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Editor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify the type of trees affected by Phanerochaete velutina.

A species of wood-eating fungus didn’t need a brain to pass a cognitive test with flying colors, and researchers say this first-of-its-kind discovery could have broader implications for understanding consciousness and intelligence in a variety of life forms.

A team of researchers at Japan’s Tohoku University, led by Yu Fukasawa, associate professor in the Graduate School of Agricultural Science, set out to determine whether fungi could recognize shapes. Their study, published in the journal Fungal Ecology in October, found evidence that these bottom feeders possess memory and decision-making abilities despite not having a central nervous system.

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Astronomers have discovered a new way to study black holes, the mysterious cosmic entities that destroy anything in their path. By observing X-ray bursts from a star being torn apart by a black hole, researchers calculated the black hole’s spin rate for the first time using X-rays. The black hole was found spinning at nearly 50 percent of the speed of light. This research, published in Science, opens new possibilities for understanding black holes’ behavior and evolution.

The discovery dates back to November 2014, when astronomers observed a supermassive black hole in a galaxy 300 million light years away. This black hole ripped apart a star that had ventured too close, an event known as a tidal disruption flare. The flare generated intense bursts of X-rays that were visible from Earth. Since black holes themselves don’t produce many X-rays, researchers saw an opportunity to study this flare closely.

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Warp Bubbles: Scientists May Have Found a Real Pathway to Light-Speed Travel. Here is some key information for you to watch before deciding to read the whole article. Thanks for visiting us!

In 2020, physicist Harold “Sonny” White discovered a peculiar energy pattern that resembled a potential nanoscale warp bubble—the first real hint toward faster-than-light travel.

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The course of evolution on Earth was altered by a series of severe environmental crises caused between 185 and 85 million years ago in the oceans, according to scientists.

The phenomenon, described as a ‘tag-team’ between the oceans and continents, severely harmed the marine life which existed during that phase and also changed the evolution course on our planet.

The oceanic anoxic events, as per the term given by the researchers, occurred when the dissolved oxygen in the water depleted to a critically low level.

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Cytomegalovirus (CMV), which causes a cold-like illness, can be spread in the same way as other viruses from person to person through body fluids such as blood, saliva and urine.

But the infection is present in up to 45 per cent of Alzheimer’s cases, US scientists have claimed.

Some people exposed to the bug may develop a chronic intestinal infection, allowing it to enter the bloodstream and travel to the brain.

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Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a debilitating neurodegenerative disorder associated with a progressive decline in memory and mental abilities, which can significantly hinder people’s ability to complete daily tasks. Past studies found that patients diagnosed with AD, as well as some other neurodegenerative disorders, exhibit an abnormal accumulation of tau protein in their neurons.

Tau protein is a microtubule-associated protein (MAP) known to stabilize the internal structure of neurons, binding to microtubules. These are microscopic tubular structures that support the transport of nutrients, proteins and other vital molecules within individual neurons or other cells.

Recent findings suggest that tau proteins interact with extracellular vesicles (EVs), small membrane-bound particles secreted by cells that carry molecules and deliver them to other cells. While the research hints at a connection between these vesicles and tau proteins in AD, the link between the two is not yet fully understood.

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Scientists know biological neurons are more complex than the artificial neurons employed in deep learning algorithms, but it’s an open question just how much more complex.

In a fascinating paper published recently in the journal Neuron, a team of researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem tried to get us a little closer to an answer. While they expected the results would show biological neurons are more complex—they were surprised at just how much more complex they actually are.

In the study, the team found it took a five-to eight-layer neural network, or nearly 1,000 artificial neurons, to mimic the behavior of a single biological neuron from the brain’s cortex.

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Monitoring electrical potentials with high recording site density and micrometer spatial resolution in liquid is critical in biosensing. Organic electronic materials have driven remarkable advances in the field because of their unique material properties, yet limitations in spatial resolution and recording density remain. Here, we introduce organic electro-scattering antennas (OCEANs) for wireless, light-based probing of electrical signals with micrometer spatial resolution, potentially from thousands of sites. The technology relies on the unique dependence of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate light scattering properties to its doping level. Electro-optic characteristics of individual antennas varying in diameters and operating voltages were systematically characterized in saline solution. Signal-to-noise ratios up to 48 were achieved in response to 100-mV stimuli, with 2.5-mV detection limits. OCEANs demonstrated millisecond time constants and exceptional long-term stability, enabling continuous recordings over 10 hours. By offering spatial resolution of 5 μm and a recording density of 4 × 106 cm−2, OCEANs unlock new readout capabilities, potentially accelerating fundamental and clinical research.

Sci. Adv. 10, eadr8380 (2024). DOI:10.1126/sciadv.adr8380

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