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Estrogen, the major female ovarian hormone, can trigger nerve impulses within milliseconds to regulate a variety of physiological processes. At Baylor College of Medicine, Louisiana State University and collaborating institutions, researchers discovered that estrogen’s fast actions are mediated by the coupling of the estrogen receptor-alpha (ER-alpha) with an ion channel protein called Clic1.

Clic1 controls the fast flux of electrically charged chloride ions through the cell membrane, which neurons use for receiving, conducting and transmitting signals. The researchers propose that interacting with the ER-alpha-Clic1 complex enables estrogen to trigger fast neuronal responses through Clic1 ion currents. The study appears in Science Advances.

“Estrogen can act in the brain to regulate a variety of physiological processes, including female fertility, sexual behaviors, mood, reward, stress response, cognition, cardiovascular activities and body weight balance. Many of these functions are mediated by estrogen binding to one of its receptors, ER-alpha,” said co-corresponding author Dr. Yong Xu, professor of pediatrics—nutrition and associate director for basic sciences at the USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center at Baylor.

Science And Engineering For Humanity — Dr. David Agus, MD — Founding Director & Co-CEO, Ellison Institute of Technology.

Dr. David B. Agus (https://davidagus.com/) is one of the world’s leading doctors and pioneering biomedical researchers.

Continue reading “Dr. David B. Agus, MD — Founding Director & Co-CEO, Ellison Institute of Technology” »

Dr. Onik had pioneered a new therapy called intra-tumor immunotherapy.

After a metastatic prostate cancer diagnosis, Dr. Gary Onik used his own technique to destroy his tumors. Five years post-recovery, his intra-tumor immunotherapy has treated nearly 200 patients with every kind of tumor.

Scientifically reviewed by: Amanda Martin, DC, in November 2024. Written by: Laurie Mathena.

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MIT’s Yang Center shows how light can control muscles with low fatigue, but human use needs more work.

MIT researchers have demonstrated how light could control muscles without causing much fatigue. Their new approach can help people with amputation or paralysis regain limb control in the future.

Altman has teased that Orion is coming.

Disney is uniquely poised to integrate AI into its operations, as one of the most diversified and data-intensive entertainment companies on earth, producing countless models and collecting tons of data about everything from the way that guests of its theme parks spend their money (and time) to what you’re watching on Disney+, the company’s direct-to-consumer streaming platform.

An imminent announcement of an AI partnership will surely produce blowback from the creative community, especially if the initiative will mean cuts to creative departments that are already feeling the pinch. The company eliminated more than 4,000 staff members (“cast members” in Disney-speak) in the spring of 2023 and increased its target to 8,000. (It ended up with about 7,000 layoffs by the end of the year.) The last round of layoffs happened in September and impacted roughly 300 people.

While AI is commonly utilized in Disney productions – everything from calculating the way that Ember’s fire moved in “Elemental” to creating a more lifelike young Luke Skywalker in “The Mandalorian” – a concerted effort from Disney to use the technology in all aspects of production is significant shift.

Businesses are embracing AI agents that ‘don’t eat’ and can work 24/7.

Scientists have developed simulations to investigate the rapid processes of quantum theory, revealing insights into quantum entanglement and its formation.

These findings, which detail how entanglement can be quantified and observed within attoseconds, demonstrate significant advances in understanding the temporal dynamics of quantum events.

Quantum theory and time: unraveling instantaneous effects.

The Radcliffe Wave, a 9,000 light-year-long structure, is oscillating through the Milky Way.

The Milky Way galaxy is far from static. One striking example of its dynamic nature is the discovery of the Radcliffe Wave, a massive, 9,000 light-year-long structure made of star-forming gas. Located just 500 light-years from the Solar System at its nearest point, the Radcliffe Wave was first identified in 2018 using data from the Gaia spacecraft, with findings published in 2020. But recent research has unveiled something even more intriguing: this enormous structure is not just moving in its orbit around the galactic center, it’s also oscillating like a wave.