Musk revealed the company’s next ambitious goal: restoring sight to the blind.
Category: neuroscience – Page 259
A new gene-editing system tackles complex diseases
The human genome consists of around 3 billion base pairs and humans are all 99.6% identical in their genetic makeup. That small 0.4% accounts for any difference between one person and another. Specific combinations of mutations in those base pairs hold important clues about the causes of complex health issues, including heart disease and neurodegenerative diseases like schizophrenia.
Chinese researchers successfully revive human brain frozen for 18 months
In a stunning scientific feat in the field of cryonics, a team from Fudan University in Shanghai achieved a monumental breakthrough by successfully reviving a human brain that had been frozen for as long as 18 months. This record breaking achievement not only shatters previous records in cryogenic technology but has also been published in the esteemed academic journal Cell Reports Methods.
The team led by Shao Zhicheng created a revolutionary cryopreservation method, dubbed MEDY, which preserves the structural integrity and functionality of neural cells, allowing for the preservation of various brain tissues and human brain specimens. This advancement holds immense promise not only for research into neurological disorders but also opens up possibilities for the future of human cryopreservation technology.
Professor Joao Pedro Magalhaes from the University of Birmingham K expressed profound astonishment at the development, hailing the technology’s ability to prevent cell death and help preserve neural functionality as nothing short of miraculous. He speculated that in the future, terminally ill patients could be cryopreserved, awaiting cures that may emerge, while astronauts could be frozen for interstellar travel, awakening in distant galaxies.
Upgrading brain storage: Quantifying how much information our synapses can hold
With each flip you make through a deck of vocabulary word flashcards, their definitions come more quickly, more easily. This process of learning and remembering new information strengthens important connections in your brain. Recalling those new words and definitions more easily with practice is evidence that those neural connections, called synapses, can grow stronger or weaker over time—a feature known as synaptic plasticity.
A Biblical Case for Annihilation — Dr. Bart Ehrman
Annihilationism is the belief that unbelievers will not experience an eternity of suffering in hell, but will instead be “extinguished.” Dr. Bart Ehrman discusses why Jesus and Paul believed in annihilation. Full video: • Exploring Early Christian Narratives…
Dr. Bart Ehrman is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where he has taught thousands of students and won numerous awards.
Bart’s work has been featured in The New York Times, the Washington Post, the Times Literary Supplement, the New Yorker, Time, and Newsweek; he has appeared on National Geographic, CNN, the BBC, NBC’s Dateline, the Discovery Channel, Fresh Air with Terry Gross, the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, the Sam Harris Podcast, and many other top media outlets. Subscribe to his blog here:
https://ehrmanblog.org/
Delgado Podcast features discussions with academics, authors, artists and people who challenge our thinking and help us grow in more compassion. This season is focused on the ways our spirituality, faith, and/or religious identities impact our understanding of justice, race, gender, sexuality, mental health, and religious texts. More about the show here:
You can also get the podcast here:
Spotify: http://bit.ly/delgadopod.
Startup claims they have created AI head transplant system, plans to perform first procedure within decade
Scientists put their heads together for an insane medical breakthrough.
Neuroscience and biomedical engineering startup BrainBridge announced that it has created an AI-mechanized system for performing head transplants.
The procedure would graft a head onto the body of a brain-dead donor, maintaining the memories, cognitive abilities and consciousness of the transplanted individual.
Frozen human brain tissue can now be revived without damage
New research has shown that frozen human brain tissue can be revived without damage.
Using a new approach, scientists have successfully frozen and thawed brain organoids and cubes of brain tissue from someone with epilepsy, which could enable better research into neurological conditions.
Groundbreaking Advance in Brain Science: Creating Human Blood-Brain Barrier ‘Assembloids’
In a pioneering achievement, a research team led by experts at Cincinnati Children’s have developed the world’s first human mini-brain that incorporates a fully functional blood-brain barrier (BBB).
This major advance, published May 15, 2024, in Cell Stem Cell, promises to accelerate the understanding and improved treatment of a wide range of brain disorders, including stroke, cerebral vascular disorders, brain cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other neurodegenerative conditions.
“Lack of an authentic human BBB model has been a major hurdle in studying neurological diseases,” says lead corresponding author Ziyuan Guo, PhD, “Our breakthrough involves the generation of human BBB organoids from human pluripotent stem cells, mimicking human neurovascular development to produce a faithful representation of the barrier in growing, functioning brain tissue. This is an important advance because animal models we currently use in research do not accurately reflect human brain development and BBB functionality.”
Altered States of Consciousness More Common Than Believed in Mind-Body Practices
Summary: A new study finds that altered states of consciousness (ASCs), like those experienced during meditation, are more common than previously thought. 45% of respondents reported experiencing ASCs at least once, often leading to positive outcomes.
However, a significant minority also reported negative or even life-threatening suffering, highlighting the need for better support and understanding of these experiences.
FDA approves Neuralink chip for second patient | NewsNation Now
The FDA has allowed billionaire Elon Musk’s Neuralink to implant its brain chip in a second person after it proposed a fix for a problem that occurred in its first patient. Correspondent Brooke Shafer joins \.