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Scientists reprogram ant behavior using brain molecules

Leafcutter ants live in highly organized colonies where every ant has a job, and now researchers can flip those jobs like a switch. By manipulating just two neuropeptides, scientists can turn defenders into nurses or gardeners into leaf harvesters. These same molecular signals echo in naked mole-rats, revealing a deep evolutionary link in how complex societies function, even across species. The study also teases out a possible connection to insulin and longevity, hinting at new frontiers in understanding human behavior and lifespan.

Researchers identify neural mechanism behind memory prioritization

To study what happened in the brain during this task, the researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging, which measures blood flow as a proxy for neural activity. They scanned the brains of 11 participants while they performed the memory task over multiple sessions. By applying a complex decoding model to the imaging data, the researchers were able to estimate not only what participants were remembering but also how uncertain they were about each memory. The model treated neural activity as a probabilistic code, where stronger or more focused patterns of activity reflected more confident memory representations.

The results showed that neural signals in the visual cortex—the area of the brain involved in processing visual information—were more intense for the high-priority memory items. These stronger signals translated to smaller memory errors and greater confidence. On average, participants remembered the high-priority items more accurately and responded more quickly when asked to recall them. Their eye movements were closer to the correct location, and they took less time to respond. These behavioral improvements matched the patterns observed in the brain data.

The study also found that the magnitude of neural activity in the frontal cortex predicted how well participants could distinguish between high-and low-priority memories. This suggests that the frontal cortex plays a regulatory role, sending signals that adjust the strength of memory representations in visual areas depending on how important each item is. In other words, the frontal brain regions help direct the mental spotlight, increasing the “volume” of the memories that matter most.

Dual electrical stimulation at spinal-muscular interface reconstructs spinal sensorimotor circuits after spinal cord injury

Electrical signals with characteristic parameters for reconstructing neural circuits remain incompletely understood, limiting the therapeutic potential of electrical neuromodulation techniques. Here, the authors demonstrate that dual electrical stimulation at 10–20 Hz rebuilds the spinal sensorimotor neural circuit after spinal cord injury, indicating the characteristic signals of circuit remodeling.

Satyendra Nath Bose

Satyendra Nath Bose FRS, MP [ 1 ] (/ ˈ b oʊ s / ; [ 4 ] [ a ] 1 January 1894 – 4 February 1974) was an Indian theoretical physicist and mathematician. He is best known for his work on quantum mechanics in the early 1920s, in developing the foundation for Bose–Einstein statistics, and the theory of the Bose–Einstein condensate. A Fellow of the Royal Society, he was awarded India’s second highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan, in 1954 by the Government of India. [ 5 ] [ 6 ] [ 7 ]

The eponymous particles class described by Bose’s statistics, bosons, were named by Paul Dirac. [ 8 ] [ 9 ]

A polymath, he had a wide range of interests in varied fields, including physics, mathematics, chemistry, biology, mineralogy, philosophy, arts, literature, and music. He served on many research and development committees in India, after independence. [ 10 ] .

Tesla’s JUICY New Impact Report (highlights in 10 mins!)

Tesla’s 2024 impact report highlights the company’s progress in accelerating its mission to sustainable energy through innovative technologies, including autonomy, AI, and reduced emissions, with a focus on expanding its ecosystem and making sustainable transportation and energy solutions more accessible ## ## Questions to inspire discussion.

Sustainable Transportation.

🚗 Q: How will Tesla’s robo taxi network impact transportation?

A: Tesla’s autopilot-powered robo taxi network will be far safer than human drivers, lower emissions, and increase accessibility of sustainable transportation, improving city sustainability and accelerating Tesla’s mission.

🏙️ Q: What are the benefits of Tesla vehicles compared to other options?

A: Tesla vehicles offer premium features rivaling luxury cars while maintaining a total cost of ownership comparable to mass market vehicles, providing significantly more value at a similar price point.

Continue reading “Tesla’s JUICY New Impact Report (highlights in 10 mins!)” | >

Engineered protein can turn off tissue-damaging immune cells in autoimmune diseases

An engineered protein turns off the kind of immune cells most likely to damage tissue as part of type-1 diabetes, hepatitis, multiple sclerosis, shows a new study in mice.

In these autoimmune diseases, T cells mistakenly target the body’s own tissues instead of invading viruses or bacteria as they would during normal immune responses. Treatments focused on T cells have been elusive because blocking their action broadly weakens the immune system and creates risk for infections and cancer.

Published online June 30 in the journal Cell, the study revealed that holding closely together two protein groups (signaling complexes) on T cells, including one found more often on T cells involved in autoimmune disease, shuts down those T cells in a limited way.

Unknown organelle inside our cells discovered!

The discovery of an unknown organelle inside our cells could open the door to new treatments for devastating inherited diseases.

The organelle, a type of specialized structure, has been dubbed a “hemifusome” by its discoverers. This little organelle has a big job helping our cells sort, recycle and discard important cargo within themselves, the scientists say. The new discovery could help scientists better understand what goes wrong in genetic conditions that disrupt these essential housekeeping functions.

One such condition is Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that can cause albinism, vision problems, lung disease and issues with blood clotting. Problems with how cells handle cargo are at the root of many such disorders.

The scientists believe hemifusomes facilitate the formation of vesicles, tiny blister-like sacs that act as mixing bowls, and of organelles made up of multiple vesicles. This process is critical to cellular sorting, recycling and debris disposal, the researchers report.

Tiny light-sensitive magnetic robots can clear up bacterial infections in sinuses

Tiny magnetic bots that are activated by light can clear bacterial infections deep in the sinus cavities, then be expelled by blowing out the nose.

A new study published in Science Robotics unveiled copper single–atom–doped bismuth oxoiodide microbots, each smaller than a grain of salt, that can be tracked and guided to the location of infection via X-ray imaging, thus providing a precise, minimally invasive therapeutic strategy for managing clinically.

Sinusitis is a common respiratory condition often linked to biofilm produced by bacteria like Streptococcus pyogenes. This condition causes inflammation of the sinus lining and leads to symptoms such as , reduced sense of smell, facial pain, and, in some dire cases, even memory impairment.

Exploring late accretion’s role in terrestrial planet evolution

Southwest Research Institute has collaborated with Yale University to summarize the scientific community’s notable progress in advancing the understanding of the formation and evolution of the inner rocky planets, the so-called terrestrial planets. Their paper focuses on late accretion’s role in the long-term evolution of terrestrial planets, including their distinct geophysical and chemical properties as well as their potential habitability.

The Review paper is published in the journal Nature.

Solar systems form when clouds of gas and dust begin to coalesce. Gravity pulls these elements together, forming a central star, like our sun, surrounded by a flattened disk of consolidating materials. Our terrestrial planets—Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars—formed as smaller rocky objects accumulated, or accreted, into larger planetesimals and eventually protoplanets, when late impacts made critical contributions. Earth was probably the last terrestrial planet to form, reaching about 99% of its final mass within about 60–100 million years after the first solids began to consolidate.