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venerdì 30 dicembre 2016

# s-behav: collective behavior following strong periodic patterns

<< by using big data to analyse massive data sets of modern and historical news, social media and Wikipedia page views, periodic patterns in the collective behaviour of the population can be observed that could otherwise go unnoticed. >>

<< people's collective behaviour follows strong periodic patterns and is more predictable than previously thought >>

Tom Lansdall-Welfare. Big data shows people’s collective behaviour follows strong periodic patterns. 8 Nov.2016

http://thinkbig.enm.bris.ac.uk/big-data-shows-peoples-collective-behaviour-follows-strong-periodic-patterns/

Dzogang F. et al. Discovering Periodic Patterns in Historical News. PLoS ONE 11(11): e0165736. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0165736

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0165736

2016 IEEE International Conference on Data Mining (ICDM)

http://icdm2016.eurecat.org/

mercoledì 28 dicembre 2016

# e-behav: smart obsessions ...

<< On the crowded morning metro in Helsinki, silence prevails >>

<<  A loud "yeah!" breaks the quiet, along with delighted screech from a toddler whose mother has just handed him her smartphone to calm him down with a video >>

Anne Kauranen. Smartphone-obsessed Finns rank tops in screen time. Dec. 27, 2016.

http://m.phys.org/news/2016-12-smartphone-obsessed-finns-tops-screen.html

<< tefficient’s  14th  public  analysis  on  the  development and  drivers  of  mobile  data  usage >>

http://tefficient.com/unlimited-pushes-data-usage-to-new-heights/

doc:   http://media.tefficient.com/2016/12/tefficient-industry-analysis-5-2016-mobile-data-usage-and-pricing-1H-2016-1.pdf

martedì 27 dicembre 2016

# s-brain: we may be biologically tuned to allow seemingly confident people to ...

<< In today's political climate in particular, we should be aware that when facts aren't clear, we may be biologically tuned to allow seemingly confident people to hold more sway on our own beliefs >>

How our brains are biologically tuned to be influenced by confident people. Dec. 13, 2016.

http://m.medicalxpress.com/news/2016-12-brains-biologically-tuned-confident-people.html

Daniel Campbell-Meiklejohn, Arndis Simonsen, Chris D. Frith and Nathaniel D. Daw. Independent Neural Computation of Value from Other People's Confidence. J. of Neurosci. 9 Dec. 2016, 4490-15; DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4490-15.2016

http://www.jneurosci.org/content/early/2016/12/09/JNEUROSCI.4490-15.2016

sabato 24 dicembre 2016

s-brain-ethno: beliefs vs brain networks responding

<< When political beliefs are challenged, a person's brain becomes active in areas that govern personal identity and emotional responses to threats >>

<< Political beliefs are like religious beliefs in the respect that both are part of who you are and important for the social circle to which you belong >> Jonas Kaplan.

Emily  Gersema. Which  brain networks respond  when someone sticks to a belief? Dec. 23, 2016.

http://news.usc.edu/114481/which-brain-networks-respond-when-someone-sticks-to-a-belief/

Jonas T. Kaplan, Sarah I. Gimbel,  Sam Harris. Neural correlates of maintaining one's political beliefs in the face of counterevidence. Nature. Scientific Reports 6, Article number: 39589 (2016). doi :10.1038/srep39589

http://www.nature.com/articles/srep39589

venerdì 23 dicembre 2016

# s-gst: a model of a silent invasion

<< Cells from early, low-density lesions displayed more stemness features, migrated more and founded more metastases than cells from dense, advanced tumours >>

[AA] << found  that  at  least  80%  of  metastases  were  derived  from  early disseminated  cancer  cells >>

Hedayatollah Hosseini, Milan M. S. Obradović, et al. Early dissemination seeds metastasis in breast cancer. Nature Volume: 540, Pages: 552–558 Date published: (22 Dec. 2016)  doi:10.1038/nature20785

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature20785.html

Kathryn L. Harper, Maria Soledad Sosa, et al. Mechanism of early dissemination and metastasis in Her2+ mammary cancer. Nature Volume: 540, Pages: 588–592 Date published: (22 Dec. 2016) doi:10.1038/nature20609

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature20609.html

mercoledì 21 dicembre 2016

# s-arts: le composizioni uniche di Diego, artista, ex bancario market maker 'pescivendolo'

<< Sono sempre stato bravo a vendere, ho fatto il pescivendolo dai 12 ai 23 anni (..) In sostanza ero diventato il pescivendolo dei mercati finanziari. Per essere un bravo venditore, qualunque cosa si venda, bisogna conoscere il prodotto, i clienti e avere quel fattore X che ti permette di mettere insieme le due cose >>

<< Ero il numero uno del mio team da sei anni. Ma la vita è una sola, non è previsto alcun refund >>

