Toggle light / dark theme

David Spivak: Pioneering Math for Understanding Reality | AGI-24 Keynote Preview

Mathematics application to a new understanding thd world and life and information.


Dr. David Spivak introduces himself as a keynote speaker at the 17th Annual Artificial General Intelligence Conference in Seattle and shares his lifelong passion for math. He discusses his journey from feeling insecure about the world as a child, to grounding his understanding in mathematics.

Dr. Spivak is the Secretary of the Board at the Topos Institute and on the Topos staff as Senior Scientist and Institute Fellow, following an appointment as founding Chief Scientist. Since his PhD from UC Berkeley in 2007, he has worked to bring category-theoretic ideas into science, technology, and society, through novel mathematical research and collaboration with scientists from disciplines including Materials Science, Chemistry, Robotics, Aeronautics, and Computing. His mission at Topos is to help develop the ability for people, organizations, and societies to see more clearly—and hence to serve—the systems that sustain them.

For more information and registration, please visit the Conference website: https://agi-conf.org/2024/

#AGI #AGI24 #AI #Mathematics.

Predicting the effect of binding molecules on the shape and mechanical properties of structured DNA assemblies

Chemo-mechanical deformation of structured DNA assemblies driven by DNA-binding ligands is promising for biological and therapeutic applications, but it is elusive how to effectively model and predict their effects on the deformation and mechanical properties of DNA structures. Here, the authors present a computational framework for simulating chemo-mechanical change of structured DNA assemblies, using ethidium bromide intercalation as an example.

Regular aspirin use may help lower risk of colorectal cancer, study finds, especially for those with unhealthy lifestyles

(CNN) — Regular aspirin use may keep the oncologist away, at least when it comes to colorectal cancer, according to a new study, and people with unhealthy lifestyles seemed to see the greatest benefit.

Colorectal cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death worldwide, predicted to cause more than 52,500 deaths in the US alone in 2023. About 153,020 people in the US were diagnosed with the condition in 2023, and it’s become much more prevalent among people under 55, with numbers more than doubling in this group from a decade ago, studies show.

The causes of colorectal cancer can be genetic, but certain lifestyle factors also seem to raise risk, including eating an unhealthy diet, not getting enough exercise, drinking alcohol, smoking and having a high body mass index.

Study identifies protein that affects health of gut microbiota and response to bacterial infection

Future studies can now be designed to understand the discovery in greater depth and use it to develop treatments. “The essential next step is to investigate the efficacy of IL-22BP inhibitors in animal models and possibly in clinical trials to treat severe intestinal infections,” Fachi said. Another possibility will be to explore how different types and quantities of food fiber affect short-chain fatty acid production. “The composition of gut microbiota in the absence of IL-22BP can provide valuable information,” he added.

Gut microbiota modulation may benefit other intestinal inflammatory conditions, such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, as well as infections caused by other pathogens.

“Finding out how IL-22 interacts with other molecules and immune system cells in the absence of IL-22BP will help us better understand its function in intestinal immunity. Future studies could transform our understanding of the role of these proteins in intestinal health and lead to the development of novel therapeutic strategies to prevent and treat intestinal infections,” Vinolo said.

New Dual-Target Drug Could Make Antibiotic Resistance 100 Million Times Harder

It’s easy to think of bacteria as one of the greatest scourges on Earth for the diseases and deaths they cause, and how they repeatedly thwart our best antibiotics, evolving into drug-resistant superbugs.

But really, bacteria are just doing what they’ve always done – finding new ways to survive.

While the search for new antibiotics continues, combination therapies are increasingly being tested to try to clamp down on multiple bacterial escape pathways at once, and limit the chances of microbes developing resistance with successive biological hacks.

/* */