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

[Jundo]

Discoveries and innovations to close the year ... and tragedies too ...

A day in the life ...

Shadow Play: NASA’s Curiosity Mars Rover Captures a Martian Day, From Dawn to Dusk

When NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover isn’t on the move, it works pretty well as a sundial, as seen in two black-and-white videos recorded on November 8, the 4,002nd Martian day, or sol, of the mission. The rover captured its own shadow shifting across the surface of Mars using its black-and-white Hazard-Avoidance Cameras, or Hazcams.

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

https://scitechdaily.com/shadow-play-nasas-curiosity-mars-rover-captures-a-martian-day-from-dawn-to-dusk/

Grains in the hour glass ...

In a Universe of Wonders: NASA’s Hubble Presents a Holiday Globe of a Billion Stars

Hubble’s colorful snapshots show that the universe always looks like it’s in a holiday spirit. The dwarf irregular galaxy UGC 8091 is an opulent example. The dizzying interplay of matter and energy bubbles up to create dazzling blue, newborn stars that look like a festive string of lights. They are swaddled in glowing cocoons of hot, pink hydrogen gas. The galaxy is a collection of approximately 1 billion stars. That sounds like a lot, but it is 1/100th the stellar population inside our full-grown Milky Way galaxy. ...

https://scitechdaily.com/in-a-univer...billion-stars/

Always something new to discover about the body, and how it seeks health ...

“Fascinating” Findings – Scientists Have Discovered a New Type of Immune Cell

Lo, a distinguished professor of biomedical sciences in the UC Riverside School of Medicine, and Del Castillo, who are co-authors on the research paper published in Nature, confirmed the newly discovered cells in the thymus are just like M cells. Acting like gatekeepers, M cells are specialized antigen-delivery cells for the immune system in organs like the intestine and lungs. They play a key role in the development of the body’s immune system. ... “These particular M cells are limited to a specific region in the thymus and have unique associations with different cell types and functions,” Del Castillo said. “Questions these cells have already prompted include how similar are they to M cells elsewhere in the body and what is different about where they have been found.” ... “The thymus is complicated because it creates a whole functional immune system and repertoire, and we know many component parts play a role in its performance,” he said. “We didn’t expect M cells to even show up in the thymus. This is, therefore, a satisfying discovery because it is so clearly connected to similar processes happening in the gut and airways, which is where 60-70% of our infectious agents enter our bodies.” ...

https://scitechdaily.com/fascinating...f-immune-cell/

AI gets an A+ in chemistry ...

From Code to Chemistry: Coscientist, the AI System Mastering Nobel Prize-Winning Reactions

In less time than it will take you to read this article, an artificial intelligence-driven system was able to autonomously learn about certain Nobel Prize-winning chemical reactions and design a successful laboratory procedure to make them. The AI did all that in just a few minutes — and nailed it on the first try.

“This is the first time that a non-organic intelligence planned, designed, and executed this complex reaction that was invented by humans,” says Carnegie Mellon University chemist and chemical engineer Gabe Gomes, who led the research team that assembled and tested the AI-based system. They dubbed their creation “Coscientist.”

The most complex reactions Coscientist pulled off are known in organic chemistry as palladium-catalyzed cross couplings, which earned its human inventors the 2010 Nobel Prize for chemistry in recognition of the outsize role those reactions came to play in the pharmaceutical development process and other industries that use finicky, carbon-based molecules.

Published in the journal Nature, the demonstrated abilities of Coscientist show the potential for humans to productively use AI to increase the pace and number of scientific discoveries, as well as improve the replicability and reliability of experimental results.

https://scitechdaily.com/from-code-t...ing-reactions/

Where is the hype, and where is the reality about AI???

2023: The year we played with artificial intelligence -- and weren't sure what to do about it

... Some of the AI field's most esteemed scientists warned that the technology's unchecked progress was marching toward outsmarting humans and possibly threatening their existence, while other scientists called their concerns overblown or brought attention to more immediate risks. ...

... But the latest generative AI trend is at peak hype, according to the market research firm Gartner, which has tracked what it calls the "hype cycle" of emerging technology since the 1990s. Picture a wooden rollercoaster ticking up to its highest hill, about to careen down into what Gartner describes as a "trough of disillusionment" before coasting back to reality. ...

... But Gruber believes what's happening now is the "biggest wave ever" in AI, unleashing new possibilities as well as dangers.

...

The dangers could come fast in 2024, as major national elections in the U.S., India and elsewhere could get flooded with AI-generated deepfakes.

In the longer term, AI technology's rapidly improving language, visual perception and step-by-step planning capabilities could supercharge the vision of a digital assistant -- but only if granted access to the "inner loop of our digital life stream," Gruber said.

"They can manage your attention as in, 'You should watch this video. You should read this book. You should respond to this person's communication,'" Gruber said. "That is what a real executive assistant does. And we could have that, but with a really big risk of personal information and privacy."

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles...0m/0bu/010000c

This was the space mission run from here, by Tsukuba, Japan's JAXA ...

Rethinking Cosmic Origins: The Ryugu Asteroid Samples’ Revelatory Findings

A recent study on asteroid Ryugu’s samples, brought back by Hayabusa2, offers new understanding of early solar system materials, challenging previous beliefs about asteroid compositions and the impact of Earth’s atmosphere on meteorites. ... “This study opens new avenues for understanding the composition and evolution of small bodies in our solar system. By considering the impact of terrestrial weathering on meteorites, we can refine our interpretations of asteroid compositions and advance our knowledge of the solar system’s early history,” said Kana Amano, a former PhD student at the early Solar System evolution Research Group at Tohoku University and co-author of the paper. ...

https://scitechdaily.com/rethinking-...tory-findings/

Also being run by JAXA here in Tsukuba ... Tsukuba to the moon! ...

Japan’s lunar spacecraft arrives in orbit ahead of historic moon landing attempt

The “Moon Sniper” lander developed by Japan’s space agency successfully entered lunar orbit on Christmas Day. The milestone brings the nation a step closer to achieving its goal of landing a robotic explorer on the moon’s surface for the first time.

On its current path, the lander is completing one loop of the moon roughly every 6.4 hours. But over the next few weeks, the vehicle will slowly tighten its orbit, diving closer to the moon’s surface as it prepares for its historic touchdown attempt, slated for mid-January.

If successful, Japan would become only the fifth country to accomplish such a feat and only the third country to do so in the 21st century.

https://us.cnn.com/2023/12/26/world/...scn/index.html

Pictures can deceive ...

The Great Galactic Misconception: Uncovering True Distances in Space

... This image is a really interesting example of how challenging it can be to tell whether two galaxies are actually close together, or just seem to be from our perspective here on Earth. A quick glance at this image would likely lead you to think that NGC 1356, LEDA 467699, and LEDA 95415 were all close companions, while IC 1947 was more remote. ... For instance, while NGC 1356 and LEDA 95415 appear to be so close that they must surely be interacting, the former is about 550 million light-years from Earth and the latter is roughly 840 million light-years away, so there is nearly a whopping 300 million light-year separation between them. That also means that LEDA 95415 is likely nowhere near as much smaller than NGC 1356 as it appears to be.

On the other hand, while NGC 1356 and IC 1947 seem to be separated by a relative gulf in this image, IC 1947 is only about 500 million light-years from Earth. The angular distance apparent between them in this image only works out to less than four hundred thousand light-years, so they are actually much much closer neighbors in three-dimensional space than NGC 1356 and LEDA 95415!

https://scitechdaily.com/the-great-g...nces-in-space/

X and Y ... more than just sex ...

The Surprising Influence of Sex Chromosomes on Whole-Body Gene Expression

Researchers David Page and Adrianna San Roman discovered that human sex chromosomes, particularly the gene pair ZFX and ZFY, regulate a wide range of genes throughout the body. Their findings, which redefine the roles of the X and Y chromosomes, suggest these chromosomes are crucial regulators of gene expression beyond just determining sex. ... by dialing up or down the expression of thousands of genes found on other chromosomes. ...

... Furthermore, the researchers found that the gene pair responsible for around half of this regulatory behavior, ZFX and ZFY, found on the X and Y chromosome respectively, have essentially the same regulatory effects as each other. This suggests that ZFX and ZFY inherited their role as influential gene regulators from their shared ancestor and have independently maintained it, even as their respective chromosomes diverged, because that regulatory role is critical for human growth and development.

... A subtlety thus far not discussed is that when Page and San Roman think about the sex chromosomes, they no longer think of X as most people think of it. Their work has convinced them that our current understanding of the sex chromosomes is imprecise. Although the human sex chromosomes are defined as X and Y, in fact there are two types of X chromosomes, and only one of them differs between typical males and females. ...

https://scitechdaily.com/the-surpris...ne-expression/

A medical miracle in Turin ...

Italian may regain use of hand after nerve transfer from amputated leg

A man may regain the use of his hand, left paralysed by a severe road accident, thanks to a pioneering nerve transfer operation from his partly amputated leg, doctors in northern Italy said.

Surgeons at Turin City Hospital (CTO) transferred part of the man's sciatic nerve, which controlled the movement of his amputated foot, to his brachial plexus, the network of nerves that connect the spinal cord to the shoulder, arm and hand.

... "We think this is pioneering surgery because if it works it means that the brain plasticity can control also other parts of the body that we didn't expect and also opens new fields in neuro studies," Titolo said. ...

https://www.reuters.com/business/hea...eg-2023-12-27/

Let there be light ...

E=mc² Comes Alive: Simulating Matter Creation From Laser Light

A team led by researchers at Osaka University and UC, San Diego has used simulations to demonstrate how one can experimentally produce matter solely from light, which in the future might help test long-standing theories on the composition of the universe.

One of the most striking predictions of quantum physics is that matter can be generated solely from light (i.e., photons), and in fact, the astronomical bodies known as pulsars achieve this feat. Directly generating matter in this manner has not been achieved in a laboratory, but it would enable further testing of the theories of basic quantum physics and the fundamental composition of the universe.

https://scitechdaily.com/emc2-comes-...m-laser-light/

Soon, we will move things with our thoughts ...

Mind Control Breakthrough: Caltech’s Pioneering Ultrasound Brain–Machine Interface

The latest advancements in Brain-Machine Interfaces [BMIs] feature functional ultrasound (fUS), a non-invasive technique for reading brain activity. This innovation has shown promising results in controlling devices with minimal delay and without the need for frequent recalibration. ... Many BMIs require invasive surgeries to implant electrodes into the brain in order to read neural activity. However, in 2021, Caltech researchers developed a way to read brain activity using functional ultrasound (fUS), a much less invasive technique. ...

... Because the skull itself is not permeable to sound waves, using ultrasound for brain imaging requires a transparent “window” to be installed into the skull. “Importantly, ultrasound technology does not need to be implanted into the brain itself,” says Whitney Griggs (PhD ’23), a co-first author on the study. “This significantly reduces the chance for infection and leaves the brain tissue and its protective dura perfectly intact.”

“As neurons’ activity changes, so does their use of metabolic resources like oxygen,” says Norman. “Those resources are resupplied through the blood stream, which is the key to functional ultrasound.” In this study, the researchers used ultrasound to measure changes in blood flow to specific brain regions. In the same way that the sound of an ambulance siren changes in pitch as it moves closer and then farther away from you, red blood cells will increase the pitch of the reflected ultrasound waves as they approach the source and decrease the pitch as they flow away. Measuring this Doppler-effect phenomenon allowed the researchers to record tiny changes in the brain’s blood flow down to spatial regions just 100 micrometers wide, about the width of a human hair. This enabled them to simultaneously measure the activity of tiny neural populations, some as small as just 60 neurons, widely throughout the brain. ... The ultrasound data was sent in real-time to a decoder (previously trained to decode the meaning of that data using machine learning), and subsequently generated control signals to move a cursor to where the animal intended it to go. The BMI was able to successfully do this to eight radial targets with mean errors of less than 40 degrees. ...

https://scitechdaily.com/mind-control-breakthrough-caltechs-pioneering-ultrasound-brain-machine-interface/

What separates the men from the monkeys ...

