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New insights into the epigenetic processes via which neuroinflammation causes memory loss

Neuroinflammation, a prolonged activation of the brain’s immune system prompted by infections or other factors, has been linked to the disruption of normal mental functions. Past studies, for instance, have found that neuroinflammation plays a central role in neurodegenerative diseases, medical conditions characterized by the progressive degradation of cells in the spinal cord and brain.

When inflammation is taking place, cells release proteins that act as signals between immune cells, also known as cytokines. While some studies have linked a specific cytokine called interleukin-1 (IL-1) to changes in brain function, the mechanisms through which it could contribute to a decline in mental capabilities remain poorly understood.

Researchers at the University of Toulouse INSERM and CNRS recently carried out a study involving mice aimed at better understanding these mechanisms. Their paper, published in Nature Neuroscience, particularly focused on neuroinflammation elicited by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii), which is responsible for a well-known illness called toxoplasmosis.

How an autism-linked mutation reduces vasopressin and alters social behavior

A team of researchers has identified for the first time the mechanism linking a mutation in the Shank3 gene with alterations in social behavior. Using a mouse model carrying this autism-associated mutation, the study shows that vasopressin, a brain hormone essential for social relationships, is not properly released in the lateral septum.

The team is from the Cognition and Social Interactions laboratory, led by Félix Leroy at the Institute for Neurosciences, a joint center of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the Miguel Hernández University (UMH) of Elche.

The work, published in Nature Communications, demonstrates that the proper release of vasopressin in this region regulates social behaviors through two distinct receptor pathways: one controlling sociability and the other controlling social aggression, and that selective activation of these receptors can reverse deficits in social interaction without triggering unwanted aggressive responses.

Gold quantum needles could sharpen imaging resolution and boost energy conversion

Researchers Shinjiro Takano, Yuya Hamasaki, and Tatsuya Tsukuda of the University of Tokyo have successfully visualized the geometric structure of growing gold nanoclusters in their earliest stages. During this process, they also successfully grew a novel structure of elongated nanoclusters, which they named gold quantum needles.

The cosmic giant challenging our understanding of galaxy formation in the early universe

Scientists have discovered a giant black hole that they believe may have been formed in the first few microseconds after the Big Bang. The black hole is so huge that it may change our understanding of how these cosmic giants form. If the findings are confirmed, this will be the first evidence of primordial black holes, which were predicted to exist by Stephen Hawking in the 1970s.

The discovery comes from observations made by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the largest telescope in space. JWST spotted a group of small, red, faint objects called “Little Red Dots” (LRDs), which are thought to be baby that are home to young, growing .

A paper by an international team of scientists led by astrophysicist Ignas Juodžbalis of the University of Cambridge in the UK has directly measured the mass of one of the LRDs. Their results indicate that a mysterious glow from the red dot named QSO1 is a black hole with a mass equivalent to 50 million suns. This large astronomical object is in the early stages of a process called accretion, where its gravity is pulling in surrounding gas and dust. The study is published on the arXiv preprint server.

Previously unknown RNA chaperone guides assembly of key poxvirus protein complex

A study from Würzburg reveals that pox viruses have developed a unique strategy to rapidly multiply after infecting a host cell. The findings uncover a previously unknown role for a well-known molecule and may serve as a starting point for the development of new antiviral agents.

In the English society of former times, a chaperone, traditionally an older woman, was assigned to accompany a young unmarried woman to ensure her proper behavior, especially during interactions with men, in line with the social norms of the time.

In biochemistry, chaperones also play a protective role. One of their main functions is to assist newly synthesized proteins in folding correctly and to prevent misfolded protein chains from clumping.

Similarities between human and AI learning offer intuitive design insights

New research has found similarities in how humans and artificial intelligence integrate two types of learning, offering new insights about how people learn as well as how to develop more intuitive AI tools.

The study is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Led by Jake Russin, a postdoctoral research associate in at Brown University, the study found by training an AI system that flexible and incremental learning modes interact similarly to working memory and long-term memory in humans.

Shaky cameras can make for sharper shots, new research shows

It doesn’t take an expert photographer to know that the steadier the camera, the sharper the shot. But that conventional wisdom isn’t always true, according to new research led by Brown University engineers.

The researchers showed that with the help of a clever algorithm, a camera in motion can produce higher-resolution images than a camera held completely still. The new image processing technique could enable gigapixel-quality images from run-of-the-mill camera hardware, as well as sharper imaging for scientific or archival photography.

“We all know that when you shake a camera, you get a blurry picture,” said Pedro Felzenszwalb, a professor of engineering and computer science at Brown. “But what we show is that an image captured by a moving camera actually contains additional information that we can use to increase .”

A twist in spintronics: Chiral magnetic nanohelices control spins at room temperature

Spintronics, or spin-electronics, is a revolutionary approach to information processing that utilizes the intrinsic angular momentum (spin) of electrons, rather than solely relying on electric charge flow. This technology promises faster, more energy-efficient data storage and logic devices. A central challenge in fully realizing spintronics has been the development of materials that can precisely control electron spin direction.

In a new development for spin-nanotechnology, researchers led by Professor Young Keun Kim of Korea University and Professor Ki Tae Nam of Seoul National University have successfully created magnetic nanohelices that can control electron spin.

This technology, which utilizes chiral magnetic materials to regulate electron spin at room temperature, has been published in Science.

UCLA Engineers Build Room-Temperature Quantum-Inspired Computer

Experimental device harnesses quantum properties for efficient processing at room temperature. Engineers are working to design computers capable of handling a difficult class of tasks known as combinatorial optimization problems. These challenges are central to many everyday applications, includi

Caltech Physicists Discover “Double Helix,” a New Equilibrium State of Cosmic Plasma

Caltech experiments uncovered a stable double helix state in plasma flux ropes. The same principles explain cosmic structures such as the Double Helix Nebula. Research into the Sun’s outer atmosphere has led Caltech applied physics professor Paul Bellan and his former graduate student Yang Zhang

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