<< Ma realizzarsi come artista era comunque la principale ragione per la quale Diego aveva deciso di dare una svolta alla propria esistenza >>

<< Prendo una fotografia o disegno un’immagine, separo le varie forme e tonalità, le intaglio su carta e strato su strato spruzzo i colori (..) Alla fine distruggo lo stencil: voglio che tutte le mie opere siano pezzi unici >>

Andrea de Cesco. Diego Farneti e le sue due vite a Londra: “Questa è la mia arte. A 40 anni ho lasciato tutto per realizzare solo pezzi unici”. 21 Dic. 2016

http://m.huffpost.com/it/entry/13581984

http://i.huffpost.com/gen/4928318/thumbs/o-DIEGO-FARNETI-6-900.jpg?3

FonT: chissa' se (e se SI, di quanto) erano tossici i 'pesci' che Diego proponeva e a chi li  'piazzava' ...

domenica 18 dicembre 2016

# s-acad: statistical associations in genetically modified (GM) crop studies

<< ties between researchers and the GM crop industry were common, with 40% of the articles considered displaying conflicts of interest (COI) >>

<< compared to the absence of COI, the presence of a COI was associated with a 50% higher frequency of outcomes favorable to the interests of the GM crop company >>

Guillemaud T, Lombaert E, Bourguet D. Conflicts of Interest in GM Bt Crop Efficacy and Durability Studies. PLoS ONE 2016; 11(12): e0167777. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0167777

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0167777

Many GMO studies have financial conflicts of interest. Dec. 16, 2016.

http://m.phys.org/news/2016-12-gmo-financial-conflicts.html

venerdì 16 dicembre 2016

# n-ethno: immediate intuizioni vs estreme - a posteriori - opinioni ...

<< "L’Europa non conta più nulla" ...  “La Germania (..) per i suoi meriti, è il paese più forte d’Europa però la leadership è un’altra cosa, è rendersi conto dei problemi degli altri, dei problemi collettivi e questo i tedeschi non lo sanno fare” >>

Romano Prodi “L’Europa non conta più nulla. L’Italia non resti sola”. 15 Dicembre 2016

http://m.huffpost.com/it/entry/13648200

FonT: poco dopo il crollo del muro di Berlino (1989) un laureato in  fisica, responsabile hardware di un centro di calcolo universitario mi disse: "e' caduto il muro ... se 'anche' si riuniscono le due germanie noi siamo perduti ...". Angela Merkel, anche lei laureata in fisica, potrebbe (qui si sottolinea "potrebbe") aver avuto stesse sincroniche "unmittelbare einblicke", io penso ...

Tuttavia il fisico in questione non sempre sembrava credibile nel suo dire ... ad es. in altra occasione costui si prese la briga di informarmi sui costi (inverosimili, campati in aria, presumo inventati sul momento, chissa' perche' ... ) di leasing annuale di un pack statistico; informazione che aveva meritato una risposta a contenuto informativo confrontabile ("cazzo!", se ricordo bene ...) accompagnata da reattiva esoftalmia roteante ai confini d'im-probabili quasistocastici iperspazi ...

mercoledì 14 dicembre 2016

s-soc: they never turn down a chance to have coffee and cake ...

<< There's a word in Swedish,  lagom, that can be roughly translated as: “Not too much, not too little, just right”. It's “moderate” or “just enough” >>

<<  Swedish culture has taken a step further lately, by making moves towards a six-hour working day >>

<< Burned-out people cost companies and society time and money >>

<< It's a win-win situation >>

BJ Epstein. How Swedish literature reflects the benefits of a shorter working day. Nov. 16, 2016

http://theconversation.com/how-swedish-literature-reflects-the-benefits-of-a-shorter-working-day-68114

also:

La foresta di Masuda. Feb.  06, 2005

http://inkpi.blogspot.it/2005/02/1726-la-foresta-di-masuda.html

FonT: da quello che si vede ma specialmente "che si sente" ho idea che non sia completamente campata in aria l'ipotesi (terrificante) secondo la quale il 99.9% degli umani, anche "di alto rango" sociale- professionale sembrano impotenti nella gestione non autolesiva delle "alte velocita" delle dinamiche sociali- culturali (sempre caotiche, sempre relative) ...; percio' l'ipotesi (intrigante) di re-indirizzo verso "tempi lenti" sociali.

lunedì 12 dicembre 2016

# s-gst: together, in complex flock configurations

<< Moving particles  with no memory can  group  together in complex flock configurations using only instantaneous cues >>

Flocks Without Memory. Dec. 8, 2016

https://physics.aps.org/synopsis-for/10.1103/PhysRevLett.117.248001

Lucas Barberis, Fernando Peruani. Large-Scale Patterns in a Minimal Cognitive Flocking Model: Incidental Leaders, Nematic Patterns, and Aggregates Patterns. Phys. Rev. Lett. 117 , 248001. Publ. 6 Dec. 2016

http://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.117.248001

domenica 11 dicembre 2016

# s-dance: actually, they don't write ...

<< “If people in the literary world groan,” Mr. Engdahl (Horace Engdahl) added, “one must remind them that the gods don’t write, they dance and they sing.” >>

