• For bigger muscles push close to failure, for strength, maybe not

    Updated: 2024-07-31 13:12:44
    , , Skip to content Menu Follow Us On Substack Google News Twitter X FaceBook Bluesky Our Bloggers Search For bigger muscles push close to failure , for strength , maybe not July 31, 2024 Florida Atlantic University Pushing close to failure is the point where you can†t do another rep . When performing resistance training such as lifting weights , there†s a lot of interest in how close you push yourself to failure – the point where you can†t do another rep – and how it affects your . results While research has looked at this concept in different ways , to date , no meta-analysis has explored the pattern i.e . linear or non-linear of how the distance from failure measured by repetitions in reserve affects changes in muscle strength and . size As such , it†s still unclear how

  • Skin may hold key to neurodevelopmental disorder diagnosis

    Updated: 2024-07-31 13:11:43
    Skip to content Menu Follow Us On Substack Google News Twitter X FaceBook Bluesky Our Bloggers Search Skin may hold key to neurodevelopmental disorder diagnosis July 31, 2024 University of Adelaide A genetic diagnostic method using a small sample of skin from the upper arm could identify rare neurodevelopmental disorders in a non-invasive way , according to researchers at the University of Adelaide . A genetic diagnostic method using a small sample of skin from the upper arm could identify rare neurodevelopmental disorders in a non-invasive way , according to researchers at the University of . Adelaide Currently , conditions caused by a significant disruption during brain development , like Rett Syndrome , epilepsy and Down Syndrome , affect one in 50 Australian . children But there are

  • Semaglutide Shows Potential to Help Smokers Quit, Study Suggests

    Updated: 2024-07-31 13:10:40
    , Skip to content Menu Follow Us On Substack Google News Twitter X FaceBook Bluesky Our Bloggers Search Semaglutide Shows Potential to Help Smokers Quit , Study Suggests July 31, 2024 American College of Physicians Diabetes Drug May Offer New Avenue for Smoking Cessation A new study suggests that semaglutide , a medication used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity , may help smokers kick the habit . Researchers found that people with diabetes who took semaglutide were less likely to seek medical care for tobacco-related issues compared to those on other diabetes . drugs The study , published in Annals of Internal Medicine , analyzed healthcare data from three groups of patients with type 2 diabetes who also smoked . Those prescribed semaglutide had fewer doctor visits related to tobacco

  • Improving Alzheimer’s disease imaging — with fluorescent sensors

    Updated: 2024-07-31 13:08:50
    Skip to content Menu Follow Us On Substack Google News Twitter X FaceBook Bluesky Our Bloggers Search Improving Alzheimer†s disease imaging — with fluorescent sensors July 31, 2024 American Chemical Society Researchers demonstrate exosomes loaded with fluorescent sensors that can pass through the blood-brain barrier BBB where the sensors light up in the presence of neurotransmitters linked to Alzheimer†s disease in the brain . Neurotransmitter levels in the brain can indicate brain health and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer†s . However , the protective blood-brain barrier BBB makes delivering fluorescent sensors that can detect these small molecules to the brain difficult . Now , researchers in  ACS Central Science  demonstrate a way of packaging these sensors for easy

  • AI boosts the power of EEGs, enabling neurologists to quickly, precisely pinpoint signs of dementia

    Updated: 2024-07-31 13:07:41
    , , Skip to content Menu Follow Us On Substack Google News Twitter X FaceBook Bluesky Our Bloggers Search AI boosts the power of EEGs , enabling neurologists to quickly , precisely pinpoint signs of dementia July 31, 2024 Mayo Clinic A computer screen shows results from an electroencephalogram , or EEG test . Mayo Clinic  scientists are using artificial intelligence AI and machine learning to analyze electroencephalogram EEG tests more quickly and precisely , enabling neurologists to find early signs of dementia among data that typically go . unexamined The century-old EEG , during which a dozen or more electrodes are stuck to the scalp to monitor brain activity , is often used to detect epilepsy . Its results are interpreted by neurologists and other experts trained to spot patterns

  • ​​​​​​​Incidence of heart attacks and strokes was lower after COVID-19 vaccination, finds study of 46 million adults