Brain Evolution Unlocked: Over 100 Genes That Make Us Uniquely Human

An international team led by researchers at the University of Toronto has uncovered over 100 genes that are common to primate brains but have undergone evolutionary divergence only in humans – and which could be a source of our unique cognitive ability. ... The divergent genes the researchers identified are found in 57 brain cell types, grouped by inhibitory neurons, excitatory neurons, and non-neurons. A quarter of the genes were only expressed differently in neuronal cells, also known as grey matter, and half were only expressed differently in glial cells, which are white matter. ...

https://scitechdaily.com/brain-evolu...niquely-human/

And for all this, people remain the weak link, not the technology itself ...

... as modern day slavery, scams and tech intersect ...

... appears to be a modern apartment complex, but the 10-foot-high fence and guard tower suggest otherwise

... It’s known as a “pig butchering” scam -- a type of confidence fraud in which victims are lured by scammers often impersonating young women on the internet. The scammers then spend weeks building a relationship with their victim, introducing them to cryptocurrency and encouraging them to invest on a fake platform.

Victims are shown startling returns and coaxed to keep pumping in more money — like a pig slowly fattened for the slaughter — until one day their scammer disappears along with the money. ... In 2020 reported losses connected to pig butchering scams amounted to $907million, according to the FBI. By November 2023 that number had shot up to $2.9 billion for the year.

... It is in one of these compounds that Indian national Rakesh, 33, worked for 11 months as a scammer stealing thousands of dollars from unsuspecting victims like CY.

From San Francisco, someone like Rakesh may look like the bad guy. But he was also the victim of a brutal scam. Lured to Thailand with promises of white-collar jobs, thousands of people from across the world are trafficked to criminal hubs in Myanmar where they are held against their will and forced to steal millions in cryptocurrency.

The UN estimates that up to 120,000 people could be held in compounds across Myanmar, with another 100,000 people held in Cambodia and elsewhere in conditions that amount to modern slavery. ...

... A few days after his release from Gate 25 Rakesh sits on the edge of his bed in a dark hotel room showing photos of his friends still stuck inside.

“These bastards don't care about and don't have any feelings for other persons,” he says.

Rakesh is out, but hundreds of thousands of people remain trapped in scam compounds across Asia, and more are popping up all around the globe. ...

https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/...-intl-hnk-dst/

Happy New (Earth) Year Everyone!

Gassho, J

stlah

[Jundo]

A good week for NASA in some ways ...

Cosmic Cinema: NASA Unveils Stunning 14-Year Time-Lapse of the Gamma-Ray Sky

NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has created a stunning all-sky time-lapse movie from 14 years of data, capturing the dynamic universe. It highlights the Sun’s path, the gamma-ray glow of the Milky Way, and distant galaxies known as blazars. The movie reveals both the beauty and complexity of the cosmos, showcasing high-energy events from across the galaxy and beyond, including eruptions from supermassive black holes.

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

https://scitechdaily.com/cosmic-cine...gamma-ray-sky/

Not a good week for our return to the moon ... but what's the rush? ...

NASA delays astronaut moon landing to at least 2026

The primary reasons for the delay include SpaceX’s outlook for developing Starship, the gargantuan rocket and spacecraft system that is expected to ferry astronauts from lunar orbit to the moon’s south pole. Two Starship test flights in 2023 ended in explosions. ... NASA officials added that they are also expecting delays in engineering the spacesuits astronauts will wear while on the moon’s surface. ... That delay is [also] linked in part to issues with the Orion crew capsule that will be home to the astronauts during the mission. The space agency previously disclosed that the spacecraft’s heat shield, which keeps Orion from burning up as the vehicle reenters the Earth’s atmosphere, became charred and eroded in an unexpected way during the uncrewed Artemis I mission in 2022...

https://us.cnn.com/2024/01/09/world/nasa-artemis-moon-landing-delay-scn/index.html

Peregrine mission abandons moon landing attempt after suffering ‘critical’ fuel loss

Astrobotic Technology, the company that developed the first lunar lander to launch from the United States in five decades, said it is abandoning an attempt to put its Peregrine spacecraft on the moon less than 24 hours after the vehicle took flight. The spacecraft has suffered “critical” propellant loss from a fuel leak, according to the company. ... On board the Peregrine vehicle are five scientific instruments from NASA and 15 other payloads from a variety of organizations and countries. The commercial payloads on the lander include mementos and even human remains that customers had paid to send to the lunar surface. ...

https://us.cnn.com/2024/01/08/world/peregrine-lunar-lander-anomaly-astrobotic-nasa-scn/index.html

But some folks did not like it anyway ...

Navajo Nation’s objection to landing human remains on the moon prompts last-minute White House meeting

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/01/05/w...scn/index.html

A bad week for AI use in chemistry too ...

Decoding the Black Box of AI – Scientists Uncover Unexpected Results

...Surprisingly, their findings indicate that these AI models primarily rely on recalling existing data rather than learning specific chemical interactions for predicting the effectiveness of drugs. ... According to the scientists, this is largely reminiscent of the “Clever Hans effect”. This effect refers to a horse that could apparently count. How often Hans tapped his hoof was supposed to indicate the result of a calculation. As it turned out later, however, the horse was not able to calculate at all, but deduced expected results from nuances in the facial expressions and gestures of his companion.

What do these findings mean for drug discovery research? “It is generally not tenable that GNNs learn chemical interactions between active substances and proteins,” says the cheminformatics scientist. Their predictions are largely overrated because forecasts of equivalent quality can be made using chemical knowledge and simpler methods. However, the research also offers opportunities for AI. Two of the GNN-examined models displayed a clear tendency to learn more interactions when the potency of test compounds increased. “It’s worth taking a closer look here,” says Bajorath. Perhaps these GNNs could be further improved in the desired direction through modified representations and training techniques. ...

https://scitechdaily.com/decoding-th...ected-results/

Plus AI is rAIcist ... and seen as more human than human ...

The Deceptive Realism of AI: White Faces That Fool the Eye

... Researchers found that AI-generated white faces are perceived as more realistic than human faces, a trend not seen with faces of people of color. ... For the AI faces, participants judged them to be real two-thirds of the time – more often than for the real faces. ...

https://scitechdaily.com/the-decepti...-fool-the-eye/

And maybe some AI progress ... magnetically attractive ...

Revolutionizing AI: Chiral Magnets Pave the Way for Energy-Efficient Brain-Like Computing

Researchers have advanced brain-inspired computing using chiral magnets, significantly reducing energy use in machine-learning tasks. The research marks progress towards more sustainable and adaptable computing technologies. ... In the new study, published in the journal Nature Materials, an international team of researchers used chiral (twisted) magnets as their computational medium and found that, by applying an external magnetic field and changing temperature, the physical properties of these materials could be adapted to suit different machine-learning tasks. ...

https://scitechdaily.com/revolutioni...ike-computing/

A very very strange case ...

Missing exchange student found cold and scared after what police call a ‘cyber-kidnapping’


Utah police say they found a teenage Chinese exchange student alone and cold in a tent after he was a victim of what they’re calling a “cyber-kidnapping.”

The Riverdale Police Department said Kai Zhuang, 17, was reported missing Thursday by his high school. His parents in China had contacted the school after they received a ransom photo of their son – and had sent $80,000 to bank accounts in China “due to continuous threats from the kidnappers,” according to a press release issued Sunday.

Police found him Sunday “alive but very cold and scared” at a makeshift campsite in the mountains near Brigham City, using Zhuang’s bank and phone records, the release said. Police said he was there on directions from his cyber-kidnappers to isolate himself. ... Police said the FBI told them other foreign exchange students, particularly Chinese, have been targeted in similar “cyber-kidnapping” scams in the US. Perpetrators threaten students, order them to isolate, monitor them through video calls and demand ransom from their families. ...

https://us.cnn.com/us/missing-exchange-student-utah-found/index.html

Pleasure and reward ... imagine if we could rewire the pleasure and reward centers of the brain ...

lluminating the Brain’s Reward Pathway – New Findings From Neuroscience

Recent research uncovers how dopamine in the brain guides animals to identify and refine behaviors leading to rewards. This study, linking specific actions to dopamine release, has implications for improving learning processes in education and AI. ... It reveals how dopamine not only signals a reward but also guides animals to home in on the specific behaviors that lead to these rewards through trial and error. ...

https://scitechdaily.com/illuminatin...-neuroscience/

When does consciousness begin?

Scientists Shed New Light on Mystery of Infant Consciousness

An international research study reveals that infants might possess conscious experiences from birth, integrating sensory and cognitive responses to understand their environment. ... the researchers argue that by birth the infant’s developing brain is capable of conscious experiences that can make a lasting imprint on their developing sense of self and understanding of their environment. ...

... “Nearly everyone who has held a newborn infant has wondered what, if anything, it is like to be a baby. But of course, we cannot remember our infancy, and consciousness researchers have disagreed on whether consciousness arises ‘early’ (at birth or shortly after) or ‘late’ *– by one year of age, or even much later.” ... To provide a new perspective on when consciousness first emerges, the team built upon recent advances in consciousness science. In adults, some markers from brain imaging have been found to reliably differentiate consciousness from its absence, and are increasingly applied in science and medicine. This is the first time that a review of these markers in infants has been used to assess their consciousness. ... “Our findings suggest that newborns can integrate sensory and developing cognitive responses into coherent conscious experiences to understand the actions of others and plan their own responses.” ...

https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-...consciousness/

Neurons and neurons ...

First Complete Cellular Map of a Mammalian Brain Reveals Over 5,300 Cell Types

Six years and 32 million cells later, scientists have created the first full cellular map of a mammalian brain. In a set of 10 papers in Nature today, a network of researchers unveiled an atlas cataloging the location and type of every cell in the adult mouse brain. Using advanced technologies that profile individual cells, the teams identified over 5,300 cell types – far more than known before – and pinpointed their locations within the brain’s intricate geography. ... “This is a landmark achievement that really opens the door for the next stage of investigations of the brain’s function, development and evolution, akin to the reference genomes for studying gene function and genomic evolution,” said Zeng, who led one of the studies. “My colleagues said that the 5,000 cell types we identified will keep neuroscientists busy for the next 20 years trying to figure out what these cell types do and how they change in disease.” ... One of the atlas’s major revelations is the deep connection between a cell’s genetic identity and its spatial position, Zeng said. This relationship underscores how location shapes function, offering clues into the evolutionary history and intricate interactions of different brain regions. ...

BELOW: Detailed classification and distribution of cell types in the entire mouse brain based on the expression of their genes.

https://scitechdaily.com/first-complete-cellular-map-of-a-mammalian-brain-reveals-over-5300-cell-types/

And how are they strung together ? ....

Scientists Have Decoded the Mechanism of How Synapses Are Formed

Researchers have made significant advances in understanding synapse formation. They used CRISPR technology to observe synaptic vesicle development and discovered that synaptic components share a common transport pathway. This finding, coupled with the discovery of unique neuronal transport organelles, offers new insights into neuronal functions and potential therapeutic approaches for neurological damage. ... To follow the formation of pre-synapses from the beginning, the researchers used CRISPR gene scissors to insert a fluorescent protein into human stem cells, and generated neurons from the modified stem cells. Thanks to the fluorescent marker, the researchers were now able to observe the development of nascent synaptic vesicles in living developing human nerve cells directly under the microscope. ...

