Scientists have long been racking their brains for ways to treat Alzheimer’s disease, the most common type of dementia.
Turns out that the answer may lie within our own brains. Researchers from Northwestern University suggest that enhancing the brain’s immune cells may better equip them to clear out harmful clumps of the toxic protein amyloid beta, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s.
“Our study is highly novel because we had the rare opportunity to analyze one of the largest post-mortem brain cohorts of Alzheimer’s patients treated with amyloid-targeting drugs — similar to those now approved by the FDA for Alzheimer’s disease,” lead author Lynn van Olst said.
Dr Peter Sjöstedt-Hughes is a Philosopher of Mind and Metaphysics who specializes in the thought of Whitehead, Nietzsche, Bergson, and Spinoza—and in fields pertaining to panpsychism, pantheism, mental causation, and altered states of consciousness. He is a lecturer at The University of Exeter. Peter is the author of Noumenautics (2015), Modes of Sentience (2021), co-editor and contributor of Bloomsbury’s Philosophy and Psychedelics (2022), the TEDx Talker on ‘psychedelics and consciousness’, and he is inspiration to the recreation of inhuman philosopher Marvel Superhero, Karnak.
TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 — Introduction. 1:00 — The Mind-Body Problem. 4:00 — Idealism vs Panpsychism. 6:45 — Defining Consciousness. 15:30 — Spinozism & Whiteheadian Panpsychism. 19:30 — Kastrup’s Analytic Idealism. 24:07 — Naïve Realism. 29:30 — Huxley, James, Whitehead, Nietzsche, Spinoza, Schopenhauer, Bergson & Kant. 35:15 — What is the Philosophy of Psychedelics? 41:38 — Evidence of Psychedelic Research. 45:35 — Psychedelics & Consciousness. 53:10 — Defining Psychedelics. 59:50 — Metaphysical Shifts & Consensus Reality. 1:04:30 — Peter’s most Psychoactive Experience. 1:09:40 — Psychedelic Research Criticism. 1:13:14 — From Therapeutics to Metaphysics. 1:16:18 — Mind At Large & Exogenous Mind Theory. 1:23:08 — Free Will. 1:27:40 — Panpsychisms. 1:35:40 — Peter’s Philosophical Heroes. 1:40:02 — Final Thoughts. 1:41:10 — Conclusion.
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We thought we knew the human body — but a new organ has been officially discovered.
In a groundbreaking discovery, researchers have officially classified the mesentery—a structure in the digestive system—as a distinct human organ.
Previously thought to be a fragmented and insignificant part of the abdominal cavity, new research reveals that the mesentery is actually a continuous structure that plays a crucial role in holding the intestines in place.
This reclassification, led by J Calvin Coffey from the University Hospital Limerick in Ireland, has been recognized in medical textbooks like Gray’s Anatomy and is now being taught to medical students. While its precise function remains unclear, studying this newly recognized organ could lead to breakthroughs in understanding and treating abdominal and digestive diseases.
The mesentery’s discovery marks the beginning of a new medical field—mesenteric science—which aims to uncover its role in human health. Researchers believe that a deeper understanding of its functions will help identify diseases linked to abnormal mesenteric activity. This revelation reminds us that, despite advances in science, there is still much to learn about our own bodies. With further research, the mesentery could hold key insights into improving gastrointestinal health and developing innovative treatments for abdominal disorders.
A new structural blueprint paves the way for improved targeting of cancer cells, particularly those with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations. DNA repair proteins function as the body’s molecular editors, continuously identifying and correcting damage to our genetic code. A longstanding challenge in cancer research has been understanding how cancer cells exploit one such protein—polymerase theta (Pol-theta)—to support their survival. Now, scientists at Scripps Research have captured the first high-resolution images of Pol-theta in action, shedding light on its role in cancer development.
“If the FDA approves its application, the company will repeat the methods from the mouse and monkey experiments, Rosenzweig-Lipson said. Scientists will inject volunteers’ eyes with Yamanaka factors that can be turned off or on with the antibiotic doxycycline, Rosenzweig-Lipson said. The hope is that the cells in people’s damaged optic nerves will grow more youthful at an epigenetic level, and their vision will improve.”
Can reprogramming our genes make us young again? A breakthrough in longevity research may be nearing its first human trials.
In a new development that could help redefine the future of technology, a team of physicists has uncovered a fundamental insight into the upper limit of superconducting temperature.
This research, accepted for publication in the Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, suggests that room-temperature superconductivity —long considered the “holy grail” of condensed matter physics—may indeed be possible within the laws of our universe.
Superconductors, materials that can conduct electricity without resistance, have the potential to revolutionize energy transmission, medical imaging, and quantum computing. However, until now, they have only functioned at extremely low temperatures, making them impractical for widespread use. The race to find a superconductor that works at ambient conditions has been one of the most intense and elusive pursuits in modern science.
A study of artificial human and chimpanzee nerve cells revealed how faster-evolving DNA enables neurons to develop increasingly complex brain power.
How did humans evolve brains capable of complex language, civilization, and more?
The answer may lie in exceptional DNA. Scientists at UC San Francisco discovered that certain regions of our chromosomes have evolved at remarkable speeds, giving us an advantage in brain development over apes. However, this rapid evolution may also make us more susceptible to uniquely human brain disorders.
An international team of researchers has discovered that rifaximin, a commonly prescribed antibiotic for liver disease patients, is contributing to the global rise of a highly resistant strain of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE). This superbug, which frequently causes severe infections in hospitalized patients, is becoming increasingly difficult to treat.
The study, published in Nature, reveals that rifaximin use is accelerating resistance to daptomycin—one of the last remaining effective antibiotics against VRE infections.
Led by scientists from the University of Melbourne’s Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity (Doherty Institute) and Austin Health, the research underscores the urgent need for a more comprehensive understanding of the unintended consequences of antibiotic use. It highlights the critical importance of responsible antibiotic prescribing to mitigate the spread of antimicrobial resistance.
The eye protein rhodopsin of the Greenland shark was found to have amino acid variations that made them more adept at processing blue-light wavelengths – a feature that is advantageous when living in the dim deep ocean waters.
“These genomic analyses offer new insights into the molecular basis of the exceptional longevity of the Greenland shark and highlight potential genetic mechanisms that could inform future research into longevity,” scientists wrote in the study.
In a trailblazing advancement in cancer therapy, researchers at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have developed a technology that transforms colon cancer cells into normal-like cells without destroying them.
This innovative approach, led by Professor Kwang-Hyun Cho of the Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, represents a significant departure from traditional cancer treatments that rely on killing cancer cells, often leading to severe side effects and risks of recurrence.
