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Swimming robots are essential for mapping pollution, studying aquatic ecosystems, and monitoring water quality in sensitive areas such as coral reefs and lake shores. However, many existing models rely on noisy propellers that can disturb or even harm wildlife. Additionally, navigating these environments is challenging due to natural obstacles like plants, animals, and debris.

To address these issues, researchers from the Soft Transducers Lab and the Unsteady Flow Diagnostics Laboratory at EPFL’s School of Engineering, in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, have developed a compact, highly maneuverable swimming robot. Smaller than a credit card and weighing just six grams, this agile robot can navigate tight spaces and carry payloads significantly heavier than itself. Its design makes it particularly suited for confined environments such as rice fields or for inspecting waterborne machinery. The study has been published in Science Robotics.

“In 2020, our team demonstrated autonomous insect-scale crawling robots, but making untethered ultra-thin robots for aquatic environments is a whole new challenge,” says EPFL Soft Transducers Lab head Herbert Shea. “We had to start from scratch, developing more powerful soft actuators, new undulating locomotion strategies, and compact high-voltage electronics”

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Unlock the full potential of CRISPR technology while ensuring precision and safety! In this video, we dive deep into the science of CRISPR gene editing, explore the challenges of off-target effects, and reveal cutting-edge strategies to minimize risks.
📌 Key Topics Covered:

1️⃣ What is CRISPR?

Discover the origins of CRISPR-Cas9, its revolutionary impact on genetics, agriculture, and medicine, and the latest advancements like base editing and AI-driven optimization.
2️⃣ Understanding Off-Target Effects.

Learn why unintended DNA modifications occur, how gRNA promiscuity and nuclease activity contribute to risks, and proven mitigation strategies (e.g., HiFi Cas9, dual gRNA systems).

Continue reading “Genome Editing with CRISPR: How to Effectively Minimize Off-Target Effects” | >

Maybe it’s a life hack or a liability, or a little of both. A surprising result in a new MIT study may suggest that people and animals alike share an inherent propensity to keep updating their approach to a task even when they have already learned how they should approach it, and even if the deviations sometimes lead to unnecessary error.

The behavior of “exploring” when one could just be “exploiting” could make sense for at least two reasons, says Mriganka Sur, senior author of the study published Feb. 18 in Current Biology. Just because a task’s rules seem set one moment doesn’t mean they’ll stay that way in this uncertain world, so altering behavior from the optimal condition every so often could help reveal needed adjustments. Moreover, trying new things when you already know what you like is a way of finding out whether there might be something even better out there than the good thing you’ve got going on right now.

“If the goal is to maximize reward, you should never deviate once you have found the perfect solution, yet you keep exploring,” says Sur, the Paul and Lilah Newton Professor in The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory and the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT. “Why? It’s like food. We all like certain foods, but we still keep trying different foods because you never know, there might be something you could discover.”

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Rain can freefall at speeds of up to 25 miles per hour. If the droplets land in a puddle or pond, they can form a crown-like splash that, with enough force, can dislodge any surface particles and launch them into the air.

Now MIT scientists have taken high-speed videos of droplets splashing into a deep pool, to track how the fluid evolves, above and below the water line, frame by millisecond frame. Their work could help to predict how spashing droplets, such as from rainstorms and irrigation systems, may impact watery surfaces and aerosolize surface particles, such as pollen on puddles or pesticides in agricultural runoff.

The team carried out experiments in which they dispensed water droplets of various sizes and from various heights into a pool of water. Using high-speed imaging, they measured how the liquid pool deformed as the impacting droplet hit the pool’s surface.

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Basically fungi foods can cure nearly all diseases it just requires the right mushroom for the ailment.

Bioactive compounds and metabolites in mushrooms Mushrooms in ancient healing Edible mushrooms with therapeutic potency References Further reading

Fungi have gained significant attention in the field of phytomedicine as potential natural sources of bioactive compounds and secondary metabolites. Fungi that produce visible fruiting bodies are called macrofungi. Mushrooms are edible macrofungi mainly found in rainy and snow-melting seasons.