Joe Coscarelli. Bob Dylan Sends Warm Words but Skips Nobel Prize Ceremonies. Dec. 10, 2016.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/12/10/arts/bob-dylan-skips-nobel-prize-ceremonies.html

sabato 10 dicembre 2016

# e-sec: byzantine fault in-tolerance

<< Byzantine failures are considered the most general and most difficult class of failures among the failure modes >>

<< The objective of Byzantine fault tolerance is to be able to defend against Byzantine failures, in which components of a system fail with symptoms that prevent some components of the system from reaching agreement among themselves, where such agreement is needed for the correct operation of the system >>

<< Byzantine failures imply no restrictions, which means that failed node can generate arbitrary data, pretending to be a correct one, which makes fault tolerance utterly difficult. >> Nov. 19, 2016.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine_fault_tolerance

venerdì 9 dicembre 2016

# s-gene-behav: short horns for large results (in giant hissing cockroaches)

<< males from two species of giant hissing cockroaches from Madagascar may have evolved different physical characteristics based on their strategies for winning a female >>

<<  "These cockroaches are acting like red deer in the rut, competing for females by combat, but if they don't have the size and strength to win fights outright, they can try and sneak mates. A male cockroach seems to be adapted to be either a lover or a fighter, and what's interesting is that they do this before they become fully adult, at the final moult."  >>  Kate Durrant.

<< Animals that must compete for a mate can do so in various ways: some males will defend a female from rival males by force, while others will sneak past larger males and mate with females behind their backs >>

<< These two strategies, 'fighters' and 'lovers', are associated with different behaviours and characteristics >>

AA << found that the Flat-horned cockroach, which is small with short horns (as its name suggests), was non-aggressive and had large testes, which indicates that it is more likely to avoid fighting by mating with females behind the backs of larger males, while the Wide-horned cockroach, which is large and heavily armoured with large horns, was highly aggressive in combat between males and was not well-endowed in terms of testes size >>

Species of giant cockroaches employ different strategies in the mating game. Nov. 8, 2016

http://m.phys.org/news/2016-11-species-giant-cockroaches-strategies-game.html

Kate  L.  Durrant, Ian  M.  Skicko, et al.  Comparative  morphological  trade-offs between  pre-  and  post- copulatory sexual selection  in  Giant  hissing cockroaches  (Tribe:  Gromphadorhini). Nature. Scientific Reports 6, Article  number:  36755. Publ online Nov. 07, 2016. doi: 10.1038/srep36755

http://www.nature.com/articles/srep36755

giovedì 8 dicembre 2016

# n-ethno: it felt distinctly European, by James, Mike & Neil (NYTimes) ...

<< 3. ‘GOMORRAH’ Italy (SundanceTV) The first season of this series, a traditional Mafia saga set in present-day Naples, was an addictive blend of speed, tension, desolate atmosphere and stark violence. While it raided the histories of both Italian and American film and gangster mythology for its look and style, it felt distinctly European, with an operatic realism unlike anything on American TV. >>

James Poniewozik, Mike Hale, Neil Genzlinger. The Best TV Shows of 2016. Dec 5, 2016

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/12/05/arts/television/best-tv-shows.html

mercoledì 7 dicembre 2016

# s-ecol: even if they aren't part of the diet ...

AA << report snake species throughout the globe possess a mutation that protects them from a class of cardiotonic steroids known as bufadienolides, contained in the skin of some toads, even if the toads aren't part of the snakes' diet. >>

Feast without fear: Scientist says more snake species resist toxin. Nov. 22, 2016

http://m.phys.org/news/2016-11-feast-scientist-snake-species-resist.html

Shabnam Mohammadi, Zachariah Gompert, et al. Toxin-resistant isoforms of Na+/K+ -ATPase in snakes do not closely track dietary specialization on toads. Proc. of the Royal Soc. B: Biol. Sci. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.2111. Publ. 16 Nov. 2016.

http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/283/1842/20162111

lunedì 5 dicembre 2016

# n-lang: masters of breath to play 'click' in Taa sound system

<< With five distinct kinds of clicks, multiple tones and strident vowels — vocalized with a quick choking sound — the Taa language, spoken by a few thousand people in Botswana and Namibia , is believed by most linguists to have the largest sound inventory of any tongue in the world >>

