aging Medicine

                          Researchers have utilized AI to discover new senolytic compounds that can suppress age-related processes, such as cancer and inflammation. By training deep neural networks on experimental data, they were able to identify three potent drug candidates from a chemical pool of over 800,000 molecules, promising superior clinical properties to existing senolytics. ... The research paper is the result of a collaborative effort involving researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. The publication outlines the AI-led analysis of over 800,000 compounds, which successfully identified three potential drugs with comparable efficacy and superior medicinal chemistry properties to those of senolytics currently under investigation.

                          https://scitechdaily.com/artificial-...pand_article=1
                          Reducing evolution to the push of a button ...

                          MIT’s “FrameDiff” – Generative AI Imagines New Protein Structures That Could Transform Medicine

                          MIT’s CSAIL researchers have developed a computational tool, FrameDiff, which employs generative AI to create new protein structures. It uses machine learning to model protein “backbones” and adjust them in 3D, crafting proteins beyond known designs. This breakthrough could accelerate drug development and enhance gene therapy by creating proteins that bind more efficiently, with potential applications in biotechnology, targeted drug delivery, and more. ... The FrameDiff system was tested on the task of building single proteins, and the researchers found that it can create big proteins with up to 500 parts. Unlike previous methods, it doesn’t need to rely on a preexisting map of the protein structure. ... By learning to construct existing proteins, the algorithm hopefully will generalize and be able to create new proteins never seen before in nature. ...

                          ... “In nature, protein design is a slow-burning process that takes millions of years. Our technique aims to provide an answer to tackling human-made problems that evolve much faster than nature’s pace,” says MIT CSAIL PhD student Jason Yim, a lead author on a new paper about the work. “The aim, with respect to this new capacity of generating synthetic protein structures, opens up a myriad of enhanced capabilities, such as better binders. This means engineering proteins that can attach to other molecules more efficiently and selectively, with widespread implications related to targeted drug delivery and biotechnology, where it could result in the development of better biosensors. It could also have implications for the field of biomedicine and beyond, offering possibilities such as developing more efficient photosynthesis proteins, creating more effective antibodies, and engineering nanoparticles for gene therapy.” ...


                          Generation of a protein structure with FrameDiff.

                          https://scitechdaily.com/mits-framed...form-medicine/
                          MIT’s AI Learns Molecular Language for Rapid Material Development and Drug Discovery

                          MIT-Watson AI Lab’s new AI system drastically streamlines drug and material discovery by accurately predicting molecular properties with minimal data. The system leverages a “molecular grammar” learned via reinforcement learning to generate new molecules efficiently. This method has shown remarkable efficacy even with datasets of less than 100 samples.

                          This AI system only needs a small amount of data to predict molecular properties, which could speed up drug discovery and material development. Discovering new materials and drugs typically involves a manual, trial-and-error process that can take decades and cost millions of dollars.

                          https://scitechdaily.com/mits-ai-lea...rug-discovery/
                          CRISPR Gene Editing Used To Build a Better Forest Tree for Sustainable Fiber Production

                          Using CRISPR technology, researchers at North Carolina State University have bred poplar trees with reduced lignin content, leading to a more efficient, sustainable fiber production. Their work could revolutionize the pulp and paper industry while reducing its carbon footprint. ... “We’re using CRISPR to build a more sustainable forest,” said Barrangou, the Todd R. Klaenhammer Distinguished Professor of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences at NC State and co-corresponding author of the paper. “CRISPR systems provide the flexibility to edit more than just single genes or gene families, allowing for greater improvement to wood properties.”


                          SAG-AFTRA is fighting a dystopian AI takeover so you don't have to:

                          We can look to Hollywood to understand the immediate and far-reaching risks we all face from artificial intelligence.


                          “If we don’t stand tall right now, we are all going to be in trouble. We are all going to be in jeopardy of being replaced by machines and big business,” Fran Drescher, actor and president of Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, or SAG-AFTRA, said last week, after the union’s national board unanimously voted to strike against studios and streaming giants. It joined Writers Guild of America (WGA), which has been striking since May, in part also over AI concerns — launching the first dual strike in the industry in more than 60 years.

                          But this isn’t just a Hollywood problem. It’s one many workers, especially those in white collar creative roles, are now or will soon be facing: Their past work being used to train their robot replacements.

                          That’s why, with actors facing an “existential threat” to their livelihoods due to the rise of computer generative technologies — as SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said at a recent press conference — we should all be paying attention to the current strike.

                          ... Studios can now make digital clones of actors and even digitally resurrect the dead — as Disney did with the late Peter Cushing to reprise his role as Grand Moff Tarkin in 2016’s “Rogue One,” which also used AI deepfake technology to create a cameo of a de-aged Princess Leia by superimposing a youthful version of Carrie Fisher’s face onto a body double.

                          This tech is only getting better and cheaper. It’s even rolling out in social media apps via filters and cartoon avatars as well as other parts of the consumer market. For example, Tel-Aviv-based company One Hour is paying actors an initial fee of $500 to scan a digital likeness of them, which the company can then use for a certain number of onscreen credits for content like marketing videos and employee tutorials, Slate reported last month. ...

                          ... How a person’s likeness can be used raises deeply personal, ethical questions. Now, when a working actor auditions for a show or accepts a part, they are making a choice about which roles they feel comfortable literally embodying. That agency could be stripped, without rules for how digital clones of them are used, potentially leaving them open to abuse or harassment through things like deepfake pornography.

                          Without an agreement for how actors should be paid for when their past work is used to train AI models or how their likeness is used for something new, they’re also set up to essentially compete for roles against digital clones of themselves — clones who, notably, don’t need to eat or sleep. ...

                          https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-...wood-rcna94318
                          NASA’s Valkyrie Robot To Revolutionize Offshore Energy Operations ... as a first step to Mars ...

