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10 Things about you did not know about Agora Garden, Taipei

Located in the Xinyi District of Taipei, Tao Zhu Yin Yuan, more famously known as the Agora Garden, is an ultra-modern residential building. It has been a point of observation and study for many designers for its peculiar twisted structure. The building has a height of 306 ft comprising 21 floors above ground and three basements. It has a LEED gold and diamond label and has also won multiple awards.

‘Brain dead’ man trapped in body heard debate about turning off his life support

In 2017, Jacob Haendel was living a normal life as a head chef in…


A paralysed man who had an extreme form of locked-in syndrome and heard a nurse say he was “brain dead” has become the first ever to recover after hearing medical professionals debating whether or not to switch off his life support.

In 2017, Jacob Haendel was living a normal life as a head chef in Boston, Massachusetts but in the space of a few weeks, his life was turned upside down after he was diagnosed with acute toxic progressive leukoencephalopathy, which progressed into locked-in syndrome and forced his body would slowly shut down. An extreme form of locked-in syndrome is a condition where a patient is aware but cannot move or communicate verbally due to complete paralysis and can be caused by brain trauma, infection or exposure to toxins.

It is not known exactly how Jacob developed the condition, though he says his life as a chef consuming certain chemicals “wilfully and otherwise” may have been a factor. He ended up paralysed, unable to talk or blink within a few months and, could hear hospital staff deliberating over switching off machines.

Dysfunction of neurons in the amygdala may be behind negative perceptions of the environment

One of the characteristics of depression is a tendency to perceive sensory stimuli and everyday situations in an excessively negative way. But the mechanisms underpinning this “negativity bias,” which can fuel the development of depressive symptoms, had previously remained largely unknown.

Solving computationally hard problems with 3D integrated photonics

As technology advances, the limitations of conventional electronic computers are becoming increasingly apparent, especially when tackling complex computational challenges. NP-complete problems, which grow exponentially with size, represent some of the toughest puzzles in computer science. These issues have significant implications across various fields, including biomedicine, transportation, and manufacturing. In the quest for more effective…

Neuroscience sheds light on brain mechanisms underlying exceptional creativity

A new study sheds light on how highly creative individuals, such as visual artists and scientists, may have brains that function differently compared to others. The research, published in Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, reveals that people who exhibit exceptional creativity—referred to as “Big C” creative individuals—demonstrate…