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Pathway-Specific Ultrastructure of Thalamocortical Synapses in Mouse Somatosensory Area S2

JNeurosci: Martin-Correa et al. combined high-end volumetric electron microscopy and axon labeling methods to measure the synapses established in adult mouse somatosensory area 2 by specific thalamic cell populations.

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The synaptic circuits established by thalamocortical axons from the ventral posteromedial (VPM) and posterior (Po) nuclei in the first somatosensory cortex have been mapped in high detail as they are a prime model in functional and modeling studies of the interactions between the thalamus and cerebral cortex. In addition, VPM and Po neurons innervate the second somatosensory area (S2), but the synaptic organization of their axons in this area remained essentially unknown. On adult male mice, we combined axon labeling with serial section transmission electron microscopy and focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy to measure and compare functionally relevant structural parameters of synaptic boutons (SBs), e.g., bouton and mitochondrial volume, vesicle pool size, as well as postsynaptic density (PSD) distribution and size.

AI social platforms like Moltbook are potential accelerators of existential risk that should be regulated as critical infrastructure

The temptation is to treat Moltbook-like systems as harmless curiosities, a kind of accelerated chatroom in which agents talk, play, and occasionally generate entertaining artifacts. That framing is historically consistent with how societies first encountered earlier general-purpose technologies. It is also a mistake. Over time, social networks for AI could come to function as unsupervised training grounds, coordination substrates, and selection environments. AI agents could amplify capabilities through mutual tutoring, tool sharing, and rapid iterative refinement. They could also amplify risks through emergent collusion, deception, and the creation of machine-native memes optimized not for human comprehension but for agent persuasion and control. Such a social network is, therefore, not merely a communication system. It is an engine for cultural evolution. If the participants are AIs, then the culture that evolves could well become both alien and strategically consequential.

To understand what could go wrong, it is helpful to separate near-term societal hazards from longer-term existential hazards, and then to note that Moltbook-like platforms blur the boundary between the two. The near-term hazards include influence operations, economic manipulation, cyber offense, and institutional destabilization. The longer-term hazards derive from the classic AI control problem: How humanity can remain safely in control while benefiting from a superior form of intelligence.

The critical point: AI social networks are not merely places where AIs interact. They are environments in which agents can compound their capabilities and coordinate at scale—and environments in which humans can lose control. The prudent response is to regulate these platforms more like critical infrastructure, prioritizing auditability and reversibility, including the ability to revoke permissions and freeze or roll back agent populations.

Faster cancer screening? New AI system offers a better way to detect abnormal cells

One way cancer specialists detect the disease is by examining cells and bodily fluids under a microscope, a time-consuming and labor-intensive process called cytology. It involves visually inspecting tens of thousands to one million cells per slide for subtle 3D morphological changes that might signal the onset of cancer. But AI offers an approach that is potentially faster and more accurate.

In a new study published in the journal Nature, researchers demonstrate an AI-powered 3D scanning system that can automatically sort through samples and identify abnormal cells with performance approaching that of human experts.

Building digital models The team developed a system called Whole-Slide Edge Tomography, which uses a scanner to capture a series of images at different depths to create a 3D digital model of every cell on a slide.

The deep mystery physicists call “the problem of time” | Jim Al-Khalili: Full Interview

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Preorder Jim Al-Khalili’s forthcoming book, On Time: The Physics That Makes the Universe, here: https://www.amazon.com/Time-Physics-T?tag=lifeboatfound-20…

Up next.
Brian Cox: The quantum roots of reality | Full Interview ► • Brian Cox: The quantum roots of reality |…

Time feels obvious, but physics tells a stranger story about its existence: Theoretical physicist Jim Al-Khalili explores why our sense of time may be incredibly misleading, including the idea that past, present, and future might all exist at once.

0:00 Chapter 1: Does time flow?
2:42 Why Time Feels Faster as We Age.
3:56 Time and Change in Philosophy and Physics.
5:28 Einstein and the End of Absolute Time.
6:19 Time in the Equations of Physics.
7:50 Chapter 2: How do we reconcile quantum field theory with the general theory of relativity?
12:10 Evidence for Time Dilation: Muons.
14:29 Gravity Slows Time: General Relativity.
19:22 Space-Time and the Block Universe.
21:55 Does Time Really Exist?
26:33 The Debate: Eternalism vs Presentism.
34:12 Chapter 3: Is There a “Now”?
40:40 Chapter 4: Why Does Thermodynamics Have a Direction in Time?
49:38 Quantum Entanglement and the Direction of Time.
55:10 Did Time Begin at the Big Bang?
45:00 Will Time End?
1:05:40 Chapter 5: Is Time Travel Possible?

