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The production of molecular positronium

Circa 2007


When intense positron bursts are implanted into a thin film of porous silica, di-positronium (Ps2) is created on the internal pore surfaces, providing experimental proof of the existence of the molecule. Using a more intense positron source, it may be possible to form a Bose–Einstein condensate of Psf2 molecules, which would be of significant fundamental interest and a milestone on the path to produce an annihilation gamma-ray laser.

Scientists Say We Need to Rethink How We Dispose of Satellites

The term, “casualty risk” doesn’t literally mean humans will be smashed by falling satellites, but there is an increasing risk of satellite collisions, which could hinder or even spell disaster for future orbital missions. And, satellites de-orbited without control could pose a danger to property or the well-being of some on the surface.

In other words, it’s time to rethink the way we dispose of satellites.

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What goes up, must come down.

Or at least, for satellites, it should.

Rich nations warned hogging Covid jabs will lead to huge global death toll

Exclusive: UK scientist says giving booster jabs rather than sharing doses equitably will cause hundreds of thousands of avoidable deaths.


The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s proposed changes to recommendations for using low-dose aspirin to prevent a first heart attack or stroke closely align with guidelines from the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association.

The discovery of red blood cells acting as micro-electrodes opens new doors in medical research

In a paper published in Scientific Reports, academics at the University of Surrey have discovered that biological cells generate an electric field voltage that appears outside and not just within, meaning each cell acts as a tiny electrode. Since this voltage impacts how cells interact with their environment, including the way cells stick to one another, this has significant potential implications for future medical treatments.

Since the 1790s, scientists have known that electricity plays a role in the function of life, with the discovery in the 1940s that every cell contains a that controls many of its functions. This is particularly the case in muscle and nerve cells but has also been shown to play an important role in diseases such as cancer.

However, until now, this voltage has always been understood to be contained within the cell. Through intricate experiments with , the Surrey-led research team has shown that the voltage appears outside the cell as well. This means that cells effectively act as tiny transmitters, electrically changing the environment around them. Similar results in other types of could play a significant role in determining new types of medical treatment.

Brain cell differences could be key to learning in humans and AI

Imperial researchers have found that variability between brain cells might speed up learning and improve the performance of the brain and future artificial intelligence (AI).

The new study found that by tweaking the electrical properties of individual cells in simulations of brain networks, the networks learned faster than simulations with identical cells.

They also found that the networks needed fewer of the tweaked cells to get the same results and that the method is less energy-intensive than models with identical cells.

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The research is published in Nature Communications.

Why is a neuron like a snowflake?