                          NASA is partnering with Woodside Energy in Western Australia to develop advanced remote operation capabilities for its Valkyrie robot. The aim is to enhance safety and efficiency in uncrewed and offshore energy facilities while gathering valuable data for lunar and Martian applications. ... NASA plans to draw from the experience of operating Valkyrie in Woodside’s facilities to improve the design of robots for working under harsh and hazardous conditions. Such conditions are akin to those found on the Moon, at long-term worksites and habitats established under future Artemis missions. ... The use of remotely operated mobile robots on lunar and Martian surfaces can empower Earth-based operators to perform critical tasks, even in the absence of astronauts. These tasks encompass the inspection and maintenance of infrastructures that leverage resources to produce new items, thereby allowing astronauts to live off the land. Woodside’s testing phase will also generate invaluable data on the application of advanced robots in similar terrestrial operations. ... Advanced mobile robots like Valkyrie play a crucial role in allowing humans to supervise hazardous work remotely and delegate dull, repetitive tasks. This technology enables humans to focus on higher-level tasks, including the deployment and maintenance of robots. Such principles apply to both space and terrestrial applications, where companies are recognizing the value of human-scale robots. ...


                          https://scitechdaily.com/mission-dow...gy-operations/
                          This week, I had the pleasure of seeing one of artist Nam June Paik's "ridiculous robots" ... his K-567 ... at a small museum in Tokyo. What is more, it was partly broken, so I sat for a time watching a technologist/art restorer struggling to get it to walk again ... and he eventually did ...



                          Here is the predecessor, Robot-456 in 1965 ...

                          https://youtu.be/5-QIm7EgNlM

                          Jumping back to the origin of life ... and nature's doing proteins the old fashioned way, without AI ...

                          Tracing the Origin of Life – Researchers Uncover How Primordial Proteins Formed on Prebiotic Earth

                          Scientists at Tohoku University discovered that boric acid catalyzes the formation of lengthy peptides under neutral and acidic conditions, countering previous theories that alkaline conditions were ideal. The discovery of abundant boron-containing minerals in ancient earth rocks further supports the potential of boron-rich, neutral environments for protein synthesis on prebiotic Earth. ... Previous studies have suggested that highly alkaline evaporative environments served as the place for ancient protein synthesis, yielding up to 20 monomer-long glycine peptides. Neutral conditions were thought to be the worst-case in regards to peptide synthesis. ... Boron-containing minerals have been discovered abundantly in some of the oldest sedimentary-origin rocks found on earth, dating back 3.8 billions-years. These findings suggest that coastal areas of ancient small continents and islands rich in boric acid spontaneously assembled amino acids, forming polypeptides and proto-proteins. ...


                          And then our ancestors started fighting for survival and killing ... hopefully something we can move beyond genetically if we are to survive more ...

                          Rare and dramatic fossil shows small mammal attacking larger dinosaur

                          A dramatic fossil unearthed in northeastern China shows a pugnacious badger-like mammal in the act of attacking a plant-eating dinosaur, mounting its prey and sinking its teeth into its victim’s ribs about 125 million years ago, scientists said on Tuesday.

                          Dating to the Cretaceous Period, it shows the four-legged mammal Repenomamus robustus — the size of a domestic cat — ferociously entangled with the beaked two-legged dinosaur Psittacosaurus lujiatunensis — as big as a medium-sized dog. The scientists suspect they were suddenly engulfed in a volcanic mudflow and buried alive during mortal combat. “Dinosaurs nearly always outsized their mammal contemporaries, so traditional belief has been that their interactions were unilateral — the bigger dinosaurs always ate the smaller mammals,” said paleobiologist Jordan Mallon of the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, who helped lead the study published in the journal Scientific Reports.

                          “Here, we have good evidence for a smaller mammal preying on a larger dinosaur, which is not something we would have guessed without this fossil,” Mallon added.




                          https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/r...saur-rcna95048
                          And other challenges should we survive ...

                          New Research: Current Climate Policies Will Leave Billions Exposed to Dangerously Hot Temperatures

                          Current climate policies are expected to result in 22% of the world’s population exposed to dangerous heat levels by 2100, according to a study from the Global Systems Institute, University of Exeter, and Nanjing University. Limiting global warming to 1.5°C, compared to the projected 2.7°C, would reduce this figure to 5%, underscoring the urgent need for robust climate policies and greenhouse gas emissions reduction.

                          https://scitechdaily.com/new-researc...-temperatures/
                          New Study: Climate Change To Push Countless Species Over Abrupt Tipping Points

                          A recent study led by a University College London researcher, published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, reveals that climate change could suddenly thrust species beyond critical thresholds as they encounter unanticipated temperatures within their geographic habitats.

                          The study forecasts the timeline and locations where species worldwide may be subjected to potentially dangerous temperature changes due to climate change. ... The researchers found that the extent of global warming makes a big difference: if the planet warms by 1.5°C, 15% of species they studied will be at risk of experiencing unfamiliarly hot temperatures across at least 30% of their existing geographic range in a single decade, but this doubles to 30% of species at 2.5°C of warming.

                          Dr Pigot added: “Our study is yet another example of why we need to urgently reduce carbon emissions to mitigate the harmful effects climate change is having on animals and plants, and avoid a massive extinction crisis.” ...

                          https://scitechdaily.com/new-study-c...ipping-points/
                          What's "normal"??

                          Is this extreme weather the ‘new normal?’ There’s no such thing, some scientists say

                          ... In a statement on Tuesday, Petteri Taalas, secretary general of the World Meteorological Organization, called this relentless cascade of extreme weather “the new normal.”

                          But some scientists now baulk at that framing.

                          “When I hear it, I get a bit crazy because it’s not really the new normal,” said Hannah Cloke, a climate scientist and professor at the University of Reading in the UK. “Until we stop pumping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere we have no idea what the future looks like.”

                          She is one of many scientists who warn that, while this summer is very bad, it’s only just the beginning. As long as global temperature continues to rise, they said, the world should brace for escalating impacts. ...

                          https://us.cnn.com/2023/07/19/world/...scn/index.html
                          Climate Change is hurting Buddhist art too ...

                          China’s ancient Silk Road murals face a new threat – climate change

                          Ancient Buddhist murals and statues in caves along China’s Silk Road are under “direct threat” from extreme rainfall brought by climate change, researchers have found.

                          Dating back to the 4th century, the Dunhuang cave temples in the northwestern province of Gansu have withstood wars, earthquakes, sandstorms and vandalism for more than a millennium.

                          But now, changing weather patterns in the desert are posing significant damage to the fragile wall paintings and sculptures – including at the famous Mogao Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, according to a report released Monday by Greenpeace. ... The artworks in some caves, including the Mogao Grotto, have already shown signs of deterioration. And some artifacts could be gone in a few years, the report warned. ...


