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The psychedelic substances 5-MeO-DMT causes a long-lasting increase in the number of tiny protrusions called dendritic spines in the brain, according to new research published in Neuropsychopharmacology. The study, which was conducted on mice, sheds light on the behavioral and neural mechanisms of 5-MeO-DMT.

Serotonergic psychedelics (such as psilocybin and LSD) have shown promise as potential therapeutics for mental illnesses like depression and anxiety. Short-acting compounds are particularly interesting because they require less dosing time, which could improve patient access to treatment. In humans, 5-MeO-DMT produces a short-lasting experience due to its rapid breakdown in the body.

“My lab started research on psychiatric drugs like ketamine and psychedelics about 10 years ago. We were motivated by how basic science and clinical research can together powerfully move a drug forward to become medicine. Specifically I believe there is a lot of potential for psychedelics as therapeutics, and that drives our interest in this topic,” said study author Alex Kwan (@kwanalexc), an associate professor in the Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering at Cornell University.

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Most companies still view AI rather narrowly, as a tool that alleviates the costs and inefficiencies of repetitive human labor and increasing organizations’ capacity to produce, process, and analyze piles and piles of data. But when paired with “soft” inquiry-related skills it can help people ask better questions and be more innovative.

There are two distinct, yet related, paths to do this. 1) Use the technology to change the cadence and patterns of their questions: AI increases question velocity, question variety, and question novelty. 2) Use AI to transform the conditions and settings where people work so that questions that spark change — what we call “catalytic” questions — can emerge. This pushes leaders out of their comfort zones and into the position of being intellectually wrong, emotionally uncomfortable, and behaviorally quiet and more reflective, all of which, it turns out, promotes innovative thinking and action.

Page-utils class= article-utils—vertical hide-for-print data-js-target= page-utils data-id= tag: blogs.harvardbusiness.org, 2007/03/31:999.356809 data-title= AI Can Help You Ask Better Questions — and Solve Bigger Problems data-url=/2023/05/ai-can-help-you-ask-better-questions-and-solve-bigger-problems data-topic= Technology and analytics data-authors= Hal Gregersen; Nicola Morini Bianzino data-content-type= Digital Article data-content-image=/resources/images/article_assets/2023/05/May23_26_887787366-383x215.jpg data-summary=

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Scientists have enhanced the efficiency of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing by threefold using interstrand crosslinks, without resorting to viral material for delivery. This approach boosts the cell’s natural repair mechanisms, allowing for more accurate and efficient gene editing, potentially improving disease research and preclinical work.

Gene editing is a powerful method for both research and therapy. Since the advent of the Nobel Prize-winning CRISPR/Cas9 technology, a quick and accurate tool for genome editing discovered in 2012, scientists have been working to explore its capabilities and boost its performance.

Researchers in the University of California, Santa Barbara biologist Chris Richardson’s lab have added to that growing toolbox, with a method that increases the efficiency of CRISPR/Cas9 editing without the use of viral material to deliver the genetic template used to edit the target genetic sequence. According to their new paper published in the journal Nature Biotechnology, their method stimulates homology-directed repair (a step in the gene editing process) by approximately threefold “without increasing mutation frequencies or altering end-joining repair outcomes.”

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Graphene is an allotrope of carbon in the form of a single layer of atoms in a two-dimensional hexagonal lattice in which one atom forms each vertex. It is the basic structural element of other allotropes of carbon, including graphite, charcoal, carbon nanotubes, and fullerenes. In proportion to its thickness, it is about 100 times stronger than the strongest steel.

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Boston Dynamics CEO Robert Playter has commented on Tesla Bot, Tesla’s humanoid robot project, and he says it ignited a competitive spirit at the company.

Ever since Tesla announced its humanoid robot project, it has often been compared to Boston Dynamics, which is widely recognized as the leader in robotics.

The company was founded three decades ago as a spin-off from the MIT.

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In a blog post, OpenAI has officially declared its intentions to offer $100,000 grants for the best ideas on how we should regulate and control AI.

ChatGPT creators, OpenAI, have announced ten $100,000 grants for anyone with good ideas on how artificial intelligence (AI) can be governed to help address bias and other factors. The grants will be awarded to recipients who present the most compelling answers for some of the most pressing solutions around AI, like whether it should be allowed to have an opinion on public figures.

Adventtr/iStock.

This comes in light of arguments around whether AI systems such as ChatGPT may have a built-in prejudice because of the data they are trained on (not to mention the opinions of human programmers behind the scenes). Reports have revealed instances of discriminatory or biased results generated by AI technology. There is a growing apprehension that AI, when working alongside search engines like Google and Bing, might generate misleading information with great conviction.

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Digital chips have revolutionized the world beyond all recognition. Yet, despite their enormous advantages to computing, for power-hungry processes like AI, analog might be best.

Digital computer chips are the mainstay of our current digital age.

They are found in almost any device that uses electricity, from fridges to cars and your cell phone. But their predecessor, analog chips, could be about to have a resurgence.

In the past, analog chips governed computing, operating over continuous value ranges.

Visualspace/iStock.

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CEO Robin Li recently revealed that the company is primed to launch Ernie 3.5, a generative AI large-language model.

Baidu is China’s leading search engine and a powerhouse of technological innovation. Now, they are at the edge of a breakthrough. CEO Robin Li recently revealed that the company is primed to officially launch Ernie 3.5, a generative AI large-language model that promises to revolutionize Baidu’s ChatGPT-like app, Ernie Bot, and enhance its renowned search engine.

The announcement during the prestigious Zhongguancun Forum marks an exciting milestone for Baidu’s journey into advanced artificial intelligence.

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The firms claim they want to set up a “constant supply chain to Mars” by sending missions every 26 months.

Two private space companies, Impulse Space and Relativity Space, recently announced that their private Mars mission is now expected to launch sometime in 2026, a report from SpaceNews reveals.

Good things come to those who wait, the saying goes, and the two firms announced the delay to the mission at the Humans to Mars Summit, held in Washington DC from May 16 to May 18.

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