BELOW: Schematic representation of axonal transport vesicles (blue) carrying presynaptic proteins (SV and AZ proteins). Kinesin motor proteins (KIF1A) attach these vesicles and carry them along the axons to the site of synapse formation.

https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-...es-are-formed/

Nitogen is nice ... for our life ...

Space Rocks to Life Blocks: Meteorites Likely Source of Nitrogen for Early Earth

Micrometeorites originating from icy celestial bodies in the outer Solar System may be responsible for transporting nitrogen to the near-Earth region in the early days of our solar system. That discovery was published recently in Nature Astronomy by an international team of researchers, including University of Hawai’i at Manoa scientists, led by Kyoto University.

Nitrogen compounds, such as ammonium salts, are abundant in material born in regions far from the sun, but evidence of their transport to Earth’s orbital region had been poorly understood.

Nitrogen Compounds As Building Blocks for Life
“Our recent findings suggest the possibility that a greater amount of nitrogen compounds than previously recognized was transported near Earth, potentially serving as building blocks for life on our planet,” ...

https://scitechdaily.com/space-rocks...r-early-earth/

They once were alive ...

Newly discovered large predator worms ruled the seas as Earth’s earliest carnivores, study finds

Long before the first sharks appeared, large predator worms were the “terror beasts” of the seas more than 500 million years ago, according to new research.

Scientists discovered fossils of the previously unknown worm species during expeditions in North Greenland, uncovering what they believe to be some of the earliest carnivorous animals.

The worms reached nearly 1 foot (30 centimeters) in length and were some of the largest swimming animals at the time, known as the early Cambrian Period. ...

https://us.cnn.com/2024/01/04/world/...scn/index.html

I knew he was not dead ...

AI Elvis to make virtual reality comeback in London show

Elvis Presley fans who missed out on seeing their hero when he was alive will be able to catch a glimpse of the King of Rock 'n' Roll perform later this year, thanks to virtual reality.

Elvis Evolution will use AI and holographic projection, augmented reality and live theatre to recreate events in Presley's life and music, said Layered Reality, the immersive entertainment company developing the show. ...
https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/ai...ow-2024-01-04/

TO BE CONTINUED ...

[Jundo]

Say what you are thinking ...

Not Science Fiction: Brain Implant May Enable Communication From Thoughts Alone

A team from Duke University has created a speech prosthetic that translates brain signals into speech, aiding individuals with neurological disorders. While still slower than natural speech, the technology, backed by advanced brain sensors and ongoing research, shows promising potential for enhanced communication abilities. ...

BELOW: A device no bigger than a postage stamp (dotted portion within white band) packs 128 microscopic sensors that can translate brain cell activity into what someone intends to say. ... Neurons just a grain of sand apart can have wildly different activity patterns when coordinating speech, so it’s necessary to distinguish signals from neighboring brain cells to help make accurate predictions about intended speech. ...

https://scitechdaily.com/not-science...houghts-alone/

AI will know what we are thinking, more than we know ...

The Dark Side of AI: How Our Subconscious Is at Risk

New research examines the potential misuse of AI in accessing our subconscious, as revealed by the Cambridge Analytica scandal. ... According to estimates, only 5% of human brain activity is conscious. The remaining 95% takes place subconsciously and not only do we have no real control over it, but we are also not even aware that it is taking place. As noted by Beltran de Heredia in his article, we are unaware of this extraordinary torrent of neural activity due to the high complexity of the interaction between our conscious mind and our subconscious behavior and our complete lack of control over the forces that guide our lives.

However, this does not mean that people cannot be influenced subconsciously. “There are two ways for artificial intelligence to do this,” he explained. “The first one is by collecting data about people’s lives and creating a decision architecture that leads you to make a particular decision. And the other – which is currently less developed – involves using applications or devices to directly create impulses that are irresistible for our subconscious mind in order to generate impulsive responses at a subliminal level, i.e. to create impulses.”

“As we gradually develop better and more powerful machines and become more closely connected to them, both options will become increasingly widespread. Algorithms will have more information about our lives, and creating tools to generate these impulsive responses will be easier […]

... “Under the proposal, the AI ban will apply when there is serious harm and the person ends up doing something they wouldn’t otherwise have done. But that’s an unrealistic standard. If I can’t access my subconscious, I can’t possibly prove what I would’ve done without the stimulus, and I can’t prove the harm either […] If subliminal advertising is now completely banned without qualification, why are we leaving room for subliminal conditioning by artificial intelligence?” ...

https://scitechdaily.com/the-dark-side-of-ai-how-our-subconscious-is-at-risk/

But AI helps folks too ...

Machine Learning Predicts Sight Loss: A Breakthrough in Eye Health

A breakthrough study by Tokyo Medical and Dental University has introduced a machine-learning model capable of predicting long-term visual impairment in patients with high myopia. Using a dataset of 34 variables from eye exams and a patient-friendly nomogram for easy interpretation, this model represents a significant step in combating the global challenge of vision loss.

https://scitechdaily.com/machine-lea...in-eye-health/

CRISPR over does it ...

CRISPR’s Unintended Cuts: Alarming Findings in Cancer Gene Therapy

Scientists have discovered that CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing can cause leukemia-derived cancer cells to eliminate important genes under stress. This overlooked phenomenon affects gene regulation and has significant implications for cancer treatment and research, highlighting the need for careful use of gene editing technologies.

https://scitechdaily.com/crisprs-uni...-gene-therapy/

Gassho, J

[Guest]

“The Dark Side of AI: How Our Subconscious Is at Risk”

Reminds me of the plot of Minority Report.

The idea of a computer knowing more about what goes on inside my head than I do is pretty scary, almost as scary as the snippets that I get to see most nights.

Sattlah

Myojin

[Jundo]

A HUGE mystery ... imagine the hand that this ring fits ...

Ultra-Large Structure Discovered in Distant Space Defies Our Current Understanding of the Universe

The discovery of the Big Ring, a colossal structure 9.2 billion light-years away with a diameter of 1.3 billion light-years challenges existing cosmological theories. Along with the previously discovered Giant Arc, these structures, located in the same cosmic neighborhood, contest the Cosmological Principle. ... “We could expect maybe one exceedingly large structure in all our observable universe. Yet, the Big Ring and the Giant Arc are two huge structures and are even cosmological neighbours, which is extraordinarily fascinating.” ... Alexia said: “The Cosmological Principle assumes that the part of the universe we can see is viewed as a ‘fair sample’ of what we expect the rest of the universe to be like. We expect matter to be evenly distributed everywhere in space when we view the universe on a large scale, so there should be no noticeable irregularities above a certain size. ... "

https://scitechdaily.com/ultra-large...-the-universe/

Our brains rethink the brain ...

Redefining Brain Function: Physicists Overturn Long-Standing Assumptions

Recent research suggests that a number of neuronal characteristics, traditionally believed to stem from the cell body or soma, may actually originate from processes in the dendrites. This discovery has significant implications for the study of degenerative diseases and for understanding the different states of brain activity during sleep and wakefulness. ... For the last 75 years, a core hypothesis of neuroscience has been that the basic computational element of the brain is the neuronal soma, where the long and ramified dendritic trees are only cables that enable them to collect incoming signals from its thousands of connecting neurons. This long-lasting hypothesis has now been called into question. ... "Results showed that neuronal features are independent of these physiological conditions, a finding which strongly pinpoints dendrites as the segments which control neuronal plasticity features, such as the neuronal firing frequency and the stimulation threshold of the neuron.” ...

This film explains ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyNzxiqI4nE&t=12s

https://scitechdaily.com/redefining-...g-assumptions/

Transparent implants = Transpara-plants ...

Revolutionary Transparent Implant Unveils Deep Brain Secrets From the Surface

Researchers have developed a revolutionary neural implant, combining the advantages of surface and deep probing technologies. This transparent, flexible implant with high-density graphene electrodes offers high-resolution data on both surface and deep neural activities. ... The technology, tested in transgenic mice, brings the researchers a step closer to building a minimally invasive brain-computer interface (BCI) that provides high-resolution data about deep neural activity by using recordings from the brain surface. ... Existing surface arrays, for example, are minimally invasive, but they lack the ability to capture information beyond the brain’s outer layers. In contrast, electrode arrays with thin needles that penetrate the brain are capable of probing deeper layers, but they often lead to inflammation and scarring, compromising signal quality over time.

The new neural implant developed at UC San Diego offers the best of both worlds. ...

https://scitechdaily.com/revolutiona...m-the-surface/

And this is mesmerizing ... maybe ...

Unlocking Hypnosis: Stanford Enhances Brain Power With Neurostimulation

Stanford Medicine scientists used transcranial magnetic stimulation to temporarily enhance hypnotizability in patients with chronic pain, making them better candidates for hypnotherapy. ...

... Approximately two-thirds of adults are at least somewhat hypnotizable, and 15% are considered highly hypnotizable, meaning they score 9 or 10 on a standard 10-point measure of hypnotizability. ... The researchers found that participants who received the neurostimulation showed a statistically significant increase in hypnotizability, scoring roughly one point higher. The sham group experienced no effect. ...

https://scitechdaily.com/unlocking-h...rostimulation/

A material improvement ...

Google Scientists Discovered 380,000 New Materials Using Artificial Intelligence

The Materials Project, an open-access database for new materials, is revolutionizing how researchers discover and develop materials for future technologies, with Google DeepMind contributing 400,000 new compounds. This synergy of AI, supercomputing, and experimental data speeds up the creation of materials for applications like renewable energy, efficient electronics, and environmental solutions.

https://scitechdaily.com/google-scie...-intelligence/

Am I (and you too) from Amyloid?

The Amyloid Hypothesis: Rewriting Life’s Origin Story

New research explores how amyloids, capable of forming under early Earth conditions and binding with RNA and DNA, may have played a key role in life’s emergence by increasing molecular stability and encouraging cooperation over competition. ... Riek and his team have been pursuing the idea that protein-like aggregates, known as amyloids, might have played an important role in the transition between chemistry and biology. Riek’s research group’s first step was to demonstrate that such amyloids can be formed relatively easily under the conditions that probably prevailed on the early Earth: in the laboratory, all it takes is a little volcanic gas (as well as experimental skill and a lot of patience) for simple amino acids to combine into short peptide chains, which then spontaneously assemble into fibers.

Later, Riek’s team demonstrated that amyloids can replicate themselves – which means that the molecules fulfill another decisive criterion for being considered precursor molecules of life. And now the researchers have taken the same line for a third time with their latest study, in which they show that amyloids are able to bind with molecules of both RNA and DNA. ...

https://scitechdaily.com/the-amyloid...-origin-story/

An old gene, once useful, is the source of modern problems ...

Gene that protected humans 5,000 years ago may be linked to debilitating modern disease

Scientists have compiled the largest database of ancient DNA based on the bones and teeth of almost 5,000 humans who lived across Western Europe and parts of Central Asia from 34,000 years ago until medieval times.

Analysis of this uniquely detailed pool of ancient genetic information suggests genes that may have once protected prehistoric hunter-gatherers or Bronze Age herders from harmful pathogens may today increase the risk of neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s in Europeans. ...

... Researchers used the database to explore the genetic origins of multiple sclerosis. They found that genetic risk of having the condition correlates to the proportion of ancestry from a group of ancient pastoralists who introduced domesticated animals to Europe around 5,000 years ago.

These nomadic herders of cattle and sheep, known as the Yamnaya, originated from the Pontic steppe, which stretches from southeastern Europe into Kazakhstan. It’s thought they were the first horse riders, making them highly mobile.