Bryant Rousseau. Which Language Uses the Most Sounds? Click 5 Times for the Answer. Nov. 25, 2016.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/11/25/world/what-in-the-world/click-languages-taa-xoon-xoo-botswana.html

https://youtu.be/xIPrQYtUNaI

domenica 4 dicembre 2016

# s-behav: the regular chaotic of wild flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus) dancers

<< Flamingos are very good dancers. They twist and preen, they scratch their heads, they march in unison. >>

Nicholas Bakalar. Flamingo Mating Rules:  1.  Learn  the  Funky Chicken. Nov. 28,  2016.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/11/28/science/flamingos-dancing-sexual-display.html

Charlotte  Perrot, Arnaud  Bechet, et al. Sexual display complexity  varies non-linearly with age and  predicts breeding  status  in  greater  flamingos.  Nature. Scientific Reports 6 (2016); Article  number:  36242. doi: 10.1038/srep36242

http://www.nature.com/articles/srep36242

sabato 3 dicembre 2016

# s-phys: how a plasmoid instability could behave

<< The paper describes how the plasmoid instability begins in a slow linear phase that goes through a period of quiescence before accelerating into an explosive phase that triggers a dramatic increase in the speed of magnetic reconnection. >>

<< Plasmoid instability, which breaks up plasma current sheets into small magnetic islands called plasmoids, has generated considerable interest in recent years as a possible mechanism for fast reconnection. >>

<<  At issue is how magnetic reconnection, a universal process that sets off solar flares, northern lights and cosmic gamma-ray bursts, occurs so much faster than theory says should be possible. >>

John Greenwald. Researchers propose an explanation for the mysterious onset of a universal process. Nov. 22, 2016

http://m.phys.org/news/2016-11-explanation-mysterious-onset-universal.html

Comisso L., Lingam M., et al. General theory of the plasmoid instability. Phys. Plasmas 23, 100702 (2016);

http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4964481

venerdì 2 dicembre 2016

# n-soc-law: performance epifanica di bozza di scheda elettorale Senato della Repubblica

riforma costituzionale; facsimile di bozza di scheda elettorale Senato della Repubblica:

http://videofq.meride.tv/fq2/video/folder1/renzi_scheda_senato_fq2.mp4

http://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/2016/11/30/riforme-renzi-mostra-la-scheda-elettorale-del-nuovo-senato-sara-elezione-diretta/3226835/

FonT: circa l'abilita' di far comparire / sparire Entita' di varia natura ... il Presid. del Consiglio Matteo Renzi potrebbe (qui si sottolinea "potrebbe") ricordare a qualcuno quell'accademici declinanti a giustificare marachelle (Entita' in apparizione, duplicazione, sparizione, sostituzione, ...): "l'ho fatto per il bene della disciplina ..."

Tuttavia altri potrebbero (qui si sottolinea "potrebbero")  associare  questa in-credibile pubblica  performance a contesti dove certi venditori usano il mezzo televisivo per proporre l'ennesima patacchina e/o pataccona ...

patacchina, pataccona cfr
http://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/patacca/

more : le sostanziali ragioni per votare NO ("a prescindere", come diceva Toto' ... )

(1) non e' una riforma politicamente condivisa;

(2) il Presid. del Consiglio Matteo Renzi non e' stato eletto;

http://m.ilgiornale.it/news/2016/05/23/renzi-io-non-eletto-mi-ha-chiamato-napolitano-in-una-situazione-demerg/1262470/

(3) a seguito della sentenza Corte Costituzionale 1/2014, 4 dicembre 2013;

http://www.cortecostituzionale.it/actionSchedaPronuncia.do?anno=2014&numero=1

(4) a seguito della sentenza Cassazione 8878/2014, 4 aprile 2014;

http://www.giurcost.org/casi_scelti/Cassazione/Cass.sent.8878-2014.pdf

lunedì 28 novembre 2016

# s-pnei: how social status alters immune function in macaques

<< Americans differ in life expectancy by more than a decade. Glaring health inequalities across the socioeconomic spectrum are often attributed to access to medical care and differences in habits such as smoking, exercise and diet. But a new study in rhesus monkeys shows that the chronic stress of life at the bottom can alter the immune system even in the absence of other risk factors. The research confirms previous animal studies suggesting that social status affects the way genes turn on and off within immune cells >>

Upward mobility boosts immunity in monkeys. Nov. 24, 2016

http://m.phys.org/news/2016-11-upward-mobility-boosts-immunity-monkeys.html

AA << combined genomics with a social status manipulation in female rhesus macaques to investigate how status alters immune function >>

AA << identify specific transcription factor signaling pathways that explain these differences, including low-status–associated polarization of the Toll-like receptor 4 signaling pathway toward a proinflammatory response >>

Noah Snyder-Mackler, Joaquin Sanz et al. Social status alters immune regulation and response to infection in macaques. Science  25 Nov 2016: Vol. 354, Issue 6315, pp. 1041-1045 DOI: 10.1126/science.aah3580

