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Single-neuron projectomes of macaque prefrontal cortex reveal primate-specific connectivity principle

In a study published in Cell on July 10, researchers reported the first comprehensive study of whole-brain projectomes of the macaque prefrontal cortex (PFC) at the single-neuron level and revealed the organization of macaque PFC connectivity.

The team from the Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology (CEBSIT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with a team from the HUST-Suzhou Institute for Brainsmatics, compared macaque and mouse PFC single-neuron projectomes and revealed highly refined axon targeting and arborization in primates.

The PFC in primates, including humans, has dramatically expanded over the course of evolution, which is believed to be the structural basis of high cognitive functions. Previous studies of PFC connectivity in have mainly relied on population-level viral tracing and imaging (fMRI), which in general lack single-cell resolution to examine projection diversity. Meanwhile, whole-brain imaging data for tracing axons in the primate brain are massive in size.

Inflation without an inflaton

A novel mechanism of inflation is proposed where, starting only from a preexisting de Sitter background, no scalar fields are present, and density perturbations arise from the nonlinear evolution of gravitational waves, which unavoidably arise as quantum vacuum oscillations of the metric. This model-free picture of the early Universe gives concrete predictions that can be tested against cosmological observations.

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang Goes Against MIT Research & Says AI Makes Him Smarter

In an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang has denied using AI makes him less smart. Huang’s remarks came in response to an MIT study last month, which shared that users who relied on AI for writing essays demonstrated less brain activity across regions of the brain and were unable to use unique thinking at the end. However, Huang, who shared that he had not come across this study, commented that using AI actually improved his cognitive skills.

The gist of MIT’s study indicated that users who relied on ChatGPT to write their essays ended up with lower brain activity after their third attempt. The researchers outlined that while ChatGPT essay writers did initially structure their essays and based their questions to the model on the structure, at their final attempt, they ended up simply copying and pasting the model’s responses. Additionally, the ChatGPT users were also unable to recall their work and “consistently underperformed at neural, linguistic, and behavioral levels.”

After CNN’s Fareed Zakaria questioned Huang about the study and asked him what he thought of it, the executive replied by sharing that he hadn’t “looked at that research yet.” However, Huang still disagreed with the research’s conclusions. “I have to admit, I’m using AI literally every single day. And, and, um, I think my cognitive skills are actually advancing,” he said. Commenting further, the NVIDIA added that the reason behind his skills improving was because he wasn’t asking the model to think for him. Instead, “I’m asking it to teach me things that I don’t know. Or help me solve problems that otherwise wouldn’t be able to solve reasonably,” he shared.

‘I was floored by the data’: Psilocybin shows anti-aging properties in early study

Psilocybin, the main psychoactive ingredient in magic mushrooms, extends the lifespan of human cells, a lab study suggests. Researchers also found that the psychedelic compound slows certain hallmarks of aging in older mice while improving their fur quality.

The findings, published July 8 in the journal npj Aging, provide the first experimental evidence of psilocybin’s potential anti-aging properties.

World’s most accurate atomic clock redefines how me measure second

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) U.S. has set a new world record for the most accurate aluminum ion-based optical atomic clock.

This clock sets a new time-keeping benchmark, accurately measuring a second down to its 19th decimal place. That’s a major leap, making it 41% more accurate and 2.6 times more stable than the former record holder.

The aluminum ion clock’s accuracy record stems from two decades of persistent refinement.

First electronic-photonic quantum chip manufactured in commercial foundry

First time quantum light sources, control electronics are tightly integrated on a silicon chip.

A packaged circuit board containing the chip placed under microscope in probe station during an experiment. The first-of-its-kind silicon chip combines both the quantum light-generating components (photonics) with classical electronic control circuits — all packed into an area measuring just one millimeter by one millimeter.

Quantum Breakthrough: Physicists Discover “Lonely” Spinon That Defies Magnetic Norms

A new discovery reveals how a mysterious quantum spin excitation — a solitary spinon — can exist alone, hinting at advances in quantum technologies. Scientists from the Faculty of Physics at the University of Warsaw and the University of British Columbia have identified a way for a “lone spinon”