                          https://us.cnn.com/travel/article/ch...hnk/index.html
                          Maybe we can survive this way ... by making better stone tools designed by super-computer ...

                          Study Shows How Ancestors Thrived Amid Climate Shifts

                          New research conducted by an international team, published in the journal Science, reveals that early human species were capable of adapting to a variety of landscapes and food resources. This adaptability would have strengthened our ancestors’ resilience against historical climate changes.

                          Our genus Homo evolved over the past 3 million years – a period of increasing warm/cold climate fluctuations. The mystery of how early human species adjusted to these intensified climate extremes, ice ages, and sweeping changes in landscapes and vegetation continues to baffle scientists.

                          Did our ancestors adjust to local environmental changes over time, or did they seek out more stable environments with diverse food resources? Was our human evolution influenced more by temporal changes in climate, or by the spatial character of the environment? ...

                          ... According to their analysis, the scientists found that earlier African groups preferred to live in open environments, such as grassland and dry shrubland. Migrating into Eurasia around 1.8 million years ago, hominins, such as H. erectus and later H. heidelbergensis and H. neanderthalensis developed higher tolerances to other biomes over time, including temperate and boreal forests. “To survive as forest-dwellers, these groups developed more advanced stone tools and likely also social skills”, said Prof. Pasquale Raia, from the Università di Napoli Federico II, Italy, co-author of the study. Eventually, H. sapiens emerged around 200,000 years ago in Africa, quickly becoming the master of all trades. Mobile, flexible, and competitive, our direct ancestors, unlike any other species before, survived in harsh environments such as deserts and tundra. ...

                          ... The climate and vegetation model simulations, which cover the Earth’s history of the past 3 million years, were conducted on one of South Korea’s fastest science supercomputers named Aleph. “Supercomputing is now emerging as a key tool in evolutionary biology and anthropology,” said Axel Timmermann. ...

                          https://scitechdaily.com/resilient-r...limate-shifts/
                          Gassho, J

                          stlah
                          Last edited by Jundo; 07-22-2023, 08:01 AM.
                          ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLE

                          Comment

                          • Jundo
                            Treeleaf Founder and Priest
                            • Apr 2006
                            • 40466

                            "Gravity Hole" would be a great name for a punk band ...

                            There is a ‘gravity hole’ in the Indian Ocean, and scientists now think they know why


                            There is a “gravity hole” in the Indian Ocean — a spot where Earth’s gravitational pull is weaker, its mass is lower than normal, and the sea level dips by over 328 feet (100 meters).

                            This anomaly has puzzled geologists for a long time, but now researchers from the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru, India, have found what they believe is a credible explanation for its formation: plumes of magma coming from deep inside the planet, much like those that lead to the creation of volcanoes.

                            To come to this hypothesis, the team used supercomputers to simulate how the area could have formed, going as far back as 140 million years. The findings, detailed in a study published recently in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, center around an ancient ocean that no longer exists.

                            ... Our planet is not homogeneous in its density and its properties, with some areas being more dense than others — that affects Earth’s surface and its gravity, Ghosh added. “If you pour water on the surface of the Earth, the level that the water takes is called a geoid — and that is controlled by these density differences in the material inside the planet, because they attract the surface in very different ways depending on how much mass there is underneath,” she said.

                            The “gravity hole” in the Indian Ocean — officially called the Indian Ocean geoid low — is the lowest point in that geoid and its biggest gravitational anomaly, forming a circular depression that starts just off India’s southern tip and covers about 1.2 million square miles (3 million square kilometers). The anomaly was discovered by Dutch geophysicist Felix Andries Vening Meinesz in 1948, during a gravity survey from a ship, and has remained a mystery.

                            ... “India was in a very different place 140 million years ago, and there was an ocean between the Indian plate and Asia. India started moving north and as it did, the ocean disappeared and the gap with Asia closed,” she explained. As the oceanic plate went down inside the mantle, it could have spurred the formation of the plumes, bringing low-density material closer to Earth’s surface. ...

                            [But if you read the article, some geologists disagree with the study ... ]

                            An anomaly known as the geoid low has long puzzled geologists. One team has found what it believes is a credible explanation, and it’s coming from deep inside Earth.


                            A predicted planetary change within the coming decades which threatens all human beings ... we must change [INCLUDING BIOLOGICALLY and thus socially] our human drives to consume to excess, as well as our dependence on greenhouse gases ...

                            A crucial system of ocean currents is heading for a collapse that ‘would affect every person on the planet’

                            A vital system of ocean currents could collapse within a few decades if the world continues to pump out planet-heating pollution, scientists are warning – an event that would be catastrophic for global weather and “affect every person on the planet.” A new study published Tuesday in the journal Nature, found that the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Current – of which the Gulf Stream is a part – could collapse around the middle of the century, or even as early as 2025.

                            Scientists uninvolved with this study told CNN the exact tipping point for the critical system is uncertain, and that measurements of the currents have so far showed little trend or change. But they agreed these results are alarming and provide new evidence that the tipping point could occur sooner than previously thought.

                            The AMOC is a complex tangle of currents that works like a giant global conveyor belt. It transports warm water from the tropics toward the North Atlantic, where the water cools, becomes saltier and sinks deep into the ocean, before spreading southwards.

                            It plays a crucial role in the climate system, helping regulate global weather patterns. Its collapse would have enormous implications, including much more extreme winters and sea level rises affecting parts of Europe and the US, and a shifting of the monsoon in the tropics.For years, scientists have been warning of its instability as the climate crisis accelerates, threatening to upset the balance of temperature and salinity on which the strength of these currents depend.

                            As the oceans heat up and ice melts, more freshwater flows into the ocean and reduces the water’s density, making it less able to sink. When waters become too fresh, too warm or both, the conveyor belt stops.

                            It has happened before. More than 12,000 years ago, rapid glacier melt caused the AMOC to shut down, leading to huge Northern Hemisphere temperature fluctuations of 10 to 15 degrees Celsius (18 to 27 Fahrenheit) within a decade.

