An evolutionary approach to consciousness can resolve the ‘hard problem’ – with radical implications for animal sentience by Nicholas Humphrey + BIO.
Summary: Brain organoids are helping researchers map the molecular, genetic, and structural changes that occur during brain development.
Source: ETH Zurich.
The human brain is probably the most complex organ in the entire living world and has long been an object of fascination for researchers. However, studying the brain, and especially the genes and molecular switches that regulate and direct its development, is no easy task.
Editing technology is precise and broadly applicable to all tissues and species.
Scientists at Duke University have developed an RNA
Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a polymeric molecule similar to DNA that is essential in various biological roles in coding, decoding, regulation and expression of genes. Both are nucleic acids, but unlike DNA, RNA is single-stranded. An RNA strand has a backbone made of alternating sugar (ribose) and phosphate groups. Attached to each sugar is one of four bases—adenine (A), uracil (U), cytosine ©, or guanine (G). Different types of RNA exist in the cell: messenger RNA (mRNA), ribosomal RNA (rRNA), and transfer RNA (tRNA).
No one imaging mode can catch everything that’s going on inside the brain, since it is such a complex organ. Multiple “brain maps” have emerged over the years, with each focusing on different brain processes, from metabolism to cognitive function. These maps are indeed important, but using them in isolation limits the discoveries scientists can make from them.
More than forty existing brain maps have now been collected in one place by a team from The Neuro. Called neuromaps, the database will help researchers find correlations between patterns across different brain regions, modalities, spatial scales, and brain functions. To assist researchers in differentiating between a relevant association and a random pattern, it offers a standardized space to see each map in comparison to one another and evaluates the statistical significance of these comparisons. Additionally, the neuromaps database helps standardize the code across maps, to improve reproducibility of results.
Richard Gott, co author with Neil De Grasse Tyson of “Welcome to The Universe” argues the key to understanding the origin of the universe may be the concept of closed time like curves. These are solutions to Einstein’s theory that may allow time travel into the past. in this film, Richard Gott of Princeton University explains the model he developed with LIxin Li. Gott explores the possibility of a closed time like curve forming in the early universe and how this might lead to the amazing property of the universe being able to create itself. Gott is one of the leading experts in time travel solution to Einstein’s equations and is author of the book “Time Travel In Einstein’s Universe”.
This film is part of a series of films exploring competing models of th early universe with the creators of those models. We have interviewed Stephen Hawking, Roger Penrose, Alan Guth and many other leaders of the field. To see other episodes, click on the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJ4zAUPI-qqqj2D8eSk7yoa4hnojoCR4m.
We would like to thank the following who helped us are this movie:
Animations:
Morn 1415
David Yates.
NASA
ESA
M Buser, E Kajari, and WP Schleich.
Storyblocks.
Nina McCurdy, Anthony Aguirre, Joel Primack, Nancy Abrams.
Pixabay.
Ziri Younsi.
Continue reading “Before the Big Bang 6: Can the Universe Create Itself?” »
One of the hallmarks of aging, cellular senescence is what happens when aging cells do not die in the usual way (a process known as apoptosis) and start to accumulate in our bodies. The accumulation of these “senescent” cells is implicated in diseases including dementias, atherosclerosis, cancers, diabetes and arthritis. But senescence is not just part of the aging process – it tends to occur in individuals who develop frailty and multiple illnesses, and this can occur at any point during life.
In 2015, a team of researchers at the Mayo Clinic, led by Dr James L Kirkland, published a seminal paper in Aging Cell that introduced a new class of drugs called senolytics. Based on the idea that removing senescent cells may enhance human healthspan, these drugs were identified based on their ability to selectively target and eliminate those cells.
Longevity. Technology: Since the discovery of the first senolytics, hundreds of others have since been identified or created, and senotherapeutics is now one of the hottest areas in longevity, with a host of clinical trials under way and companies pursuing senolytic therapies for a range of age-related conditions. But what does the man who started it all think about the therapeutic field he helped create? In the first of two articles, we bring you Dr Kirkland’s unique perspective on the world of senolytics.
New research from the University of Cincinnati bolsters a hypothesis that Alzheimer’s disease is caused by a decline in levels of a specific protein, contrary to a prevailing theory that has been recently called into question.
UC researchers led by Alberto Espay, MD, and Andrea Sturchio, MD, in collaboration with the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, published the research on Oct. 4 in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
The research is focused on a protein called amyloid-beta. The protein normally carries out its functions in the brain in a form that is soluble, meaning dissolvable in water, but it sometimes hardens into clumps, known as amyloid plaques.
A new theory of consciousness (that is, how we perceive ourselves and the world around us) has been proposed, in which our brains aren’t actually actively…
Summary: A newly discovered second stem cell population in the mouse brain is responsible for the production of new neurons in the olfactory bulb of adult mice.
Source: Heidelburg University.
In the brain of adult mammals, neural stem cells ensure that new nerve cells, i.e. neurons, are constantly formed. This process, known as adult neurogenesis, helps mice maintain their sense of smell.
Summary: Boosting omega-3 fatty acid intake helps to preserve brain health and improve cognition in middle age, a new study reports. For those with the Alzheimer’s associated APOE4 gene, omega-3 fatty acid intake was associated with greater hippocampal volume and less small vessel disease.
Source: UT San Antonio.
Eating cold-water fish and other sources of omega-3 fatty acids may preserve brain health and enhance cognition in middle age, new evidence indicates.