    Updated: 2024-07-31 13:06:39
    , Skip to content Menu Follow Us On Substack Google News Twitter X FaceBook Bluesky Our Bloggers Search ​​​​​​​Incidence of heart attacks and strokes was lower after COVID-19 vaccination , finds study of 46 million adults July 31, 2024 University of Cambridge A new study , published today in  Nature Communications  and involving nearly the whole adult population of England , has found that the incidence of heart attacks and strokes was lower after COVID-19 vaccination than before or without . vaccination Research led by the Universities of Cambridge , Bristol and Edinburgh and enabled by the British Heart Foundation BHF Data Science Centre at Health Data Research UK analysed de-identified health records from 46 million adults in England between 8 December 2020 and 23

  • AI predicts male infertility risk with blood test, no semen needed

    Updated: 2024-07-31 13:05:03
    , Skip to content Menu Follow Us On Substack Google News Twitter X FaceBook Bluesky Our Bloggers Search AI predicts male infertility risk with blood test , no semen needed July 31, 2024 Toho University Dr . Kobayashi at Toho University , Tokyo , Japan According to a World Health Organization WHO study 2017 about half of all infertility is due to men . Semen analysis is considered essential for diagnosis of male infertility , but is not readily available at medical institutions other than those specializing in infertility treatment , and there is a high threshold for receiving . it In this study , a group led by Associate Professor Hideyuki Kobayashi of the Department of Urology , Toho University School of Medicine , Tokyo , Japan developed an AI model that can predict the risk of male

  • Study finds many cocoa products contaminated by heavy metals

    Updated: 2024-07-31 13:04:07
    Skip to content Menu Follow Us On Substack Google News Twitter X FaceBook Bluesky Our Bloggers Search Study finds many cocoa products contaminated by heavy metals July 31, 2024 George Washington University Credit : Pixabay A new study from George Washington University found a disquieting percentage of cocoa products in the U.S . contain heavy metals that exceed guidelines , including higher concentrations in organic . products GW researchers analyzed 72 consumer cocoa products , including dark chocolate , every other year over an eight year period for contamination with lead , cadmium , and arsenic , heavy metals that pose a significant health hazard in sufficient . amounts “We all love chocolate but it†s important to indulge with moderation as with other foods that contain heavy

  • Monarch butterflies need help, and a little bit of milkweed goes a long way

    Updated: 2024-07-31 13:02:36
    , Skip to content Menu Follow Us On Substack Google News Twitter X FaceBook Bluesky Our Bloggers Search Monarch butterflies need help , and a little bit of milkweed goes a long way July 31, 2024 Field Museum Monarch butterfly on a milkweed flower . Monarch butterflies , with their striking orange and black wings , are some of the most recognizable butterflies in North America . But they’re in . trouble Monarch caterpillars can only eat the leaves of milkweed , a native wildflower . As milkweed has disappeared , so have the monarchs , to the point that they’re at risk of extinction . Research shows that planting milkweed in home gardens can add significant monarch habitat to the landscape . In a new study in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution , researchers and community

  • How we got to where we are

    Updated: 2024-07-31 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 , July 31, 2024 How we got to where we are In the beginning was the cosmos , fundamentally as incomprehensible to our human brains as quantum chemistry is to a dog’s . brain What our human brains can understand is that our ultimate emergence from countless generations of less complex organisms can be largely explained by a simple mechanism that tests the reproductive fitness of varying replicants . Systems that try to predict the future and dictate whether to go for it or scram from the chemotaxis of bacteria to the predictive processing of our humans brains have proved to be more likely to

  • Grief’s Hidden Toll: How Losing Loved Ones Affects Cellular Aging

    Updated: 2024-07-30 19:43:41
    : Skip to content Menu Follow Us On Substack Google News Twitter X FaceBook Bluesky Our Bloggers Search Grief’s Hidden Toll : How Losing Loved Ones Affects Cellular Aging July 30, 2024 Columbia University A study from Columbia University reveals that losing close family members may accelerate biological aging , with implications for long-term health and longevity . This research sheds new light on the complex relationship between emotional trauma and physical . well-being The Science Behind Grief and Aging Biological aging refers to the gradual decline in cellular function over time , leading to an increased risk of chronic diseases . Scientists measure this process using epigenetic clocks DNA markers that indicate a person’s biological age , which can differ from their chronological . age