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/354/6315/1041

domenica 27 novembre 2016

# s-ecol: largely irreversible changes in the Arctic: 19 regime shifts to complex (chaotic?) transitions

<< Chapter 3 of the report examines 19 documented or potential  regime  shifts  in  the  Arctic  –  from  a  shift  to  sea- ice- free summers, to collapse of different Arctic fisheries, to the transformation of landscapes: from bogs to peatlands, or from tundra to boreal forest or to steppe >>

Arctic Council (2016). Arctic Resilience Report. M. Carson and G. Peterson (eds). Stockholm Environment Institute and Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm.

https://oaarchive.arctic-council.org/handle/11374/1838

https://oaarchive.arctic-council.org/bitstream/handle/11374/1838/ARR_full_report_low-res_161114b.pdf

sabato 26 novembre 2016

# s-evol: more grey on their backs to camouflage (Meliphagidae and Acanthizidae songbirds)

<< Tropical birds are well known for their colorful appearance: vibrantly colored macaws, parakeets and parrots are widely considered to be the quintessential birds of this region. >>

<< But do birds evolve to become more colorful when they move to the tropics? >>

<<  "The pattern is really clear" Friedman [Nicholas Friedman]  reports, "birds living in the desert tend to be more grey on their backs, while birds living in the forest have evolved to be more of a dark green - we think they are evolving these colors to match their background." >>

<< This would be an example of natural selection, in this case more camouflaged organisms can survive and pass on their genes.
"These results help to explain the origins of the diversity of life, how species end up evolving different characteristics over time" >>

Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology. New research provides insight into plumage evolution. Nov. 4, 2016.

http://m.phys.org/news/2016-11-insight-plumage-evolution.html

Friedman NR, Remes V. Ecogeographical gradients in plumage coloration among Australasian songbird clades. Global Ecol. Biogeogr. 2016  doi:10.1111/geb.12522 Publ.  Sept. 25, 2016.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/geb.12522/abstract

giovedì 24 novembre 2016

# s-evol: smarter dinosaurs

<< Dinosaurs have a fearsome reputation for their hunting abilities but less so when it comes to their intelligence. >>

<< But the recent discovery of the first recorded fossilised brain tissue could help challenge that image >>

Alex Liu. First Dinosaur Brain Fossil Suggests They May Have Been Smarter Than We Thought. Oct 28, 2016.

http://singularityhub.com/2016/10/28/first-dinosaur-brain-fossil-suggests-they-may-have-been-smarter-than-we-thought/

https://theconversation.com/first-dinosaur-brain-fossil-suggests-they-may-have-been-smarter-than-we-thought-67715

Martin D. Brasier,  David B. Norman, et al. Remarkable preservation of brain tissues in an Early Cretaceous iguanodontian dinosaur. Geological Society, London, Special Publications(2016); SP448.3

http://dx.doi.org/10.1144/SP448.3

http://sp.lyellcollection.org/content/early/2016/11/01/SP448.3

lunedì 21 novembre 2016

# s-acad: after POTUS race: Scientists reactions, by Nature.com

<< Trump victory generates shock, disbelief and fear of funding cuts. >>

<< Some foreign researchers working in the United States started thinking about leaving the country. >>

<< Around the world, researchers expressed sympathy and wondered how the election results might upset US research. >>

<< Other researchers said they were scared that a Trump presidency might reduce funding for science. >>

<< Some researchers expressed concern over the future of climate science. >>

<< And some scientists had more existential worries. >>

Lauren Morello. How scientists reacted to the US election results.  09 Nov2016

http://www.nature.com/news/how-scientists-reacted-to-the-us-election-results-1.20965

more:

<< It is time for scientists and politicians alike to constructively engage with core issues — from climate change and energy independence to social inequality. >>

Reality must trump rhetoric after US election shock. 16 Nov. 2016

http://www.nature.com/news/reality-must-trump-rhetoric-after-us-election-shock-1.20980

more:

Tim Wallace. The Two Americas of 2016. Nov.16, 2016.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/11/16/us/politics/the-two-americas-of-2016.html

domenica 20 novembre 2016

# n-soc: you can not explain the inequality without

<< “A lot of research has focused on the role of markets in rising inequality, but they are missing a major cause,” Jacobs [David Jacobs] said. “You can’t explain income inequality without looking at political factors.” >>

Jeff Grabmeier. New evidence that politics, not economics, drives inequality. Oct. 26, 2016

https://news.osu.edu/news/2016/10/26/inequality-politics/

David Jacobs and Jonathan C. Dirlam. Politics and Economic Stratification: Power Resources and Income Inequality in the United States. American Journal of Sociology, 2016; Vol. 122, Number 2, Sept. 2016.

