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Scientists use cutting-edge techniques to study rare atomic systems called hypernuclei shedding light on subatomic forces and neutron stars.

Scientists have made an important discovery in the world of particle physics by exploring hypernuclei — rare, short-lived atomic systems that include mysterious particles known as hyperons. Unlike protons and neutrons composed of “up” and “down” quarks, which make up the nuclei of ordinary atoms, hyperons contain at least one “strange” quark. These unusual particles could help unravel mysteries not only about the interactions between subatomic particles but also about the extreme conditions inside neutron stars.

“It is extremely important to understand what happens when a nucleus becomes a hypernucleus, which means when one nucleon is replaced by a hyperon,” Jean-Marc Richard, a professor at the University of Lyon, who was not involved in the study, said in an email.

The study authors successfully developed quantum-grade bright fluorescent nanodiamonds. Now in order to use them for quantum sensing or bioimaging, one is required to study their spin states using optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR).

ODMR is a method that combines light and microwaves to examine magnetic fields. Scientists first shine a light on materials like nanodiamonds and then apply microwaves, to see how the material reacts. By studying this interaction, they can detect tiny magnetic signals and understand the material’s magnetic properties such as spin.

To test the capabilities of their nanodiamonds, they introduced them into HeLa cells (human cells widely used by scientists for lab research experiments) and then employed ODMR to examine the spin. The NDs successfully detected slight temperature changes, which are nearly impossible to detect with existing technologies.

Understand the key concepts of Quantum Physics and the Multiverse in 15 minutes.

Focaccia, with its flaky crust and rich olive oil flavor, is a beloved staple—but just how far back does the delicious bread’s history stretch?

While experts know it was made in ancient Rome, new research suggests that its origins may be even older: According to a recent study in the journal Scientific Reports, Neolithic communities were making their own focaccia-like bread between 7,000 and 5,000 B.C.E.

“Studying past dietary behaviors can provide valuable information about the social and cultural aspects of ancient populations,” first author Sergio Taranto, an archaeologist at UAB Barcelona, tells ZME Science’s Rupendra Brahambhatt. “This is particularly useful for studying prehistoric communities about which we have limited knowledge due to the lack of written records.”

Universal transformer memory optimizes prompts using neural attention memory models (NAMMs), simple neural networks that decide whether to “remember” or “forget” each given token stored in the LLM’s memory.

“This new capability allows Transformers to discard unhelpful or redundant details, and focus on the most critical information, something we find to be crucial for tasks requiring long-context reasoning,” the researchers write.

NAMMs are trained separately from the LLM and are combined with the pre-trained model at inference time, which makes them flexible and easy to deploy. However, they need access to the inner activations of the model, which means they can only be applied to open-source models.

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Imagine your lungs, those essential organs responsible for getting oxygen into your blood, suddenly tasked with a new job: making blood itself. It sounds almost unbelievable, right? For centuries, we’ve been taught that bone marrow is the powerhouse of blood production. Yet, a groundbreaking discovery has just turned that conventional wisdom upside down.

Continue reading “Scientists Found an Unexpected Lung Function — Our Lungs Make Blood” »

A conversation with Marinka Zitnik, assistant professor of biomedical informatics in the Blavatnik Institute at HMS

Autumn 2024

Benonisdottir et al. review the genetics of reproductive traits and examine how these associate with links to health, behavior, aging and longevity as well as outcomes for offspring.

In a recent study, more than 90% of participants whose stomachs had been surgically removed to prevent cancer experienced a least one chronic complication 2 years out from their surgery. For some, the complications are life-altering.

Findings from a recent study will help clinicians counsel people who are considering preventive gastrectomy about the long-term impacts of the surgery.