When they moved westward into Europe, they brought specific genetic variants that the researchers believe evolved to protect the nomads against pathogens carried by domesticated animals, the study found.

These genetic variants may have subsequently proved beneficial to European populations in making the shift from hunting and gathering to farming.

And because the Yamnaya primarily moved into northern Europe, the team concluded that the increased proportion of pastoralist ancestry in present-day northern Europeans might be partly responsible for the higher prevalence of the disease there. ...

https://us.cnn.com/2024/01/11/health...scn/index.html

Really, Sherlock?

Are fingerprints unique? Not really, AI-based study finds

... However, Guo said he’s confident that the discovery can improve criminal investigations.:

“The most immediate application is it can help generate new leads for cold cases, where the fingerprints left at the crime scene are from different fingers than those on file,” he said. “But on the flip side, this won’t just help catch more criminals. This will also actually help innocent people who might not have to be unnecessarily investigated anymore. And I think that’s a win for society.” ...


... Simon Cole, a professor in the department of criminology, law and society at the University of California, Irvine, agreed that the paper is interesting but said its practical utility is overstated. Cole was also not involved in the study.

“We were not ‘wrong’ about fingerprints,” he said of forensic experts. “The unproven but intuitively true claim that no two fingerprints are ‘exactly alike’ is not rebutted by finding that fingerprints are similar. Fingerprints from different people, as well as from the same person have always been known to be similar.”

The paper said the system could be useful in crime scenes in which the fingerprints found are from different fingers than those in the police record, but Cole said that this can only occur in rare cases, because when prints are taken, all 10 fingers and often palms are routinely recorded. “It’s not clear to me when they think law enforcement will have only some, but not all, of an individual’s fingerprints on record,” he said. ...

https://us.cnn.com/2024/01/12/world/...scn/index.html

AInemployment ...

‘Jobs may disappear’: Nearly 40% of global employment could be disrupted by AI, IMF says

Almost 40% of jobs around the world could be affected by the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), a trend that is likely to deepen inequality, according to the International Monetary Fund.

In a Sunday blog post, IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva called for governments to establish social safety nets and offer retraining programs to counter the impact of AI.

“In most scenarios, AI will likely worsen overall inequality, a troubling trend that policymakers must proactively address to prevent the technology from further stoking social tensions,” she wrote ahead of the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, where the topic is set to be high on the agenda. ...

... Georgieva said the effects were expected to be felt more deeply in advanced economies than emerging markets, partly because white-collar workers are seen to be more at risk than manual laborers. In more developed economies, for example, as much as 60% of jobs could be impacted by AI. Approximately half of those may benefit from how AI promotes higher productivity, she said. ... She warned that the use of AI could increase chances of social unrest, particularly if younger, less experienced workers seized on the technology as a way to help boost their output while more senior workers struggle to keep up. ...

https://us.cnn.com/2024/01/15/tech/i...hnk/index.html

Consumers of tomorrow ... and the FIRST STEP TO OUR TREELEAF HOLO-ZENDO!!!

Consumer Electronics Show (CES) ... Exoskeletons and AI cocktails: A walk through this year’s CES

Several products unveiled on the CES floor catered to solving issues in health care and sustainability. Nuvilab’s AI nutrition scanner is a device that aims to do both. The scanner, which looks like a small tablet screen and a camera, uses AI image processing to assess the amount of food being consumed and wasted in restaurants and commercial kitchens. It can also show the nutritional content of a plate, like calorie intake.

While the product is intended for any commercial kitchen to curb food waste, the nutritional content scan is meant to be helpful for places with a focus on serving healthy meals like long-term care facilities, schools and hospitals.

Technology for physical therapy and fitness also debuted at CES. WIRobotics and Innophys showed off their wearable robotic suits. WIRobotics demonstrated a robot that straps around a user’s waist and legs to assist in walking, running or exercising for those who find it increasingly difficult. Innophys’ “wearable exoskeleton” muscle suit attaches to a user’s back to alleviate stress from labor-intensive activity. ...

... PalmPlug is another piece of technology looking to change the future of physical therapy, but especially curated for stroke victims. Its sensor technology is built into a small glove that wraps around the wrist and fingers. A screen detects the hand and prompts movements through games and piano lessons, making physical therapy more entertaining. “You can apply this technology in gaming and in health, sports, AR and VR, just so much, but we’re starting with health care,” ...

... . The Holobox by Holoconnects is a device tall and wide enough to project a full-body 3D holographic image of an individual from anywhere in the world. While everyday consumers might not have a use for it, companies can use it for keynotes and conferences. The United Nations has even used the box to bring colleagues to the U.N. floor for meetings, Holoconnects staff members said. ...

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-ne...ces-rcna133756

And SPECIAL MENTION, CHECK THESE OUT ...

Award-winning close-up photos show the hidden wonders of nature

https://us.cnn.com/travel/close-up-p...ntl/index.html

Gassho, J

stlah

[Jundo]

The Holobox by Holoconnects ... first step to the Treeleaf Holo-Zendo ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-36qpX6lY4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9MAgaYtgt8

[Jundo]

Sorry, my town of Tsukuba goes to the moon ...

Live Coverage in English [Click on Youtube below] of Tsukuba (Japan) JAXA to the moon ... landing planned for 12:20 AM ...

Japan gave the green light for its spacecraft to make a "precision" landing on the moon on Friday, its bid to become the world's fifth country to achieve a moonshot and revitalise a space programme that has suffered a wave of recent setbacks.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) was en route to 15 km (9 miles) above the moon's surface, where it will start an autonomous 20-minute descent from midnight on Saturday (1500 GMT Friday).

Dubbed the "moon sniper", SLIM is attempting to land within 100 metres (328 feet) of its target, versus the conventional accuracy of several kilometres.

JAXA says this landing technology will become a powerful tool in future exploration of hilly moon poles seen as a potential source of oxygen, fuel and water - factors necessary to sustain life.

JAXA will broadcast the touchdown on its YouTube channel, but has said it will take up to a month to verify whether SLIM had achieved the high-precision goals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvXLt3ET9mE

Gassho, Jundo

stlah

[Tai Shi]

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

There is a fairly new technology for pain relief Radio Frequency Ablation. And I had recently been treated for Ankylosing Spondylitis in the upper spine and I believe it is working 100% in my case. I am so grateful 🥲 to have been fortunate enough to have my doctor be so skilled as to have reliable medical care and I am grateful beyond words. The treatment works in combination with Lidocaine Patches 12 hours on 12 off and a Simponi subQ injection which lasts 25 days so it gives 25 regular and also Lidocaine. And RFA , I am very grateful to report that I am experiencing 100% pain reliever for symptoms of pain from Ankylosing Spondylitis which has never been away from me for 10 years and more.
Gassho
sat lah
Tai Shi


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Jundo]

The early bird catches the worm ...

New Findings From the James Webb Telescope Suggests That Life Could Have Existed Much Earlier Than Previously Thought

New findings from the James Webb Space Telescope reveal a surprising abundance of oxygen in the early Universe. Researchers discovered that oxygen levels in galaxies surged within 500-700 million years following the Universe’s birth, reaching levels comparable to those in contemporary galaxies. This suggests that the essential elements for life were present much earlier than previously believed. ... This opens the possibility that with the necessary ingredients, like oxygen, already readily available in the early Universe, life may have appeared sooner than previously thought. ...

https://scitechdaily.com/new-findings-from-the-james-webb-telescope-suggests-that-life-could-have-existed-much-earlier-than-previously-thought/

Plentiful water on Mars ... huge amounts, in fact ...

Mars Express Reveals Hidden Ice Reserves at Mars’s Equator

Recent Mars Express data reveals the Medusae Fossae Formation contains extensive water ice layers, offering new clues about Mars’s past and supporting future exploration. ... If melted, the ice locked up in the MFF would cover the entire planet in a layer of water 1.5 to 2.7 m deep: the most water ever found in this part of Mars, and enough to fill Earth’s Red Sea. ...

... The extent and location of these icy MFF deposits would also make them potentially very valuable for our future exploration of Mars. Missions to Mars will need to land near the planet’s equator, far from the ice-rich polar caps or high-latitude glaciers. And they’ll need water as a resource – so finding ice in this region is almost a necessity for human missions to the planet. ... “Unfortunately, these MFF deposits are covered by hundreds of meters of dust, making them inaccessible for at least the next few decades. However, every bit of ice we find helps us build a better picture of where Mars’s water has flowed before, and where it can be found today.” ...

https://scitechdaily.com/mars-expres...marss-equator/

Too young to be with the grown ups ...

Puzzling Baby Stars at the Galaxy’s Core: Astronomers Unravel Age Mystery

Through the study of detailed data obtained from a powerful ten-meter telescope located in Hawaii, a team of scientists at Lund University in Sweden have made significant discoveries regarding three stars situated in the central region of the Milky Way galaxy. These stars were found to be unusually young with a puzzling chemical composition that surprised the researchers. ... “We can now confirm this. In our study, we have been able to date three of these stars as relatively young, at least as far as astronomers are concerned, with ages of 100 million to about 1 billion years. This can be compared with the sun, which is 4.6 billion years old,” says Rebecca Forsberg, a researcher in astronomy at Lund University. ...

BELOW: The image, taken with ESO’s Very Large Telescope in Chile, shows a high-resolution view of the innermost parts of the Milky Way. In the new study, the researchers examined the dense nuclear star cluster shown in detail here.

And life finds a way in even the hard places ...

Salty Survival: Stanford Finds Life Thriving in “Uninhabitable” Conditions

A Stanford study on microbes in extremely salty water suggests life may survive conditions previously thought to be uninhabitable. The research widens the possibilities for where life may be found throughout our solar system and shows how changes in salinity may affect life in aquatic habitats on Earth.

https://scitechdaily.com/salty-survi...le-conditions/

A synthetic chromosome ... YEA! yeast! ...

Synthetic Yeast Genome Nears Completion With New Milestone

A team of scientists from the United Kingdom, including leading experts from the University of Nottingham and Imperial College London, have successfully constructed a synthetic chromosome. This achievement is a significant milestone in a major international initiative aimed at creating the world’s first synthetic yeast genome. ...

https://scitechdaily.com/the-future-...new-milestone/

Malaria fights back ... but, hopefully, the doctors will stay one step ahead ...

Invisible Menace: Newly Discovered Malaria Parasites Evade Detection and Treatment

Scientists discovered new variants of malaria parasites in Ethiopia that are resistant to existing treatments and undetectable by standard diagnostic tests. This situation could lead to a rise in malaria cases and fatalities, complicating efforts to eradicate the disease. ... “Now we’re essentially seeing the worst-case scenario: parasites with the mutation that make them resistant to treatment have also picked up the chromosomal deletions that make them invisible to the diagnostic tests,” Bailey said. “This means that it will be harder to detect people who are infected, and then when infected people are treated with antimalarial drugs, that may not work to stop them from spreading the disease.” ...

https://scitechdaily.com/invisible-m...and-treatment/

Here's how the scientists want to stay ahead ...

Superbug crisis threatens to kill 10 million per year by 2050. Scientists may have a solution

... “These multi-drug-resistant superbugs can cause chronic infections in individuals for months to years to sometimes decades. It’s ridiculous just how virulent some of these bacteria get over time,” said Dwayne Roach, assistant professor of bacteriophages, infectious disease and immunology at San Diego State University. ... “It’s estimated that by 2050, 10 million people per year — that’s one person every three seconds — is going to be dying from a superbug infection,” said infectious disease epidemiologist Steffanie Strathdee, codirector of the first dedicated phage therapy center in North America ...