http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/687744

venerdì 18 novembre 2016

# s-gst-evol: tiny tweaks to modulate  hairy bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta)

<< Millions of years ago, some plants in the mustard family made the switch from simple leaves to complex leaves through two tiny tweaks to a single gene. One tweak to a small enhancer sequence gave the gene a new domain of expression in the leaf. Paradoxically, the other tweak sub-optimised its function in this new domain. But together, these changes gave rise to fit plants with complex leaves. >>

P. Huijser. A small piece of DNA with a large effect on leaf shape. Nov. 17, 2016

http://m.phys.org/news/2016-11-small-piece-dna-large-effect.html

Francesco Vuolo, Remco A. Mentink et al. Coupled enhancer and coding sequence evolution of a homeobox gene shaped leaf diversity. Genes & Development (2016). Nov.16, 2016, doi: 10.1101/gad.290684.116

http://m.genesdev.cshlp.org/content/early/2016/11/16/gad.290684.116

lunedì 14 novembre 2016

# n-soc: POTUS after the race: a sadic consideration, by Jonah and Stephen

<< It  has  become  a  reflexive  pledge,  often  half-joking,  after  an  election:  Worried  about the  next  president?  Move  to  another  country. After  the  news  of  Donald  J.  Trump’s  victory  in  the  presidential  election  was confirmed  early  Wednesday,  many  Americans  apparently  considered  doing  just that.  One  likely  destination  was  north.  Late  at  night, Canada’s  citizenship  and immigration  website  crashed as  it  was  flooded  with  interest. >>

<< Stephen  J.  Farnsworth,  a  co-author  of  the  2013  book  “The  Global  President: International  Media  and  the  U.S.  Government”  and  a  professor  of  political  science at  the  University  of  Mary  Washington,  said  that  escaping  to  Canada  would  not shield  you  from  the  influence  of  a  President  Trump. >>

Jonah Engel Bromwich. Want  to  Move  to  Canada?  Europe?  Somewhere? Trump’s  Impact  Will  Follow  You. NYT. Nov. 9,  2016

https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/797739518833127424

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/11/10/us/-canada-immigration.html

FonT: forse (e si sottolinea forse)  vista la trascorsa sorprendente esclusione e autoesclusione di importanti personaggi dalla "POTUS race" (ad es. Michael R. Bloomberg, http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/03/08/us/politics/michael-bloomberg-not-running-for-president.html ) nella sopravveniente, impellente necessita' di confinare (se cosi' si puo' dire) un ipotetico (e si sottolinea ipotetico) Donald "dalle singolari bizzarrie in.onda giallo- carota- s.fumante" sarebbe (sarebbe stato) utile, anzi, forse indispensabile, avvalersi (anche) delle preziose  consulenze di una ipotetica Entita' "El Morisco" simile, cioe' una sorta di El Morisco, gia' naturalizzato negli States, capace di districare, in senso preventivo ma anche successivo, nell'ordalia d'intrecci multi- dimensionali a corde vibranti stazionarie sensibili alle modalita' a pulsivita' quasistocastica (quantistico-) transizionali (vale a dire il normale reale nel quale siamo normalmente  immersi e normalmente operiamo). D'altronde, come si e' notato in contesti ecologici, coli' dove esiste una ipotetica tossina (l'antigene) e' probabile si possa individuare anche il suo specifico ipotetico antidoto (l'anticorpo). Percio' una Entita' "El Morisco" simile potrebbe essere adatta a trattare (anche) un caso Donald ipotetico. Ovviamente questa e'  solo una ipotesi di prima approx,  anzicheforse.

"El Morisco". in: Gianluigi Bonelli, Aurelio Galleppini. Il signore dell'abisso. Tex e El Morisco.

http://www.sergiobonelli.it/news/news/37046/Tex-e-El-Morisco-.html

http://www.mondadoristore.it/signore-dell-abisso-Tex-El-Aurelio-Galleppini-Gianluigi-Bonelli/eai978880463993/

more:

"Donald"

http://flashontrack.blogspot.it

domenica 13 novembre 2016

# zen-brain: a low-cost approach (without genetics and/or pharmacology) to become (hypothetically) smarter

<< ‘Superbrain Yoga’ is a quick exercise that can help to enhance your brain’s sharpness and clarity. The method is scientifically validated, according to Queensland Academics, and the practice is based on the principles of subtle energy and ear acupuncture. >>

Kelsey Drain. What Is Superbrain Yoga? How To Improve Cognitive Function With This Yogi Practice.
Nov 7, 2016 01:31 PM 

http://www.medicaldaily.com/what-superbrain-yoga-how-improve-cognitive-function-yogi-practice-403639

Jane Sleeman. SuperBrain Yoga – a simple exercise to maximize brain power. Oct. 30, 2014

https://qahs.eq.edu.au/superbrain-yoga-a-simple-exercise-to-maximize-brain-power/

