Lifeboat Foundation

Recently, two independent research groups have shown that the brain codes for zero much as it does for other numbers, on a mental number line. But, one of the studies found, zero also holds a special status in the brain.

In recent years, research started to uncover how the human brain represents numbers, but no one examined how it handles zero. Now two independent studies, led by Nieder and Barnett, respectively, have shown that the brain codes for zero much as it does for other numbers, on a mental number line. But, one of the studies found, zero also holds a special status in the brain.

“The fact that [zero] represents nothing is a contradiction in itself,” said Carlo Semenza, a professor emeritus of neuroscience at the University of Padua in Italy who wasn’t involved in either study. “It looks like it is concrete because people put it on the number line — but then it doesn’t exist. … That is fascinating, absolutely fascinating.”

Continue reading “How the Human Brain Contends With the Strangeness of Zero” »

Actin, a family of proteins that help give cells their shape, are abundant throughout the body.

Humans aren’t the only ones who grow forgetful as they age—fruit flies do, too. But because fruit flies have a lifespan of only about two months, they can be a useful model for understanding the cognitive decline that comes with aging.

A new study published in Nature Communications shows that when a common cell structural protein called filamentous actin, or F-actin, builds up in the brain, it inhibits a key process that removes unnecessary or dysfunctional components within cells, including DNA, lipids, proteins and organelles.

Continue reading “Scientists can reverse brain aging in fruit flies by preventing buildup of a common protein” »

There are rare cells in the gut called enteroendocrine cells (EECs) that could be manipulated in a variety of ways to detect or treat disease.

The trillions of microbes in our gastrointestinal tract, known as the gut microbiome, are crucial to the body; the gut microbiome aids in digestion, nutrient absorption, and influences our health in different ways. But the body also has to be protected from all of those microbes, which are kept behind a tight barrier. But if the intestinal barrier is dysfunctional, or leaky, serious problems can arise.

Continue reading “How Rare Intestinal Cells May Work as a Kind of Therapeutic Sensor” »

Organization runs deep in our family tree, if we use the literal definition of “organize”: to be furnished with organs. Eukaryotes emerged billions of years ago, bringing with them the copious benefits of compartmentalization.

All modern multicellular life — all life that any of us regularly see — is made of cells with a knack for compartmentalization. Recent discoveries are revealing how the first eukaryote got its start.

At 81, however, Scott maintains that he does not have time to wait for the FDA to approve the age-reversal treatments needed to achieve his goal of immorality.

“My concern is me, not the regulations which have been created,” he said.

Kenneth Scott travels internationally for experimental treatments, doesn’t use soap, and spends hundreds of thousands of dollars on his quest for immortality.

A colossal structure in the distant Universe is defying our understanding of how the Universe evolved. In light that has traveled for 6.9 billion years to reach us, astronomers have found a giant, almost perfect ring of galaxies, some 1.3 billion light-years in diameter. It doesn’t match any known structure or formation mechanism.

‘During the launch of Denmark’s inaugural AI supercomputer, Gefion, alongside Jensen Huang, King Frederik of Denmark remarked, ‘I am not the only king in this room; the other one is wearing a leather jacket.’‘

8,794 likes, — daily_learningfacts on October 20, 2024: ‘Drone Show in China #dailylearningfacts #shortvideo #facts #fyp #usa #viral’

ASTRONAUTS aboard the International Space Station (ISS) have been told to prepare for an urgent evacuation.

The ISS is aging, and is due to be retired by the end of the decade.