                            ... They found “early warning signals” of critical changes in the AMOC, which led them to predict “with high confidence” that it could shut down or collapse as early as 2025 and no later than 2095. The likeliest point of collapse is somewhere between 2039 and 2070, Ditlevsen said.

                            “It’s really scary,” he told CNN. “This is not something you would lightly put into papers,” he said, adding, “we’re very confident that this is a robust result.” ...

                            https://us.cnn.com/2023/07/25/world/...ntl/index.html
                            Now, carbon dioxide may do harm on our planet but, long ago, carbon dioxide also had a good side, maybe helping to get life started ...

                            Meteoritic and Volcanic Particles May Have Promoted Origin of Life Reactions 4.4 Billion Years Ago

                            Chemical reactions driven by iron-laden particles from meteorites or volcanic outbursts might have led to the formation of molecules needed for the origin of life on Earth about 4.4 billion years ago, according to a study recently published in Scientific Reports.

                            Earlier studies have proposed that organic molecule precursors like hydrocarbons, aldehydes, and alcohols might have arrived on Earth through asteroids and comets, or been synthesized through reactions within the young Earth’s atmosphere and oceans. Such reactions might have been facilitated by energy from sources like lightning, volcanic activity, or impacts. Nonetheless, due to insufficient data, the primary mechanism responsible for creating these precursors remains unclear. ... Meteors or volcanic ash’s iron-rich particles may have facilitated the transformation of atmospheric CO2 into life’s essential molecules around 4.4 billion years ago, suggests a study. These early reactions could have birthed compounds critical for life.

                            Chemical reactions driven by iron-laden particles from meteorites or volcanic outbursts might have led to the formation of molecules needed for the origin of life on Earth about 4.4 billion years ago, according to a study recently published in Scientific Reports.

                            Earlier studies have proposed that organic molecule precursors like hydrocarbons, aldehydes, and alcohols might have arrived on Earth through asteroids and comets, or been synthesized through reactions within the young Earth’s atmosphere and oceans. Such reactions might have been facilitated by energy from sources like lightning, volcanic activity, or impacts. Nonetheless, due to insufficient data, the primary mechanism responsible for creating these precursors remains unclear.


                            Oliver Trapp and colleagues investigated whether meteorite or ash particles deposited on volcanic islands could have promoted the conversion of atmospheric carbon dioxide to the precursors of organic molecules on the early Earth ... The authors suggest that as the early Earth’s atmosphere cooled over time, the production of alcohols and aldehydes may have increased. These compounds may then have participated in further reactions that could have led to the formation of carbohydrates, lipids, sugars, amino acids, DNA, and RNA. By calculating the rate of the reactions they observed and using data from previous research on the conditions of the early Earth, the authors estimate that their proposed mechanism could have synthesized up to 600,000 tonnes of organic precursors per year across the early Earth.


                            Heading out to space ... water is also crucial to life as we know it ...

                            Webb telescope spots water in a nearby planetary system

                            Astronomers have detected water vapor swirling close to a nearby star — indicating that the planets forming around it might someday be able to support life.

                            The young planetary system, known as PDS 70, is 370 light-years away. The star at its center is about 5.4 million years old and cooler than our sun. ... The Webb telescope’s Mid-Infrared Instrument detected the signature of water vapor in the inner disk, less than 100 million miles (160 million kilometers) from the star. Astronomers believe that inner disk is where small, rocky planets similar to those in our solar system could form if PDS 70 is anything like our solar system. In our system, Earth orbits at a distance of 93 million miles (150 million kilometers) from the sun.

                            A study detailing the findings published Monday in the journal Nature.

                            “We’ve seen water in other disks, but not so close in and in a system where planets are currently assembling. We couldn’t make this type of measurement before Webb ...”

                            The James Webb Space Telescope detected water vapor swirling around a planetary system 370 light-years away.
                            ... a two-faced star like the Roman God Janus ...


                            Astronomers discover never-before-seen two-faced star

                            Astronomers have made a first-of-its-kind discovery — a white dwarf star with two completely different faces.

                            White dwarfs are burnt remains of dead stars. Our sun will become a white dwarf in about 5 billion years after it swells into a red giant star, blows out its outer material and, with only the core left, shrinks back into a blinding white-hot remnant.

                            The newly discovered white dwarf has two sides, one made of hydrogen and the other made of helium. Researchers have nicknamed the star Janus, for the Roman god of transition, which has two faces. A study detailing the findings was published July 19 in the journal Nature.

                            “The surface of the white dwarf completely changes from one side to the other,” said lead study author Ilaria Caiazzo, a postdoctoral scholar research associate in astronomy at the California Institute of Technology, in a statement. “When I show the observations to people, they are blown away.” ...

                            ... Follow-up observations were conducted by Caiazzo and her team using Palomar’s CHIMERA instrument, the HiPERCAM located on the Gran Telescopio Canarias in Spain’s Canary Islands and W.M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea in Hawaii. The three observatories showed that Janus was rotating on its axis every 15 minutes — and showcased the star’s double-faced nature and composition. Astronomers used a spectrometer to separate the light of the white dwarf into different wavelengths, which revealed the chemical signature of hydrogen on one side and helium on the other.

                            ... The researchers aren’t quite sure why the star has two completely different sides. It’s possible that Janus is experiencing a rare form of evolution.

                            “Not all, but some white dwarfs transition from being hydrogen- to helium-dominated on their surface,” Caiazzo said. “We might have possibly caught one such white dwarf in the act.”

                            As the white dwarf cools over time, the heavier and lighter materials may mix together. During this transition, it’s possible for hydrogen to become diluted within the interior, allowing helium to become the dominant element.

                            If this is occurring on Janus, one side of the star is evolving before the other side.

                            https://us.cnn.com/2023/07/24/world/...scn/index.html
                            Also from Webb ...

                            Colorful new stars shine in latest Webb telescope image

                            A pair of rambunctious young stars takes center stage in a new near-infrared image taken by the James Webb Space Telescope.

                            The two stars, which are still actively forming and closely orbiting one another, are called Herbig-Haro 46/47 and can be found 1,470 light-years away in the Vela constellation.

                            Although the stellar duo has been studied and observed by many space and ground-based telescopes since the 1950s, Webb has taken the most detailed and highest-resolution image in near-infrared light. ... The stellar pair can be seen as the orange-white center at the intersection of the red and pink spikes in the image, located deep within an invisible disk of gas and dust that feeds star formation. The only hint of the existence of this disk is in the two darker cone-shaped regions around the stars.