Last year doctors offered to treat Horton’s infection with one of nature’s oldest predators — tiny tripod-looking viruses called phages designed to find, attack and gobble up bacteria. ... In this microscopic game of “The Terminator,” each set of phages is uniquely designed to find, attack and devour a specific type of pathogen. ... In labs around the country, phage scientists are taking research and discovery to the next level, or what Strathdee calls “phage 3.0.” Scientists in Turner’s Yale laboratory are busy mapping which phages and antibiotics are most symbiotic in the fight against a pathogen. Roach’s San Diego State lab is investigating the body’s immune response to phages while developing new phage purification techniques to prepare samples for intravenous use in patients.

Currently, clinical trials are underway to test the effectiveness of phages against intractable urinary tract infections, chronic constipation, joint infections, diabetic foot ulcers, tonsillitis and the persistent, reoccurring infections that occur in patients with cystic fibrosis. The chronic infections common in cystic fibrosis are typically due to various strains of drug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa — the same pathogen responsible for Horton’s ear infection and the artificial tears outbreak. ...

BELOW: This illustration of a bacteriophage shows its tripod-like form that mimics a tiny robot.

This seems like an idea long past due. Also, why don't they just put fiber optic cables down highways and many roads so that the self-driving cars can follow those like tracks? Why is it necessary for them to drive fully on their own guidance systems???

NEW STREET CHARGES ELECTRIC VEHICLES WHILE THEY DRIVE: IT'S NORTH AMERICA'S VERY FIRST WIRELESS CHARGING ROAD

Engineers have turned an otherwise unnoteworthy stretch of road in downtown Detroit into what's being hailed as the first wireless-charging public road in the United States.

Massive copper coils, much like the scaled-down ones inside your wireless phone charger, are hidden beneath the surface to charge EVs while they're stationary, idling, or even driving.

https://futurism.com/the-byte/new-st...7J51sQk7uOv5nM

Fossil fuels kills us ...

New Research: Phasing Out Fossil Fuels Could Save Millions of Lives

A study reveals that phasing out fossil fuels could prevent 5.13 million deaths per year globally linked to air pollution, primarily from cardiometabolic diseases. Utilizing a new risk model, it emphasizes the health and environmental benefits of transitioning to renewable energy sources.

https://scitechdaily.com/new-researc...ions-of-lives/

Clones ... not monkeying around ...

New cloned monkey species highlights limits of cloning

Meet Retro, a cloned rhesus monkey born on July 16, 2020. He is now more than 3 years old and is “doing well and growing strong,” ...

... scientists have cloned many mammalian species, including pigs, cows, horses and dogs, but the process has been hit or miss, with typically only a tiny percentage of the embryos that are transferred into surrogates resulting in viable offspring. ...

https://us.cnn.com/2024/01/16/world/...scn/index.html

Very fishy arrests ...

Tokyo couple arrested over unpermitted cultivation of glowing fish

... The police arrested Hidehiko Takeda, the 66-year-old owner of the fish shop, and his 56-year-old Thai wife Somphorn, who runs the shop, for alleged violation of the Cartagena law, which came into force in 2004 to regulate the use of genetically modified living organisms.

The suspects sold the genetically modified Siamese fighting fish, or betta, as "neon betta" at the store, the police said. The fish glows in a yellow-green color when exposed to ultraviolet light. ...

A step toward artificial eyes ...

Revolutionary Biochip Mimics Human Retina: A Leap Toward Cyborg Reality


A team of international researchers, led by Francesca Santoro from Jülich, has developed a biochip that imitates the human retina. This innovation is part of a broader effort in bioelectronics aimed at repairing bodily and brain dysfunctions. ... A new chip could help retinal implants fuse even better with the human body in the future. It is based on conductive polymers and light-sensitive molecules that can be used to imitate the retina, complete with visual pathways. ... What is exceptional about the new semiconductor is that it consists entirely of non-toxic organic components, is flexible, and works with ions, that is, with charged atoms or molecules. It can thus be integrated into biological systems much better than conventional semiconductor components made of silicon, which are rigid and only work with electrons. ...

https://scitechdaily.com/revolutionary-biochip-mimics-human-retina-a-leap-toward-cyborg-reality/

Never forget this ...

Unraveling Memory’s Molecular Mystery: How Brain Cells Stabilize Information Over Time

Recent research discovers that our ability to distinguish similar memories improves over time due to the dynamic nature of engrams, brain cells involved in memory storage. This finding provides key insights into the treatment of memory disorders. ... The researchers developed a computational model for learning and memory formation that starts with sensory information, which is the stimulus. Once that information gets to the hippocampus, the part of the brain where memories form, different neurons are activated, some of which are excitatory and others that are inhibitory.

When neurons are activated in the hippocampus, not all are going to be firing at once. As memories form, neurons that happen to be activated closely in time become a part of the engram and strengthen their connectivity to support future recall.

“Activation of engram cells during memory recall is not an all or none process but rather typically needs to reach a threshold (i.e., a percentage of the original engram) for efficient recall,” Roy explains. “Our model is the first to demonstrate that the engram population is not stable: The number of engram cells that are activated during recall decreases with time, meaning they are dynamic in nature, and so the next critical question was whether this had a behavioral consequence.”

“Over the consolidation period after learning, the brain is actively working to separate the two experiences and that’s possibly one reason why the numbers of activated engram cells decrease over time for a single memory,” he says. “If true, this would explain why memory discrimination gets better as time goes on. It’s like your memory of the experience was one big highway initially but over time, over the course of the consolidation period on the order of minutes to hours, your brain divides them into two lanes so you can discriminate between the two.”

https://scitechdaily.com/unraveling-...ion-over-time/

And now we can remember to watch remembering ...

SynapShot Unveiled: Observing the Processes of Memory and Cognition in Real Time

SynapShot, developed by an international research team, marks a major advancement in neuroscience by enabling real-time, live observation of synaptic changes in the brain. ... On January 8, a joint research team led by Professor Won Do Heo from the KAIST Department of Biological Sciences, Professor Hyung-Bae Kwon from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and Professor Sangkyu Lee from the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) revealed that they have developed the world’s first technique to allow real-time observation of synapse formation, extinction, and alterations.

Professor Heo’s team conjugated dimerization-dependent fluorescent proteins (ddFP) to synapses in order to observe the process in which synapses create connections between neurons in real-time. The team named this technique SynapShot, by combining the words ‘synapse’ and snapshot’, and successfully tracked and observed the live formation and extinction processes of synapses as well as their dynamic changes. ...

https://scitechdaily.com/synapshot-u...-in-real-time/

AI gets a prize ...

The winner of a prestigious Japanese literary award has confirmed AI helped write her book

After Japanese author Rie Kudan won one of the country’s most prestigious literary awards, she admitted she’d had help from an unusual source — ChatGPT.

“I plan to continue to profit from the use of AI in the writing of my novels, while letting my creativity express itself to the fullest,” said the 33-year-old, who was awarded the Akutagawa Prize for the best work of fiction by a promising new writer on Wednesday.

The author then confirmed at a press conference that around 5% of her book “The Tokyo Tower of Sympathy” — which was lauded by committee members as “practically flawless” — was word-for-word generated by AI.

The novel centers around the dilemmas of an architect tasked with building a comfortable high-rise prison in Tokyo where law breakers are rehabilitated, and features AI as a theme.

Kudan said that, in her own life, she would consult ChatGPT about problems she felt she couldn’t tell anyone. “When the AI did not say what I expected,” she said, “I sometimes reflected my feelings in the lines of the main character.” ...

... Writer and prize committee member Keiichiro Hirano took to X, the social media company formerly known as Twitter, to say the selection committee did not see Kudan’s use of AI as a problem.

“It seems that the story that Rie Kudan’s award-winning work was written using generative AI is misunderstood… If you read it, you will see that the generative AI was mentioned in the work,” he wrote. “There will be problems with that kind of usage in the future, but that is not the case with ‘Tokyo Sympathy Tower.’” ...

https://us.cnn.com/2024/01/19/style/...gpt/index.html

Latest on the Japanese landing from JAXA in Tsukuba, a great success in some ways ...

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has announced that it has disconnected the battery from the circuit and turned off the power to restore the SLIM, the Japanese unmanned lunar probe that successfully landed on the Moon on January 20, because the onboard solar cells are not generating power. The organization is hopeful that the solar cells may be able to generate electricity if they are exposed to sunlight in the future.

https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pac...LQO596XISgvPJc

Gassho, J

stlah

[Jundo]

Good news at our JAXA space center here in Tsukuba ...

Japan’s SLIM probe regains power more than a week after moon landing

Japan’s SLIM spacecraft has regained power, its space agency said on Monday, more than a week after it achieved an unconventionally precise lunar landing but ran out of electricity because its solar panels were at the wrong angle.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) re-established communication with its Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) late on Sunday, a JAXA spokesperson said, nearly nine days after the probe’s touchdown made Japan the fifth country to put a spacecraft on the moon.

The probe was most likely able to generate power thanks to a change in the sunlight’s direction, JAXA said.

SLIM resumed its operations to analyze the composition of olivine rocks on the lunar surface with its multi-band spectral camera, in search of clues about the origin of the moon, the agency added.

... [But] JAXA does not have a clear date when SLIM will end its operation on the moon, but the agency has previously said the lander was not designed to survive a lunar night. The next lunar night begins on Thursday. ...

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/j...ing-rcna136119

Gassho, J

stlah

[Jundo]

Elon is finally in our heads ... literally ...

Elon Musk says his Neuralink startup has implanted a chip in its first human brain

... The operation took place on Sunday and the patient was recovering well, he added. ... Neuralink’s first product would be called Telepathy, he said in another post, adding that its initial users will be people who have lost the use of their limbs. “Imagine if Stephen Hawking could communicate faster than a speed typist or auctioneer. That is the goal,” he wrote. ... In May last year, Neuralink received FDA clearance for human clinical trials, and a few months later, the startup began recruiting patients with quadriplegia caused by cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). ... Trial patients will have a chip surgically placed in the part of the brain that controls the intention to move. The chip, installed by a robot, will then record and send brain signals to an app, with the initial goal being “to grant people the ability to control a computer cursor or keyboard using their thoughts alone,” the company wrote in September.

https://us.cnn.com/2024/01/30/business/elon-musk-brain-implant-neuralink-intl-hnk/index.html

More here: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/01/30/h...nts/index.html

Makes my mind spiral ...

Webb telescope captures 'stunning' images of 19 spiral galaxies

A batch of newly released images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope show in remarkable detail 19 spiral galaxies residing relatively near our Milky Way, offering new clues on star formation as well as galactic structure and evolution. ... The closest of the 19 galaxies is called NGC5068, about 15 million light years from Earth, and the most distant of them is NGC1365, about 60 million light years from Earth. A light year is the distance light travels in a year, 5.9 trillion miles (9.5 trillion km). ...

https://www.reuters.com/technology/space/webb-telescope-captures-stunning-images-19-spiral-galaxies-2024-01-29/

Get you head around this ...

Revolution in AI: New Brain-Like Transistor Mimics Human Intelligence

Researchers have developed a novel synaptic transistor that mimics the human brain’s integrated processing and memory capabilities. This device operates at room temperature, is energy-efficient, and can perform complex cognitive tasks such as associative learning, making it a significant advancement in the field of artificial intelligence. ... This advanced device not only processes but also stores information, mirroring the multifunctional nature of the human brain. Recent experiments by the team have shown that this transistor goes beyond simple machine-learning tasks to categorize data and is capable of performing associative learning.

Although previous studies have leveraged similar strategies to develop brain-like computing devices, those transistors cannot function outside cryogenic temperatures. The new device, by contrast, is stable at room temperatures. It also operates at fast speeds, consumes very little energy and retains stored information even when power is removed, making it ideal for real-world applications.

