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Using light-sensitive drugs, they identified a promising neural pathway that could lead to more effective, safer anxiety treatments.

Targeting Anxiety with Brain Circuit Research

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine have identified a specific brain circuit that, when inhibited, reduces anxiety without causing noticeable side effects — at least in preclinical models. Their findings highlight a potential new target for treating anxiety disorders and introduce a broader strategy for studying drug effects in the brain using a technique called photopharmacology.

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CINCINNATI (WKRC) — Researchers believe they discovered a new type of life form living in the human body that were previously misidentified as viruses.

According to a new study from bioRxiv that has yet to be peer reviewed, researchers identified a new type of life form in the human body, which they called “Obelisks,” that appeared similar to viruses but with multiple key differences that make them a different type of organism.

For starters, the Obelisks do not match any previously recognized virus, so if they are viruses they are brand new. The researchers said that it’s highly unlikely the Obelisks are viruses, since they identified over 30,000 different variants, and they would have expected to find a match for a previously identified virus among so many variations.

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The Gaia mission, launched by the European Space Agency.

The European Space Agency (ESA) is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to the exploration of space, established in 1975. Composed of 22 member states, ESA conducts a broad range of missions focused on Earth observation, human spaceflight, scientific exploration of the solar system, and the development of related technologies and infrastructure. It collaborates extensively with other space agencies around the world, such as NASA, to undertake significant joint missions, including the International Space Station (ISS) and the Hubble Space Telescope. ESA also plays a crucial role in developing satellite-based technologies and services that benefit Europe and the world, including telecommunications, navigation, and environmental monitoring.

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Students participate in an AI after-school program in Edo, Nigeria. Copyright: SmartEdge/World Bank

“AI helps us to learn, it can serve as a tutor, it can be anything you want it to be, depending on the prompt you write,” says Omorogbe Uyiosa, known as “Uyi” by his friends, a student from the Edo Boys High School, in Benin City, Nigeria. His school was one of the beneficiaries of a pilot that used generative artificial intelligence (AI) to support learning through an after-school program.

A few months ago, we wrote a blog with some of the lessons from the implementation of this innovative program, including a video with voices from beneficiaries, such as Uyi. Back then, we promised that, if you stayed tuned, we would get back with the results of the pilot, which included an impact evaluation. So here we are with three primary findings from the pilot!

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In today’s AI news, OpenAI is announcing a new AI Agent designed to help people who do intensive knowledge work in areas like finance, science, policy, and engineering and need thorough, precise, and reliable research. It could also be useful for anyone making major purchases.

In what most would consider a halcyon time for AI, an anachronistic source has just added their two cents to the ethos around the AI revolution. The Vatican released a significant broadside addressing the potential and risks of AI in a new high-tech world. It’s a very interesting look at these new technologies, with a focus on human worth and human dignity.

In other advances, the one-person micro-enterprise is far from a novel concept. Cheap on-demand AI compute, remote collaboration, payment processing APIs, social media, and e-commerce marketplaces have all made it easier to “go it alone” as an entrepreneur. But what about scaling that business into something meatier — a one-person Unicorn.

And, this morning, Brussels announced plans to develop an open source AI model of its own, with $56 million in funding to do it. The investment will fund top researchers from a handful of companies and universities across EU countries as they develop a large language model that can work with the trading bloc’s 30 languages.

In videos, Lex Fridman speaks with Dylan Patel, Founder of SemiAnalysis, a semiconductor research and analysis company, and Nathan Lambert, a research scientist at Allen Institute for AI (Ai2) and author of an AI blog called Interconnects. They all discuss DeepSeek, China, OpenAI, NVIDIA, xAI, TSMC, Stargate, and AI Megaclusters.

Continue reading “OpenAI Unveils A New ChatGPT Agent For ‘Deep Research’ Analysis And Reporting” | >

Stefanie Mueller is a prominent computer scientist and associate professor at CSAIL and EECS, MIT. Known for her research in the field of human-computer interaction (HCI) and digital fabrication. Her work focuses on designing and developing novel interactive systems and fabrication techniques that enable users to create personalized and customizable physical objects, advancing the field of HCI and bridging the gap between the digital and physical worlds.

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Continue reading “Programmable Matter: Giving Physical Objects Digital Capabilities” | >