Lifeboat Foundation

Researchers have discovered that individuals who live to be 100 years old and remain cognitively healthy possess genetic variations that may protect against Alzheimer’s disease. These “protective alleles” are significantly more prevalent among centenarians compared to Alzheimer’s patients and even middle-aged individuals without the disease. This finding could pave the way for new approaches in preventing and treating Alzheimer’s, particularly by focusing on enhancing these protective genetic mechanisms.

The new findings have been published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia.

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurological disorder that predominantly affects older adults, leading to a decline in cognitive functions such as memory and reasoning. Over time, this can result in a complete loss of independence and eventually death. The risk of developing Alzheimer’s increases significantly with age, and while it is not an inevitable part of aging, it is one of the most common causes of dementia among seniors.

Think of all the information we get based on how an object interacts with wavelengths of light — a.k.a. color. Color can tell us if food is safe to eat or if a piece of metal is hot. Color is an important diagnostic tool in medicine, helping practitioners diagnose diseased tissue, inflammation, or problems in blood flow.

Companies have invested heavily to improve color in digital imaging, but wavelength is just one property of light. Polarization — how the electric field oscillates as light propagates — is also rich with information, but polarization imaging remains mostly confined to table-top laboratory settings, relying on traditional optics such as waveplates and polarizers on bulky rotational mounts.

Illinois may be on the verge of securing the largest technology project in its history—what is being labeled a “$20 billion, 150-acre quantum computing campus,” potentially anchored by Silicon Valley startup PsiQuantum, according to Crain’s Chicago Business. PsiQuantum, hot off an announcement that its receiving $600 million to build a manufacturing site in Australia, is reportedly considering two Chicago-area locations for the project, the business journal reports.

The proposed sites, the former U.S. Steel plant on the South Side and the former Texaco refinery in Lockport, are both under final review, with a decision expected soon. This initiative is part of a broader vision by Governor J.B. Pritzker’s administration, which pundits are referring to a modern-day Manhattan Project, to position Illinois as a leader quantum computing.

Quantum computing leverages the principles of quantum mechanics to process information much faster than classical machines for certain computational problems. Quantum devices could potentially transform everything from cancer research to climate modeling. PsiQuantum aims to use a photonic quantum approach to develop a fault-tolerant quantum computer that could be commercially viable.

The inactivation of one copy of the X chromosome in female mammals may start to fail as they get older, which may be why women have a higher risk of autoimmune conditions such as lupus.

By Michael Le Page

How will future generations come to be? There is no straightforward answer.

Melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer. Often the first sign of melanoma is a change in the size, shape, color, or feel of a mole. Most melanomas have a black or black-blue area. Melanoma may also appear as a new mole. It may be black, abnormal, or “ugly looking.”

Thinking of “ABCDE” can help you remember what to watch for:

By Rachel Kremen, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) measured a new record for a fusion device internally clad in tungsten, the element that could be the best fit for the commercial-scale machines required to make fusion a viable energy source for the world.

Chemical reactions are complex mechanisms. Many different dynamic processes are involved, affecting both the electrons and the nucleus of the present atoms. Very often, the strongly coupled electron and nuclear dynamics induce radiation-less relaxation processes known as conical intersections. Such dynamics, which are at the basis of many biological and chemical relevant functions, are extremely difficult to detect experimentally.

Some nuclei of certain elements decay radioactively into nuclei of different elements. These decays can be useful or annoying depending on the context. This is especially true for potassium-40. This isotope usually decays to calcium-40, but about 10% of the time it decays to argon-40.