                            Two orange regions that span out from the stars represent material released by Herbig-Haro 46/47 as they go through a continuous cycle of pulling in and ejecting gas and dust across millennia. ...



                            [ATTACH=CONFIG]8600[/ATTACH]

                            https://us.cnn.com/2023/07/26/world/...scn/index.html
                            Space robots ...

                            Space Station ... Astrobee Free-Flying Robots Powered On

                            On the International Space Station ... Sultan Alneyadi, the Flight Engineer from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), began his day by powering on Astrobee, the station’s free-flying robots. Later, NASA astronaut Woody Hoburg engaged in a Zero Robotics dry run with Astrobee, located in the Japanese Experiment Module. Assisting ground teams with multiple software test runs, he helped verify various aspects and programming for the Zero Robotics student competition. This competition offers students the unique opportunity to write software controlling one of the three Astrobee robots, thereby inspiring future explorers, scientists, and engineers.

                            In the future of medical science ... more robots ... with precision hands ...

                            Tiny Surgical Robots With Magnetic Tentacles Could Transform the Treatment of Cancers

                            A tiny robot that can travel deep into the lungs to detect and treat the first signs of cancer has been developed by researchers at the University of Leeds. The ultra-soft tentacle, which measures just 2 millimeters in diameter and is controlled by magnets, can reach some of the smallest bronchial tubes and could transform the treatment of lung cancer. ... As well as improving navigation within the lungs during biopsies, the magnetic tentacle robot could pave the way for far less invasive treatment, allowing clinicians to target only malicious cells while allowing healthy tissue and organs to continue normal function.



                            Even our body ink could keep us healthy! ...

                            Researchers are developing injectable ‘smart tattoos’ that could someday monitor your health

                            ... Now some researchers believe the next generation of tattoos will be about more than just markings – by helping keep tabs on our health.

                            Creating “smart tattoo” pigments that can be injected under the skin to monitor certain biomarkers in the human body requires a collaboration between “scientists, engineers and designers,” says Dr. Ali Yetisen, a researcher in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Imperial College London.

                            His concept replaces conventional tattoo ink with “functional materials,” Yetisen says, creating “tattoos that change their color in response to external stimuli,” such as a change in blood sugar levels for people with diabetes, monitoring kidney or liver functions, or warning athletes of dehydration. ...



                            https://us.cnn.com/2023/07/26/world/...ntl/index.html
                            Finally, next trip to Tokyo, I know where I am having lunch! ... good for the environment, arguably not eating "sentient beings" ...

                            Tokyo’s insect restaurant brings water bug cider to the table

                            On a recent vacation in Tokyo, Takumi Yamamoto opted for a special lunch of cricket curry and silkworm sashimi, washed down with a water bug cider.

                            The 26-year-old office worker, from the western prefecture of Hyogo, is one of scores of consumers across the world who have taken an interest in entomophagy, or eating insects, as bugs slowly become a more viable food source.

                            As a child, Yamamoto said he sometimes snacked on soy-sauce basted grasshoppers. In Tokyo, he indulged in insect cuisine at Take-Noko cafe, which embraces all things buggy.

                            “It’s fun to select from a wider variety of dishes,” Yamamoto said at the cozy second-floor cafe, surrounded by insect art and terrariums of skittering beetles, ants and cockroaches.

                            “Everything was tasty. In particular, the water bug cider was quite refreshing and delicious, like a green apple.”

                            ... Japan has a rich culinary history of insects as food.

                            Grasshoppers, silkworms, and wasps were traditionally eaten in land-locked regions where meat and fish are scarce, a practice that picked up amid food shortages during and after World War II, said Take-Noko manager Michiko Miura.

                            “Recently, there have been advances in rearing things like crickets and mealworms for food, so the possibility of using insects as ingredients is really growing,” she added.

                            Several companies, including national bakery brand Pasco, have sold made cakes and snacks from cricket flour, and processed food maker Nichirei and telecom Nippon Telegraph and Telephone have invested in bug ventures in the past year. ...

                            ... The term “crickets” also started to trend in Japanese media recently after reports the powdered insects were being used in school lunches and snacks.

                            Consumer interest has also extended to Take-Noko, which manager Miura says is often fully booked on weekends.

                            Its curry is studded crickets in meatball form and dried garnish. The delicate “sashimi” is the left-over casing of silkworms, and the cider is infused with water bug extract and topped with a whole insect, said to taste like shrimp. ...



                            Gassho, J

                            stlah
                            Attached Files
                            Last edited by Jundo; 07-28-2023, 04:56 AM.
                            ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLE

                            Comment

                            • Tokan
                              Treeleaf Unsui
                              • Oct 2016
                              • 1316

                              As always, wonderful news stories, especially love the images from the JWT, just incredible!

                              Gassho, Tokan

                              satlah
                              平道 島看 Heidou Tokan (Balanced Way Island Nurse)
                              I enjoy learning from everyone, I simply hope to be a friend along the way

                              Comment

                              • Jundo
                                Treeleaf Founder and Priest
                                • Apr 2006
                                • 40466

                                Eye in the sky ...

                                The Ring Nebula comes into focus, and it's astounding

                                Gone are the days when the Ring Nebula looked sort of like a bagel, or a jelly doughnut, a massive astronomical blob holding the secrets of a dying star.. The new images of the famous Ring Nebula from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope are mesmerizing, with glowing rings of gas and wispy trails emanating from the core. We can see it in more clarity than ever, including thousands of clumps that make up its main ring. ...

                                Despite its name, planetary nebula is actually the remains of a sun-like star. ... The Ring Nebula, also known as Messier 57, is more than 2,000 light years ...

                                "We are witnessing the final chapters of a star's life, a preview of the sun's distant future so to speak," Barlow said, adding, "JWST's observations have opened a new window into understanding these awe-inspiring cosmic events." ...

                                The spectacle began around 4,000 years ago, when the Nebula Ring's central star, which was more massive than our sun, expelled gases from its outer layers into space. For billions of years, the star had been converting hydrogen to helium — but it started to run low on fuel.

