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Sep 16, 2020

Reward and Punishment Take Similar Paths in the Mouse Brain

Posted by in category: neuroscience

Summary: Researchers found specific neurons in the striosome that help mice learn to avoid negative experiences.

Source: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) scientists have discovered neurons in the mouse brain that help an animal learn to avoid negative experiences. The cells reside in a part of the brain involved in regulating the motivations that influence behavior.

Sep 16, 2020

NASA page lets you see what Hubble telescope captured on your birthday

Posted by in category: space

The mysterious world of space has still not been deciphered by the gaze of human beings on Earth. As a matter of fact, NASA in its consistent efforts, developed the Hubble telescope in the 1990s to observe eye-catching happenings in the universe and since then for every second, it’s doing that quite persistently.

Recently, the US-based space agency announced that it can showcase which new galaxy it captured, what unusual did it notice about our stars, solar system and planets and what patterns of ionized-gases it observed, on any specific day. So users can use the new tool to check what Hubble captured on your birthday, but for any specific year.

Check out the tool here.

Sep 16, 2020

Is the Internet Conscious? If It Were, How Would We Know?

Posted by in category: internet

As always, our tech advice columnist is here to help.

Sep 16, 2020

The Holy Grail of Endless Energy: Harvesting Blackholes

Posted by in categories: climatology, cosmology, mathematics, solar power, sustainability

While the future of the clean energy proposal remains uncertain, the majority of Americans have been reading from the same page regarding what needs to be done: Dramatically cutting down the country’s reliance on fossil fuels over the next two decades is critical to lowering greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and address climate change, with six in 10 U.S. adults saying they would favor policies with this energy goal. Thankfully, scientists have been researching alternative energy solutions like wind and solar power for decades, including lesser-known sources that may seem a little unusual or even downright ridiculous and unrealistic.

You can chalk up harvesting energy from blackholes to the latter category.

Fifty years ago, British mathematical physicist, Roger Penrose, proposed a seemingly absurd idea how an alien society (or future humans) could harvest energy from a rotating black hole by dropping an object just outside its sphere of influence also known as the ergosphere where it could gain negative energy. Since then, nobody has been able to verify the viability of this seemingly bizarre idea— that is until now.

Sep 16, 2020

AI-designed “hyperfoods” can possibly help prevent cancer

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, robotics/AI

Food contains many bioactive molecules similar to anti-cancer drugs. ML can discover such components and design cancer-beating hyperfoods.


The food we eat contains thousands of bioactive molecules, some of which are similar to anti-cancer drugs. Modern machine learning techniques can help discover such components and help design “hyperfoods” that will let us live longer and healthier.

Sep 16, 2020

Discussed: What If We Became a Type II Civilization? — with Michio Kaku

Posted by in categories: climatology, evolution, policy

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Listen to our extended version of this episode on any podcasting platform: https://link.chtbl.com/type-ii-civilization

Continue reading “Discussed: What If We Became a Type II Civilization? — with Michio Kaku” »

Sep 16, 2020

The Sun enters a new cycle and will reach a peak in 2025

Posted by in category: space

The Sun has emerged from a solar minimum and a new cycle dubbed Solar Cycle 25 has begun. It will approach maximum solar activity in 5 years time, say NASA and NOAA scientists.

Sep 16, 2020

Doctors Are Preparing to Implant the World’s First Human Bionic Eye

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, cyborgs, mobile phones, neuroscience, transhumanism

It’s essentially the guts of a smartphone combined with brain-implanted micro electrodes, as TechCrunch reports. The “Gennaris bionic vision system,” a project that’s more than ten years in the making, bypasses damaged optic nerves to allow signals to be transmitted from the retina to the vision center of the brain.

The system is made up of a custom-designed headgear, which includes a camera and a wireless transmitter. A processor unit takes care of data crunching, while a set of tiles implanted inside the brain deliver the signals.

“Our design creates a visual pattern from combinations of up to 172 spots of light (phosphenes) which provides information for the individual to navigate indoor and outdoor environments, and recognize the presence of people and objects around them,” Arthur Lowery, professor at Monash University’s Department of Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering, said in a statement.

Sep 16, 2020

Monoclonal Antibodies for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

Circa 2019


Monoclonal antibodies are man-made versions of immune system proteins (antibodies) that are designed to attach to a specific target (in this case, proteins on the surface of cancer cells). These drugs can help your immune system react to and destroy the cancer cells. Some monoclonal antibodies also fight cancer in other ways.

Chemo given along with a monoclonal antibody is a standard treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

The monoclonal antibodies used to treat CLL can be divided into groups based on which protein they target.

Continue reading “Monoclonal Antibodies for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia” »

Sep 16, 2020

The Shocking Doomsday Maps Of The World And The Billionaire Escape Plans

Posted by in category: existential risks

In the wake of dramatic environmental changes and the NASA reports of a new Asteroid interception mission, shocking future maps of the world created by doomsday theorists are looking more realistic every day.