With billions of stars in the Milky Way, some nomenclature standardization is necessary.
By Phil Plait edited by Lee Billings.
As the global population ages, more of us face frightening cognitive decline, personally or in our loved ones. There are over 10 million new cases of dementia globally each year.
But a study published this year suggests up to 13 percent of people diagnosed with dementia in the US may have a misdiagnosis and are instead left struggling with a condition that can be treated.
“Health care providers [must be] made aware of this potential overlap between dementia and hepatic encephalopathy, which is treatable,” said Virginia Commonwealth University hepatologist Jasmohan Bajaj in July.
Scientists discover 2 stars orbiting our galaxy’s supermassive black hole in lockstep — and they could point to a type of planet never seen before
Posted in cosmology | Leave a Comment on Scientists discover 2 stars orbiting our galaxy’s supermassive black hole in lockstep — and they could point to a type of planet never seen before
Astronomers have discovered a pair of young stars near the supermassive black hole at the heart of our galaxy. Studying them can offer a rare glimpse into how stars can endure — at least briefly — the immense gravity exerted by such cosmic behemoths.
New therapies that are less intrusive but more lasting than current interventions promise to arrest and even reverse neurodegeneration.
Scientists at The University of Manchester have achieved a significant breakthrough in using cyanobacteria—commonly known as “blue-green algae”—to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) into valuable bio-based materials.
Their work, published in Biotechnology for Biofuels and Bioproducts, could accelerate the development of sustainable alternatives to fossil fuel-derived products like plastics, helping pave the way for a carbon-neutral circular bioeconomy.
The research, led by Dr. Matthew Faulkner, working alongside Dr. Fraser Andrews, and Professor Nigel Scrutton, focused on improving the production of citramalate, a compound that serves as a precursor for renewable plastics such as Perspex or Plexiglas. Using an innovative approach called “design of experiment,” the team achieved a remarkable 23-fold increase in citramalate production by optimizing key process parameters.
This will really start to pick up now.
An Austin-based national charter school network offers K-12 students an AI-guided education. Operating under a model called “2 Hour Learning,” a company of the same name advertises accelerated pace, app-based classes designed to teach students at “2X” the speed of a traditional classroom, whatever that means. Parents are promised that the system works for 80–90 percent of children, and that students consistently rank in the NWEA’s 90th percentile. Apart from generating top-ranking national standardized test takers, however, one of 2 Hour Learning’s other explicit goals is the removal of teachers from classrooms.
Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have pioneered a 3D concrete printing method that captures and stores carbon dioxide, marking a major step toward reducing the construction industry’s environmental footprint.
The innovative technique offers a promising solution to mitigate cement’s massive carbon emissions.
The process works by integrating CO₂ and steam—byproducts of industrial processes—into the concrete mix during 3D printing. As the material is printed, CO₂ reacts with components in the concrete, forming a solid, stable compound that remains locked within the structure.