• Lucy Spacecraft Discovers Unexpected Contact Binary Orbiting Asteroid Dinkinesh

    Updated: 2024-05-31 13:52:46
    Skip to content Menu Follow Us On Substack Google News Twitter X FaceBook Bluesky Our Bloggers Search Lucy Spacecraft Discovers Unexpected Contact Binary Orbiting Asteroid Dinkinesh May 31, 2024 University of Maryland Panels a , b , and c each show stereographic image pairs of the asteroid Dinkinesh taken by the NASA Lucy Spacecraft†s L†LORRI Instrument in the minutes around closest approach on Nov . 1, 2023. The yellow and rose dots indicate the trough and ridge features , respectively . These images have been sharpened and processed to enhance contrast . Panel d shows a side view of Dinkinesh and its satellite Selam taken a few minutes after closest approach . Credit : NASA SwRI Johns Hopkins APL . NOIRLab NASA’s Lucy spacecraft has made a surprising discovery during its flyby of

  • New Dinosaur Species Discovered on the Shores of Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe

    Updated: 2024-05-31 13:50:10
    Skip to content Menu Follow Us On Substack Google News Twitter X FaceBook Bluesky Our Bloggers Search New Dinosaur Species Discovered on the Shores of Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe May 31, 2024 University of the Witwatersrand Artist reconstruction of Musankwa sanyatiensis , walking in Triassic shallow waters past a metoposaur . A team of international scientists has unearthed a new dinosaur species , Musankwa sanyatiensis , on the shoreline of Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe . This remarkable discovery , set to be published in the journal Acta Palaeontologica Polonica , marks only the fourth dinosaur species named from the country and the first from the Mid-Zambezi Basin in over half a . century The fossils , dating back approximately 210 million years to the Late Triassic period , consist of a single

  • Astronomers Uncover Surprisingly Massive Galaxy from the Dawn of the Universe

    Updated: 2024-05-31 13:46:37
    Skip to content Menu Follow Us On Substack Google News Twitter X FaceBook Bluesky Our Bloggers Search Astronomers Uncover Surprisingly Massive Galaxy from the Dawn of the Universe May 31, 2024 NASA JPL This infrared image from NASA†s James Webb Space Telescope JWST was captured by its Near-Infrared Camera NIRCam for the JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey JADES program . NIRCam data helped identify galaxies for further spectroscopic study . One such galaxy , JADES-GS-z14-0 highlighted in the pullout was found to be at a redshift of 14.32 0.08 0.20 making it the most distant known galaxy , seen less than 300 million years after the Big Bang . In the main image , blue represents light at 0.9, 1.15, and 1.5 microns filters F090W , F115W , and F150W green represents 2.0 and 2.77 microns

  • Innovative bird-eye-inspired camera developed for enhanced object detection

    Updated: 2024-05-31 13:44:19
    Skip to content Menu Follow Us On Substack Google News Twitter X FaceBook Bluesky Our Bloggers Search Innovative bird-eye-inspired camera developed for enhanced object detection May 31, 2024 Institute for Basic Science Structures and functions of bird†s eye . a Bird vision . b Deep central fovea and four types of cones . c Foveated vision and tetrachromatic vision . Researchers from the Institute for Basic Science IBS and the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology GIST have developed a new type of camera that draws inspiration from the unique structures and functions of bird eyes . The perovskite-based camera , designed to specialize in object detection , incorporates an artificial fovea and a multispectral image sensor that responds to both ultraviolet UV and visible light red ,

  • Menstrual Cycles Starting Earlier and Taking Longer to Regulate

    Updated: 2024-05-31 13:41:09
    Skip to content Menu Follow Us On Substack Google News Twitter X FaceBook Bluesky Our Bloggers Search Menstrual Cycles Starting Earlier and Taking Longer to Regulate May 31, 2024 Harvard University A new study from the Harvard T.H . Chan School of Public Health , the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences , and Apple has revealed that the average age at which girls in the United States begin menstruating has been decreasing over the past several . decades The study , which analyzed data from more than 71,000 participants in the Apple Women’s Health Study , also found that the time it takes for menstrual cycles to become regular is increasing , with these trends being most pronounced among racial minorities and those from lower socioeconomic . backgrounds The study , published

  • Infants hear significantly more speech than music at home

    Updated: 2024-05-31 13:38:05
    Skip to content Menu Follow Us On Substack Google News Twitter X FaceBook Bluesky Our Bloggers Search Infants hear significantly more speech than music at home May 31, 2024 University of Washington Speech and music are the dominant elements of an infant†s auditory environment . While past research has shown that speech plays a critical role in children†s language development , less is known about the music that infants . hear A new University of Washington study , published May 21 in  Developmental Science is the first to compare the amount of music and speech that children hear in infancy . Results showed that infants hear more spoken language than music , with the gap widening as the babies get . older “We wanted to get a snapshot of what†s happening in infants†home

