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Oct 6, 2022
Astronomers see Tantalizing Evidence for one of the First Stars to Form in the Universe
Posted by Dan Breeden in category: cosmology
According to the predominant cosmological model, the first stars in the Universe formed roughly 100,000 years after the Big Bang. Known as Population III stars, these…
Oct 6, 2022
New Theory Of Consciousness Could Explain Why We Eat Huge Amounts Without Stopping
Posted by Dan Breeden in category: neuroscience
A new theory of consciousness (that is, how we perceive ourselves and the world around us) has been proposed, in which our brains aren’t actually actively…
Oct 6, 2022
Second Stem Cell Type Discovered in Mouse Brain
Posted by Dan Breeden in categories: biotech/medical, neuroscience
Summary: A newly discovered second stem cell population in the mouse brain is responsible for the production of new neurons in the olfactory bulb of adult mice.
Source: Heidelburg University.
In the brain of adult mammals, neural stem cells ensure that new nerve cells, i.e. neurons, are constantly formed. This process, known as adult neurogenesis, helps mice maintain their sense of smell.
Oct 6, 2022
Omega-3’s Linked to Improved Brain Structure and Cognition at Midlife
Posted by Dan Breeden in categories: biotech/medical, health, neuroscience
Summary: Boosting omega-3 fatty acid intake helps to preserve brain health and improve cognition in middle age, a new study reports. For those with the Alzheimer’s associated APOE4 gene, omega-3 fatty acid intake was associated with greater hippocampal volume and less small vessel disease.
Source: UT San Antonio.
Eating cold-water fish and other sources of omega-3 fatty acids may preserve brain health and enhance cognition in middle age, new evidence indicates.
Oct 6, 2022
Supercomputer simulations reveal how the Sun accelerates charged particles
Posted by Quinn Sena in categories: particle physics, satellites, supercomputing
Oct 6, 2022
Lab-grown ‘mini-brains’ suggest COVID-19 virus can infect human brain cells
Posted by Dan Breeden in categories: biotech/medical, health, neuroscience
A multidisciplinary team from two Johns Hopkins University institutions, including neurotoxicologists and virologists from the Bloomberg School of Public Health and infectious disease specialists from the school of medicine, has found that organoids (tiny tissue cultures made from human cells that simulate whole organs) known as “mini-brains” can be infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19.
The results, which suggest that the virus can infect human brain cells, were published online June 26, 2020, in the journal ALTEX: Alternatives to Animal Experimentation.
Early reports from Wuhan, China, the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic, have suggested that 36% of patients with the disease show neurological symptoms, but it has been unclear whether or not the virus infects human brain cells. In their study, the Johns Hopkins researchers demonstrated that certain human neurons express a receptor, ACE2, which is the same one that the SARS-CoV-2 virus uses to enter the lungs. Therefore, they surmised, ACE2 also might provide access to the brain.
Oct 6, 2022
Astronomers discover two stars in a daring stellar dance
Posted by Atanas Atanasov in categories: energy, physics, space
That’s because as a white dwarf draws material away from its hydrogen-burning partner, the stolen gas follows the star’s magnetic field lines in a big, curving arc toward its new home. And in the process, it drains energy from the stars’ whirling dance (so do the gravitational waves produced by their rotation). When that happens, both stars fall toward the shared center of gravity they’re orbiting. Closer orbits also mean shorter orbits, so it takes the stars less time to complete a single lap.
And the closer the stars get, the stronger the gravitational waves they produce, which drains away more energy, so they fall even closer together. By the time they’re close enough to complete an orbit in just a handful of minutes, the donor star has usually run out of hydrogen. That’s why the really close, fast-orbiting cataclysmic binaries tend to be a white dwarf and a helium-burning star.
Oct 6, 2022
The world’s largest advanced compressed air energy storage is ready for commercial operation
Posted by Gemechu Taye in category: energy
The plant was developed by the Institute of Engineering Thermophysics (IET) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and can generate more than 132 million kWh of electricity annually. This will see 40,000–60,000 households equipped with power during peak electricity consumption. From an environmental perspective, it also offers promising results, saving 42,000 tons of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 109,000 tons annually, stated IET.
What is CAES?
Oct 6, 2022
Engineers created a safe micro-nuclear reactor that fits in the back of a truck
Posted by Gemechu Taye in categories: climatology, nuclear energy, sustainability
The new system uses molten salts instead of traditional fuel rods.
The world is rethinking nuclear power plants in the face of climate change. Your average plant produces 8,000 times more power than fossil fuels and is environmentally friendly. There’s one massive caveat, though, in the form of nuclear disasters, such as the 1986 Chernobyl incident and the 2011 Fukushima disaster.
Now, professor Matthew Memmott and colleagues from Bingham Young University (BYU) announced that they designed a new molten salt micro-reactor system that allows for safer nuclear energy production. As per a press release, it may also solve a number of other key issues related to nuclear energy production.
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