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cm0002@lemmy.world
@cm0002@lemmy.world
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Neurons can communicate via hidden network of nanotubes, study finds -
Transdisciplinary science: Early- and mid-careers shaping the future of scienceTransdisciplinary science: Early- and mid-careers shaping the future of science
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Cassini Proves Complex Chemistry in Enceladus OceanIn 2005, Cassini found the first evidence that Enceladus has a hidden ocean beneath its icy surface. Jets of water burst from cracks close to the moon’s south pole, shooting ice grains into space. Smaller than grains of sand, some of the tiny pieces of ice fall back onto the moon’s surface, whilst others escape and form a ring around Saturn that traces Enceladus’s orbit.
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8 Bizarre (and Terrifying) Deep-Sea CreaturesThis post did not contain any content. -
New AI Tool Detects Hidden Warning Signs of DiseaseThis post did not contain any content.
New AI tool detects hidden warning signs of disease
Researchers say a closer look inside cells could be used by physicians to detect diseases earlier and better match patients to therapies McGill University researchers have developed an artificial intelligence tool that can detect previously invisible disease markers inside single cells. In a study published in Nature Communications, the researchers demonstrate how the tool, called DOLPHIN, could one day be used by doctors to catch diseases earlier and guide treatment options. “This tool has the potential to help doctors match patients with the therapies most likely to work for them, reducing trial-and-error in treatment,” said senior author Jun Ding, assistant professor in McGill’s Department of Medicine and a junior scientist at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre. Zooming in on genetic building blocks Disease markers are often subtle changes in RNA expression that can indicate when a disease is present, how severe it may become or how it might respond to treatment. Conventional gene-level methods of analysis collapse these markers into a single count per gene, masking critical variation and capturing only the tip of the iceberg, said the researchers. Now, advances in artificial intelligence have made it possible to capture the fine-grained complexity of single-cell data. DOLPHIN moves beyond gene-level, zooming in to see how genes are spliced together from smaller pieces called exons to provide a clearer view of cell states. “Genes are not just one block, they’re like Lego sets made of many smaller pieces,” said first author Kailu Song, a PhD student in McGill’s Quantitative Life Sciences program. “By looking at how those pieces are connected, our tool reveals important disease markers that have long been overlooked.” In one test case, DOLPHIN analyzed single-cell data from pancreatic cancer patients and found more than 800 disease markers missed by conventional tools. It was able to distinguish patients with high-risk, aggressive cancers from those with less severe cases, information that would help doctors choose the right treatment path. A step toward ‘virtual cells’ More broadly, the breakthrough lays the foundation for achieving the long-term goal of building digital models of human cells. DOLPHIN generates richer single-cell profiles than conventional methods, enabling virtual simulations of how cells behave and respond to drugs before moving to lab or clinical trials, saving time and money. The researchers’ next step will be to expand the tool’s reach from a few datasets to millions of cells, paving the way for more accurate virtual cell models in the future. About the study “DOLPHIN advances single-cell transcriptomics beyond gene level by leveraging exon and junction reads” by Kailu Song and Jun Ding et al., was published in Nature Communications. This research was supported by the Meakins-Christie Chair in Respiratory Research, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Fonds de recherche du Québec.
Newsroom (www.mcgill.ca)
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Universities, freedom of speech, and freedom and responsibility in scienceUniversities, freedom of speech, and freedom and responsibility in science
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Scientists Studied the Genes of a Woman Who Lived 117 Years. Here's What They LearnedThis post did not contain any content. -
A blue jay and a green jay mated, researchers say. Their offspring is a scientific marvelThis post did not contain any content. -
Frontiers Planet Prize, Fourth edition: Call for peer reviewersFrontiers Planet Prize, Fourth edition: Call for peer reviewers
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Frontiers Planet Prize, Fourth edition: Applications openFrontiers Planet Prize, Fourth edition: Applications open
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Exciton-Condensate-Like Amplification of Energy Transport in Light HarvestingA groundbreaking University of Chicago study published in April 2023 revealed unexpected similarities between photosynthesis and quantum physics[^9]. The research team discovered that excitons - paired electrons and holes that carry energy in leaves during photosynthesis - can form patterns similar to those seen in Bose-Einstein condensates, a quantum state previously only observed at extremely cold temperatures[^9].