The study was recently published in the journal Nature.

https://scitechdaily.com/revolution-...-intelligence/

A reactor in your pocket ...

STARTUP SAYS ITS COIN-SIZED NUCLEAR BATTERY COULD FLY DRONES "CONTINUOUSLY" -- IT WORKS BY HARNESSING ENERGY FROM NUCLEAR DECAY.

Imagine never having to change a battery in a device ever again — or, in fact, a battery that could outlive you.

That’s what Betavolt, a Chinese tech company, is claiming with its newly unveiled miniature nuclear battery that it says can keep working for up to 50 years.

The Beijing-based company claims to have entered the "pilot stage" for the battery, which is smaller than a coin and will soon put it into mass production.

The company anticipates the battery being used in industries ranging from aerospace to robotics and to smartphones.

"If policies permit, atomic energy batteries can allow a mobile phone to never be charged, and drones that can only fly for 15 minutes can fly continuously," the company claims. ... The battery measures at 15 x 15 x 5 millimeters and is made of wafer-thin layers of nuclear isotopes and diamond semiconductors. It's a type of betavoltaic device, meaning it works by harnessing energy released from radioactive isotopes, in this case an isotope of nickel, by picking up and converting electrons as the material decays.

Betavolt says the radiation poses no danger to the human body, making it usable in medical devices such as pacemakers. The nickel isotope decays to a stable copper isotope, making it easily recyclable. ...

https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/betavolt-radioactive-battery-no-charging/

Keeping our genes to ourselves ...

US House bill would curb genetic info sharing with China's Wuxi Apptec, BGI

A congressional committee focused on China has introduced a bill that would restrict federally funded medical providers from allowing China's BGI Group, WuXi Apptec (603259.SS), opens new tab and other biotech companies from getting genetic information about Americans. ... "Closing this loophole is the first step in protecting the American bioeconomy and our national security, and ensuring our genomic data is kept safe and secure,” said Democratic committee member Raja Krishnamoorthi. ...

Units of BGI Group appear on a U.S. Department of Commerce export control list over allegations that they pose a "significant risk" to contributing to Chinese government surveillance. Reuters also has reported that BGI was collecting genetic data from millions of women for sweeping research on the traits of populations, and collaborates with China's military. ...

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-...gi-2024-01-26/

Early and complex ...

Early Complex Life Forms Revealed: 1.63-billion-year-old Multicellular Fossils Unearthed in China

Researchers unveiled 1.63-billion-year-old multicellular fossils from North China, marking the oldest record of multicellular eukaryotes and pushing back the timeline for the emergence of multicellularity in eukaryotes by about 70 million years. This discovery highlights the complexity of early life forms and supports the early appearance of the last eukaryotic common ancestor (LECA) in the evolutionary history.

... All complex life on Earth, including diverse animals, land plants, macroscopic fungi, and seaweeds, are multicellular eukaryotes. Multicellularity is key to eukaryotes acquiring organismal complexity and large size, and is often regarded as a major transition in the history of life on Earth. However, scientists have been unsure when eukaryotes evolved this innovation. ...

https://scitechdaily.com/early-compl...thed-in-china/

A picture taken by a really tiny dentist ...

Scientists report world’s first X-ray of a single atom in Nature

A team of scientists from Ohio University, Argonne National Laboratory, the University of Illinois-Chicago, and others, led by Ohio University Professor of Physics, and Argonne National Laboratory scientist, Saw Wai Hla, have taken the world’s first X-ray SIGNAL (or SIGNATURE) of just one atom. This groundbreaking achievement was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences and could revolutionize the way scientists detect the materials. ...

BELOW: An image of a ring shaped supramolecule where only one Fe atom is present in the entire ring.

to be continued ...

[Jundo]

... continued from above ...

Did scientists reverse time??? ... Well, not really ...

‘We have made science fiction come true!’ Scientists prove particles in a quantum system can be rejuvenated

An Austrian and Spanish team demonstrated that a process can be ‘rewound’ to restore the components of an atom to their previous state

Spanish researchers [have published experiments] proving it’s possible to “accelerate, decelerate and reverse the flow of time within arbitrary, even uncontrolled quantum systems.” These unique physical processes, capable of disrupting the normal course of time, are universal: they have the same effect on all particles, regardless of their nature and interaction with other systems. ... these quantum particles can be rejuvenated or reverted to a previous state. Miguel Navascués uses an analogy to explain the significance of the finding and how they proved it. “In a theater, [classical physics], a movie is projected from beginning to end, regardless of what the audience wants. But at home [the quantum world], we have a remote control to manipulate the movie. We can rewind to a previous scene or skip several scenes ahead.” ... The ÖAW team developed a “rewind protocol” that enables any particle (electron, proton or muon) to revert to a previous state. Trillo led the way in proving this capacity theoretically and experimentally using a photon that evolves when it passes through a crystal. The creative use of an experimental device known as a “quantum switch” allows the light particle to return to its state at the beginning of its journey. ...

... While it’s theoretically possible to replicate the experience with a human, it is a practical impossibility and useless. “If we could lock a person in a box with zero external influences, it would be theoretically possible. But with our currently available protocols, the probability of success would be very, very low. Also, the time needed to complete the process depends on the amount of information the system can store. A human being is a physical system that contains an enormous amount of information. It would take millions of years to rejuvenate a person for less than a second, so it doesn’t make sense.” ...

The finding is not a time machine. Time passes regardless, and it is the physical state that changes. “If you want to revert a particle capable of storing one bit of information to its state five minutes ago, that’s the amount of time needed to complete the process,” said Navascués. ...

https://english.elpais.com/science-t...juvenated.html

Toyota is not into it ...

TOYOTA SLAMS ELECTRIC CARS, SAYS THEY'LL NEVER CATCH ON: CUSTOMERS ARE "FINALLY SEEING REALITY."

... Even with big inventories, fewer buyers are choosing to go electric for a number of reasons, including price and a lack of charging infrastructure.

Now, Akio Toyoda, chairman of Japanese carmaker Toyota, is doubling down on that pessimism, arguing during a business event earlier this month that the latest EV trends are warnings signs, with customers "finally seeing reality."

"The enemy is CO2," he argued. "No matter how much progress [battery] EVs make, I think they will still only have a 30 percent market share." The rest will be taken up by hybrid EVs and hydrogen fuel cell-powered cars, he argued. ... Toyota has been bearish on electric vehicles and has been notably slow to adopt the technology, which has come to the disappointment of shareholders. ...

https://fortune.com/2023/10/25/toyot...ngs-elon-musk/

A new tool ...

Unlocking DNA’s Secrets: Cutting-Edge Tool Finds Genetic Variants That Cause Diseases

A new statistical tool developed by researchers at the University of Chicago improves the ability to find genetic variants that cause disease. The tool, described in a new paper published January 26, 2024, in Nature Genetics, combines data from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and predictions of genetic expression to limit the number of false positives and more accurately identify causal genes and variants for a disease. ...

Most human diseases are not caused by a single genetic variation, however. Instead, they are the result of a complex interaction of multiple genes, environmental factors, and host of other variables. As a result, GWAS often identifies many variants across many regions in the genome that are associated with a disease. The limitation of GWAS, however, is that it only identifies association, not causality. In a typical genomic region, many variants are highly correlated with each other, due to a phenomenon called linkage disequilibrium. This is because DNA is passed from one generation to next in entire blocks, not individual genes, so variants nearby each other tend to be correlated. ... “You may have many genetic variants in a block that are all correlated with disease risk, but you don’t know which one is actually the causal variant,” said Xin He, PhD, Associate Professor of Human Genetics, and senior author of the new study. “That’s the fundamental challenge of GWAS, that is, how we go from association to causality.” ... To make the problem even harder, most of the genetic variants are located in non-coding genomes, making their effects difficult to interpret. ...

... In the new study, Prof. He and Matthew Stephens, PhD, the Ralph W. Gerard Professor and Chair of the Departments of Statistics and Professor of Human Genetics, developed a new method called causal-Transcriptome-wide Association studies, or cTWAS, that uses advanced statistical techniques to reduce false positive rates. Instead of focusing on just one gene at a time, the new cTWAS model accounts for multiple genes and variants. ...

https://scitechdaily.com/unlocking-d...ause-diseases/

Maybe a good fishing spot?

Mars rover data confirms ancient lake sediments on red planet

NASA's rover Perseverance has gathered data confirming the existence of ancient lake sediments deposited by water that once filled a giant basin on Mars called Jezero Crater, according to a study published on Friday. The findings from ground-penetrating radar observations conducted by the robotic rover substantiate previous orbital imagery and other data leading scientists to theorize that portions of Mars were once covered in water and may have harbored microbial life. ... The findings reinforced what previous studies have long suggested - that cold, arid, lifeless Mars was once warm, wet and perhaps habitable. ... Scientists look forward to an up-close examination of Jezero's sediments - thought to have formed some 3 billion years ago - in samples collected by Perseverance for future transport to Earth. ...

https://www.reuters.com/science/mars...rs-2024-01-27/

As long as it does not escape and eat everything plastic in my house ...

Engineered Bacteria Eat Waste Plastic and Make Spider Silk – “Nature’s Kevlar”

Move over Spider-Man: Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have developed a strain of bacteria that can turn plastic waste into a biodegradable spider silk with multiple uses. ... Their new study marks the first time scientists have used bacteria to transform polyethylene plastic — the kind used in many single-use items — into a high-value protein product.

That product, which the researchers call “bio-inspired spider silk” because of its similarity to the silk spiders use to spin their webs, has applications in textiles, cosmetics, and even medicine. ... Polyethylene plastic, found in products such as plastic bags, water bottles, and food packaging, is the biggest contributor to plastic pollution globally and can take upward of 1,000 years to degrade naturally. ... “What’s really exciting about this process is that, unlike the way plastics are produced today, our process is low energy and doesn’t require the use of toxic chemicals,” Zha said. “The best chemists in the world could not convert polyethylene into spider silk, but these bacteria can. We’re really harnessing what nature has developed to do manufacturing for us.”

However, before upcycled spider silk products become a reality, the researchers will first need to find ways to make the silk protein more efficiently. ...

https://scitechdaily.com/engineered-...atures-kevlar/

No coincidence?

Fulton County [Georgia, USA] government outage: Cyberattack brings down phones, court site and tax systems

... The outage has not been resolved, and it’s unclear when systems would return to normal.

The office of the county’s District Attorney Fani Willis lost access to its phones, internet and the court system website, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter. Willis indicted former President Donald Trump and 18 co-defendants in a 2020 election subversion case. Officials have not declared any connection between the attack and the election subversion case, and they have assigned no motive. ...

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/01/30/t...ack/index.html

Gassho, J

stlah

[Jundo]

This is something ...

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

... also ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5yGRLx5Tls

[Jundo]

Water water everywhere ...

For the First Time: Water Molecules Have Been Discovered on an Asteroid’s Surface

... researchers have identified water molecules on asteroid surfaces, marking a significant step in understanding water’s distribution and its role in the solar system’s formation and potential for supporting life. ... Scientists looked at four silicate-rich asteroids using the FORCAST instrument to isolate the mid-infrared spectral signatures indicative of molecular water on two of them. ... Of particular interest is the distribution of water on asteroids, because that can shed light on how water was delivered to Earth.”

https://scitechdaily.com/for-the-fir...roids-surface/

Speaking of water, another possible candidate for life in our solar system ...

