Using non-invasive techniques to manipulate our emotions, it might be possible to curtail the screaming horrors that plague our sleep.
A study conducted on 36 patients diagnosed with a nightmare disorder showed that a combination of two simple therapies reduced the frequency of their bad dreams.
Scientists invited the volunteers to rewrite their most frequent nightmares in a positive light and then playing sound associated with positive experiences as they slept.
Spaceship Neptune is the latest space tourism venture for a company is planning balloon flights to the edge of space.
Although these studies collectively suggest that the DLPFC plays a major role in making risky choices, a question remains as to whether its activity mediates risky choice via probability weighting, via marginal utility (value) of monetary outcomes, or both.
In the present study we causally address the hypothesis that the DLPFC is involved both in the subjective valuation of a monetary reward and in probability weighting. The hypothesis was not preregistered but was formulated prior to the collection of the data. The hypothesis was well grounded in the existing literature on the role of DLPFC in risk taking. Several previous studies mentioned the possible role of the lateral PFC in separate components of choice under risk, such as reward magnitude, reward probability, and expected value14,25,26. However, previous studies including those exploring causal role of the DLPFC in risky choice with non-invasive brain stimulation were not focusing on the estimation of the risk preference parameters but rather on observing changes purely on a behavioural level. Therefore, in the present study we used an experimental design that is typically employed in economic studies estimating risk preference parameters27. We combined offline repetitive TMS over the left and right DLPFC and sham over the right DLPFC, performed in a randomized and counterbalanced order, with a random lottery pair (RLP) task, which is widely used in economics to estimate the degree of risk aversion as well as the curvature of the probability weighting function on an individual level.
Following offline TMS, subjects completed a computerized task consisting of 96 binary lottery choice questions presented in random order. Using the hierarchical Bayesian modeling approach, we then estimated the structural parameters of risk preferences (degree of risk aversion and the curvature of the probability weighting function) and analyzed the obtained posterior distributions to determine the effect of stimulation on model parameters.
A new tool can determine whether a collection of building blocks will assemble into a mechanically sound structure.
Using the IceCube Neutrino Observatory in Antarctica, researchers have found significant evidence of a cosmic source of high-energy neutrinos.
In 1911, physicist Heike Kamerlingh Onnes used liquid helium—whose production method he invented—to cool mercury to a few kelvins, discovering that its electrical resistance dropped to nil. Although mercury was later found to be a “conventional” superconductor, no microscopic theory so far managed to fully explain the metal’s behavior and to predict its critical temperature TC. Now, 111 years after Kamerlingh Onnes’ discovery, theorists have done just that. Their first-principles calculations accurately predict mercury’s TC but also pinpoint theoretical caveats that could inform searches for room-temperature superconductors [1].
Mercury is an exception among conventional superconductors, most of which can be successfully described with state-of-the-art density-functional-theory methods. To tackle mercury’s unique challenges, Gianni Profeta of the University of L’Aquila, Italy, and colleagues scrutinized all physical properties relevant for conventional superconductivity, which is mediated by the coupling of electrons to phonons. In particular, the researchers accounted for previously neglected relativistic effects that alter phonon frequencies, they improved the description of electron-correlation effects that modify electronic bands, and they showed that mercury’s d-electrons provide an anomalous screening effect that promotes superconductivity by reducing Coulomb repulsion between superconducting electrons. With these improvements, their calculations delivered a TC prediction for mercury only 2.5% lower than the experimental value.
The new understanding of the oldest superconductor will find a place in textbooks but may also offer valuable lessons for superconductivity research, says Profeta. A promising material-by-design approach involves “high-throughput” computations that screen millions of theoretical material combinations to suggest those that could be conventional superconductors close to ambient conditions. “If we don’t include subtle effects similar to those relevant for mercury, these computations may overlook many interesting materials or err in their critical temperature predictions by hundreds of kelvins,” he says.
“This represents a significant source of PFAS in the home environment,” said Sydney Evans, a science analyst with the EWG.
PFAS, or per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of about 12,000 compounds used to make products resist water, stains and heat. They’re called “forever chemicals” because they don’t naturally break down, accumulating in humans and animals. PFAS are linked to a range of serious health problems like cancer, birth defects, kidney disease and liver disease.
The chemicals are likely used in pet food bags to make them repel grease. For cats, the highest levels were detected in the Meow Mix Tender Centers salmon and chicken flavors dry cat food, at more than 600 parts per million (ppm). Purina Cat Chow Complete chicken showed over 350 ppm, while Blue Buffalo, Iams and Rachael Ray Nutrish all had levels of less than 100 ppm.
Gallery QI — Becoming: An Interactive Music Journey in VR — Opening Night.
November 3rd, 2022 — Atkinson Hall auditorium.
UC San Diego — La Jolla, CA
By Shahrokh Yadegari, John Burnett, Eito Murakami and Louis Pisha.
“Becoming” is the result of a collaborative work that was initiated at the Opera Hack organized by San Diego Opera. It is an operatic VR experience based on a Persian poem by Mowlana Rumi depicting the evolution of human spirit. The audience experiences visual, auditory and tactile impressions which are partly curated and partly generated interactively in response to the player’s actions.
“Becoming” incorporates fluid and reactive graphical material which embodies the process of transformation depicted in the Rumi poem. Worlds seamlessly morph between organic and synthetic environments such as oceans, mountains and cities and are populated by continuously evolving life forms. The music is a union of classical Persian music fused with electronic music where the human voice becomes the beacon of spirit across the different stages of the evolution. The various worlds are constructed by the real-time manipulation of particle systems, flocking algorithms and terrain generation methods—all of which can be touched and influenced by the viewer. Audience members can be connected through the network and haptic feedback technology provides human interaction cues as well as an experiential stimulus.
One small step for a machine… one giant leap for the singularity.
This AI actually improved a key algorithm that makes it run even faster.
In this video I discuss new Deepmind’s AlphaTensor algorithm and why this work is so important for all the fields of Engineering!
Dr. Michael Rose is an evolutionary biologist and authority in gerontology. His many years of research and keen insight establish unique methods to frame the problems of aging. Michael made scientific history with experiments manipulating the life spans of fruit flies. As a pragmatist, Michael sees beyond today’s quick fixes to examine what could be the most important changes in the longevity industry to slow down and stop aging. His view is that genomics in conjunction with machine learning is the future of longevity.
