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Kentucky invests $300,000 in space research to find cures for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis
The National Stem Cell Foundation, which is based in Louisville, has been awarded a $3.1 million grant from NASA to continue research on brain cell behavior in space as a way to find treatments and cures for neurogenerative conditions, and Kentucky is investing $300,000 toward the project as part of a 10% match.
Kentucky’s portion was allocated in the 2024 legislative session in Senate Bill 1. The announcement was made Wednesday, March 26 at the Kentucky State Capitol.
Pointing to the space research Kentucky students have done at the Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics and NASA’s presence at Morehead State University, Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, said it was easy for him and his colleagues to support this type of research in hopes of making Kentucky a hub for it.
The brain’s sweet spot: How criticality could unlock learning, memory—and prevent Alzheimer’s
Our brains may work best when teetering on the edge of chaos. A new theory suggests that criticality a sweet spot between order and randomness is the secret to learning, memory, and adaptability. When brains drift from this state, diseases like Alzheimer s can take hold. Detecting and restoring criticality could transform diagnosis and treatment.
Study shows sleeping brain remains alert to harsh, urgent sounds
During sleep, the brain must achieve a delicate balance: disconnecting from sensory input to allow restorative functions, while remaining alert enough to wake if danger arises. How does it sort through external stimuli—particularly sounds—during sleep? Scientists from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and the Institut Pasteur have studied how the brain responds to so-called “rough” sounds, such as screams or alarms.
They discovered that these sounds are systematically processed, unlike other sounds, triggering specific brain waves. These results, published in the journal Scientific Reports, provide a better understanding of certain perceptual disorders, such as hyperacusis (hypersensitivity and/or intolerance to certain sounds), as well as the impact of repeated nighttime disturbances on brain function.
Roughness is an acoustic property characterized by rapid modulations of sound intensity, between 40 and 100 times per second. “Unlike speech, where syllables occur at a rate between 4 and 8 Hz, rough sounds hit the auditory system at much higher frequencies, producing a shrill and often unpleasant sensation,” explains Luc Arnal, a researcher at the Institut Pasteur, who co-directed the study.
Navier–Stokes existence and smoothness
The problem concerns the mathematical properties of solutions to the Navier–Stokes equations, a system of partial differential equations that describe the motion of a fluid in space. Solutions to the Navier–Stokes equations are used in many practical applications. However, theoretical understanding of the solutions to these equations is incomplete. In particular, solutions of the Navier–Stokes equations often include turbulence, which remains one of the greatest unsolved problems in physics, despite its immense importance in science and engineering.