Toggle light / dark theme

Get the latest international news and world events from around the world.

Log in for authorized contributors

Cannabis compound’s neuroprotective properties revealed — could be key to treating Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s

Currently, treatments are largely limited to symptomatic relief rather than addressing the underlying disease progression. Given this gap in treatment options, there is a significant need for new therapies that can protect brain cells and potentially reverse damage.

Cannabinol (CBN), a compound derived from the cannabis plant, has emerged as a candidate for such treatments due to its neuroprotective properties, which are evident without the psychoactive effects associated with other cannabinoids like THC.

Previous studies indicated that CBN could help preserve mitochondrial function in brain cells, an essential factor for cell survival and energy production. Mitochondrial dysfunction is a common feature in several neurodegenerative diseases, often leading to cell death. By focusing on CBN and its derivatives, researchers aimed to develop new pharmacological strategies to prevent or mitigate the cellular mechanisms that lead to neurodegeneration.

AI-powered tutor Khanmigo by Khan Academy: Your 24/7 homework helper

Did you hear the news? OpenAI’s newest model can reason across audio, vision, and text in real time.

How does GPT-4o do with math tutoring? 🤔

Sal and his son test it out on a Khan Academy math problem.

You can get AI-powered math tutoring right now with Khanmigo:


AI-powered tutor Khanmigo makes homework time easy. It’s the only AI integrated into nonprofit Khan Academy’s world-class content library.

Chat GPT can now speak and sing in real time | DW News

ChatGPT 4O can now speak and sing in real time. It can even view the real world through your phone’s camera and describe what’s happening in real time.


The AI race has just shifted into high gear, with US artificial intelligence pioneers OpenAI rolling out its new interface that works with audio and vision as well as text. The new model, called GPT-4o, has gone beyond the familiar chat-bot features and is capable of real-time, near-natural voice conversations. The developer OpenAI will also make it available to free users.

ChatGPT was already able to talk to users, but with long pauses to process the data. It often seemed a bit sluggish. This was because the feature required three internal applications, the company explained: transcribing the spoken text, processing and generating, and converting the response to speech. This caused delays.

We talk to computer scientist Mike Cook from the renowned Kings College London about the new Chat GPT-4o development.

#artificialintelligence #chatgpt #openai.

Biodegradable ‘Living Plastic’ Houses Bacterial Spores That Help It Break Down

A new type of bioplastic could help reduce the plastic industry’s environmental footprint. Researchers led by the University of California San Diego have developed a biodegradable form of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), a soft yet durable commercial plastic used in footwear, floor mats, cushions and memory foam. It is filled with bacterial spores that, when exposed to nutrients present in compost, germinate and break down the material at the end of its life cycle.

The work is detailed in a paper published on April 30 in Nature Communications.

The biodegradable TPU was made with bacterial spores from a strain of Bacillus subtilis that has the ability to break down plastic polymer materials.

/* */