  • Transparent Skull Implant Enables High-Resolution Brain Imaging in Awake Patients

    Updated: 2024-05-30 14:17:34
    Skip to content Menu Follow Us On Substack Google News Twitter X FaceBook Bluesky Our Bloggers Search Transparent Skull Implant Enables High-Resolution Brain Imaging in Awake Patients May 30, 2024 USC Clear experimental skull implant may enable functional ultrasound imaging of the brain for patients with serious head injuries . Researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of USC and the California Institute of Technology Caltech have designed and implanted a transparent window in the skull of a patient , allowing them to collect high-resolution brain imaging data using functional ultrasound imaging fUSI The preliminary findings , published in the journal Science Translational Medicine , suggest that this sensitive , non-invasive approach could open new avenues for patient monitoring ,

  • Public have no difficulty getting to grips with an extra thumb, study finds

    Updated: 2024-05-30 14:14:59
    , Skip to content Menu Follow Us On Substack Google News Twitter X FaceBook Bluesky Our Bloggers Search Public have no difficulty getting to grips with an extra thumb , study finds May 30, 2024 University of Cambridge The Third Thumb helping the user to open a bottle Cambridge researchers have shown that members of the public have little trouble in learning very quickly how to use a third thumb – a controllable , prosthetic extra thumb – to pick up and manipulate . objects The team tested the robotic device on a diverse range of participants , which they say is essential for ensuring new technologies are inclusive and can work for . everyone An emerging area of future technology is motor augmentation – using motorised wearable devices such as exoskeletons or extra robotic body parts

  • Babies’ Babbling Reveals Patterns of Vocal Play and Practice

    Updated: 2024-05-30 14:13:55
    Skip to content Menu Follow Us On Substack Google News Twitter X FaceBook Bluesky Our Bloggers Search Babies’ Babbling Reveals Patterns of Vocal Play and Practice May 30, 2024 PLOS ONE Wearable digital recording devices are used to capture day-long home audio recordings of each infant's natural language environment . Babies spend a significant portion of their first year making noises , from responding to caregivers with vocalizations to engaging in self-directed . babbling A new study , published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE suggests that these seemingly random noises may actually be part of a deliberate process of vocal play and practice . Researchers Hyunjoo Yoo from the University of Alabama , Pumpki Lei Su from the University of Texas at Dallas , and their colleagues analyzed

  • Study shows unexpected pockets of biodiversity pepper Los Angeles

    Updated: 2024-05-30 14:11:35
    Skip to content Menu Follow Us On Substack Google News Twitter X FaceBook Bluesky Our Bloggers Search Study shows unexpected pockets of biodiversity pepper Los Angeles May 30, 2024 UCLA UCLA biologists have some good news and some bad news for lovers of urban wildlife in Los Angeles . The good news Unexpected pockets of biodiversity pepper the city . The bad news It will be a challenge to elevate the level of overall biodiversity of the city . Of all the major taxonomic groups studied , only snails and slugs are ‘easy†to find in Los Angeles , probably because of the abundance of landscaping , gardens and . irrigation The research points toward ways Angelenos — and people elsewhere — can make their city more hospitable not only to urban-tolerant species such as coyotes , but also to

  • Urban office buildings pump out volatile chemicals to the outdoors, comparable to traffic emissions

    Updated: 2024-05-30 14:09:56
    , Skip to content Menu Follow Us On Substack Google News Twitter X FaceBook Bluesky Our Bloggers Search Urban office buildings pump out volatile chemicals to the outdoors , comparable to traffic emissions May 30, 2024 Purdue University Brandon Boor , a Purdue associate professor of civil engineering , studies indoor air quality . The air coming out of office buildings in urban areas may be more polluted than once believed , Purdue University researchers . say A research team led by  Brandon Boor associate professor in the  Lyles School of Civil Engineering   published a new study in the journal  Cell Reports Sustainability  that states modern buildings continually release volatile organic compounds VOCs to outdoor air and are likely to be an important contributor to the VOC burden of

  • New technique offers more precise maps of the Moon’s surface

    Updated: 2024-05-30 13:57:56
    Skip to content Menu Follow Us On Substack Google News Twitter X FaceBook Bluesky Our Bloggers Search New technique offers more precise maps of the Moon†s surface May 30, 2024 Brown University Pre-existing models for the Ina irregular mare patch A , C , D compared to more detailed and sharper shape-from-shading models from the study B , E A new study by Brown University researchers may help redefine how scientists map the surface of the Moon , making the process more streamlined and precise than ever . before Published in the  Planetary Science Journal the research by Brown scholars Benjamin Boatwright and James Head describes enhancements to a mapping technique called shape-from-shading . The technique is used to create detailed models of lunar terrain , outlining craters , ridges ,

