Lifeboat Foundation

A look into the universe’s past may tell us where we’re going.

Deep learning has been making it possible for powerful machines to approximate and imitate abilities and techniques once thought to be uniquely human. Mathematicians have struggled to explain how they work so well and may now get some answers by looking outside mathematics and into the nature of the universe.

The process will help develop new treatments.

Theoretical physicist was among the first to predict that the phenomenon of topology could lead to exotic states of matter.

RealClearScience.

D esigner therapies are treatments tailored to a specific disease, and nowhere is the need greater for new therapies than in a group of nervous system disorders, known as “neurodegenerative diseases.”

Many of these diseases are common and well-known, such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease. However, some are very rare, genetic disorders that are the consequence of a defective gene. In all these diseases, a mutant protein that misfolds causes the degeneration and death of neurons. One effective therapeutic strategy is to prevent the rogue protein from ever being made.

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 (SCA7) is one such disease in which nerves in different parts of the brain, including the eye, degenerate, which leads to blindness and difficulty walking, speaking, and balancing. SCA7 is dominantly inherited — which means that you just need one bad copy of the mutation to cause disease. The disease occurs when a short section of DNA that encodes ataxin-7 gene is erroneously repeated — like a word in a book printed two or three times. In this case, three chemical units of the DNA sequence — C-A-G — are repeated over and over.

Continue reading “Scientists May Have Halted Blindness Caused by This Rare Genetic Disease” »

Before we get started, it’s essential to understand that astrophotography takes time and practice in order to achieve good results, so don’t get frustrated if you don’t nail it on the first go.

When it comes to photographing the night sky there isn’t an exact setting which is going to achieve the same results across the board. This is due to the amount atmospheric light which is available in your area. So in order to help get you started, I’ve decided to write a guide on “how to photograph the stars.”

The aim is to shed some light on the type of equipment you will need and give you a general starting point for where your settings ‘should’ be so that you can head out into the night and have some fun with it.

Continue reading “Astrophotography: How to Photograph the Stars” »

China’s expansion of its digital communications infrastructure will have global implications in the years to come.

New research suggests that exposure to childhood adversity is associated with reduced cognitive control and alterations in key brain networks. The findings, which appear in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, could help explain the link between childhood adversity and depression.

“My work focuses on how we can use objective biomarkers to aid in clinical decision making,” said study author Scott A. Langenecker of the University of Utah.

“One challenging clinical decision point is what to do when individuals have recovered from a depressive episode. Do we continue treatment? Do we exercise regular check-ins? Or do we just wait and see?”

Continue reading “Childhood adversity linked to reduced inhibitory control and alterations in key brain networks” »