Mushrooms form macroscopic fruiting bodies that eventually produce and disperse spores. Mushroom spores contain all the essential components that are needed to produce a new fungus. Mushrooms can exist in nature in many forms, including leathery or woody, fleshy, or sub-fleshy forms.

Ancient texts warn of love turning into hatred, as seen in stories like Cain and Abel or “Et tu, Brute?” This talk explores the neurobiology of hatred based on the biology of love: the oxytocin system, attachment networks, and biobehavioral synchrony, which mature through mother-infant bonding and later support group solidarity and out-group hostility. Using this model, we developed Tools of Dialogue© for Israeli and Palestinian youth. After 8 sessions, participants showed reduced hostility, increased empathy, hormonal changes (lower cortisol, higher oxytocin), and lasting attitudes of compromise. Seven years later, these changes supported their peacebuilding efforts, showing how social synchrony can transform hatred into reciprocity and cooperation. Recorded on 02/14/2025. [Show ID: 40386]

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Learn more about anthropogeny on CARTA’s website:
https://carta.anthropogeny.org/

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Continue reading “CARTA: The Biology of Hatred: Why Love Turns to Hatred and What We Can Do About It” | >

Research shows a high-magnesium diet could slow brain aging and lower dementia risk.

A study from the Australian National University shows that increased magnesium intake may help protect against age-related brain decline, particularly benefiting women.

Researchers analyzed data from over 6,000 participants aged 40–73, tracking their dietary magnesium consumption and its effects on brain volume and white matter lesions. Those consuming more than 550 mg of magnesium daily had brains appearing nearly a year younger by age 55 compared to those with lower intake.

The study also found that postmenopausal women experienced the greatest neuroprotective benefits, possibly due to magnesium’s anti-inflammatory properties.

Magnesium, found in foods like leafy greens, nuts, seeds, legumes, and whole grains, has long been known for its health benefits, but this research highlights its potential role in dementia prevention. With no cure for dementia, experts stress the importance of dietary strategies for brain health.

Continue reading “Can a magnesium-rich diet reduce dementia risk?” | >

Forever chemicals affect your genes, according to a recent study.

Scientists have identified 11 genes that are consistently impacted by exposure to harmful chemicals that are found in everything from drinking water to food packaging.

Forever chemicals, also known as PFAS, are a global health concern. PFAS or “per-and poly-fluorinated alkyl substances” are also found in common household objects such as non-stick pans, stain or water-resistant materials as well as paints, carpets and clothes.

They are persistent in the environment and can accumulate in our bodies over time. They have been linked to a range of negative health outcomes, including impacting our genes. Some of the 11 genes that were impacted by PFAS are vital for neuronal health, and they showed altered expression levels after exposure to PFAS compounds. This discovery suggests these genes could serve as potential markers for detecting and monitoring PFAS-induced neurotoxicity.

However, the study also revealed that hundreds of other genes responded differently depending on the exact PFAS compound. While PFAS are known to accumulate in the brain due to their ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, this research provides new insights into the intricate ways these chemicals can interfere with gene expression and potentially disrupt our health. Concerns about PFAS stem from their potential health effects, which may include immune deficiency, liver cancer, and thyroid abnormalities. Due to their persistence and potential health risks, many governments are taking steps to regulate or ban the use of PFAS in various products.

Continue reading ““Forever Chemicals” Called PFAS Show Up in Your Food, Clothes, and Home” | >

A team of scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has developed an artificial ‘worm gut’ to break down plastics, offering hope for a nature-inspired method to tackle the global plastic pollution problem.

By feeding worms with plastics and cultivating microbes found in their guts, researchers from NTU’s School of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) and Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE) have demonstrated a new method to accelerate plastic biodegradation.

Previous studies have shown that Zophobas atratus worms – the larvae of the darkling beetle commonly sold as pet food and known as ‘superworms’ for their nutritional value – can survive on a diet of plastic because its gut contains bacteria capable of breaking down common types of plastic. However, their use in plastics processing has been impractical due to the slow rate of feeding and worm maintenance.

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Humanity can farm more food from the seas to help feed the planet while shrinking mariculture’s negative impacts on biodiversity, according to new research led by the University of Michigan.

There is a catch, though: We need to be strategic about it.

The findings are published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.

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