The drug rapamycin has been linked to a longer life and we’re starting to understand how it might have this effect
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New AI model predicts which genetic mutations truly drive disease
Scientists at Mount Sinai have created an artificial intelligence system that can predict how likely rare genetic mutations are to actually cause disease. By combining machine learning with millions of electronic health records and routine lab tests like cholesterol or kidney function, the system produces “ML penetrance” scores that place genetic risk on a spectrum rather than a simple yes/no. Some variants once thought dangerous showed little real-world impact, while others previously labeled uncertain revealed strong disease links.
GeoDa: Einführung in die räumliche Datenwissenschaft
All diejenigen, die aus den Geodaten neben der klassischen Visualisierung, Abfrage und einfachen Analyse viel mehr Erkenntnisse ziehen und sich den Daten eher wissenschaftlich annähern wollen, sei ein Blick auf GeoDa [1] empfohlen. Dort heiß es:
GeoDa ist ein kostenloses Open-Source-Softwaretool, das als Einführung in die räumliche Datenwissenschaft dient. Es ist darauf ausgelegt, neue Erkenntnisse aus der Datenanalyse zu erleichtern, indem räumliche Muster erkundet und modelliert werden. …
Das Programm bietet eine benutzerfreundliche und grafische Oberfläche für Methoden der explorativen räumlichen Datenanalyse (ESDA), wie räumliche Autokorrelationsstatistiken für aggregierte Daten (mehrere tausend Datensätze) und grundlegende räumliche Regressionsanalyse für Punkt-und Polygondaten (Zehntausende von Datensätzen). [1].
Spacecraft design gets a boost with new origami flower-like patterns
The ancient Japanese art of paper-folding, or origami, is already inspiring the design of the next generation of space vehicles, but now there’s a new family of origami shapes that could make them even more compact and reliable.
Larry Howell at Brigham Young University and his colleagues have developed a new class of origami structures called bloom patterns that fold up flat and unfold like flower petals. These clever folding designs could also be used for other structures in space, such as telescopes and solar arrays.
Origami-based designs are perfect for spacecraft because they can be made to fold up for launch and then unfold or deploy to their full size in space or when they arrive at their destination. This ability to pack tightly not only makes missions cheaper to launch but also allows smaller payloads to easily hitch a ride on a rocket carrying another satellite.
Hybrid quantum-classical-quantum convolutional neural networks
Long, C., Huang, M., Ye, X. et al. Hybrid quantum-classical-quantum convolutional neural networks. Sci Rep 15, 31,780 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-13417-1
After the Singularity — What Life Would Be Like If A Technological Singularity Happen?
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What happens after intelligence explodes beyond human comprehension? We explore a world shaped by superintelligence, where humanity may ascend, adapt — or disappear.
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Credits:
After the Singularity — What Life Would Be Like If A Technological Singularity Happened?
Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur.
Editors: Lukas Konecny.
Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images.
Music Courtesy of Epidemic Sound http://epidemicsound.com/creator.
Chapters.
0:00 Intro.
3:36 Is the Singularity Inevitable? The Case for Limits and Roadblocks.
8:42 Scenarios After the Singularity.
9:15 Scenario One: The AI Utopia.
10:31 Scenario Two: Digital Heaven.
11:57 Scenario Three: The AI Wasteland.
13:10 Scenario Four: The Hybrid Civilization.
14:48 What Does the Singularity Mean for Us?
16:31 Humanity’s Response: Resistance, Adaptation, or Surrender.
20:22 PRecision.
21:45 The Limits of Superintelligence: Why Even Godlike Minds Might Struggle.
25:48 Humanity’s Role in a Post-Singularity Future.
29:06 The Fermi Paradox and the Silent Singularity.
31:10 Reflections in Pop Culture and History.
32:27 Writing the Future.
Less is more: Gene loss drives adaptive evolution of a pandemic bacterium
A study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution reveals a surprising evolutionary insight: sometimes, losing genes rather than gaining them can help bacterial pathogens survive and thrive.
The study was conducted by a group of scientists and coordinated by Jaime Martínez Urtaza, from the Department of Genetics and Microbiology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB); Yang Chao and Falush Daniel, from the Shanghai Institute of Immunity and Infection, Chinese Academy of Science; and Wang Hui, from the Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
When we think of evolution, we often imagine organisms changing or gaining new genes to adapt, such as growing wings, developing resistance, or evolving new behaviors. Across the tree of life, both spontaneous mutations and gene acquisition are classic tools of adaptation. However, in this study, researchers went down a lesser known and scarcely explored evolutionary path, the one of gene loss.