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VIDEO NOTES

Brian Greene is a professor of physics and mathematics at Columbia University, director of its centre for theoretical physics, and the chairman of the World Science Festival. He is best known for his work on string theory, especially in his book “The Elegant Universe”, which turns 25 this year.

LINKS.

Parul Sehgal of The New York Times stated “In these pieces, plucked from the last 20 years, Holt takes on infinity and the infinitesimal, the illusion of time, the birth of eugenics, the so-called new atheism, smartphones and distraction. It is an elegant history of recent ideas. There are a few historical correctives — he dismantles the notion that Ada Lovelace, the daughter of Lord Byron, was the first computer programmer. But he generally prefers to perch in the middle of a muddle — say, the string theory wars — and hear evidence from both sides without rushing to adjudication. The essays orbit around three chief concerns: How do we conceive of the world (metaphysics), how do we know what we know (epistemology) and how do we conduct ourselves (ethics)”. [ 6 ]

Steven Poole of The Wall Street Journal commented “…this collection of previously published essays by Jim Holt, who is one of the very best modern science writers”. [ 7 ]

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A highly automated form of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) has led to a successful birth, raising hopes that this approach could cut the risk of human error during such procedures.

One method of IVF is intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), where sperm is injected into eggs in a lab dish. This is commonly used in cases of male infertility, as the sperm don’t have to work to reach an egg. Any resulting embryos are then inserted into the uterus. IVF can also be done by mixing sperm and eggs in a lab dish in the hope that fertilisation will take place, which is generally less successful, but also requires less medical intervention.

Image: Conceivable Life Sciences


A baby has been born after being conceived via IVF performed by a machine, with a medical professional merely overseeing the process.

By Carissa Wong

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) serve as key regulators of enteric nervous system development, orchestrating migration, proliferation, and differentiation of enteric nervous system progenitors.

Aberrant miRNA expression underpins the pathogenesis of several enteric neuropathies, including Hirschsprung’s disease.

A convergence of miRNA activity across distinct enteric neuropathies highlights shared molecular pathways, exemplified by the miR-200 family.

Modulating the expression of miRNAs to influence their associated gene expression networks has therapeutic potential for enteric neuropathies. https://sciencemission.com/MicroRNA-regulation-of-enteric-ne…nd-disease


The enteric nervous system (ENS), an elaborate network of neurons and glia woven through the gastrointestinal tract, is integral for digestive physiology and broader human health. Commensurate with its importance, ENS dysfunction is linked to a range of debilitating gastrointestinal disorders. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), with their pleiotropic roles in post-transcriptional gene regulation, serve as key developmental effectors within the ENS. Herein, we review the regulatory dynamics of miRNAs in ENS ontogeny, showcasing specific miRNAs implicated in both congenital and acquired enteric neuropathies, such as Hirschsprung’s disease (HSCR), achalasia, intestinal neuronal dysplasia (IND), chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction (CIPO), and slow transit constipation (STC).

Tools for mitochondrial protein complex evaluation during remodeling.

Assembly of mitochondrial proteins into high molecular weight complexes is essential for their functions.

The authors developed and validated two searchable compendia of these mitochondrial complexes.

These two online-available tools, MARIGOLD and MitoCIAO, map the mitochondrial protein interactions during membrane remodeling.

MARIGOLD provides ‘‘digital western blots’’ of queried proteins in their native complexes. MitoCIAO predicts their comigrating partners. MitoCIAO correctly predicted biologically validated interactions among components of the mitochondrial cristae organization system (MICOS) and optic atrophy 1 (OPA1) complexes.

These tools deorphanize two ATAD3A-containing complexes participating in cristae biogenesis and mitoribosome stability. https://sciencemission.com/MARIGOLD-and-MitoCIAO


You’ve probably seen a movie in which a character pulls up a hologram display that they can poke, prod, and manipulate as easily as you could mess with a real object sitting on a desk in front of you.

The idea is so ubiquitous in science fiction that it’s become nearly synonymous with the word “hologram.” In almost every news story written about hologram technology and how far it has come, at some point, a disclaimer has to be made explaining that ‘it’s not quite Tony Stark tech, but it’s still cool!’