  • Eating Less Sugar May Keep Your Cells Young, Study Finds

    Updated: 2024-07-30 19:37:02
    , Skip to content Menu Follow Us On Substack Google News Twitter X FaceBook Bluesky Our Bloggers Search Eating Less Sugar May Keep Your Cells Young , Study Finds July 30, 2024 UC San Francisco New Research Links Healthy Diet to Younger Biological Age A new study from the University of California , San Francisco UCSF suggests that following a diet rich in vitamins and minerals , while limiting added sugar , may help keep your cells biologically younger . The research , published in JAMA Network Open , examined how different healthy eating patterns affect an epigenetic clock” a biochemical test that estimates health and . lifespan The study found that people who ate better had cells that appeared younger . Surprisingly , even when participants followed healthy diets , each gram of added

  • NASA data shows July 22 was Earth’s hottest day on record

    Updated: 2024-07-30 19:32:43
    Skip to content Menu Follow Us On Substack Google News Twitter X FaceBook Bluesky Our Bloggers Search NASA data shows July 22 was Earth†s hottest day on record July 30, 2024 NASA JPL Daily global average temperature values from MERRA-2 for the years 1980-2022 are shown in white , values for the year 2023 are shown in pink , and values from 2024 through June are shown in red . Daily global temperature values from July 1-July 23, 2024, from GEOS-FP are shown in purple . July 22, 2024, was the hottest day on record , according to a NASA analysis of global daily temperature data . July 21 and 23 of this year also exceeded the previous daily record , set in July 2023. These record-breaking temperatures are part of a long-term warming trend driven by human activities , primarily the emission

  • Inflammatory activity of rheumatoid arthritis linked to specific cognitive impairments

    Updated: 2024-07-30 18:22:24
    Skip to content Menu Follow Us On Substack Google News Twitter X FaceBook Bluesky Our Bloggers Search Inflammatory activity of rheumatoid arthritis linked to specific cognitive impairments July 30, 2024 British Medical Journal BMJ The inflammatory activity in the body caused by rheumatoid arthritis is linked to specific cognitive impairments , finds a small comparative study , published in the open access journal RMD Open . These are diminished visuospatial abilities , recall , abstract thinking , and the executive functions of working memory , concentration , and . inhibition Inflammatory activity in rheumatoid arthritis has been associated with various systemic effects , including on the brain , but it†s not clear which specific cognitive domains might be . affected To try and find out

  • Names may shape facial appearance over time new study suggests

    Updated: 2024-07-30 17:37:41
    Skip to content Menu Follow Us On Substack Google News Twitter X FaceBook Bluesky Our Bloggers Search Names may shape facial appearance over time new study suggests July 30, 2024 Hebrew University of Jerusalem Examples of trials in Study 2 A is an example from the adult target set left B is an example from the child target set right This is a loos translation into English A new study reveals that a person†s name may influence their facial appearance over time . Using human perception tests and machine learning , the research found that adults†faces can be matched to their names more accurately than chance . However , this effect is not found in children†s faces , suggesting that face-name congruence develops as individuals age rather than being present from birth . This

  • Three-step plan to cut overlooked methane emissions could help stop global warming faster

    Updated: 2024-07-30 17:34:08
    Skip to content Menu Follow Us On Substack Google News Twitter X FaceBook Bluesky Our Bloggers Search Three-step plan to cut overlooked methane emissions could help stop global warming faster July 30, 2024 Frontiers In Methane emissions are growing faster than projected , mainly from fossil fuels and wetlands To control the climate crisis , we must tackle methane emissions now . Methane has contributed about half the global warming we†ve experienced so far , and emissions are climbing rapidly . An international team of climate researchers writing in  Frontiers in Science  set out three imperatives to cut methane emissions and share a new tool to help us find the most cost-effective ways of doing . so “The world has been rightly focused on carbon dioxide , which is the largest driver