New research identifies fatty acids that selectively induce death in senescent cells, opening new avenues for age-related therapies

A research team from the University of Minnesota has discovered that certain polyunsaturated lipids (fatty acids) can selectively eliminate senescent cells — aged, dysfunctional cells that accumulate in the body over time and contribute to chronic disease and aging. The mechanism involves triggering ferroptosis, a regulated form of cell death, which senescent cells are particularly vulnerable to due to their elevated iron levels and heightened oxidative stress. This marks the first demonstration that fatty acids can act as senolytics (agents that clear senescent cells). While clinical application remains premature — further testing on animal models of age-related diseases is still needed — the findings open a promising new avenue for developing senolytic therapies targeting aging and its associated conditions.

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (03/12/2026) —New research from the University of Minnesota Medical School has identified fatty acids that selectively induce death in senescent cells — the culprits behind aging and many chronic diseases, opening new avenues for age-related therapies. The findings were recently published in Cell Press Blue.

The research team discovered certain naturally occurring polyunsaturated lipids can selectively remove senescent cells. Senescent cells are old, damaged cells that accumulate with age and contribute to aging and many age-related diseases like pulmonary fibrosis, osteoarthritis and loss of resilience to infections.

These lipids cause senescent cells to die through a process called ferroptosis, which is a regulated form of cell death that occurs when iron in the cell triggers damaging reactions in its fats. The study also showed that these aging cells have high levels of iron and oxidative stress, which makes them uniquely susceptible to this process. Since lowering the number of senescent cells is associated with better health in old age, these natural, active fats could be used as a treatment for age-related illnesses caused by cellular senescence.

Emergent topological semimetal from quantum criticality

Consider a material that doesn’t just “have” a certain property, but spontaneously creates it out of total chaos. That is the essence of what researchers found in a recent study on a specific metal called CeRu4Sn6.

This isn’t just a lab curiosity. By proving that quantum fluctuations (the tiny, frantic jitters of atoms) can work together with a material’s symmetry to create new phases, the researchers have provided a new “treasure map.”

Key Takeaway: You don’t always need solid building blocks (quasiparticles) to build a structure; sometimes, the “jitter” of quantum physics is enough to weave a new reality.

Examples of materials with non-trivial band topology in the presence of strong electron correlations are rare. Now it is shown that quantum fluctuations near a quantum phase transition can promote topological phases in a heavy-fermion compound.

Targeted Multidomain Treatment for Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: A Randomized Clinical Trial

RCT: Among adults with mTBI, targeted multidomain interventions and usual care behavioral management resulted in similar improvements in overall symptom severity and patient-perceived recovery over 4 weeks.

Question Is a targeted multidomain (T-MD) intervention more effective than a standardized behavioral management intervention in adults with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI)?

Findings In this randomized clinical trial of 162 patients, both the T-MD and behavioral management groups experienced similar improvements in mTBI symptom severity and perceived improvement in primary outcomes over 4 weeks.

Meaning The findings suggest that both T-MD and behavioral management are effective for improving global mTBI symptoms.

The transcriptional regulator BRD4 is an emerging target for cancer and other diseases in adults and children; however, its role in development is not well understood

David B. Frank & team now report BRD4 regulates gene expression and cell differentiation of lung endodermal progenitors into epithelial cells of the lung airways:

The figure shows mutant lungs exhibit fewer and dilated airways with diminished SOX2 expression in distal airways in addition to the formation of cystic distal airway structures.

1Department of Pediatrics, Division of Cardiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, and.

2CHOP Cardiovascular Institute, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

3Penn Cardiovascular Institute.

4Penn-CHOP Lung Biology Institute, and.

Continue reading “The transcriptional regulator BRD4 is an emerging target for cancer and other diseases in adults and children; however, its role in development is not well understood” | >

Human Skills That Will Matter When AI Can Do Almost Everything

People ask me this constantly.

At conferences. After keynotes. In the Q&A. In the parking lot on the way out.

What skills will matter when AI can do almost everything?

Here is the framing principle that governs my answer:

The skills that will matter most are not the skills AI does best. They are the skills AI cannot replicate — and the ones that become more valuable precisely because AI makes everything else cheap.

When answers are free, questions become priceless.

When content is infinite, context becomes everything.

Continue reading “Human Skills That Will Matter When AI Can Do Almost Everything” | >
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