Kelsey Drain. The Science Of Acupuncture: Treatment Activates Opioids, Lowers Hypertension.
Nov 2, 2016 10:48 AM

http://www.medicaldaily.com/science-acupuncture-treatment-activates-opioids-lowers-hypertension-403084

lunedì 7 novembre 2016

# e-ai-media: an inspired incipit: Hey it's Nick. The race took a swerve this weekend ...

<< The New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, NBC, Yahoo News and the non-profit Pro Publica are among news organizations using automated technology or messaging bots for coverage in the runup to Tuesday's vote or on election night. >>

<< Those signing up for the bot receive periodic short messages such as, "Hey it's Nick. The race took a swerve this weekend." >>

<< Confessore [Nick Confessore] said it was challenging to find the right formula for "a really short form of storytelling," in a text message, but noted that the bot allowed readers to "drill down further" to get more details. >>

Rob Lever. 'Bots' step up for 2016 election news coverage.  Nov. 5, 2016.

http://m.phys.org/news/2016-11-bots-election-news-coverage.html

venerdì 4 novembre 2016

# p-usa: POTUS race: immediatly, they introduced a placebo within: the "Melania Effect" ...

<< “As adults, many of us are able to handle mean words, even lies,” she [Melania Trump] said in a speech aimed at winning over more female voters. “They hurt when they are made fun of or made to feel less in looks or intelligence. We have to find a better way to talk to each other, to disagree with each other, to respect each other.” >>

Mary Jordan. Very different Trump speech: A call by Melania for no more ‘mean words’. POST. Nov. 3, 2016

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/seeking-to-woo-women-voters-melania-trump-sounds-like-the-un-donald-trump/2016/11/03/abcd74b8-a1d9-11e6-8d63-3e0a660f1f04_story.html

also:

# s-pnei: placebo: increase in placebo perceptions (only in the US). 17 dicembre 2015

http://flashontrack.blogspot.it/2015/12/s-pnei-placebo-increase-in-placebo.html

more:

Marla Paul. Placebo sweet spot for pain relief identified in brain. October  27,  2016

https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2016/10/placebo-sweet-spot-for-pain-relief-identified-in-brain/

Pascal Tetreault, Ali Mansour, et al. Brain Connectivity Predicts Placebo Response across Chronic Pain Clinical Trials. PLOS Biology, 2016; 14 (10): e1002570 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1002570

http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1002570

martedì 1 novembre 2016

# s-behav: the intricate performance (dancing and singing) of a jumping spider

AA << present behavioral and neurophysiological evidence that [Jumping spiders (Salticidae)]  perceive and respond to airborne acoustic stimuli, even when the distance between the animal and the sound source is relatively large (∼3 m) and with stimulus amplitudes at the position of the spider of ∼65 dB sound pressure level (SPL) >>

<< Behavioral experiments with the jumping spider Phidippus audax reveal that these animals respond to low-frequency sounds (80 Hz; 65 dB SPL) by freezing—a common anti-predatory behavior characteristic of an acoustic startle response >>

<< Neurophysiological recordings from auditory-sensitive neural units in the brains of these jumping spiders showed responses to low-frequency tones (80 Hz at ∼65 dB SPL)—recordings that also represent the first record of acoustically responsive neural units in the jumping spider brain.  Responses persisted even when the distances between spider and stimulus source exceeded 3 m and under anechoic conditions. >>

Paul S. Shamble, Gil Menda, et al.
Airborne Acoustic Perception by a Jumping Spider. Current Biology. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.08.041 Publ. Oct. 13, 2016

http://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(16)30985-X

Jaymi Heimbuch. Jumping spider males dance and sing ... Oct. 4, 2016.

http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/jumping-spider-males-dance-and-sing-yes-sing-woo-their-mates

FonT: sarebbe interessante valutare se e quanto tempo prima la struttura neuroacustica del Phidippus audax sia in grado di percepire e discriminare le basse freq dei movimenti  tellurici profondi che successivamente manifesteranno  macro episodi di superficie (earthquake).

also:

Richard A. Lovett. Scientists Seek Foolproof Signal to Predict Earthquakes. National Geographic News. Jan. 5, 2013

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/01/04-earthquakees-defy-prediction-efforts/

Vanessa Bates Ramirez. Earthquakes Will Be as Predictable as Hurricanes Thanks to AI. Sep 27, 2016

http://singularityhub.com/2016/09/27/earthquakes-will-be-as-predictable-as-hurricanes-thanks-to-ai

domenica 30 ottobre 2016

# s-food: concerning edible bugs ...

AA << analyzed grasshoppers, crickets, mealworms and buffalo worms for their mineral contents and estimated how much of each nutrient would likely get absorbed if eaten, using a lab model of human digestion >>

