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Dec 10, 2019
How playing the drums changes the brain
Posted by Paul Battista in category: neuroscience
Drummers have higher microstructural diffusion in the corpus callosum, an area of the brain that connects the two hemispheres and which plays a critical role in motor planning.
Dec 10, 2019
A Step Closer to a Bioengineered Liver Fit for Transplantation
Posted by Quinn Sena in categories: bioengineering, biotech/medical
Currently over 6,300 people in the UK are waiting for an organ transplant, and sadly everyday around three people die waiting. In efforts to reduce the reliance on organ donors and improve the outlook for patients, alternative sources of organs are being explored by several research groups.
In a study recently published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, bioengineered livers created by decellularization and recellularization were implanted into pigs, where they were able to sustain continuous perfusion for up to 15 days. We spoke to Miromatrix’s CEO, Dr Jeff Ross, to learn more about the study and how it advances the state of bioengineering organs.
Anna MacDonald (AM): What are some of the main challenges faced when creating bioengineered organs?
Dec 10, 2019
Common Genetic Link Between Autism and Tourette’s Discovered – Brain Communication Impaired
Posted by Paul Battista in categories: biotech/medical, genetics, neuroscience
Lancaster University researchers have discovered, for the first time, how a genetic alteration that increases the risk of developing Autism and Tourette’s impacts on the brain.
Their research also suggests that ketamine, or related drugs, may be a useful treatment for both of these disorders.
Autism affects an estimated 2.8 million people in the UK while Tourette’s Syndrome — a condition that causes a person to make involuntary sounds and movements called tics –affects an estimated 300,000 people in the UK. The treatments available for both disorders are limited and new treatments are urgently required. Recent research has also shown that these disorders are genetically linked.
Dec 10, 2019
Researchers develop new method to remove dust on solar panels
Posted by Paul Battista in categories: particle physics, solar power, sustainability
Taking a cue from the self-cleaning properties of the lotus leaf, researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev have shed new light on microscopic forces and mechanisms that can be optimized to remove dust from solar panels to maintain efficiency and light absorption. The new technique removed 98 percent of dust particles.
In a new study published in Langmuir, the researchers confirmed that modifying the surface properties of solar panels may greatly reduce the amount of dust remaining on the surface, and significantly increase the potential of solar energy harvesting applications in the desert.
Dust adhesion on solar panels is a major challenge to energy harvesting through photovoltaic cells and solar thermal collectors. New solutions are necessary to maintain maximum collection efficiency in high dust density areas such as the Negev desert in Israel.
Dec 10, 2019
Beneficial Viruses and the Human Virome — ideaXme — Dr. Jack Stapleton, MD, — University of Iowa College of Medicine — Ira Pastor
Posted by Ira S. Pastor in categories: aging, bioengineering, biotech/medical, DNA, genetics, health, science, transhumanism
![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/YSC3AbeeEik/maxresdefault.jpg)
Tags: aging, aids, bioquark, biotech, ebola, health, hepatits, ideaxme, ira pastor, Life extension, longevity, microbiome, virome, virus, wellness
Dec 10, 2019
In surprise breakthrough, scientists create quantum states in everyday electronics
Posted by Genevieve Klien in categories: computing, engineering, mobile phones, particle physics, quantum physics, transportation
After decades of miniaturization, the electronic components we’ve relied on for computers and modern technologies are now starting to reach fundamental limits. Faced with this challenge, engineers and scientists around the world are turning toward a radically new paradigm: quantum information technologies.
Quantum technology, which harnesses the strange rules that govern particles at the atomic level, is normally thought of as much too delicate to coexist with the electronics we use every day in phones, laptops and cars. However, scientists with the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering announced a significant breakthrough: Quantum states can be integrated and controlled in commonly used electronic devices made from silicon carbide.
“The ability to create and control high-performance quantum bits in commercial electronics was a surprise,” said lead investigator David Awschalom, the Liew Family Professor in Molecular Engineering at UChicago and a pioneer in quantum technology. “These discoveries have changed the way we think about developing quantum technologies—perhaps we can find a way to use today’s electronics to build quantum devices.”
Dec 10, 2019
AstroBiology and the Search for ExtraTerrestrial-Like Life!! — ideaXme — Dr. Penelope “Penny” Boston, PhD., Director of NASA’s Astrobiology Institute — Ira Pastor
Posted by Ira S. Pastor in categories: alien life, astronomy, bioengineering, chemistry, DNA, Elon Musk, evolution, futurism, government, Mark Zuckerberg
![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/vqYJ2EwfBGg/maxresdefault.jpg)
Dec 10, 2019
Nvidia built an AI that creates 3D models from 2D images
Posted by Genevieve Klien in categories: mobile phones, robotics/AI
What if developing a 3D gaming world were as easy as snapping pics with your phone? Nvidia researchers recently developed an AI system capable of predicting a complete 3D model from any 2D image.
Called “DIB-R,” the AI takes a picture of any 2D object – an image of a bird, for example – and predicts what it would look like in three dimensions. This prediction includes lighting, texture, and depth.
Dec 10, 2019
The neuroscience of isolation: A trip to Antarctica can shrink your brain
Posted by Genevieve Klien in categories: health, neuroscience
A striking new study has tracked the effects of extreme isolation on the brains of nine crew members who spent 14 months living on a remote research station in Antartica. The study presents some of the first evidence ever gathered to show how intense physical and social isolation can cause tangible structural changes in a person’s brain, revealing significant reductions in several different brain regions. Despite the small size of the study the conclusions echo years of research correlating solitary confinement and sensory deprivation with mental health issues, and suggest social isolation may fundamentally change the structure of a person’s brain.
The lonely brain
In 1969 Robert King was arrested and convicted for a robbery he maintained he did not commit. Three years later an inmate on King’s block was murdered. King was blamed for the murder, and despite his claims of innocence he was convicted of murder and sent to solitary confinement.