Lifeboat Foundation

More than a million species of arthropods –cold-blooded creepy-crawlies including all insects — crawl and buzz around us outdoors and indoors, aboveground and underground, in our plumbing systems, in our food and on our bodies.

Like them or not, they do essential tasks like pollinating our crops, aerating farmland and sustaining an enormous diversity of predators from warblers to wolverines.

Yet despite arthropods’ crucial importance to the environment and humanity, and amid concerns that some of these populations are dwindling, scientists did not know how many are really out there and how much they weigh collectively.

The gastrointestinal hormones ghrelin and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) have opposite secretion patterns, as well as opposite effects on metabolism and food intake. Beyond their role in energy homeostasis, gastrointestinal hormones have also been suggested to modulate the reward system. However, the potential of ghrelin and GLP-1 to modulate reward responses in humans has not been systematically reviewed before. To evaluate the convergence of published results, we first conduct a multi-level kernel density meta-analysis of studies reporting a positive association of ghrelin (N_comb = 353, 18 contrasts) and a negative association of GLP-1 (N_comb = 258, 12 contrasts) and reward responses measured using task functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Second, we complement the meta-analysis using a systematic literature review, focusing on distinct reward phases and applications in clinical populations that may account for variability across studies. In line with preclinical research, we find that ghrelin increases reward responses across studies in key nodes of the motivational circuit, such as the nucleus accumbens, pallidum, putamen, substantia nigra, ventral tegmental area, and the dorsal mid insula. In contrast, for GLP-1, we did not find sufficient convergence in support of reduced reward responses. Instead, our systematic review identifies potential differences of GLP-1 on anticipatory versus consummatory reward responses. Based on a systematic synthesis of available findings, we conclude that there is considerable support for the neuromodulatory potential of gut-based circulating peptides on reward responses. To unlock their potential for clinical applications, it may be useful for future studies to move beyond anticipated rewards to cover other reward facets.

Leading scientists in the field predict that lithium niobate chips, which are extremely thin, will surpass silicon chips in light-based technologies. These chips have a wide range of potential applications, from detecting ripe fruit from a distance on Earth to guiding navigation on the Moon.

According to the scientists, the artificial crystal of lithium niobate is the preferred platform for these technologies because of its superior performance and advancements in manufacturing techniques.

RMIT University’s Distinguished Professor Arnan Mitchell and University of Adelaide’s Dr. Andy Boes led this team of global experts to review lithium niobate’s capabilities and potential applications in the journal Science.

Researchers from The University of Queensland have discovered the active compound from an edible mushroom that boosts nerve growth and enhances memory.

Professor Frederic Meunier from the Queensland Brain Institute said the team had identified new active compounds from the mushroom, Hericium erinaceus.

Researchers have discovered lion’s mane mushrooms improve brain cell growth and memory in pre-clinical trials. Image UQ.

In collaboration with the UC San Diego Center for Integrative Nutrition, the Berry Good Food Foundation convenes a panel of experts to discuss the rise of comprehensive medicine and nutritional healing to treat chronic disease and maintain general well-being. [6/2018] [Show ID: 33486]

Future Thought Leaders.
(https://www.uctv.tv/future-thought-leaders)

Continue reading “Let Food Be Thy Medicine” »

A message from Mars Society Executive Director James Burk:

I am pleased to announce our partnership with Million on Mars.

Million on Mars is a game where you can explore creating and growing your own settlement on Mars. It is set in the 2070s, and the Ad Astra Unlimited corporation led by fictional character “Lane Dusk” has solved transportation, but the challenge is now on you – the brave settler of Mars – will you go hard on Solar or perhaps Thorium Salt Reactors? Become an agricultural maven, or go hard on mining and smelting? Or perhaps go deep into the Aerospace profession and continue settling the solar system?

An almost meter-long footprint made by a giant, meat-eating theropod dinosaur from the Jurassic Period represents the largest of its kind ever found in Yorkshire. Curiously, the unusual footprint appears to capture the moment that the dinosaur rested or crouched down some 166 million years ago.

The Yorkshire coast is renowned for producing some visually and scientifically incredible fossils, including thousands of dinosaur footprints. A popular destination for professional paleontologists and fossil fans, people come from far and wide to see what they can find; however, it is not every day that a footprint measuring 80 centimeters in length is discovered.

This record-breaking print was found by local archaeologist Marie Woods in April 2021. She had gone out along the coast and found this amazing fossil completely by chance. In her excitement and disbelief, Marie made contact with local fossil experts, but none were aware of the track she was describing. Following this, she then contacted Dr. Dean Lomax, a paleontologist affiliated with The University of Manchester and author of “Dinosaurs of the British Isles.”

Between 75,000 and 50,000 years ago, humans began to make their way across the megacontinent of Sahul, a landmass that connected what is now Australia, Tasmania, New Guinea, and the Aru Islands.

New research reveals more about the routes used by these early humans and the length of time it took for them to fully explore the extremities of Sahul. It could have taken up to 10,000 years for the vast area to be completely covered by these intrepid humans, which is twice as long as previously thought.

To refine their estimates, researchers developed a new, more sophisticated model that factored in influences on travel, like the land’s ability to provide food, water source distribution, and the landscape’s topography.

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