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How ADHD Stimulants

In a large US-based brain imaging study, researchers found that these drugs do not primarily affect attention networks, but instead act on systems linked to arousal, sleep, and motivation.

The puzzle of ADHD stimulants

Prescription stimulants such as methylphenidate and amphetamines are among the most used psychoactive drugs in children and adolescents with ADHD, where they remain a first-line treatment. Estimates for receiving a prescription for ADHD medication among diagnosed children vary from 38–81%. Despite their widespread use, there is still disagreement about how these drugs work in the brain.

Sjögren Syndrome Candidate Autoantigen AQP5 Triggers AQP4 CNS Autoimmunity Through Self-Antigen Mimicry

Tumor-immune-neural circuit in cancer cachexia.

The mechanisms involved in cancer-mediated cachexia and anorexia are not well understood.

The researchers in this study delineate an interplay among tumor cells, immune cells, and the nervous system that drives cancer cachexia and anorexia.

The authors show thay loss of GDF15 protects against appetite loss, muscle wasting, and fat loss in pancreatic, lung, and skin cancers.

Disrupting this feedforward loop with GDF15-neutralizing antibody, anti-CSF1R antibody, or Rearranged during Transfection (RET) inhibitor alleviates cachexia and anorexia across cancer models. sciencenewshighlights ScienceMission https://sciencemission.com/Tumor-immune-neural-circuit

Shi et al. delineate an interplay among tumor cells, immune cells, and the nervous system that drives cancer cachexia and anorexia. Specifically, tumor-derived CSF1 induces macrophage GDF15, which signals through the GFRAL-RET neural axis to enhance β-adrenergic activity and systemic wasting. Disrupting this feedforward loop alleviates cachexia across cancer models.

Continue reading “Sjögren Syndrome Candidate Autoantigen AQP5 Triggers AQP4 CNS Autoimmunity Through Self-Antigen Mimicry” | >

A Clearer Look at the Rise of Myopia

Reading this on your phone in the dark?

A new study suggests that focusing up close in low-light settings may contribute to rising myopia rates.

Here’s what the researchers found.

Half of the world’s population will be nearsighted by 2050. Scientists propose that the amount of light reaching the retina in dark environments could be why.

Did Life Begin in the Cold? New Experiments Point to an Icy Origin

Experiments reveal that unsaturated lipid membranes promote vesicle fusion and DNA retention during freeze–thaw cycles, highlighting icy environments as potential drivers of protocell evolution. Today’s cells are extraordinarily intricate. They contain internal scaffolding known as cytoskeletons.

The Genius of Computing with Light

Check out shortform and get a FREE trial and $50 OFF the annual plan! at https://www.shortform.com/DrBen.

PsiQuantum are world leaders in the race to utility-scale quantum computing, but they have been shrouded in mystery for over a decade…until now.

Thanks to some good fortune and incredible generosity from the PsiQuantum team I was able to get behind the scenes and see what makes their ground-breaking quantum computer ‘click’

You can see their public paper here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08820-7

0:00 Silicon Valley’s Most Secretive Quantum Computer.
1:38 A Quantum Computer that runs on Light.
6:03 How to Create a Single Photon.
9:00 How to Build a Quantum Clock.
10:48 Ad Read.
11:54 Detecting Single Photons.
15:00 Creating the Perfect Material.
18:19 How to do math with light.
21:45 How to Build a Scalable Quantum Computer.
24:27 Converting Space to Time.
27:25 The First Photonic Quantum Computer Demonstrator.

PATREON:👨‍🔬 🚀 http://patreon.com/DrBenMiles.

Continue reading “The Genius of Computing with Light” | >

Microsoft can now store data for 10,000 years on everyday glass thanks to laser breakthrough

Breakthrough improvements to Microsoft’s glass-based data-storage technology mean ordinary glassware, such as that used in cookware and oven doors, can store terabytes of data, with the information lasting 10,000 years.

The technology, which has been in development under the “Project Silica” banner since 2019, has seen steady improvements, and scientists outlined the latest innovations today (Feb. 18) in the journal Nature.

A single inhalation of vapor from dried toad secretion containing 5-methoxy-N

See my Comment below for a link to the original article in NATURE.

5-methoxy-N, N-dimethyltryptamine (hereinafter referred to as 5-MeO-DMT) is a psychedelic substance found in the secretion from the parotoid glands of the Bufo alvarius toad. Inhalation of vapor from toad secretion containing 5-MeO-DMT has become popular in naturalistic settings as a treatment of mental health problems or as a means for spiritual exploration. However, knowledge of the effects of 5-MeO-DMT in humans is limited.

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