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Aug 18, 2021

Loss of placental hormone linked to brain and social behavior changes

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, neuroscience

In the study, researchers in the laboratory of Anna Penn, MD, Ph.D., now at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and previously at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., found that reducing amounts of a single hormone, called allopregnanolone (ALLO), in the placenta caused brain and behavior changes in male offspring that resemble changes seen in some people with autism spectrum disorder. The study also found that both brain structure and behavioral changes in the mice could be prevented with a single injection of ALLO in late pregnancy.


Preterm birth has been shown to increase the risk of autism spectrum disorders and other developmental problems, particularly in males. The more premature a baby is, the greater the risk of either motor or cognitive deficits. What does the preterm baby lose that is so critical to long-term outcomes?

A new study, in mice, suggests that one factor may be the loss of a placental hormone that the developing would normally see in the second half of pregnancy.

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Aug 18, 2021

Tiny human brain grown in lab has eye-like structures that ‘see’ light

Posted by in category: neuroscience

A big step in the right direction.


Small blobs of human brain grown in a dish have been coaxed into forming rudimentary eyes, which respond to light by sending signals to the rest of the brain tissue.

Aug 18, 2021

A Glitch in the Matrix

Posted by in category: futurism

https://instagram.com/glitchmatrixdoc.
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What if we are living in a simulation, and the world as we know it is not real? To tackle this mind-bending idea, acclaimed filmmaker Rodney Ascher (ROOM 237 THE NIGHTMARE) uses a noted speech from Philip K. Dick to dive down the rabbit hole of science, philosophy, and conspiracy theory. Leaving no stone unturned in exploring the unprovable, the film uses contemporary cultural touchstones like THE MATRIX, interviews with real people shrouded in digital avatars, and a wide array of voices, expert and amateur alike. If simulation theory is not science fiction but fact, and life is a video game being played by some unknowable entity, then who are we, really? A GLITCH IN THE MATRIX attempts to find out.

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Aug 18, 2021

The ‘world’s most powerful tidal turbine’ starts to export power to the grid

Posted by in category: futurism

The O2 turbine weighs 680 metric tons and has a length of 74 meters.

Aug 18, 2021

Pi Calculated To A Record-Breaking, Whopping 62.8 Trillion Figures

Posted by in categories: mathematics, supercomputing

A team of Swiss researchers from Graubuenden University of Applied Sciences has broken the record for calculating the mathematical constant pi. It is now known to an incredible level of exactitude, hitting 62.8 trillion figures thanks to the work of a supercomputer.

Pi represents the ratio between the radius of a circle and its circumference. You may recognize the first 10 digits, π=3.141592653, though there is an infinite number of digits that follow that decimal point.

To write all of the digits for the new record out on A4 paper, you would need almost 35 billion sheets, equivalent to about 52 percent of the mass of the Empire State Building. Putting those pieces of paper head to toe they would extend for over 10 million kilometers (6.5 million miles).

Aug 17, 2021

Japanese man invents ‘edible’ plastic bag alternative to save Nara’s sacred deer

Posted by in category: food

Bags made from rice bran and milk cartons.


A local entrepreneur in the Japanese tourist destination of Nara has developed an alternative to plastic shopping bags, to protect the town’s sacred deer.

Hidetoshi Matsukawa, who works for Nara-ism, a souvenir wholesale agent, told CNN he heard last year that the deer, which roam the city’s park, were dying after ingesting plastic bags.

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Aug 17, 2021

Explaining Artificial Intelligence. Part 1 — why is this important?

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

We are working on how to make AI easier to understand, in this second part we look at some methods and examples of how to do this.

Aug 17, 2021

Is the Robot-Filled Future of Farming a Nightmare or Utopia?

Posted by in categories: food, robotics/AI

A new paper argues that the rise of artificial intelligence in agriculture could be the best—or worst—innovation for our environment.

Aug 17, 2021

26-year-old Builds $8,000 Mind-Controlled Bionic Arms

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, cyborgs, transhumanism

For the 40-million amputees in need of prosthetic limbs, this personalized and affordable process for fitting prosthetics means hope for a better future.

Aug 17, 2021

The startup turning human ashes into diamonds | Challengers

Posted by in category: futurism

For those who don’t want to be buried in a cemetery.


By turning ashes into diamonds, Eterneva is creating a new way to carry the memory of our loved ones with us long after their death.

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