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Mar 24, 2023

A New Full-Scale 3D Structural Model of the Human Hippocampus

Posted by in category: neuroscience

Summary: Researchers have developed a new 3D, high-resolution model of the CA1 area of the human hippocampus.

Source: Human Brain Project.

A new high-resolution model of the CA1 region of the human hippocampus has been developed by the Institute of Biophysics of the Italian National Research Council (CNR-IBF) and University of Modena e Reggio Emilia (UNIMORE), part of the Human Brain Project.

Mar 24, 2023

Mathematicians have finally discovered an elusive ‘einstein’ tile

Posted by in category: mathematics

After half a century, mathematicians succeed in finding an ‘einstein,’ a shape that forms a tiled pattern that never repeats.

Mar 24, 2023

Researchers create artificial enzyme for fast detection of disease-related hormone in sweat

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, health

Researchers in the Oregon State University College of Engineering have developed a handheld sensor that tests perspiration for cortisol and provides results in eight minutes, a key advance in monitoring a hormone whose levels are a marker for many illnesses including various cancers.

Findings were published in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. The material and sensing mechanism in the new device could be easily engineered to detect other specific hormones, the researchers say—for example, progesterone, a key marker for women’s reproductive health and pregnancy outcomes.

“We took inspiration from the natural enzymes used in sold at pharmacies,” said Larry Cheng, associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science. “In glucose meters, specific enzymes are applied to an electrode, where they can capture and react with glucose molecules to generate an electrical signal for detection. However, finding natural enzymes for cortisol detection is not straightforward, and natural enzymes are prone to instability and have a short lifespan.”

Mar 24, 2023

Using high-precision quantum chemistry to study super-efficient energy transfer in photosynthesis

Posted by in categories: chemistry, energy, quantum physics

Photosynthesis drives all life on Earth. Complex processes are required for the sunlight-powered conversion of carbon dioxide and water to energy-rich sugar and oxygen. These processes are driven by two protein complexes, photosystems I and II. In photosystem I, sunlight is used with an efficiency of almost 100%. Here a complex network of 288 chlorophylls plays the decisive role.

A team led by LMU chemist Regina de Vivie-Riedle has now characterized these chlorophylls with the help of high-precision quantum chemical calculations—an important milestone toward a comprehensive understanding of energy transfer in this system. This discovery may help exploit its efficiency in artificial systems in the future.

The chlorophylls in I capture sunlight in an antenna complex and transfer the energy to a reaction center. There, the is used to trigger a redox process—that is to say, a whereby electrons are transferred. The quantum yield of photosystem I is almost 100%, meaning that almost every absorbed photon leads to a redox event in the reaction center.

Mar 24, 2023

Radical NASA Propulsion Concept Could Reach Interstellar Space in Under 5 Years

Posted by in category: space

A newly proposed propulsion system could theoretically beam a heavy spacecraft to outside the confines of our Solar System in less than 5 years – a feat that took the historic Voyager 1 probe 35 years to achieve.

The concept, known as ’pellet-beam’ propulsion, was awarded an early-stage US$175,000 NASA grant for further development earlier this year.

To be clear, the concept currently doesn’t exist much beyond calculations on paper, so we can’t get too excited just yet.

Mar 24, 2023

Embryonic Variation Contradicts Common Ancestry

Posted by in category: futurism

Evolutionary biologists often argue that vertebrate embryos develop in highly similar manners, reflecting their common ancestry.

Mar 24, 2023

Researchers Develop Non-Invasive Graphene Sensors for Brain-Machine Interfaces

Posted by in categories: materials, robotics/AI

Using their non-invasive sensors, Professor Francesca Iacopi from the University of Technology Sydney and her colleagues have demonstrated hands-free communication with a quadruped robot through brain activity.

Mar 24, 2023

New experiment translates quantum information between technologies in an important step for the quantum internet

Posted by in categories: computing, internet, particle physics, quantum physics

Researchers have discovered a way to “translate” quantum information between different kinds of quantum technologies, with significant implications for quantum computing, communication, and networking.

The research was published in the journal Nature on Wednesday. It represents a new way to convert from the format used by quantum computers to the format needed for quantum communication.

Photons—particles of light—are essential for , but different technologies use them at different frequencies. For example, some of the most common technology is based on , such as those used by tech giants Google and IBM; these qubits store quantum information in that move at microwave frequencies.

Mar 24, 2023

ChatGPT gets “eyes and ears” with plugins that can interface AI with the world

Posted by in categories: internet, robotics/AI

On Thursday, OpenAI announced a plugin system for its ChatGPT AI assistant. The plugins give ChatGPT the ability to interact with the wider world through the Internet, including booking flights, ordering groceries, browsing the web, and more. Plugins are bits of code that tell ChatGPT how to use an external resource on the Internet.

Basically, if a developer wants to give ChatGPT the ability to access any network service (for example: “looking up current stock prices”) or perform any task controlled by a network service (for example: “ordering pizza through the Internet”), it is now possible, provided it doesn’t go against OpenAI’s rules.

Mar 24, 2023

Experts reveal what workplaces will look like in 2050

Posted by in categories: augmented reality, drones, robotics/AI

Holographic receptionists, robots and tea-delivering drones may be part of the workplace in just 30 years, according to new findings.

Employees may soon be spared from carrying out mundane tasks around the office as futuristic technologies blend into our daily lives.

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