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Category: neuroscience – Page 216

“Forever Chemicals” Called PFAS Show Up in Your Food, Clothes, and Home

Forever chemicals affect your genes, according to a recent study.

Scientists have identified 11 genes that are consistently impacted by exposure to harmful chemicals that are found in everything from drinking water to food packaging.

Forever chemicals, also known as PFAS, are a global health concern. PFAS or “per-and poly-fluorinated alkyl substances” are also found in common household objects such as non-stick pans, stain or water-resistant materials as well as paints, carpets and clothes.

They are persistent in the environment and can accumulate in our bodies over time. They have been linked to a range of negative health outcomes, including impacting our genes. Some of the 11 genes that were impacted by PFAS are vital for neuronal health, and they showed altered expression levels after exposure to PFAS compounds. This discovery suggests these genes could serve as potential markers for detecting and monitoring PFAS-induced neurotoxicity.

However, the study also revealed that hundreds of other genes responded differently depending on the exact PFAS compound. While PFAS are known to accumulate in the brain due to their ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, this research provides new insights into the intricate ways these chemicals can interfere with gene expression and potentially disrupt our health. Concerns about PFAS stem from their potential health effects, which may include immune deficiency, liver cancer, and thyroid abnormalities. Due to their persistence and potential health risks, many governments are taking steps to regulate or ban the use of PFAS in various products.

These toxic chemicals are so common in consumer products and manufacturing that they’re everywhere—including inside our bodies.

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Mercor, An Artificial Intelligence Recruiting Startup Founded By 21-Year-Olds, Raises $100 Million At $2 Billion Valuation

In today’s AI news, Mercor, the AI recruiting startup founded by three 21-year-old Thiel Fellows, has raised $100 million in a Series B round, the company confirmed to TechCrunch. Menlo Park-based Felicis led the round, valuing Mercor at $2 billion — eight times its previous valuation. Existing investors Benchmark and General Catalyst, as well as DST Global and Menlo Ventures participated.

In other advancements, GPT-4.5 could arrive as soon as next week, as Microsoft gets ready to host OpenAI’s latest artificial intelligence models.

Microsoft engineers are currently readying server capacity for OpenAI’s upcoming GPT-4.5 and GPT-5 models. While OpenAI CEO Sam Altman acknowledged recently that GPT-4.5 will launch within a matter of weeks.

Then, OpenAI’s astounding growth rate potential is luring possible investors as questions loom over whether the startup will go public. “In terms of a multiple to pay for stock like ours, there’s incredible interest at the moment,” finance chief Sarah Friar told CNBC’s David Faber on Thursday. Its future growth potential has also enabled OpenAI to “achieve valuations that are on par with the growth rate of the scale” it is reaching.

S internal testing, it could mark a meaningful step forward for an all-purpose multimodal AI that can operate interactively in both real and digital spaces. + In videos, Figure is introducing Helix, a generalist Vision-Language-Action (VLA) model that unifies perception, language understanding, and learned control to overcome multiple longstanding challenges in robotics. A detailed report on Helix can be found in text accompanying the video.

Then, in this episode of Moonshots Peter Diamandis is joined by a panel of leaders in the session Transforming Business with AI: Opportunity or Overload? at Miami FII. Panelists include: Prem Akkaraju, CEO, Stability AI Ramin Hasani, Co-Founder & CEO, Liquid AI Jack Hidary, CEO, SandboxAQ Jim Keller, CEO, Tenstorrent Alexander Sukharevsky, Senior Partner & Managing Partner, QuantumBlack, AI, McKinsey & Company.

Meanwhile, AI is evolving into a mysterious new form of intelligence — powerful yet flawed, capable of remarkable feats but still far from human-like reasoning and efficiency. To truly understand it and unlock its potential, we need a new science of intelligence that combines neuroscience, AI and physics, says neuroscientist and Stanford professor Surya Ganguli.