Mimas’ Surprise: Startling Discovery of Young Ocean Beneath Icy Shell of Saturn’s Tiny Moon

Researchers have discovered a global ocean of liquid water beneath the surface of Mimas, one of Saturn’s smallest moons. This discovery, made possible by data from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, highlights Mimas as a crucial site for studying the origins of life, providing insights into ocean formation and the potential for life in our Solar System. ... This discovery adds Mimas to an exclusive club of moons with internal oceans, including Enceladus and Europa, but with a unique difference: its ocean is remarkably young, estimated to be only 5 to 15 million years old.” ...

https://scitechdaily.com/mimas-surprise-startling-discovery-of-young-ocean-beneath-icy-shell-of-saturns-tiny-moon/

AND IT LOOKS LIKE THE DEATH STAR! ...

ProtAIns ...

Unlocking the Secrets of Proteins With Cutting-Edge AI

DeepGO-SE, an AI tool created by KAUST researchers, revolutionizes the prediction of unknown protein functions using logical entailment and advanced language models, showing significant potential for scientific research and biotechnological applications. ... the tool outperforms existing analytical methods for forecasting protein functions and is even able to analyze proteins with no clear matches in existing datasets.
https://scitechdaily.com/unlocking-t...tting-edge-ai/

Robo-chemists ...

Scientists Develop Chemical Synthesis Robot That Outperforms Human Chemists in Speed and Accuracy

Chemical researchers at the University of Amsterdam have created a self-operating chemical synthesis robot equipped with an AI-based machine-learning system, named ‘RoboChem’. This compact laboratory instrument surpasses human chemists in speed and precision, while also displaying a high level of ingenuity. As the first of its kind, it could significantly accelerate the chemical discovery of molecules for pharmaceutical and many other applications. RoboChem’s first results were recently published in the journal Science. ... Their paper shows that RoboChem is a precise and reliable chemist that can perform a variety of reactions while producing minimal amounts of waste. Working autonomously around the clock, the system delivers results quickly and tirelessly. ...

... Noël says the system has impressed him with its ingenuity: ‘I have been working on photocatalysis for more than a decade now. Still, RoboChem has shown results that I would not have been able to predict. For instance, it has identified reactions that require only very little light. At times I had to scratch my head to fathom what it had done. You then wonder: would we have done it the same way? In retrospect, you see RoboChem’s logic. But I doubt if we would have obtained the same results ourselves. Or not as quickly, at least.’ ...

https://scitechdaily.com/robochem-sc...-and-accuracy/

Robot surgeons in space! ...

Video shows surgeons remotely controlling robot to perform simulated surgery in space

Surgeons in Nebraska controlled the first "surgical robot" sent to space to perform simulated surgical activities on Saturday.

https://us.cnn.com/videos/us/2024/02/14/surgical-robot-operates-space-nasa-mira-fisher-tsr-vpx.cnn

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Qfhwiyva4g

Reprinting lost treasures ...

Italy donates 3D-printed replica of statue destroyed by ISIS to Iraq

... Constructed in the ninth century BC, the 5-meter-tall (16-foot) “Bull of Nimrud” was destroyed by ISIS fighters in 2015, before Italian artisans made a copy of the monument using 3D-printing technology. The replica, which was previously displayed at the Colosseum in Rome and the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, has now been permanently relocated outside the entrance to the Basrah Museum in the Iraqi city of Basra. ... Following the attack, a team of experts led by restorer Nicola Salvioli studied photos and videos of the monument, allowing them to make a model in polystyrene. A 3D printer was then used to make a fiberglass copy that was covered with plastic substances mixed with stone dust to make it appear more authentic.

https://us.cnn.com/2024/02/13/style/bull-of-nimrud-replica-basrah-museum-tan/index.html

3D Printed Brains ...

SCIENTISTS 3D PRINT FUNCTIONAL HUMAN BRAIN TISSUE

A team of scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison claim to have 3D-printed functional human brain tissue for the first time.

They hope their research could open the doors for the development of treatments for existing neurological disorders, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

As detailed in a new paper published in the journal Cell Stem Cell, the team flipped the usual method of 3D-printing on its side, fabricating horizontal layers of brain cells encased in soft "bio-ink" gel. "The tissue still has enough structure to hold together but it is soft enough to allow the neurons to grow into each other and start talking to each other," said coauthor and UW–Madison neuroscience professor Su-Chun Zhang in a statement.

Thanks to this arrangement, each of these neurons, which were grown from pluripotent stem cells, had enough access to oxygen and nutrients from growth media. In experiments, the cells started forming networks, much like the human brain, and could even communicate with each other through the neurotransmitters they formed. "We printed the cerebral cortex and the striatum and what we found was quite striking," Zhang explained in the statement. "Even when we printed different cells belonging to different parts of the brain, they were still able to talk to each other in a very special and specific way."

https://www.waisman.wisc.edu/2024/02/01/uw-madison-researchers-first-to-3d-print-functional-human-brain-tissue/

Ancient code solved ...

a team of researchers has revealed several nearly complete passages from the ancient text, giving insight into philosophy from almost 2,000 years ago.

The Herculaneum scrolls are hundreds of papyri that survived the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. In their charred state, the ancient documents would crumble if anyone attempted to unroll them, and any writing on surviving pieces would be nearly illegible to the human eye. By using computer technology and advanced artificial intelligence, researchers can now analyze the Herculaneum scrolls without unrolling and risking damage to the extremely fragile documents. More than 2,000 characters — the first full passages — have been deciphered from a scroll ... In the deciphered text, Philodemus writes on “pleasure,” and whether the abundance of goods available can affect the amount of pleasure they give. “As too in the case of food, we do not right away believe things that are scarce to be absolutely more pleasant than those which are abundant,” the first sentence reads.

“Philodemus was dismissed over the years because we couldn’t really read his passages extensively. Only with difficulty, we just get these little snippets. … (In these passages) he’s persuading the people who are listening to him to sort of relax, find good friendships, spend your time living in the moment and enjoying pleasures,”

https://us.cnn.com/2024/02/07/world/...scn/index.html

[/QUOTE]

Viruses are sometimes good for us ... and are us ...

Virus That Infected the First Animals Hundreds of Millions of Years Ago Is Essential for Embryo Development

CNIO researchers have discovered the essential role of endogenous retroviruses in embryonic development, specifically in the transition from totipotency to pluripotency. This study, which challenges the previous notion of ‘junk DNA’, sheds light on the symbiotic relationship between viral genes and early embryonic development, with implications for regenerative medicine. ... At least 8% of the human genome is genetic material from viruses. It was considered ‘junk DNA’ until recently, but its role in human development is now known to be essential
... All animals have evolved thanks to the fact that certain viruses infected primitive organisms hundreds of millions of years ago. Viral genetic material was integrated into the genome of the first multi-cellular beings and is still in our DNA today. ...

https://scitechdaily.com/virus-that-...o-development/

But sometimes viruses are not good ...

Millions of people have long Covid, including children and pregnant people, studies show

Millions of people deal with Covid-19 symptoms long after their initial infections. Two new studies – one looking at pregnant people and the other on children – give a better look at the burden from this health problem that doctors say often goes under the radar.

https://us.cnn.com/2024/02/12/health...ren/index.html

Bacteria from way back then ...

New Clues to the First Life on Earth – Researchers Uncover 3.42 Billion-Year-Old Microbial Mysteries

researchers led by the University of Göttingen and Linnӕus University in Sweden have uncovered key findings about the earliest forms of life. In rock samples from South Africa, they found evidence dating to around 3.42 billion years ago of an unprecedentedly diverse carbon cycle involving various microorganisms. This research shows that complex microbial communities already existed in the ecosystems during the Palaeoarchaean period. The results were published in the journal Precambrian Research.

BELOW: A drill core sample from the Barberton greenstone belt used in the study. The dark layers contain particles of carbonaceous matter, the altered remains from Palaeoarchaean microorganisms.

https://scitechdaily.com/new-clues-t...ial-mysteries/

Brain games ...

VIDEO SHOWS HUMAN BRAIN CELLS IN DISH TEACHING THEMSELVES TO PLAY A VIDEOGAME

In a groundbreaking study published in the journal Neuron, scientists were, for the first time, able to show that 800,000 living brain cells trapped in a petri dish can be taught how to play Pong.

"We have shown we can interact with living biological neurons in such a way that compels them to modify their activity," Brett Kagan, chief scientific officer at biotech startup Cortical Labs, said in a press release, "leading to something that resembles intelligence."

For their study, the researchers used both mouse and human cells — the former taken from embryonic mouse brains, while the latter were derived from human stem cells. The cells were then grown on top of microelectrode arrays, which, as the press release explains, could "both stimulate them and read their activity."

From there, it was game on. Literally. A video of the experiment shows the brain cells successfully flinging the ball back and forth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmlJA50gSAU&t=46s

Goggle eyes ...

Some Apple Vision Pro users love the new device. Many online thinks it’s dystopian.
Videos of people sporting the new augmented reality headset have caused a stir across social media in the last week.

The wearable product, which costs $3,500, allows users to see apps, email, video games and more integrated with their real-world surroundings. Since its release last week, some people have shared video of themselves testing it out, while others have made videos observing people who look out of place while using it in public spaces.

Holy spinning black hole! ...

Telescopes Reveal Rapid Spin of Milky Way’s Black Hole Warping Spacetime

A new study may help settle the question of how rapidly the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole is spinning. The black hole, known as Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), contains about 4 million times the mass of the Sun. Using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and NSF’s Very Large Array, this study found Sgr A* is spinning very rapidly. This high spin is warping the spacetime around Sgr A* so it appears to have the shape of an American football. ...

https://scitechdaily.com/telescopes-reveal-rapid-spin-of-milky-ways-black-hole-warping-spacetime/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0ycf3ubd9k&t=16s

Really small gravity ...

Beyond the Visible Universe: New Research Reveals How Gravity Influences the Quantum Realm

Nuclear physicists have discovered gravity’s profound influence on the quantum scale, revealing the strong force’s distribution within protons for the first time. This groundbreaking research, combining historical theoretical insights with modern experimental data, offers unprecedented understanding of the proton’s internal dynamics and sets the stage for future discoveries in nuclear science. ... The research has now revealed, for the first time, a snapshot of the distribution of the strong force inside the proton. This snapshot details the shear stress the force may exert on the quark particles that make up the proton. The result was recently published in Reviews of Modern Physics.

https://scitechdaily.com/beyond-the-visible-universe-new-research-reveals-how-gravity-influences-the-quantum-realm/

Invisible launch ... looking for almost invisible threats ...

New NASA mission launches to observe ‘invisible universe’ on Earth

... A revolutionary new satellite that will provide an unprecedented look at Earth’s microscopic marine life and tiny atmospheric particles has launched. The NASA PACE, or Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, and ocean Ecosystem, mission lifted off at 1:33 a.m. ET Thursday aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. ... https://us.cnn.com/2024/02/08/world/...nce%20Division. ,,,

(to be continued)

Gassho, Jundo

[Jundo]

(continued) ...

Over and out ... but not so fast or final ...

Death’s Riddle: Scientists Decipher the Brain’s Final Signals

Defining death from a neurological perspective is challenging. It’s not an exact moment of transition from life to death, but rather a process spanning several minutes, which in certain instances can be reversed. Researchers from the “Dynamics of Epileptic Networks and Neuronal Excitability” team at the Paris Brain Institute have demonstrated in a prior study that after a long period of oxygen deprivation—called anoxia—brain activity undergoes a cascade of successive changes that can now be described precisely.

When the brain stops receiving oxygen, its stores of ATP, the cells’ fuel, are rapidly depleted. This causes a disruption in the electrical balance of neurons and a massive release of glutamate, an essential excitatory neurotransmitter in the nervous system. “Neural circuits seem to shut down at first… Then we see a surge in brain activity—specifically an increase in gamma and beta waves,” Séverine Mahon, a researcher in neuroscience, explains. “These waves are usually associated with a conscious experience. In this context, they may be involved in near-death experiences reported by people who have survived cardiorespiratory arrest.”

