The human genome is massive, and it contains many highly repetitive sequences that confounded researchers for years. Many of these repeats were simply written off as junk DNA that had no function. However, new research is revealing that many of these regions are much more important than we thought. Some of the repetitive portions of the genome are known to be human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs). These sequences originated from viruses that infected human germ cells millions of years ago and affected our evolution. About eight percent of our genome is thought to be made up of HERVs. These HERVs have also been associated with a variety of psychiatric disorders, although the connection is unclear.
A new study reported in Nature Communications has suggested that HERVs are making a significant but unappreciated contribution to the development of psychiatric disorders, and that they may help explain a genetic component of these disorders that is thought to exist but has not yet been identified.
Dive into the intriguing world of Sentient Singularity Theory, a groundbreaking framework that seeks to explain the interconnected nature of consciousness, cosmology, and metaphysics. Created by Tyler Goldstein, this theory posits that every particle and atom in the universe is a conscious participant in the grand dance of existence. Discover how the universe is viewed not just as a mechanical construct but as a living organism, where space, time, matter, and force emerge from the interactions of sentient beings. Join us as we explore the Four Primary Perspectives, the concept of infinite-oneness, and the idea of a self-simulating universe. Through this journey, we’ll challenge conventional understandings and delve deep into the philosophical and metaphysical implications of a Theory of Everyone. Don’t miss this thought-provoking exploration into the very fabric of reality.
The research team found that long-term urolithin A treatment in mice significantly improved their learning, memory and olfactory function. The treatment also reduced amyloid beta (Aβ) and tau pathologies and improved cellular lysosomal function [1].
The researchers’ findings also suggest that urolithin A is as effective as NAD in promoting mitophagy, positioning it as a potential therapeutic agent for Alzheimer’s disease.
“Our study on mouse models with AD shows that urolithin A, which is a naturally occurring substance in pomegranates, can alleviate memory problems and other consequences of dementia,” says Bohr. “Even though the study was conducted on mouse models, the prospects are positive. So far, research has shown promising results for the substance in the muscles, and clinical trials on humans are being planned [3].”
An Engineering team at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) has developed a novel microfluidic technique capable of greatly enhancing applications in materials science and biomedical engineering.
All the parts of our bodies share an inherent connectivity. This goes much further than “the foot bone’s connected to the … leg bone.” For instance, both hands and feet are connected to a constantly flowing bloodstream, and a nerve network that makes their muscles kick.
So what about the connection recently proposed by some news outlets regarding a simple test involving your palm and thumb? Could it really help diagnose a silent, yet potentially serious problem?
An aneurysm is what we’re referring to here. This is a ballooned segment of an artery—the vessels that supply oxygenated blood to your body tissues. Aneurysms may cause no problems, but if they grow larger, they can weaken, burst and bleed. This is bad enough in most arteries, but imagine if the artery involved were the biggest in your body?
Those who know Oxford University for its literary luminaries might be surprised to learn that some of the most important reflections on emerging technologies come from its hallowed halls. While the leading tech innovators in Silicon Valley capture imaginations with their bold visions of future singularities, mind-machine melding, and digital immortality by 2045, they rarely engage as deeply with the philosophical issues surrounding such developments as their like-minded scholars over the pond. This essay will briefly highlight some of the key contributions of Oxford University’s professors Nick Bostrom, Anders Sandberg, and Julian Savulescu to the transhumanist movement. It will also show how this movement’s focus on radical autonomy in biotechnical enhancements shapes the wider global bioethical conversation.
As the lead author of the Transhumanist FAQ, Bostrom provides the closest the movement has to an institutional catechism. He is, in a sense, the Ratzinger of Transhumanism. The first paragraph of the seminal text emphasizes the evolutionary vision of his school. Transhumanism’s incessant pursuit of radical technological transformation is “based on the premise that the human species in its current form does not represent the end of our development but rather a comparatively early phase.” Current humans are but one intriguing yet greatly improvable iteration of human existence. Think of the first iPhone and how unattractive 2007’s most cutting-edge technology is in 2024.
In particular, transhumanists encourage radical physical, cognitive, mood, moral, and lifespan enhancements. The movement seeks to defeat humanity’s perennial enemies of aging, sickness, suffering, and death. Bostrom recognizes that he is facing the same foes as Christianity and other traditional religions. Yet he is confident that Transhumanism, through science and technology, will be far more successful than outdated superstitions. Biotechnological advances are more reliable for this worldly benefit than religion’s promises of some mysterious next life. Transhumanists claim no need for “supernatural powers or divine intervention” in their avowedly “naturalistic outlook” since they rely instead on “rational thinking and empiricism” and “continued scientific, technological, economic, and human development.” Nonetheless, Bostrom and his companions recognize that not all technology is created equal.
Using ancient DNA recovered from a fossil bone, researchers in Science Advances have reconstructed a complete genome of the little bush moa, an extinct species of flightless bird that once roamed the forested islands of New Zealand.
Researchers have tested a range of neuroprosthetic devices, from wheelchairs to robots to advanced limbs, that work with their users to intelligently perform tasks.
They work by decoding brain signals to determine the actions their users want to take, and then use advanced robotics to do the work of the spinal cord in orchestrating the movements. The use of shared control — new to neuroprostheses — “empowers users to perform complex tasks,” says José del R. Millán, who presented the new work at the Cognitive Neuroscience Society (CNS) conference in San Francisco today.
Millán, of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, Switzerland, began working on “brain-computer interfaces” (BCIs), designing devices that use people’s own brain activity to restore hand grasping and locomotion, or provide mobility via wheelchairs or telepresence robots, using people’s own brain activity.