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MIT Neuroscientists Discover a Tiny Brain Receptor That Could Transform Fragile X Treatment

MIT neuroscientists have made a breakthrough in treating fragile X syndrome by leveraging a novel neurotransmitter signaling pathway. By targeting a specific subunit of NMDA receptors, they successfully reduced excessive protein synthesis in the brain, a hallmark of the disorder. Their approach, tested in fragile X model mice, not only corrected molecular imbalances but also improved synaptic function and reduced disease symptoms.

Researchers 3D print high-performance, sustainable thermoelectric materials

A recent study published in Science by a Belgian research team investigates how genetic switches that regulate gene activity define brain cell types across different species.

A species is a group of living organisms that share a set of common characteristics and are able to breed and produce fertile offspring. The concept of a species is important in biology as it is used to classify and organize the diversity of life. There are different ways to define a species, but the most widely accepted one is the biological species concept, which defines a species as a group of organisms that can interbreed and produce viable offspring in nature. This definition is widely used in evolutionary biology and ecology to identify and classify living organisms.

Stopping cancer cells from infiltrating nervous system

About 15 years ago, Stanford Medicine neuro-oncologist Michelle Monje, MD, PhD, began to suspect that the brain tumors she studied were doing something strange. Cancer cells sometimes copycat their healthy counterparts, so Monje and her team weren’t surprised to uncover simple parallels between healthy and malignant brain cells. The cancer’s biological “borrowing” was similar to a symphony-goer who whistles the theme from a concerto on the bus ride home.

But the team’s data hinted that these brain tumors were orchestrating something much more complex. Instead of just humming the themes of healthy brain biology, the research suggested the tumors could round up many important cell-signaling instruments — the microscopic equivalents of, say, violins, cellos, flutes and trombones — and use them to play a score of its own.

In physiologic terms, Monje’s team gradually demonstrated, certain cancer cells form working electrical connections with nearby nerves. The tumors wire themselves neatly into the brain’s electrical apparatus, then use healthy nerves’ signals for their own purposes — to drive malignant growth. These cancers also hijack the machinery of learning to strengthen connections with the healthy brain and further enhance their ability to multiply.

Yujin Nagasawa — What is Panpsychism?

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Panpsychism is the extreme claim that everything in the physical world—all subatomic particles-are in some sense ‘conscious’ or have a basic kind of ‘proto-consciousness’. Why are an increasing number of leading philosophers taking panpsychism seriously? Something must be up. Could it be doubt that the scientific project to explain consciousness has failed?

Yujin nagasawa is the kingfisher college chair of the philosophy of religion and ethics, and professor of philosophy at the university of oklahoma.

Watch more videos on panpsychism and consciousness: https://shorturl.at/acpR0

China: World-first dual-loop brain-computer interface unveiled

The US, Europe, and China have all contributed significantly to BCI advancements. Companies like Elon Musk’s Neuralink focus on invasive brain implants, whereas Chinese researchers have made major strides in developing non-invasive and adaptive BCIs.

This latest breakthrough underscores China’s commitment to making BCIs more efficient and user-friendly. By enabling a two-way interaction between brain and machine, the new system takes a significant step toward integrating BCIs into everyday life, from medical rehabilitation to consumer electronics.

The study was published in the journal Nature Electronics.

Spiritual Practices Share a Common Mental Pathway to Deep Bliss

Summary: Researchers found that Buddhist jhāna meditation and Christian speaking in tongues, despite their differences, share a common cognitive feedback loop. This process, called the Attention, Arousal, and Release Spiral, creates a cycle where focused attention leads to joy, making concentration effortless and deepening the experience.

The study gathered firsthand accounts from meditation retreats and worship services, analyzing the micro-moments of attention and emotional shifts. Preliminary brain activity findings suggest both practices involve a cognitive shift that enhances immersion.

Understanding this shared mechanism could help more people access profound states of focus and tranquility. The next phase of research will use brain imaging to explore the physiological changes behind this phenomenon.

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