A modified CB1-receptor agonist for analgesia without adverse effects.
Scientists headed by a team at the University of Utah Health have reported on research in mice suggesting that microbiome composition during infancy can shape development of pancreatic insulin-producing cells, leading to long-term changes in metabolism and impacting on diabetes risk later in life. The study, reported in Science by research co-lead June Round, PhD, professor of pathology at University of Utah Health, and colleagues, identified what the team describes as “a critical neonatal window in mice when microbiota disruption results in lifelong metabolic consequences stemming from reduced β cell development.”
Round suggests that understanding how the microbiome impacts metabolism could potentially lead to microbe-based treatments to prevent type 1 diabetes. “What I hope will eventually happen is that we’re going to identify these important microbes, and we’ll be able to give them to infants so that we can perhaps prevent this disease from happening altogether.”
In their published paper, titled “Neonatal fungi promote lifelong metabolic health through macrophage-dependent β cell development,” the team concluded that their results “… identify fungi as critical early-life commensals that promote long-term metabolic health …”
Humans naturally perceive their bodies and anticipate movement outcomes, a trait robotic experts aim to replicate in machines for enhanced adaptability and efficiency.
Now, researchers have developed an autonomous robotic arm capable of learning its physical form and movement by observing itself through a camera. This approach is akin to a robot learning to dance by watching its reflection.
Columbia Engineering researchers claim this technique enables robots to adapt to damage and acquire new skills autonomously.
This is a collection of 68 philosophical sci-fi books recommended by you.
🚀 Free Sci-Fi Ebook! Get a FREE copy of my dystopian thriller A Figure Zero when you sign up for my newsletter! 📖
👉 Claim your free ebook here and get exclusive updates on my upcoming books! 📚 https://shorturl.at/LT2y4
Check out more of my sci-fi novels below 😊
DELPHINE DESCENDS 📖 — (Amazon link) https://shortlink.uk/P59l.
After losing her family and freedom at the hands of the Imperial Network, Kathreen is sent to a brutal life of servitude, until a chance twist of fate grants her the identity of a powerful senator’s heiress. Determined to destroy the system that shattered her life, she vows to rise through their ranks—but to defeat them, she risks becoming a monster greater than any of them.
Rodolfo Llinas tells the story of how he has developed bundles of nanowires thinner than spider webs that can be inserted into the blood vessels of human brains.
While these wires have so far only been tested in animals, they prove that direct communication with the deep recesses of the brain may not be so far off. To understand just how big of a breakthrough this is—US agents from the National Security Agency quickly showed up at the MIT laboratory when the wires were being developed.
What does this mean for the future? It might be possible to stimulate the senses directly — creating visual perceptions, auditory perceptions, movements, and feelings. Deep brain stimulation could create the ultimate virtual reality. Not to mention, direct communication between man and machine or human brain to human brain could become a real possibility.
Llinas poses compelling questions about the potentials and ethics of his technology.
A notable aspect of the CL1 is its ability to learn and adapt to tasks. Previous research has demonstrated that neuron-based systems can be trained to perform basic functions, such as playing simple video games. Cortical Labs’ work suggests that integrating biological elements into computing could improve efficiency in tasks that traditional AI struggles with, such as pattern recognition and decision-making in unpredictable environments.
Cortical Labs says that the first CL1 computers will be available for shipment to customers in June, with each unit priced at approximately $35,000.
The use of human neurons in computing raises questions about the future of AI development. Biological computers like the CL1 could provide advantages over conventional AI models, particularly in terms of learning efficiency and energy consumption. The adaptability of neurons could lead to improvements in robotics, automation, and complex data analysis.
A new study in Physical Review Letters has used atomic clocks to study relativistic effects in interacting quantum systems.
In the Patagonia region of southern Chile, there are “living rocks.”
While that’s what the locals say, Veronica Godoy-Carter, associate professor of biology and biochemistry at Northeastern University, says it’s a little more complicated than that.
“They’re actually little mountains,” she says, of “giant biofilms that are billions of years old. Literally billions.”
SLAC scientists use laser shaping to create an electron beam with five times more peak current, unlocking new frontiers in physics.
NASA has just pulled off a breakthrough that could change space communication forever. A deep-space laser transmission has traveled an astonishing distance, surpassing anything done before.