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Archive for the ‘biotech/medical’ category: Page 621

Apr 4, 2023

Serotonin gates the transfer of visual information from the eyes to the thalamus

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, neuroscience

Humans are known to perceive the environment around them differently based on the situation they are in and their own feelings and sensations. Internal states, such as fear, arousal or hunger can thus affect the ways in which sensory information is processed and registered by the brain.

Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Peking University have recently carried out a study investigating the possible effects of , a neurotransmitter known to regulate sleep, mood, , and other inner states, in the processing of visual information. Their findings, published in Neuron, suggest that serotonergic neurons in the brainstem (i.e., the central trunk of the mammalian brain) gate the transfer of visual information from the eyes to the thalamus, an egg-shaped area of the brain.

“Internal states are known to affect sensory perception and processing, but this was generally thought to occur in the cortex or thalamus,” Chinfei Chen, one of the researchers who carried out the study, told Medical Xpress. “One of our previous studies revealed that arousal can suppress certain visual information channels at an earlier stage of the visual pathway–at the connection between the mouse retina and the thalamus, before the information even reaches the brain. This form of ‘filtering’ of information suggests a very efficient means of processing only relevant information.”

Apr 4, 2023

Wired-up symbiotic multi-organism can turn sunlight and air into valuable proteins

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, chemistry, food

Symbiont could enable microfactories to produce biochemicals for food, farming and drugs.

Apr 4, 2023

A new mitochondrial theory of Alzheimer’s deserves serious attention

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, life extension, neuroscience

A “grand unifying theory” of brain ageing suggests malfunctioning mitochondria might be to blame for Alzheimer’s and other brain conditions. And this new avenue of exploration already has some potential therapies at the ready.

Apr 4, 2023

Plastic transistor amplifies biochemical sensing signal

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, chemistry, computing, health

The molecules in our bodies are in constant communication. Some of these molecules provide a biochemical fingerprint that could indicate how a wound is healing, whether or not a cancer treatment is working or that a virus has invaded the body. If we could sense these signals in real time with high sensitivity, then we might be able to recognize health problems faster and even monitor disease as it progresses.

Now Northwestern University researchers have developed a new technology that makes it easier to eavesdrop on our body’s inner conversations.

While the body’s chemical signals are incredibly faint—making them difficult to detect and analyze—the researchers have developed a new method that boosts signals by more than 1,000 times. Transistors, the building block of electronics, can boost weak signals to provide an amplified output. The new approach makes signals easier to detect without complex and bulky electronics.

Apr 4, 2023

The quantum revolution: Brain waves

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, media & arts, neuroscience, quantum physics

Presented by Madhumita Murgia and John Thornhill, produced by Josh Gabert-Doyon and Edwin Lane. Executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design by Breen Turner and Samantha Giovinco. Original music by Metaphor Music. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Special thanks to The Hospital for Sick Children.

We’re keen to hear more from our listeners about this show and want to know what you’d like to hear more of, so we’re running a survey which you can find at ft.com/techtonicsurvey. It takes about 10 minutes to complete and you will be in with a chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort earbuds.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com.

Apr 4, 2023

A Boy and His Dog | Post-Apocalypse | Don Johnson | Classic Drama Film

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, entertainment, food, sex

Classic Drama Movie: A Boy and His Dog — A young man and his telepathic dog wander through a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

A Boy and His Dog (1975)
Director: L.Q. Jones.
Writers: L.Q. Jones(screenplay), Harlan Ellison(novella), Wayne Cruseturner(uncredited)
Stars: Don Johnson, Jason Robards, Susanne Benton.
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller.
Country: United States.
Language: English.
Release Date: March 1975 (USA)
Duration: 86 min.
Filming locations: Coyote Dry Lake, California, USA

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Apr 4, 2023

How Order Emerges in Bendy Beam Bunches

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, materials

The behavior of a collection of squeezed elastic beams is determined by geometry, not by complex forces.

When a collection of thin elastic beams—such as toothbrush bristles or grass—is compressed vertically, the individual elements will buckle and bump into one another, forming patterns. Experiments and numerical simulations now show that basic geometry controls how order emerges in these patterns [1]. The results could be useful for designing flexible materials and for understanding interactions among flexible structures in nature, such as DNA strands in cells.

Studies of bending and buckling have often focused on the behavior of a single membrane, such as a thin disc of polystyrene fabric, a sheet of crumpled paper, or even a bell pepper. But few models have tackled the dynamics of a group of many elastic objects.

Apr 4, 2023

Deadly dengue virus hijacks mosquito saliva to spread sickness

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

The saliva of mosquitoes infected with dengue viruses contains a substance that thwarts the human immune system and makes it easier for people to become infected with the potentially deadly viruses, new research published in PLOS Pathogens reveals.

Dengue has spread in recent years to Europe and the southern United States in addition to longstanding hotspots in tropical and subtropical areas such as Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America. The new discovery, from a University of Virginia School of Medicine scientist and his collaborators, helps explain why the disease is so easily transmitted—and could eventually lead to new ways to prevent infection.

“It is remarkable how clever these viruses are. They subvert mosquito biology to tamp down our immune responses so that infection can take hold,” said Dr. Mariano A. Garcia-Blanco, who recently joined the UVA faculty as chair of the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology. “There is no doubt in my mind that a better understanding of the fundamental biology of transmission will eventually lead to effective transmission-blocking measures.”

Apr 3, 2023

Merging Artificial Intelligence and Physics Simulations To Design Innovative Materials

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, chemistry, robotics/AI

Max Planck scientists explore the possibilities of artificial intelligence in materials science and publish their review in the journal Nature Computational Science.

Advanced materials become increasingly complex due to the high requirements they have to fulfil regarding sustainability and applicability. Dierk Raabe, and colleagues reviewed the use of artificial intelligence in materials science and the untapped spaces it opens if combined with physics-based simulations. Compared to traditional simulation methods, AI has several advantages and will play a crucial role in material sciences in the future.

Advanced materials are urgently needed for everyday life, be it in high technology, mobility, infrastructure, green energy or medicine. However, traditional ways of discovering and exploring new materials encounter limits due to the complexity of chemical compositions, structures and targeted properties. Moreover, new materials should not only enable novel applications, but also include sustainable ways of producing, using and recycling them.

Apr 3, 2023

Post-Singularity Predictions — How will our lives, corporations, and nations adapt to AI revolution?

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, finance, law, robotics/AI, singularity

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Discord: https://discord.gg/yqaBG5rh4j.

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/ArtificialSentience/
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