After that, the activity of the neurons gradually diminishes until a state of perfect electrical silence— corresponding to a flat electroencephalogram—is reached. However, this silence is quickly interrupted by the depolarization of neurons, which takes the form of a high-amplitude wave known as the “wave of death”, which alters the function and structure of the brain. “This critical event, called anoxic depolarization, induces neuronal death throughout the cortex. Like a swan song, it is the true marker of transition towards the cessation of all brain activity,” ...

... We also know that a flat EEG does not necessarily mean the definitive cessation of brain functions,” Prof. Stéphane Charpier, head of the research team, concludes. “We now need to establish the exact conditions under which these functions can be restored and develop neuroprotective drugs to support resuscitation in the event of heart and lung failure.” ...

https://scitechdaily.com/deaths-ridd...final-signals/

Sad genes ... Eurocentric depression ...

Depression Decoded: 200+ Genes Unveiled in Global Study

In a landmark study led by UCL researchers, over 200 genes associated with depression were identified, utilizing data from nearly one million people of diverse ancestries. This research not only broadens our understanding of the genetic factors contributing to depression but also opens new pathways for developing treatments, including the repurposing of existing drugs like the diabetes medication metformin. ...

... Surprisingly, the researchers found less overlap in the genetic hits for depression across ancestry groups than expected, at about 30% (based on a new method developed by the research team, to gauge the degree to which a genetic association found in one ancestry group is applicable to another ancestry group), which is less overlap than previously found for other traits and diseases. Therefore, it is even more important to study depression in diverse samples because some of the findings might be ancestry specific.

Lead author Professor Karoline Kuchenbaecker (UCL Psychiatry and UCL Genetics Institute) said: “Here we show beyond doubt that our understanding of such complex diseases as depression will remain incomplete until we overcome the Eurocentric bias in genetics research and look for causes in diverse people across the world.

“Many genes previously found to be linked to the risk of depression might only actually affect depression risk in people of European origin, so in order for genetic research to contribute to new drugs that can help people of all ancestries, it is vital that our genetic datasets are suitably diverse.”

https://scitechdaily.com/depression-...-global-study/

Moon River ...

Lunar Hydrosphere Unveiled: Discovery Changes Understanding of Water’s History on the Moon

New research from a Western University postdoctoral fellow shows the early lunar crust, which makes up the surface of the Moon, was considerably enriched in water more than 4 billion years ago, counter to previously held understanding. The discovery is outlined in a study published on January 15 in the high impact journal Nature Astronomy. ... “Unravelling the history of water in the earliest-formed lunar crust approximately 4.5 billion years ago is important for improving our understanding of the origin of water in the Solar System. Ancient rock samples from the Moon in the form of lunar meteorites provide an excellent opportunity for undertaking such investigations,” ...

More water, more room for life ...

Expanding the Universe’s Habitable Zone: New Research Reshapes Our Search for Alien Worlds

New research redefines the Habitable Zone of exoplanets by considering subglacial liquid water, extending potentially habitable conditions beyond traditional boundaries. Supported by recent JWST observations, this study broadens the scope for finding life on exoplanets, especially those orbiting M-dwarf stars. ... The classical Habitable Zone, often colloquially referred to as the “Goldilocks Zone,” typically defines the region around a star where conditions allow the presence of surface liquid water and, by extension, life as we understand it. However, Professor Wandel’s research offers a fresh perspective by illustrating that the existence of subglacial liquid water can considerably extend this zone. ... The study delineates how an atmosphere and liquid water could coexist on these planets, pushing the limits of the Habitable Zone further than previously assumed. ...

https://scitechdaily.com/expanding-t...-alien-worlds/

Buncha darn immigrants ...

Unearthing Europe’s First Homo sapiens 45,000 Years Later

The arrival of Homo sapiens in cold northern latitudes took place several thousand years before Neanderthals disappeared in southwest Europe.

The three published studies describe the Homo sapiens fossils from Ilsenhöhle at Ranis and their associated context (Mylopotamitaki et al.), the diet and lifeways of these first pioneers (Smith et al.), and the environmental conditions they faced in Central and NW Europe (Pederzani et al.).

... It turns out that stone artifacts that were thought to be produced by Neanderthals were in fact part of the early H. sapiens tool kit. This fundamentally changes our previous knowledge about this time period: H. sapiens reached northwestern Europe long before Neanderthal disappearance in southwestern Europe, ...

... Radiocarbon dating was used to understand when humans occupied the cave. Homo sapiens bones from both the 1930s and 2016 to 2022 excavations were directly dated using very small amounts of bone to preserve the material for further analyses. The dates show that these individuals were some of the earliest Homo sapiens to inhabit Europe. ...
Furthermore, the team found that Homo sapiens ventured into Europe under severe cold climatic conditions. Moving in small groups, they shared their environment and sites with large carnivores, like hyenas, and they manufactured elaborately crafted leaf-shaped stone tools.

“The results from the Ilsenhöhle in Ranis fundamentally change our ideas about the chronology and settlement history of Europe north of the Alps. It is especially exciting that we now have the oldest H. sapiens here in Thuringia, Germany,” says Tim Schüler of the Thüringisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und Archäologie.

https://scitechdaily.com/unearthing-europes-first-homo-sapiens-45000-years-later/

BELOW: Human bone fragment from the new excavations at Ranis.

Japan lift ...

7.5 Magnitude Earthquake Lifts Parts of Japan Up to 13 Feet

Some parts of the peninsula rose up to 4 meters (13 feet), shifting the position of coastlines and leaving some ports dry. ...

https://scitechdaily.com/7-5-magnitu...up-to-13-feet/

Can't trust our own eyes and ears these days ...

Finance worker pays out $25 million after video call with deepfake ‘chief financial officer’

A finance worker at a multinational firm was tricked into paying out $25 million to fraudsters using deepfake technology to pose as the company’s chief financial officer in a video conference call, according to Hong Kong police.

The elaborate scam saw the worker duped into attending a video call with what he thought were several other members of staff, but all of whom were in fact deepfake recreations, Hong Kong police said at a briefing on Friday.

“(In the) multi-person video conference, it turns out that everyone [he saw] was fake,” senior superintendent Baron Chan Shun-ching told the city’s public broadcaster RTHK.

Chan said the worker had grown suspicious after he received a message that was purportedly from the company’s UK-based chief financial officer. Initially, the worker suspected it was a phishing email, as it talked of the need for a secret transaction to be carried out.

However, the worker put aside his early doubts after the video call because other people in attendance had looked and sounded just like colleagues he recognized, Chan said.

Believing everyone else on the call was real, the worker agreed to remit a total of $200 million Hong Kong dollars – about $25.6 million, the police officer added.

The case is one of several recent episodes in which fraudsters are believed to have used deepfake technology to modify publicly available video and other footage to cheat people out of money. ...

... On at least 20 occasions, AI deepfakes had been used to trick facial recognition programs by imitating the people pictured on the identity cards, according to police. ...

https://us.cnn.com/2024/02/04/asia/d...hnk/index.html

AI faked elections too ...

A fake recording of a candidate saying he’d rigged the election went viral. Experts say it’s only the beginning

Days before a pivotal election in Slovakia to determine who would lead the country, a damning audio recording spread online in which one of the top candidates seemingly boasted about how he’d rigged the election.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, his voice could be heard on another recording talking about raising the cost of beer.

The recordings immediately went viral on social media, and the candidate, who is pro-NATO and aligned with Western interests, was defeated in September by an opponent who supported closer ties to Moscow and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

https://us.cnn.com/2024/02/01/politi...nvs/index.html

AI hard to detect ...

Why AI-generated audio is so hard to detect
Dozens of tools and apps have sprung up to try to detect AI-created audio, but they are inherently flawed, experts told NBC News.

... While dozens of tools and products have popped up to try to detect AI-generated audio, those programs are inherently limited, experts told NBC News, and won’t provide a surefire way for anyone to quickly and reliably determine whether audio they hear is from a real person.

Deepfake detection systems work very differently from how human beings listen. They analyze audio samples for artifacts like missing frequencies that are often left behind when audio is programmatically generated. Often, they focus on particular aspects of speech, like how the speaker seems to breathe or how much the pitch of their voice goes up and down. ...

Most detection programs are trained to identify existing deepfake algorithms, making them a step behind new innovations, he said. “Machine learning is really good at telling you about something it’s seen before, but it’s not so good about reasoning about things it hasn’t seen,” Traynor said.

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/misinfo...del-rcna136634

What would this sentence look like as a picture?

OpenAI introduces AI model that turns text into video

Microsoft-backed OpenAI is working on a software that can generate minute-long videos based on text prompts, the company said on Thursday. The software, called Sora, is currently available for red teaming, which helps identify flaws in the AI system, as well as for use by visual artists, designers and filmmakers to gain feedback on the model, the company said in a statement. "Sora is able to generate complex scenes with multiple characters, specific types of motion, and accurate details of the subject and background," the statement said, adding that it can create multiple shots within a single video. ... Apart from generating videos from text prompts, Sora can animate a still image ...

https://www.reuters.com/technology/o...eo-2024-02-15/

AI Child ...

World’s first AI child unveiled in Beijing by award-winning Chinese scientist who left US for China

The AI entity has been unveiled at an exhibition by the Beijing Institute for General Artificial Intelligence

Called Tong Tong, or Little Girl, she can assign herself tasks, learn autonomously and explore her environment

As the South China Morning Post reports, visitors at the Frontiers of General Artificial Intelligence Technology Exhibition held in Beijing at the end of January were able to interact with the avatar representing Tong Tong, a virtual toddler whose name translates to "Little Girl" in English.

Created at the Beijing Institute for General Artificial Intelligence (BIGAI) — which, yes, are dedicated to building artificial general intelligence, or human-level AI — Tong Tong is the brainchild of Zhu Songchun, the institute's computer scientist founder who specializes in "cognitive artificial intelligence," or AI designed to mimic human cognition. While AI avatars can have all kinds of simulated appearances and personalities, they say Tong Tong is designed to break new technical ground by not only executing tasks given to her in a virtual environment, but independently giving herself new tasks as well.

"Tong Tong possesses a mind and strives to understand the common sense taught by humans," a Chinese-language video from BIGAI about the child sim says, per SCMP's translation. "She discerns right from wrong, expresses her attitudes in various situations, and has the power to shape the future." https://www.scmp.com/news/china/scie...-child-beijing

Faster then light ... but which reality? ...

TRAVELING FASTER THAN LIGHT WOULD MEAN EXPERIENCING MULTIPLE TIMELINES SIMULTANEOUSLY

An international team of physicists has cooked up with a new theory that could allow for objects to travel faster than the speed of light — and while they say it wouldn't technically violate the laws of physics, it would lead to phenomena so mind-bending that it'd make the end of "Interstellar" look normal. ... How, you might ask? Through a "1+3 space-time" framework, which flips the idea of three spatial dimensions and one time dimension in favor of three time dimensions and a single spatial dimension ...

Based on this new model, superluminal objects would look like a particle expanding like a bubble through space – not unlike a wave through a field. The high-speed object, on the other hand, would 'experience' several different timelines.

Even so, the speed of light in a vacuum would remain constant even for those observers going faster than it, which preserves one of Einstein's fundamental principles – a principle that has previously only been thought about in relation to observers going slower than the speed of light (like all of us). ...

https://www.sciencealert.com/study-shows-how-the-universe-would-look-if-you-broke-the-speed-of-light-and-its-weird

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/1...61-6382/acad60

Gassho, J

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