“As far as we know, these areas have never been connected before, so we found this very compelling and exciting,” said study co-author Professor David Mazziotti[^9].
The study, published in PRX Energy, found that these exciton patterns can form “islands” of condensate-like behavior even at room temperature in disordered plant systems, potentially doubling energy transfer efficiency[^9]. This contrasts with traditional exciton condensates that require near-absolute zero temperatures and highly ordered materials[^9][^15].
The findings open new possibilities for developing synthetic materials that could harness this effect. As Mazziotti noted, “A perfect ideal exciton condensate is sensitive and requires a lot of special conditions, but for realistic applications, it’s exciting to see something that boosts efficiency but can happen in ambient conditions”[^9].
[^9]: UChicago News - Scientists find link between photosynthesis and ‘fifth state of matter’ [^15]: CBS News - New University of Chicago study discovers similarities between photosynthesis, supercooling of atoms
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Orbitofrontal Gray-White Interface Injury and the Association of Soccer Heading With Verbal LearningA new study by Columbia University researchers found that soccer heading causes damage to the brain’s orbitofrontal region where gray and white matter meet, leading to reduced verbal learning ability[^1].
The research examined 352 adult amateur soccer players in New York City, using advanced diffusion MRI techniques to analyze the gray-white matter interface. Players who performed frequent headers (over 1,000 per year) showed blurring of the normally sharp boundary between gray and white matter in the orbitofrontal region[^2].
Key findings:
- Greater heading exposure directly correlated with less distinct gray-white matter boundaries
- Changes in brain structure mediated poorer performance on verbal learning tests
- Damage concentrated in outer brain layers rather than deep white matter
- Effects most pronounced in players doing over 1,000 headers annually
“What’s important about our studies is that they show, really for the first time, that exposure to repeated head impacts causes specific changes in the brain that, in turn, impair cognitive function,” said study leader Michael Lipton[^3].
The research team plans to investigate potential links between these brain changes and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), while also studying whether cardiovascular exercise might help protect against heading-related brain damage[^3].
[^2]: Columbia University - Soccer Heading Does Most Damage to Brain Area Critical for Cognition
[^3]: Columbia Radiology - Soccer Heading Linked to Measurable Decline of Brain Structure and Function
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Antisemitism—but not criticism of Israel—associated with support for political violenceA new study published in Studies in Conflict & Terrorism provides evidence that antisemitic attitudes, rather than anti-Israel sentiment alone, are linked to support for political violence in the United States. The findings suggest that while criticism of Israel can motivate legal activism, it is antisemitic prejudice that tends to predict a willingness to support illegal or violent political actions and general aggression.
The research was led by Sophia Moskalenko of Georgia State University, along with co-authors Tomislav Pavlović and Mia Bloom. The team aimed to address a gap in the literature by empirically distinguishing between attitudes toward Jews and attitudes toward Israel, especially in how they relate to political radicalization and violence.
Antisemitism—but not criticism of Israel—associated with support for political violence
Research in Studies in Conflict & Terrorism finds that while anti-Israel sentiment may motivate legal protest, it is antisemitism that tends to predict support for violent or illegal political actions, offering insight into distinct psychological pathways to radical behavior.
PsyPost - Psychology News (www.psypost.org)
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Emerging trends shaping scientific careersEmerging trends shaping scientific careers
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A people-first approach to building digital pathwaysA people-first approach to building digital pathways
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Honouring science’s principles in a troubled worldHonouring science’s principles in a troubled world
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A tool to assess the “digital maturity” of science organizationsA tool to assess the “digital maturity” of science organizations
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EEG-based brain-computer interface enables real-time robotic hand control at individual finger levelThis post did not contain any content. -
World’s first AI-designed viruses a step towards AI-generated lifeThis post did not contain any content. -
Scientists find that ice generates electricity when bentThis post did not contain any content.