Lifeboat Foundation

New Zealand research reveals science may back his belief.

New study shows how patterns in brain activity can be an early predictor of Alzheimer’s symptoms.

Paolo Sanvito would often freeze like a statue after entering a meeting room when he was working as a manager in a multinational company. Known as freezing of gait, it’s a disabling symptom of Parkinson’s disease, a degenerative brain disorder that he suffers from.

Researchers at Northeastern have discovered a new antibiotic that could treat infections caused by some of the nastiest superbugs humanity is facing in the antibiotic resistance crisis.

For years, researchers weren’t exactly sure what to make of these extra loops of genetic material. That’s quickly changing.

But in the last few years, AI has changed the game. Deep-learning algorithms excel at quickly finding patterns in reams of data, which has sped up key processes in scientific discovery. Now, along with these software improvements, a hardware revolution is also on the horizon.

Yesterday Argonne announced that it has begun to test a new computer from the startup Cerebras that promises to accelerate the training of deep-learning algorithms by orders of magnitude. The computer, which houses the world’s largest chip, is part of a new generation of specialized AI hardware that is only now being put to use.

“We’re interested in accelerating the AI applications that we have for scientific problems,” says Rick Stevens, Argonne’s associate lab director for computing, environment, and life sciences. “We have huge amounts of data and big models, and we’re interested in pushing their performance.”

The brain cortex, the outside layer of our brain often referred to as grey matter, is one of the most complex structures found in living organisms. It gives us the advanced cognitive abilities that distinguish us from other animals.

Neuroscientist Professor Pierre Vanderhaeghen (VIB-KU Leuven, Université libre de Bruxelles) explains what makes the human brain so unique: “One remarkable feature of human neurons is their unusually long development. Neural circuits take years to reach full maturity in humans, but only a few weeks in mice or some months in monkeys.”

“This long period of maturation allows much more time for the modulation of brain cells and circuits, which allows us to learn efficiently for an extended period up until late adolescence. It’s a very important and unique feature for our species, but what lies at its origin remains a mystery.”

Columnist Mary Beth Skylis shares some recent research that narrows in on the question of whether Parkinson’s disease is connected to the gut microbiome.

A particularly harmful byproduct of oxidized cholesterol appears to be a primary cause of atherosclerosis and a therapeutic target ripe for the taking. A new review takes a look at 7-ketocholesterol and its role in aging and disease.

A new review exploring 7-ketocholesterol

We recently reported on the launch of Underdog Pharma, a new startup biotech company that was spun off from many years of research at SENS Research Foundation and is focused on the problem of 7-ketocholesterol.