  • Children who miss breakfast are less happy in life

    Updated: 2024-07-30 17:28:54
    Skip to content Menu Follow Us On Substack Google News Twitter X FaceBook Bluesky Our Bloggers Search Children who miss breakfast are less happy in life July 30, 2024 Anglia Ruskin University Children who frequently miss breakfast have lower life satisfaction than those who regularly eat a morning meal , according to a study of nearly 150,000 young people across the . world The research published in the  BMC Nutrition Journal was led by Anglia Ruskin University ARU and Universidad de las Americas , and shows a nearly linear relationship between higher frequency of eating breakfast and greater life satisfaction in children and adolescents aged between 10 and 17 years old across 42 countries including . Britain The highest life satisfaction score was identified in participants who had

  • Gravitational Waves from Failed Warp Drives: A New Frontier in Space Exploration

    Updated: 2024-07-30 17:26:31
    : Skip to content Menu Follow Us On Substack Google News Twitter X FaceBook Bluesky Our Bloggers Search Gravitational Waves from Failed Warp Drives : A New Frontier in Space Exploration July 30, 2024 University of Potsdam Artist†s impression of a warp bubble collapse AI A new study has simulated the gravitational waves produced by a collapsing warp drive , offering a potential new way to search for advanced spacefaring civilizations . The research , conducted by an international team of physicists , explores the theoretical consequences of a warp drive malfunction using sophisticated numerical . simulations Warp Drives : From Science Fiction to Theoretical Physics Warp drives , long a staple of science fiction , are hypothetical propulsion systems that could theoretically allow

  • How researchers turn bacteria into cellulose-producing mini-factories

    Updated: 2024-07-30 17:22:12
    Skip to content Menu Follow Us On Substack Google News Twitter X FaceBook Bluesky Our Bloggers Search How researchers turn bacteria into cellulose-producing mini-factories July 30, 2024 ETH Zurich Bacterial cellulose in the wet state . Bacteria produce materials that are of interest to humans , such as cellulose , silk and minerals . The advantage of producing bacteria in this way is that it is sustainable , takes place at room temperature and in water . A disadvantage is that the process takes time and gives rise to quantities too small to be of industrial . use Consequently , researchers have for some time been trying to turn microorganisms into living mini-factories that can produce larger quantities of a desired product more quickly . This requires either targeted intervention in the

  • Defining the Future: A Unified Language for AI and Biological Intelligence

    Updated: 2024-07-30 17:21:04
    : Skip to content Menu Follow Us On Substack Google News Twitter X FaceBook Bluesky Our Bloggers Search Defining the Future : A Unified Language for AI and Biological Intelligence July 30, 2024 Cell Press A Proposed key terms to define . B Proposed most applicable specific fields the nomenclature guide will be used in however , others may also find this work useful . C A mixed method approach with a modified Delphi method . This approach entails an initial round with pre-selected open-ended questions i strategic refinement and categorization ii and collaborative consultation iii in an iterative manner ii and iii until a suitable level of consensus is achieved iv If consensus is not reached on any specific terms , a weighted majority voting system will be implemented to reach a conclusion v

  • Young scientists face career hurdles in interdisciplinary research

    Updated: 2024-07-29 20:00:26
    Skip to content Menu Follow Us On Substack Google News Twitter X FaceBook Bluesky Our Bloggers Search Young scientists face career hurdles in interdisciplinary research July 29, 2024 Ohio State University Scientists agree that solving some of society†s greatest challenges in biomedicine such as food sustainability , aging and disease treatment will need researchers from a variety of scientific fields working . together But a new study finds that the young scientists who most embrace interdisciplinary research face “career impediments” not seen in their peers who focus their work only within their own . disciplines The results are troublesome and pose a “grave challenge” to efforts to increase interdisciplinary research , the authors of the new study . write “As an economist ,

  • Positive effects of aging on cognition and emotion regulation

    Updated: 2024-07-29 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 , July 29, 2024 Positive effects of aging on cognition and emotion regulation After I returned to Austin Texas in late 2017 to live in the family house of my childhood I started a discussion group The Austin Rainbow Forum that meets on the first Sunday of every month at 2 p.m . nbsp to discuss a contemporary topic or idea , with background reading usually provided before each meeting . On this coming Sunday , August 4, our topic is Positive Aspects of Aging . I thought I would share with MindBlog readers the background material I recently sent out to the : group Here is an article that

  • A human machine writes...

