Researchers have built the first “microwave brain” chip capable of processing both ultrafast data and wireless communication signals at once.
Category: neuroscience – Page 4
Cubosome-based method for loading mRNA into exosomes
Exosomes, naturally derived vesicles responsible for intercellular communication, are emerging as next-generation drug delivery systems capable of transporting therapeutics to specific cells. However, their tightly packed, cholesterol-rich membranes make it extremely difficult to encapsulate large molecules such as mRNA or proteins.
Conventional approaches have relied on techniques like electroporation or chemical treatment, which often damage both the drugs and exosomes, reduce delivery efficiency, and require complex purification steps—all of which pose significant barriers to commercialization.
The team utilized a lipid-based nanoparticle known as a “cubosome,” which mimics the fusion structure of cell membranes and naturally fuses with exosomes. By mixing cubosomes carrying mRNA with exosomes at room temperature for just 10 minutes, the researchers achieved efficient fusion and confirmed that the mRNA was successfully loaded into the exosomes. Analysis showed that over 98% of the mRNA was encapsulated, while the structural integrity and biological function of the exosomes were preserved.
Furthermore, the engineered exosomes demonstrated the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, one of the most difficult hurdles in drug delivery. Notably, the team observed a “homing” effect, where exosomes return to the type of cell they originated from, enabling targeted drug delivery to diseased tissues.
New Brain Pathway Reveals Why the Same Touch Feels Different
Our brain doesn’t just feel, it decides how much to feel. Researchers discovered a feedback loop that adjusts how sensitive we are to touch, depending on context. This dynamic brain circuit could help explain sensory fluctuations and traits linked to autism.
The cerebral cortex handles incoming sensory input through an intricate web of neural connections. But how exactly does the brain fine-tune these signals to shape what we perceive? Researchers at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) have uncovered a mechanism where specific projections from the thalamus influence the excitability of certain neurons.
Their findings, published in Nature Communications.
Maternal microbes play a significant role in shaping early brain development, study suggests
Research from Michigan State University finds that microbes play an important role in shaping early brain development, specifically in a key brain region that controls stress, social behavior, and vital body functions.
The study, published in Hormones and Behavior, used a mouse model to highlight how natural microbial exposure not only impacts brain structure immediately after birth but may even begin influencing development while still in the womb. A mouse model was chosen because mice share significant biological and behavioral similarities with humans and there are no other alternatives to study the role of microbes on brain development.
This work is of significance because modern obstetric practices, like peripartum antibiotic use and Cesarean delivery, disrupt maternal microbes. In the United States alone, 40% of women receive antibiotics around childbirth and one-third of all births occur via Cesarean section.
This Tiny Brain Grown in a Lab Could Revolutionize Mental Health Research
A lab-grown brain that mimics real brain function may offer breakthroughs in autism, schizophrenia, and mental health drug testing.
Scientists Say the Universe Might Be a HOAX — Here’s Why
Which leads us to a strange but necessary question:
If the universe is just structure — just syntax — then where’s the meaning?
Because that’s what we’ve been trying to find all along, isn’t it? Not just patterns. Not just formulas. But something is behind it. Something in it. A message. A cause. A reason why anything is the way it is. Something we could point to and say, “There — that’s what it’s all about.”
3:04 The Illusion of Physical Reality — Is Anything Really There?
10:16 Quantum Mechanics — When Reality Stops Making Sense.
18:04 The Holographic Principle — A Universe Made of Information.
26:24 Quantum Fields, Not Particles — The Fabric Beneath Matter.
33:29 Emergence — Time, Space, and Matter Are Not Fundamental.
41:49 Simulation Theory — But with a Physics Twist.
49:12 Quantum Gravity and the End of Local Reality.
57:29 Consciousness and the Collapse of Reality.
1:06:11 The “It from Bit” Hypothesis.
1:15:37 Experimental Clues — When the Universe Disobeys Logic.
1:23:46 If the Universe Isn’t Real, What Are We?
1:33:13 Could Physics Be Telling Us There’s No ‘There’ There?
1:39:33 Is the Universe a Language Without a Speaker?
1:46:53 So… What’s Left? Do We Actually Exist?
1:52:07 The Ultimate Twist — Could “Nothing” Be the Most Real Thing?
1:57:07 What If the Universe Is the Biggest Illusion Ever Constructed?
If you keep peeling everything back, does anything actually remain?
That’s the uncomfortable part. Because there’s a difference between saying “nothing exists the way we thought” and saying “nothing exists at all.” The first is about interpretation. The second is about presence. One reframes reality. The other questions whether there’s anything there to reframe.