If gravity arises from entropy, scientists could unite Einstein’s general relativity with the quantum realm while shedding light on dark matter and dark energy.
A new study has been published in Nature Communications, presenting the first comprehensive atlas of allele-specific DNA methylation across 39 primary human cell types. The study was led by Ph.D. student Jonathan Rosenski under the guidance of Prof. Tommy Kaplan from the School of Computer Science and Engineering and Prof. Yuval Dor from the Faculty of Medicine at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Hadassah Medical Center.
Using machine learning algorithms and deep whole-genome bisulfite sequencing on freshly isolated and purified cell populations, the study unveils a detailed landscape of genetic and epigenetic regulation that could reshape our understanding of gene expression and disease.
A key focus of the research is the success in identifying differences between the two alleles and, in some cases, demonstrating that these differences result from genomic imprinting —meaning that it is not the sequence (genetics) that matters, but rather whether the allele is inherited from the mother or the father. These findings could reshape our understanding of gene expression and disease.
However, their reliance on extremely low temperatures has limited their practical applications. Now, scientists may be one step closer to breaking that barrier.
In groundbreaking research led by Professor Kostya Trachenko of the Queen Mary University of London, the maximum temperature at which superconductors can operate has been linked to fundamental constants of nature, such as the electron mass, electron charge, and the Planck constant.
These constants, essential for atomic stability and star formation, set the upper limit for superconducting temperatures between hundreds and a thousand Kelvin. Encouragingly, this range includes room temperature.
A multidisciplinary team of researchers at Georgia Tech has discovered how lateral inhibition helps our brains process visual information, and it could expand our knowledge of sensory perception, leading to applications in neuro-medicine and artificial intelligence.
Lateral inhibition is when certain neurons suppress the activity of their neighboring neurons. Imagine an artist drawing, darkening the lines around the contours, highlighting the boundaries between objects and space, or objects and other objects. Comparably, in the visual system, lateral inhibition sharpens the contrast between different visual stimuli.
“This research is really getting at how our visual system not only highlights important things, but also actively suppresses irrelevant information in the background,” said lead researcher Bilal Haider, associate professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering. “That ability to filter out distractions is crucial.”
Oxygen is essential for life and a reactive player in many chemical processes. Accordingly, methods that accurately measure oxygen are relevant for numerous industrial and medical applications: They analyze exhaust gases from combustion processes, enable the oxygen-free processing of food and medicines, monitor the oxygen content of the air we breathe or the oxygen saturation in blood.
Oxygen analysis is also playing an increasingly important role in environmental monitoring.
“However, such measurements usually require bulky, power-hungry, and expensive devices that are hardly suitable for mobile applications or continuous outdoor use,” says Máté Bezdek, Professor of Functional Coordination Chemistry at ETH Zurich. His group uses molecular design methods to find new sensors for environmental gases.
A new proof extends the work of the late Maryam Mirzakhani, cementing her legacy as a pioneer of alien mathematical realms.
Can Tesla REALLY Build Millions of Optimus Bots? ## Tesla is poised to revolutionize robotics and sustainable energy by leveraging its innovative manufacturing capabilities and vertical integration to produce millions of Optimus bots efficiently and cost-effectively ## Questions to inspire discussion ## Manufacturing and Production.
S low model count strategy benefit their production? A: Tesla s speed of innovation and ability to build millions of robots quickly gives them a key advantage in mass producing and scaling manufacturing for humanoid robots like Optimus. + s factory design strategies support rapid production scaling? A: Tesla## Cost and Efficiency.
S vertical integration impact their cost structure? A: Tesla s AI brain in-house, Tesla can avoid paying high margins to external suppliers like Nvidia for the training portion of the brain. +## Technology and Innovation.
S experience in other industries benefit Optimus development? A: Tesla s own supercomputer, Cortex, and AI training cluster are crucial for developing and training the Optimus bot## Quality and Reliability.
S manufacturing experience contribute to Optimus quality? A: Tesla## Market Strategy.
S focus on vehicle appeal relate to Optimus production? A: Tesla## Scaling and Demand.
In a new call for proposals, DARPA envisions living materials that could self-assemble into antennas, nets to capture debris, or even space station parts.
Researchers at Michigan State University have refined an innovation that has the potential to improve safety, reduce severe injury and increase survival rates in situations ranging from car accidents, sports, law enforcement operations and more.
In 2020 and 2022, Weiyi Lu, an associate professor in MSU’s College of Engineering, developed a liquid nanofoam material made up of tiny holes surrounded by water that has been shown to protect the brain against traumatic injuries when used as a liner in football helmets. Now, MSU engineers and scientists have improved this technology to shield vital internal organs as well.
Falls, motor vehicle crashes and other kinds of collisions can cause blunt force trauma and damage to bodily organs that can lead to life-threatening emergencies. These injuries are often the result of intense mechanical force or pressure that doesn’t penetrate the body like a cut, but causes serious damage to the body’s organs, including internal lacerations, ruptures, bleeding and organ failure.
Scientists working to bring back the woolly mammoth have created genetically engineered mice that they say have several features of the extinct ice age giant.