                                "It then ballooned in size, becoming a red giant," according to NASA. "During this phase, the star shed its outer gaseous layers into space and began to collapse as fusion reactions began to die out. A gusher of ultraviolet light from the dying star energized the gas, making it glow. The outer rings were formed when faster-moving gas slammed into slower-moving material."

                                The nebula is still expanding — estimated at more than 43,000 miles an hour, NASA says. It's expected to keep that up for the next 10,000 years or so. ...


                                https://www.npr.org/2023/08/04/11921...webb-telescope
                                Just picking up where it left off ...

                                A worm has been revived after 46,000 years in the Siberian permafrost

                                Scientists have revived a worm that was frozen 46,000 years ago — at a time when woolly mammoths, sabre-toothed tigers and giant elks still roamed the Earth.

                                The roundworm, of a previously unknown species, survived 40 meters (131.2 feet) below the surface in the Siberian permafrost in a dormant state known as cryptobiosis, according to Teymuras Kurzchalia, professor emeritus at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden and one of the scientists involved in the research. Organisms in a cryptobiotic state can endure the complete absence of water or oxygen and withstand high temperatures, as well as freezing or extremely salty conditions. They remain in a state “between death and life,” in which their metabolic rates decrease to an undetectable level, Kurzchalia explained. “One can halt life and then start it from the beginning. This a major finding,” he said, adding that other organisms previously revived from this state had survived for decades rather than millennia.

                                ... After thawing the worms, the scientists used radiocarbon analysis of the plant material in the sample to establish that the deposits had not been thawed since between 45,839 and 47,769 years ago.


                                https://us.cnn.com/2023/07/28/world/...scn/index.html
                                That worm is 20 times older than Jesus ... and now we have 'Virgin Birth' too ...

                                In a historic first, scientists have used gene editing to induce virgin birth in fruit flies ...

                                ... a major step in unlocking the mysteries of the intriguing phenomenon known as parthenogenesis.

                                Virgin births do not happen naturally in the type of fruit flies involved in the research, said study coauthor Alexis Sperling, a developmental biologist at the UK’s University of Cambridge. However, Sperling and her team were able to use gene mutations to produce generations of female fruit flies capable of reproducing entirely on their own — without interacting with male fruit flies, according to a study published July 28 in the journal Current Biology.

                                ... While virgin births occur naturally in many animal species and have been induced in others — including mice — by manipulating cells, this research marked the first time scientists isolated specific genes to make parthenogenesis a lasting and inheritable trait in an organism not otherwise capable of this type of reproduction.

                                Though the feat may seem like the stuff of science fiction, take note: It is not the harbinger of virgin births in humans. There are “multiple reasons preventing (parthenogenesis) in mammals. … We need the genetic diversity,” Sperling said. ...

                                https://us.cnn.com/2023/08/03/world/...scn/index.html
                                We're all just a bunch of Ass Guardians!

                                ”We’re All Asgardians”: Scientists Discover New Clues About the Origin of Complex Life

                                ... The research team at The University of Texas at Austin, along with collaborators from different institutions, conducted a genomic analysis of several hundreds of microorganisms known as archaea. Their findings revealed that eukaryotes – complex life forms with nuclei in their cells, including all flora, fauna, insects, and fungi across the globe – can trace their origins back to a common Asgard archaean ancestor. ... No fossils of eukaryotes have been found from farther back than about 2 billion years ago, suggesting that before that, only various types of microbes existed. ... “So, what events led microbes to evolve into eukaryotes?” said Brett Baker, UT Austin associate professor of integrative biology and marine science. “That’s a big question. Having this common ancestor is a big step in understanding that.” ...


                                How Did Avalon Explode?

                                Avalon Explosion: Life on Earth Didn’t Arise As Described in Textbooks

                                Contrary to previous beliefs, the Avalon explosion, marking the rise of multicellular organisms, wasn’t triggered by increased oxygen levels, according to new research. This study, analyzing ancient rocks, reveals that oxygen levels were lower than today’s when these life forms emerged. This finding challenges existing theories about the origin of life on Earth, suggesting that low oxygen levels might have actually promoted the development of these organisms. ... Between 685 and 800 million years ago, the Avalon explosion — a forerunner era of the more famed Cambrian explosion — marked the emergence of multicellular organisms in Earth’s oceans. Prior to this era, the world was dominated by single-celled amoeba, algae, and bacteria for over 2 billion years. The Avalon explosion saw a sudden surge in biodiversity, with sea sponges and other complex multicellular organisms replacing their simpler, single-celled counterparts.

                                https://scitechdaily.com/avalon-expl...-in-textbooks/
                                Them bones, them bones ...

                                Unearthing Our Past, Predicting Our Future: Scientists Discover the Genes That Shape Our Bones

                                equences, a team of researchers from The University of Texas at Austin and New York Genome Center have successfully identified the genes that shape our skeletons, from the width of our shoulders to the length of our legs.

                                This groundbreaking study, which was published as the cover article in the journal Science, not only sheds light on our evolutionary history but also paves the way for a future where physicians could more accurately assess a patient’s likelihood of suffering from ailments like back pain or arthritis later in life.

                                “Our research is a powerful demonstration of the impact of AI in medicine, particularly when it comes to analyzing and quantifying imaging data, as well as integrating this information with health records and genetics rapidly and at large scale ...”

                                ... Humans are the only large primates to have longer legs than arms, a change in the skeletal form that is critical in enabling the ability to walk on two legs. The scientists sought to determine which genetic changes underlie anatomical differences that are clearly visible in the fossil record leading to modern humans, from Australopithecus to Neanderthals. ...

                                ... The researchers used deep learning models to perform automatic quantification on 39,000 medical images to measure distances between shoulders, knees, ankles, and other points in the body. By comparing these measurements to each person’s genetic sequence, they found 145 points in the genome that control skeletal proportions. ...

                                https://scitechdaily.com/unearthing-...ape-our-bones/
                                And will this DNA stuff be our future Terminator skeleton?

                                Scientists Create New Material Five Times Lighter and Four Times Stronger Than Steel - by structuring DNA and then coating it in glass.

