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Category: biological – Page 4

Artificial neural networks (ANNs) have brought about many stunning tools in the past decade, including the Nobel-Prize-winning AlphaFold model for protein-structure prediction [1]. However, this success comes with an ever-increasing economic and environmental cost: Processing the vast amounts of data for training such models on machine-learning tasks requires staggering amounts of energy [2]. As their name suggests, ANNs are computational algorithms that take inspiration from their biological counterparts. Despite some similarity between real and artificial neural networks, biological ones operate with an energy budget many orders of magnitude lower than ANNs. Their secret? Information is relayed among neurons via short electrical pulses, so-called spikes. The fact that information processing occurs through sparse patterns of electrical pulses leads to remarkable energy efficiency.

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In this video, we simplify gluconeogenesis, an essential metabolic pathway that helps your body maintain glucose levels during fasting or intense activity.

We’ll walk you through:
✔️ What gluconeogenesis is and why it’s important.
✔️ Key steps in the pathway.
✔️ Enzymes involved and their regulation.
✔️ How it ties into other metabolic processes.

Ready to make biochemistry easy? Watch now!

📄 Bonus for EasyPeasy Experts:

Continue reading “Gluconeogenesis: Welcome to EasyPeasy Learning!” | >

The amorphous state of matter is the most abundant form of visible matter in the universe, and includes all structurally disordered systems, such as biological cells or essential materials like glass and polymers.

An is a solid whose molecules and atoms form disordered structures, meaning that they do not occupy regular, well-defined positions in space.

This is the opposite of what happens in crystals, whose ordered structure facilitates their , as well as the identification of those “defects,” which practically control the physical properties of crystals, such as their plastic yielding and melting, or the way an electric current propagates through them.

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Of all the sciences, physics has been seen as the key to understanding everything. As Feynman said, “physics is the fundamental science.” But in this article, one of the world’s leading physicists, George F. R. Ellis, who collaborated with Stephen Hawking in work on spacetime’s geometry, argues that much of reality extends far beyond physics. Both complex objects like biological organisms and abstract entities like the rules of chess influence the world in ways that cannot be predicted by studying their simple physical constituents. Science, Ellis insists, is far richer than any single framework can ever capture.

1. Abstract Causation

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Might Artificial Intelligence be the ideal lab assistant? Stefan Harrer delves into the revolutionary role of generative AI in science. He reveals how AI agents are not just tools but transformative partners for scientists enabling them to achieve breakthroughs in biology and beyond, heralding a new era of scientific discovery and innovation. This inspiring talk highlights the potential for AI to redefine the boundaries of the scientific method and our understanding of life. Dr Stefan Harrer is the Director of AI for Science at CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency. He is on a mission to revolutionise scientific discovery by harnessing the power of AI agents. In senior leadership roles at IBM Research, he led groundbreaking work on AI-driven epilepsy management and developed the world’s first AI-powered wearable for seizure prediction. An inventor with 73 granted patents, a passionate advocate for ethical AI, and a mentor and advisor to startups and governments, Stefan inspires the next frontier of AI innovation and use. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.

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We work with a growing database of values-aligned specialists from across the world. These include scientific researchers, educators, thought-leaders, artists, companies, and nonprofits. Together, we co-create, accelerate, and amplify the impact of select projects. These projects are interdisciplinary in nature—often incorporating art, education, and research components to reach more diverse audiences, scale broader impacts, and deliver rapid change. These projects are frequently participatory, with the goal of democratizing the process of exploration and increasing the accessibility of findings, materials, and teachings. These projects are unique and may result in peer-reviewed research findings, open-source books, art exhibits, lesson plans, or innovative commercial products.

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It is pleasure for us to bring the ECFG conference to the island of Ireland from mainland Europe, we believe the conference will be a great scientific and social success.

We believe that Ireland is an ideal location which is accessible with low fare economic flights both from Europe and America and more than 20,000 hotel bed capacity for potential participants.

There will be a rich repertoire of research highlights from early, mid and advanced career researchers in the field of fungal genetics and biology. Our venue, the Convention Centre Dublin, is in a perfect location in the heart of Dublin city.

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A century ago, a scientist named Alexander Gurwitsch introduced a groundbreaking concept: living cells emit a faint ultraviolet light, invisible to the naked eye, which they use to communicate with each other and stimulate internal processes. At the time, his theory was dismissed due to lack of solid evidence. Today, thanks to advances in quantum physics, Gurwitsch’s ideas are resurfacing, providing a fascinating new perspective on cellular biology.

In the 1920s, Gurwitsch, a Russian biologist, conducted experiments that challenged the scientific thinking of his time. He observed a peculiar phenomenon when placing the tip of an onion root close to another root.

In detail, the researcher noticed that more cell divisions occurred on the side of the root that was exposed to the tip. This phenomenon seemed to suggest a form of communication between cells, stimulated by a specific type of light. However, this light was not visible like the everyday light we are used to. It was a very faint ultraviolet light, which could travel through air and certain materials like quartz, but was blocked by others, such as glass.

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