  • Medicated foam could make gene therapies more accessible

    Updated: 2024-05-30 13:55:09
    Skip to content Menu Follow Us On Substack Google News Twitter X FaceBook Bluesky Our Bloggers Search Medicated foam could make gene therapies more accessible May 30, 2024 Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center Professor Matthias Stephan working in his lab , May 17, 2024, in Seattle , . Washington Foam mixed with medications is already used to treat conditions such as varicose veins , hemorrhoids , wounds on the skin and even hair loss . Now , Fred Hutch Cancer Center scientists have found that foam might also be used as a vehicle to deliver expensive gene . therapies Published May 28 in   Nature Communications bioengineer  Matthias Stephan , MD , PhD and his Fred Hutch team report that a foaming liquid worked better than a standard liquid formulation at transferring gene therapy components to

  • Cheap, dirty leftovers can produce pure oxygen

    Updated: 2024-05-30 13:51:02
    , Skip to content Menu Follow Us On Substack Google News Twitter X FaceBook Bluesky Our Bloggers Search Cheap , dirty leftovers can produce pure oxygen May 30, 2024 Norwegian University of Science and Technology Frida Hemstad Danmo with a material that seems promising for producing oxygen cheaply . New materials for producing oxygen may challenge traditional production methods . This is exciting news , because pure oxygen is in demand from many areas in industry and . medicine “We have identified materials that can store and release pure oxygen much faster and at much lower temperatures than known materials currently used for this purpose,” says Professor Sverre Magnus Selbach at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology NTNU†s Department of Materials Science and .

  • Testosterone therapy a safe and effective gender-affirming hormone therapy for trans men

    Updated: 2024-05-30 13:49:39
    Skip to content Menu Follow Us On Substack Google News Twitter X FaceBook Bluesky Our Bloggers Search Testosterone therapy a safe and effective gender-affirming hormone therapy for trans men May 30, 2024 Okayama University The researchers discovered that those in the high-dose group showed greater lean body mass gains in the first year compared to the low-dose group . In addition , high doses were associated with increase in lean body mass at 3 and 6 months . Transgender individuals often face unique challenges in aligning their physical bodies with their true gender identity . Among the various methods employed , gender-affirming hormone therapy GAHT stands as a vital means for transgender men to achieve physical changes in consonance with their gender identity . Navigating the

  • SGLT2 Inhibitors: A Novel Approach to Combat Aging

    Updated: 2024-05-30 13:48:26
    : Skip to content Menu Follow Us On Substack Google News Twitter X FaceBook Bluesky Our Bloggers Search SGLT2 Inhibitors : A Novel Approach to Combat Aging May 30, 2024 Juntendo University Researchers from Juntendo University , Japan examine the molecular mechanisms underlying the senolytic or senescent cell removal effects of the the sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitor and its therapeutic potential in the treatment of aging-related pathologies . As we age , our bodies undergo a gradual decline in physiological functions , increasing the risk of developing cardiovascular , neurodegenerative , and metabolic diseases . This process is closely linked to cellular senescence , a phenomenon in which cells stop dividing but do not die , accumulating in tissues and contributing to

  • Whaler’s Forgotten 1937 Aerial Photos Reveal Stable East Antarctic Glaciers, Offering Insights for Climate Predictions

    Updated: 2024-05-30 13:43:11
    , Skip to content Menu Follow Us On Substack Google News Twitter X FaceBook Bluesky Our Bloggers Search Whaler’s Forgotten 1937 Aerial Photos Reveal Stable East Antarctic Glaciers , Offering Insights for Climate Predictions May 30, 2024 University of Copenhagen The whaling ship Firern , with the Stinson Reliant aircraft on board , near Klarius Mikkelsen Fjell in Lars Christensen Land in East Antarctica . Copyright Norwegian Polar Institute Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have gained an unprecedented understanding of the ice evolution in East Antarctica , thanks to a trove of forgotten aerial photographs taken by a Norwegian whaler in 1937. By comparing these historical images with modern satellite data , the scientists found that the glaciers have remained stable and even grown

  • N95 masks near-perfect at blocking escape of airborne COVID-19

    Updated: 2024-05-30 13:39:57
    Skip to content Menu Follow Us On Substack Google News Twitter X FaceBook Bluesky Our Bloggers Search N95 masks near-perfect at blocking escape of airborne COVID-19 May 30, 2024 University of Maryland In a head-to-head comparison of masks worn by people with active COVID-19, the inexpensive “duckbill” N95 came out on top , stopping 98 of COVID-19 particles in the breath of infected people from escaping into the . air Led by researchers from the University of Maryland School of Public Health SPH results showed other masks also performed well , blocking at least 70 of viral particles from escaping from the source – an infected person†s exhaled breath . The study , Relative efficacy of masks and respirators as source control for viral aerosol shedding from people infected with

