Lifeboat Foundation

Cats already have 9 lives, but what if we could give them 18? Longevity research isn’t just benefiting humans: I looked into some supplements and products that may help you extend your cat’s lifespan, or at least their healthspan.

If you proudly share a house or apartment with one or more cats, chances are you want your precious pet to live a long and healthy life. In addition to getting the basics of diet, exercise, and safety right (basically, do the opposite of the cartoon Garfield), there are many cat longevity products out there that aim to increase your cat’s lifespan.

We’ve taken the time to explore some of them, and this comprehensive list of the top nine cat longevity products is a resource you can use to discover options that may keep that furry feline of yours not only healthy but also happy, energetic, and curious for many years to come.

Continue reading “Top 9 Cat Longevity Products for 2024” »

The ancient structure was carefully built out of gigantic soft stones.

Could a fecal transplant pill be the antidepressants of the future?

Depression is real, and it is complex. Most conditions that affect our brain chemistry are going to be complex, and there are no easy, simple answers. We can’t cure depression by just exercising more, eating better, or taking a short vacation to recharge (although there is some evidence that getting more money, especially to lift you out of poverty, helps relieve depressive symptoms).

Micrometeorites, tiny space rocks, may have helped deliver nitrogen, a vital life ingredient, to Earth during our solar system’s early days. This finding was published in Nature Astronomy on November 30 by an international research team, including scientists from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and Kyoto University. They discovered that nitrogen compounds like ammonium salts are common in material from regions distant from the sun. However, how these compounds reached Earth’s orbit was unclear.

The study suggests that more nitrogen compounds were transported near Earth than previously thought. These compounds could have contributed to life on our planet. The research was based on material collected from the asteroid Ryugu by Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft in 2020. Ryugu, a small sun-orbiting rocky object, is carbon-rich and has experienced considerable space weathering due to micrometeorite impacts and solar charged ions.

The scientists studied the Ryugu samples to understand the materials reaching Earth’s orbit. They used an electron microscope and found the Ryugu samples’ surface covered with tiny iron and nitrogen minerals. They theorized that micrometeorites carrying ammonia compounds collided with Ryugu. This collision sparked chemical reactions on magnetite, resulting in iron nitride formation.

Dr. McKinney noted, “With JWST, we can study for the first time the optical and infrared properties of this heavily dust-obscured, hidden population of galaxies because it’s so sensitive that not only can it stare back into the farthest reaches of the universe, but it can also pierce the thickest of dusty veils.”

Did galaxies produce stars in the early universe? This is what a recent study published in The Astrophysical Journal hopes to unveil as a team of international researchers analyze data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) about a star-forming galaxy called AzTECC71 that existed approximately 900 million years after the Big Bang. What makes this discovery unique is that AzTECC71 is hidden behind a fair amount of dust which initially fooled astronomers to hypothesize that it’s not very big. How astronomers now hypothesize that AzTECC71 was producing a plethora of new stars despite its young age, which challenges previous notions of the formation and evolution of galaxies so soon after the Big Bang.

Color composite image of the galaxy, AzTECC71, which astronomers estimate existed approximately 900 million years after the Big Bang. This image was made using multiple color filters as part of the James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRCam instrument. (Credit: J. McKinney/M. Franco/C. Casey/University of Texas at Austin)

Continue reading “AzTECC71: The Faint Galaxy That Defies Optical Detection” »

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Recent advances allow imaging of neurons inside freely moving animals. However, to decode circuit activity, these imaged neurons must be computationally identified and tracked. This becomes particularly challenging when the brain itself moves and deforms inside an organism’s flexible body, e.g., in a worm. Until now, the scientific community has lacked the tools to address the problem.

Now, a team of scientists from EPFL and Harvard have developed a pioneering AI method to track neurons inside moving and deforming animals. The study, now published in Nature Methods, was led by Sahand Jamal Rahi at EPFL’s School of Basic Sciences.

Continue reading “Enhanced AI tracks neurons in moving animals” »

Tesla is launching the newest version of its App with a new software update, labeled version 4.27.5. A variety of new features are set to roll out, including Phone Key improvements, Waypoints Support, and Supercharger Photos, so drivers know what to expect from their next charging visit.

Tesla’s 4.27.5 App Update will be released on December 5 and features a few new features after 4.27.3 rolled out last week, which featured the first looks at Cybertruck Support after the delivery event last week.

The three features that will be introduced through 4.27.5 are Waypoints Navigation Support, Supercharger Photos, and Phone Key Improvements.

NICT collaborated with two other institutions to mark a new world record capable of handling 1,000 times more traffic than existing worldwide internet networks.