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Boquila trifoliolata plants were purchased from a local store placed in Port Townsend Washington and arrived in 15.24 cm pots. Shortly after arrival plants were reported in 25.4 cm pots filled with high nutrient potting soil with a pH of 6.3, 0.30% nitrogen, 0.45% phosphate, 0.05% potassium, and 1.00% calcium. The plants were watered with distilled water (approximately 236 ml) until they reached field capacity every other day to keep the soil moist. A stone humidifier was placed near the plants to maintain a higher humidity. The experiment was conducted in Magna, Ut, USA (40°42ʹN, 112°06ʹW) during the period from September 2019 to October 2020. The plants were placed in front of a large west facing window. The first leaves sample for analysis was collected in December 2020 and the second sample was collected in June 2021.

Each plant was assigned a number and placed on a growing rack. Two artificial vines were placed above the plants on a wooden trellis. During the winter, the plants grew quickly through the leaves showed poor mimicry of the artificial plants leaves. The original plant that we had did not show good evidence of mimicry until the spring and summer. We decided to continue the experiment and see if there were better results in the warmer months.

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When I’m birdwatching, I have a particular experience all too frequently. Fellow birders will point to the tree canopy and ask if I can see a bird hidden among the leaves. I scan the treetops with binoculars but, to everyone’s annoyance, I see only the absence of a bird.

Our mental worlds are lively with such experiences of absence, yet it’s a mystery how the mind performs the trick of seeing nothing. How can the brain perceive something when there is no something to perceive?

For a neuroscientist interested in consciousness, this is an alluring question. Studying the neural basis of ‘nothing’ does, however, pose obvious challenges. Fortunately, there are other – more tangible – kinds of absences that help us get a handle on the hazy issue of nothingness in the brain. That’s why I spent much of my PhD studying how we perceive the number zero.

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Researchers from Würzburg have experimentally demonstrated a quantum tornado for the first time by refining an established method. In the quantum semimetal tantalum arsenide (TaAs), electrons in momentum space behave like a swirling vortex. This quantum phenomenon was first predicted eight years ago by a Dresden-based founding member of the Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat.

The discovery, a collaborative effort between ct.qmat, the research network of the Universities of Würzburg and Dresden, and international partners, has now been published in Physical Review X.

Scientists have long known that electrons can form vortices in quantum materials. What’s new is the proof that these tiny particles create tornado-like structures in momentum space—a finding that has now been confirmed experimentally. This achievement was led by Dr. Maximilian Ünzelmann, a group leader at ct.qmat—Complexity and Topology in Quantum Matter—at the Universities of Würzburg and Dresden.

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Engineers examined communications, navigation, and landing gear operations, even testing compatibility with an F-15D. This milestone clears the way for more rigorous ground trials before the aircraft’s first flight.

X-59’s Electromagnetic Testing Success

NASA’s X-59, a quiet supersonic research aircraft, has successfully passed electromagnetic testing, ensuring that its systems can function safely without interference in various conditions.

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The world’s demand for alternative fuels and sustainable chemical products has prompted many scientists to look in the same direction for answers: converting carbon dioxide (CO2) into carbon monoxide (CO).

But the labs of Yale chemists Nilay Hazari and James Mayer have a different chemical destination in mind. In a new study, Hazari, Mayer, and their collaborators present a new method for transforming CO2 into a chemical compound known as formate — which is used primarily in preservatives and pesticides, and which may be a potential source of more complex materials.

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Experience Mars like never before! In this breathtaking AI-generated video, journey to Mars in the year 3,075, where luxury space tourism has transformed the red planet into an elite travel destination. Explore majestic Martian cities under transparent domes, luxurious resorts overlooking breathtaking valleys, and futuristic architecture blending seamlessly with the alien landscape.
Mars isn’t just a planet—it’s an exclusive getaway for humanity’s privileged few. Join us and discover the future of luxury space tourism.

🎧 Best experienced with headphones!

✨ Your support is crucial! Like 👍, comment 💬, and subscribe 🔔 for more extraordinary AI-generated journeys!
💎 Support the channel on Patreon for exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/PintoCreation.

✅ Created with Midjourney V6.1, visualized through advanced animations powered by Hailuo AI, an innovative AI video generator rivaling Sora AI, Luma AI, Runway Gen3, and Kling AI.

Continue reading “Mars 3075: Welcome to the Future of First Space Tourism | AI Sci-Fi Cinematic Journey” | >

We finally have a more natural method to kill cancer.

A study from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory suggests that a vitamin K precursor, menadione, may offer a highly targeted way to kill prostate cancer cells.

Unlike traditional treatments that push cancer into dormancy, menadione acts as a pro-oxidant, disrupting a key lipid called PIP. This lipid helps cells manage waste, and without it, cancer cells become overwhelmed and ultimately burst.

The study, published in Science, demonstrated significant tumor suppression in both mice and human cancer cells. Researchers believe this method could offer a safer and more definitive resolution for prostate cancer while minimizing the risk of resistance.

Beyond cancer, menadione also shows promise in treating X-linked myotubular myopathy, a severe genetic muscle disorder. Importantly, menadione’s safety profile appears favorable, as it is commonly used in animal feed to support vitamin K production.

Continue reading “Dietary pro-oxidant therapy by a vitamin K precursor targets PI 3-kinase VPS34 function” | >

To mimic the conditions of the human brain, the researchers opted not to use a mouse model for MS, instead advancing a model that uses the marmoset, a nonhuman primate. Compared to mouse brains, marmoset and human brains have a higher ratio of white matter (the “wires” of the brain) to gray matter (neuronal cell bodies). The marmoset model creates multiple lesions that closely resemble those seen in human MS and that can be tracked in real time using MRI imaging. Because these lesions can be induced experimentally, the model offers a look at the earliest stages of inflammation and immune responses that lead to MS-like demyelination.

One key player identified was a specific type of astrocyte, one of the support cell types in the brain, that turns on a gene called SERPINE1 or plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI1). They found SERPINE1-expressing astrocytes in vulnerable brain borders before visible damage occurs, clustering near blood vessels and the fluid-filled ventricles of the brain and signaling future areas of lesion development. These astrocytes also appeared to influence the behavior of other cells near the lesion area, including the ability of immune cells to enter the brain and contribute to inflammation, as well as the precursor cells involved in myelin repair.

Given that SERPINE1-expressing astrocytes accumulated at the edges of growing lesions, where damage happens but healing also begins, their potential dual role in coordinating signals that could lead to either tissue repair or further damage was an unexpected wrinkle that will require further study. It’s possible that the earliest responses could be a part of a protective mechanism that becomes overwhelmed as the injury progresses. It’s also possible that the same mechanism could itself become disease-causing.

Using an animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS), researchers have created a four-dimensional brain map that reveals how lesions similar to those seen in human MS form. These findings, published in Science, provide a window into the early disease state and could help identify potential targets for MS treatments and brain tissue repair.

Continue reading “New 4D Brain Map reveals potential early warning signs of multiple sclerosis” | >