                                Materials possessing both strength and lightness have the potential to enhance everything from automobiles to body armor. But usually, the two qualities are mutually exclusive. However, researchers at the University of Connecticut, along with their collaborators, have now crafted an incredibly strong yet lightweight material. Surprisingly, they achieved this using two unexpected building blocks: DNA and glass. ...

                                ... “I am a big fan of Iron Man movies, and I have always wondered how to create a better armor for Iron Man. It must be very light for him to fly faster. It must be very strong to protect him from enemies’ attacks. Our new material is five times lighter but four times stronger than steel. So, our glass nanolattices would be much better than any other structural materials to create an improved armor for Iron Man.” ...


                                Who doesn't like a good melon? ... From the University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan ... home to Treeleaf Japan! ...

                                Scientists Use Gene Editing To Create a Better Melon

                                Through CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, researchers extended the shelf life of a Japanese melon by reducing ethylene production via the CmACO1 gene, an inheritable change that doesn’t introduce foreign genes. ..., the harvested melons exhibited no foreign genes and the mutations induced were inherited for at least two generations.

                                The gaseous plant hormone ethylene is a regulator of fruit shelf-life, one of the essential traits in fruits. Extending fruit shelf-life reduces food loss, t...


                                This left me feeling cold ...

                                New Technology Restores Cold Sensation in Amputees’ Phantom Limbs

                                Researchers have developed the thin-film thermoelectric cooler (TFTEC), one of the world’s smallest and fastest refrigeration devices, for applications like improved prosthetics and augmented reality. Collaboration with neuroscientists has allowed amputees to perceive temperature with phantom limbs, a first-of-its-kind advancement that has implications for prostheses, haptics, and other applications like cooling electronics and energy harvesting in satellites. ... Since 2006, APL had been leading DARPA’s Revolutionizing Prosthetics program, an effort focused on creating a mentally controlled artificial limb that will restore near-natural motor and sensory capability to upper-extremity amputee patients. ... “When someone loses part of a limb, the nerves within the residual limb are still there, which can lead to the ‘phantom’ limb sensation,” said Luke Osborn, a neuroengineering researcher who leads much of APL’s noninvasive nerve simulation work. “You can place electrodes on different parts of an amputee’s upper arm where those nerves have regrown and stimulate sensation — typically pressure, but in the current case, temperature —and the individual can tell us where in their phantom hand they feel those sensations.” ...


                                https://scitechdaily.com/new-technol...phantom-limbs/
                                One hope for carbon removal? We have to stop dumping it into the atmosphere to start with ...

                                Could Engineered Carbon Removal Solve the Climate Crisis?

                                An IIASA-led study has investigated fairness and feasibility in global warming mitigation pathways, including novel carbon dioxide removal technologies like Direct Air Capture with Carbon Capture and Storage (DACCS). While the study found that these technologies can keep pre-Paris climate targets within reach, it emphasizes that significant improvement in institutional capacity, emissions reduction, and comprehensive global efforts are essential for meeting the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement.

                                ... The authors further point out that, when accounting for the possible future evolution of novel CDR technologies combined with inherent risks, the ‘fairness’ of overall outcomes did not meaningfully improve. DACCS did not impact the near-term required global mitigation ambition, and additional carbon removal in developed economies accounted for only a small component of the mitigation necessary to achieve stringent climate targets. This is because the removal of carbon dioxide in these areas does not compensate sufficiently for their historical emissions by mid-century.

                                The inability of DACCS to enhance the fairness of outcomes, like cumulative carbon emissions, in 1.5°C scenarios, emphasizes the notion that meeting global climate targets is a global effort requiring an ‘all-of-the-above’ mitigation strategy. There is no room for flexibility when it comes to reaching climate goals.


                                Jumping back to space ... Hubble tries to compete with Webb ...

                                A planet’s atmosphere is blasted away by a star and Hubble captures it

                                The Hubble Space Telescope captured an unexpected observation of a nearby planet that’s having its atmosphere blasted away by energetic outbursts from its star. It’s a dramatic change from the last time Hubble checked up on the planetary system and saw nothing amiss.

                                The red dwarf star, called AU Microscopii, or AU Mic, is located outside of our solar system 32 light-years from Earth, which is relatively close (astronomically speaking). It’s home to one of the youngest planetary systems ever observed, and the star is less than 100 million years old, a mere fraction of the age of our 4.6-billion-year-old sun. ... When the Hubble Space Telescope observed one orbit of the exoplanet, which takes 8.46 days, everything seemed normal. Then, the telescope revisited the system for another look a year and a half later. Astronomers were surprised to see that AU Mic b, the closest planet to the star, is bearing the brunt of the star’s radiation, which is evaporating the planet’s hydrogen atmosphere. There are at least two known exoplanets in the system, and more may await discovery. ...

                                https://us.cnn.com/2023/07/31/world/...scn/index.html
                                And Euclid revs up to join the club ...

                                Euclid telescope, sent to illuminate the universe’s biggest mysteries, shares first test photos

                                The Euclid space telescope, designed to investigate some of the universe’s biggest mysteries, has captured its first glimpses of the cosmos. The spacecraft’s two instruments took the preliminary test images, revealing scintillating starry views that prove everything onboard is in tip-top shape. ... The telescope’s visible instrument, or VIS, will take images of billions of galaxies, something hinted at in one of the initial test images. Euclid’s wide perspective can record data from a part of the sky more than 100 times bigger than what Webb’s camera can capture. The telescope’s image quality will be at least four times sharper than those of ground-based sky surveys. ... Meanwhile, the Near-Infrared Spectrometer and Photometer instrument, or NISP, will capture images of galaxies in infrared light and measurements that map the distance of each galaxy. ...

                                ... Euclid’s primary goal is to observe the cosmic mysteries of the universe, including dark matter and dark energy. ...

                                ... Euclid is designed to create the largest and most accurate three-dimensional map of the universe. The mission will observe billions of galaxies that stretch 10 billion light-years away to reveal how matter may have been stretched and pulled apart by dark energy over time. These observations will effectively allow Euclid to see how the universe has evolved over the past 10 billion years. ...


                                The European Space Agency’s Euclid telescope has shared its first test images, revealing star-filled views of the cosmos. The observatory launched in July.
                                A flare for the dramatic ...