    Updated: 2024-07-24 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 , July 24, 2024 A human machine writes . I think the spookily impersonal paragraph I pass on below composed while getting back to sleep after a 2 a.m . pee-wake is the way things work . Dry and mundane mechanical processes underlie the rich experienced emotions and feelings that make us human . nbsp Machinery here , pushing down keys of another machine , generating words , just like a human does . Much simpler than pretending to be one . Just nerves , muscles , and energy fluxes in and out . Curatorial rather than inspirational . Cooperating with other similar machines to make larger

  • The blanding and flattening of our culture

    Updated: 2024-07-22 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 , July 22, 2024 The blanding and flattening of our culture Since I returned to live in my family home in Austin Texas in 2017 I have been sad to see the continuing disappearance of kinky Keep Austin Weird coffee shops , book stores , bars , and restaurants that have catered to the remnants of the slacker and hippie cultures of the 60s and 79s , as well as online Tech Bros . nbsp Instead we now have the monoculture of countless Starbucks and other chains pointed to by internet platforms that curate our options by pointing us to a bland uniformity of vendors whose shops and products are identical

  • MindBlog does a survey of futurists and recommends a few.

    Updated: 2024-07-19 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 , July 19, 2024 MindBlog does a survey of futurists and recommends a few . In the wild and wooly world of thinking about futures for the earth , its living forms , and humanity there exists a tier of well know public intellectuals . I prompted 5 different GPT engines Google Gemini , ChatGPT 4o , Anthropic Claude , Perplexity , Microsoft Copilot to Please act as an author who has chosen a list of the 10 most influential futurists public intellectuals who speculate about the future of humanity . Write a brief essay describing each of them and and their basic messages The names selected by more

  • What about some positive news for a change?

    Updated: 2024-07-15 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 . Monday , July 15, 2024 What about some positive news for a change Doomsaying can become a self-fulfilling prophesy , as David Brooks points out I want to point to Fix The News a website curated by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose , that points out positive stories , and offers to send occasional emails Which I enjoy receiving that list some of its content . nbsp Another positive and totally woke effort at making a more positive future is described in the document New voices for a better society I would also point to previous MindBlog posts on the positive views of Steven Pinker Nicholas Christakis

  • From nematodes to humans a common brain network motif intertwines hierarch and modularity.

    Updated: 2024-07-10 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 . Wednesday , July 10, 2024 From nematodes to humans a common brain network motif intertwines hierarch and modularity . Pathak et . al abstract below suggest the evolved pattern they describe may apply to information processing networks in general , in particular to those of evolving AI . implementations Significance Nervous systems are often schematically represented in terms of hierarchically arranged layers with stimuli in the input” layer sequentially transformed through successive layers , eventually giving rise to response in the output” layer . Empirical investigations of hierarchy in specific

  • Our well being influences our mitochondrial biology.

    Updated: 2024-07-08 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 , July 08, 2024 Our well being influences our mitochondrial biology . I pass on the abstract from Trumoff et al open source below . The bottom line is that our experienced well being correlates with with higher levels of energy transformation machinery in our mitochondria . Significance Psychosocial experiences predict health trajectories , but the underlying mechanism remains unclear . We report that positive psychosocial experiences are linked to greater abundance of the mitochondrial energy transformation machinery , whereas negative experiences are linked to lower abundance . Overall ,

  • ChatGPT as a "lab rat" for understanding how our brains process language.

    Updated: 2024-07-05 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 , July 05, 2024 ChatGPT as a lab rat for understanding how our brains process language . I've now read twice through a fascinating PNAS piece by Mitchell Waldrop Open source , with useful references and urge MindBlog readers to havve a look . Our brains , as well as all of the GPT Generative Pretrained Transforer engines are prediction machines . The following slilghtly edited extract gives context . computer simulations of language are working in ways that are strikingly similar to the left-hemisphere language regions of our brains , using the same computational principles . The reasons for

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