  • Engineered Nanoparticles Stimulate Rare Antibodies Against HIV in Animals, Advancing Vaccine Development

    Updated: 2024-05-30 13:28:27
    , Skip to content Menu Follow Us On Substack Google News Twitter X FaceBook Bluesky Our Bloggers Search Engineered Nanoparticles Stimulate Rare Antibodies Against HIV in Animals , Advancing Vaccine Development May 30, 2024 U.S . National Institutes of Health Researchers have made progress in the quest for an HIV vaccine by using innovative immunologic techniques to stimulate the production of rare antibody precursors in animals . The findings , published in Nature Immunology , offer a glimmer of hope in the long-standing challenge of developing a preventive vaccine against the genetically diverse . virus HIV’s ability to mutate has made it a formidable target for vaccine development , but a class of antibodies known as broadly neutralizing antibodies bNAbs may provide a way to overcome

  • Ancient origins of aspects of instrumental and song melodies distinctive from those of language.

    Updated: 2024-05-27 19:22:00
    : . Deric's MindBlog This blog reports new ideas and work on mind , brain , behavior , psychology , and politics as well as random curious stuff . Try the Dynamic Views at top of right column . Monday , May 27, 2024 Ancient origins of aspects of instrumental and song melodies distinctive from those of language . A global collaboration from many cultures shows that songs and instrumental melodies are slower and higher and use more stable pitches than speech , suggesting evolutionary origins universal to all humans that cannot simply be explained by culture . The numerous samples of music collected could be arranged in a musi-linguistic continuum from instrumental music to spoken . language Both music and language are found in all known human societies , yet no studies have compared

  • Evolutionarily conserved neural responses to affective touch transcend consciousness and change with age

    Updated: 2024-05-17 05:00:00
    : Deric's MindBlog This blog reports new ideas and work on mind , brain , behavior , psychology , and politics as well as random curious stuff . Try the Dynamic Views at top of right column . Friday , May 17, 2024 Evolutionarily conserved neural responses to affective touch transcend consciousness and change with age Interesting work from Charbonneau et . al in macaque monkeys on the affective gentle , pleasant touch pathways that in humans use a different neural network than pathways of discriminative : touch Significance Affective touch is thought to be a critical substrate for the formation of the social relationships which exist as a foundation for primate societies . Although grooming behavior in monkeys appears to recapitulate features of affective touch behavior in humans , it is

  • Collective behavior from surprise minimization

    Updated: 2024-05-15 05:00:00
    : Deric's MindBlog This blog reports new ideas and work on mind , brain , behavior , psychology , and politics as well as random curious stuff . Try the Dynamic Views at top of right column . Wednesday , May 15, 2024 Collective behavior from surprise minimization A fascinating model for collective behavior from Heins et al Significance We introduce a model of collective behavior , proposing that individual members within a group , such as a school of fish or a flock of birds , act to minimize surprise . This active inference approach naturally generates well-known collective phenomena such as cohesion and directed movement without explicit behavioral rules . Our model reveals intricate relationships between individual beliefs and group properties , demonstrating that beliefs about

  • How the US is destroying young people's future.

    Updated: 2024-05-13 05:00:00
    : . Deric's MindBlog This blog reports new ideas and work on mind , brain , behavior , psychology , and politics as well as random curious stuff . Try the Dynamic Views at top of right column . Monday , May 13, 2024 How the US is destroying young people's future . When I wake up in the morning , I frequently remind myself to be grateful for the luck of having been born in 1942, and being able to ride the crest of a number of fortunate external circumstances that made my generation vastly better off than those who followed . I was in high school in the late 50s when Sputnik happened , fueling a huge increase in federal research funding that , powered my laboratory research career how our vision works . Both my parents and myself were clients of state governments or universities that offered

  • Blueprint - Nicholas Christakis on the evolutionary origins of a good society

    Updated: 2024-05-10 05:00:00
    : Deric's MindBlog This blog reports new ideas and work on mind , brain , behavior , psychology , and politics as well as random curious stuff . Try the Dynamic Views at top of right column . Friday , May 10, 2024 Blueprint Nicholas Christakis on the evolutionary origins of a good society This opinion piece by Frank Bruni in the NYTimes motivated me to download and read Nicholas Christakis' Magnum Opus Blueprint” very much in the everything you need to know about humans' spirit of Sapolsky's Behave and Harari's Sapiens , and Homo Deus and 21 Lessons all books that I have made the subject of previous posts . It echoes Pinker's emphasis on the more positive aspects of human nature and progress It is a very engaging read , and not amenable to a simple summary , but here is a bit from his

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