                                Cosmic Mystery Solved? The Stellar Flare a Trillion Times More Powerful Than the Sun’s

                                The mystery of a stellar flare a trillion times more powerful than the largest of Solar flares may have been solved by a team of scientists who believe a massive young planet is burning up in a superheated soup of raw material swirling around it.

                                Led by the University of Leicester and funded by the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), the scientists have suggested that a planet roughly ten times larger in size than Jupiter is undergoing ‘extreme evaporation’ near to the growing star, with the inferno tearing material off the planet and flinging it onto the star. ...

                                https://scitechdaily.com/cosmic-myst...pand_article=1
                                Now, getting really really small ...

                                Unprecedented Precision: Physicists Measure the Wave-Like Vibration of Atomic Nuclei

                                Utilizing ultra-high-precision laser spectroscopy on a simple molecule, a team of physicists headed by Professor Stephan Schiller Ph.D. of Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) measured the wave-like vibration of atomic nuclei with an unprecedented level of precision. ... To achieve this, the physicists in Düsseldorf confine a moderate number of around 100 MHI in an ion trap in an ultra-high vacuum container, using laser cooling techniques to cool the ions down to a temperature of 1 millikelvin. This enables extremely precise measurement of the molecular spectra of rotational and vibrational transitions. Following earlier investigations of spectral lines with wavelengths of 230 μm and 5.1 μm, the authors now present measurements for a spectral line with the significantly shorter wavelength of 1.1 μm in Nature Physics. ... https://scitechdaily.com/unprecedent...pand_article=1
                                GPT-3 (let alone GPT-4) seems about as smart and reasonable as my 20 year old, frankly ... and argues with me less ...

                                Mimicking Minds: UCLA Finds AI Language Model GPT-3 Can Reason About As Well as a College Student

                                UCLA researchers have shown that AI model GPT-3 can solve reasoning problems at a level comparable to college students. ... the sort of reasoning problems that typically appear on intelligence tests and standardized tests such as the SAT. ...

                                ... [BUT] ... “No matter how impressive our results, it’s important to emphasize that this system has major limitations,” said Taylor Webb, a UCLA postdoctoral researcher in psychology and the study’s first author. “It can do analogical reasoning, but it can’t do things that are very easy for people, such as using tools to solve a physical task. When we gave it those sorts of problems — some of which children can solve quickly — the things it suggested were nonsensical.”

                                https://scitechdaily.com/mimicking-m...llege-student/
                                I have no idea what this is, and would need a quantum computer to explain it to me, but sounds good ...

                                The Dawn of a New Era: A New Type of Quantum Bit Achieved in Semiconductor Nanostructures

                                A German-Chinese research team has successfully created a quantum bit in a semiconductor nanostructure. Using a special energy transition, the researchers created a superposition state in a quantum dot – a tiny area of the semiconductor – in which an electron hole simultaneously possessed two different energy levels. Such superposition states are fundamental for quantum computing.

                                Previously, the induction of such a state necessitated a large-scale, free-electron laser capable of emitting light in the terahertz range. Unfortunately, this wavelength was too long to accurately focus the beam on the quantum dot. This team, however, achieved the excitation with two carefully calibrated, short-wavelength optical laser pulses.

                                https://scitechdaily.com/the-dawn-of...anostructures/
                                Let the AI have a vote!

                                How a California vote on self-driving taxis could alter the future of AI

                                A California state board is set to vote Aug. 10 on whether to allow tech companies Waymo and Cruise to launch a massive expansion of driverless taxi fleets in San Francisco, but the stakes are far bigger than local politics.

                                The scheduled vote by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is shaping up as a referendum on an array of issues related to technology, including the politics of artificial intelligence and the human workforce affected by the technology’s rapid development.

                                If the commission agrees, hundreds of self-driving taxis could soon be available for hire by the general public, all day every day.

                                Tech executives, labor unions, transit advocates, city officials and robotaxi customers are all engaged in furious last-minute lobbying to try to sway the board’s five appointed members — setting the stage for what promises to be a state-by-state battle over self-driving cars and trucks.

                                ... Some opponents have even employed a guerrilla street tactic: they have planted traffic cones on the vehicles’ hoods to confuse the software and disable them.

                                The clash is in many ways a microcosm of all the thorny questions that AI is raising across the economy, including, How quickly will change occur? And what will happen to workers whose jobs are lost to robots? ...

                                ... Self-driving cars tend to be ultra-cautious, obeying the speed limit and stopping at stop signs — so much so that some human drivers don’t like sharing the streets with them.

                                “The only thing you can complain about with a Waymo is that it drives like a nerd,” Edwards said, meaning that robotaxis follow rules when human drivers might cut corners.

                                The arguments for and against robotaxis break down along complicated lines. Proponents point to potential safety benefits and the ease of getting around without driving, including for some disabled people. Opponents argue the technology is unproven and makes too many errors, such as stopping at awkward times and blocking city buses or emergency vehicles. ...


                                https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/innovat...cpuc-rcna97540
                                Is this guy right?

                                How AI Will DISRUPT The Entire World In 3 Years (Prepare Now While Others Panic) | Emad Mostaque

                                https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se91Pn3xxSs

                                We lost our baby ... but we got her back ...

                                NASA restores contact with Voyager 2 spacecraft after mistake led to weeks of silence

                                Voyager 2 has been hurtling through space since its launch in 1977 to explore the outer solar system.


                                NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft was back chatting it up Friday after flight controllers corrected a mistake that had led to weeks of silence.

                                Hurtling ever deeper into interstellar space billions of miles away, Voyager 2 stopped communicating two weeks ago. Controllers sent the wrong command to the 46-year-old spacecraft and tilted its antenna away from Earth.

                                On Wednesday, NASA’s Deep Space Network sent a new command in hopes of repointing the antenna, using the highest powered transmitter at the huge radio dish antenna in Australia. Voyager 2’s antenna needed to be shifted a mere 2 degrees. ... Voyager 2 has been hurtling through space since its launch in 1977 to explore the outer solar system. Launched two weeks later, its twin, Voyager 1, is now the most distant spacecraft — 15 billion miles (24 billion kilometers) away — and still in contact. ...

                                https://www.nbcnews.com/science/spac...ence-rcna98281
                                Gassho, J

                                stlah
                                Last edited by Jundo; 08-05-2023, 08:38 AM.
                                ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLE

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