AmChemSoc. The buzz about edible bugs: Can they replace beef? Oct. 26, 2016

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161026104806.htm
   
Gladys O. Latunde-Dada, Wenge Yang, Mayra Vera Aviles. In Vitro Iron Availability from Insects and Sirloin Beef. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2016; DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.6b03286

http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.6b03286

sabato 29 ottobre 2016

# s-ai: POTUS races: the MogIA's granular prophecies, by Sanjiv Rai

<< An artificial intelligence system that correctly predicted the last three U.S. presidential elections puts Republican nominee Donald Trump ahead of Democrat rival Hillary Clinton in the race for the White House >>

<< MogIA is based on Mowgli, the child from Rudyard Kipling's novel "The Jungle Book." Rai [Sanjiv Rai] said this is because his AI model learns from the environment >>

<< "If you look at the primaries, in the primaries, there were immense amounts of negative conversations that happen with regards to Trump. However, when these conversations started picking up pace, in the final days, it meant a huge game opening for Trump and he won the primaries with a good margin," Rai told CNBC in a phone interview >>

<< Using social media to predict outcomes of elections has become increasingly popular because of the amount of data available publicly. In September, Nick Beauchamp [..] published a paper about his experiment applying AI to more than 100 million tweets in the 2012 election. He found that this closely mirrored the results seen in state-level polling >>

<< Rai said his system would be improved by more granular data  [from] each digital device [..] he could then collect data on exactly what people were thinking >>

Arjun Kharpal. Trump will win the election and is more popular than Obama in 2008, AI system finds. Oct. 27, 2016.

http://www.cnbc.com/2016/10/28/donald-trump-will-win-the-election-and-is-more-popular-than-obama-in-2008-ai-system-finds.html

Daniele Chicca. Elezioni Usa, per i social media e l’intelligenza artificiale vincerà Trump. 28 ott 2016

http://www.wallstreetitalia.com/news/elezioni-usa-per-i-social-media-e-lintelligenza-artificiale-vincera-trump/

venerdì 28 ottobre 2016

# s-gst-music: Hexacorda mollia inside acyclical order and disorder

<< A new composition for string quartet takes listeners on a journey into the weird world of soft matter >>

<< Hexacorda mollia revolves around the theme of order and disorder in soft matter—materials like liquid crystals and biological organisms that can be easily deformed by thermal fluctuations or an external stress, such as an electric or magnetic field. For many of these systems, this form of disorder is required to create ordered structures that can perform some function >>

<< Music is always going through various states of order to disorder and back again, in ways that [scientists] might recognize as phase transitions >>

Katherine Wright. Arts & Culture: A Quartet for Soft Matter. Physics 9, 92. Aug 5, 2016.

http://physics.aps.org/articles/v9/92

giovedì 27 ottobre 2016

# s-chem-ethno: nanotech acupuncture needles

<< this experiment [..] combined nanotechnology with acupuncture needles >>

AA << developed porous acupuncture needles (PANs) with fine pores ranging in sizes from nanometers (one billionth of a meter) to micrometers (one millionth of a meter) on the surface of the needles using a nano-electrochemical method >>

<< PANs are expected to be as effective as conventional large and long needles by minimizing the sense of pain during acupuncture treatment while expanding the surface area of the needle 20 times greater than conventional acupuncture ones >>

<< Through electrophysiological experiments with rats [AA] proved that PANs excel in transferring signals from a spinal dorsal horn by the in vivo stimulation of Shenmen (HT7) points, and in particular, demonstrated that the efficacy of PANs is superior to conventional acupuncture needles in treating alcohol and cocaine addiction in animal experiments >>

Applying nanotechnology to make porous acupuncture needles. Oct 17, 2016.

http://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-news/newsid=44827.php

Su-ll In, Young S. Gwak, et al. Hierarchical Micro/Nano-Porous Acupuncture Needles Offering Enhanced Therapeutic Properties. Nature. Scientific Reports 6, Article number: 34061 (2016)
doi:10.1038/srep34061

http://www.nature.com/articles/srep34061

domenica 23 ottobre 2016

# s-gst: multiple cracks, simultaneously ...

<< While  the  initiation  of  fracture  in  brittle  solids  is  generally associated  with  the  preexistence  of  material  imperfections,  the mechanism  for  initiation  of  fracture  in  viscoelastic  fluids,  e.g.,  polymer melts  and  solutions,  remains  an  open  question. >>

<< The  images  reveal  the  simultaneous propagation  of  multiple  cracks >>

<< The  critical  stress  and  strain  for  the onset  of  crack  propagation  are  found  to  be  highly  reproducible  functions of  the  stretch  rate,  while  the  position  of  initiation  is  completely  random >>

Qian Huang, Nicolas J. Alvarez, et al. Multiple Cracks Propagate Simultaneously in Polymer Liquids in Tension. Phys. Rev. Lett. 117, 087801. Publ 15 Aug. 2016

http://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.117.087801

Jay Fineberg. How to Fracture a Fluid. Aug.15, 2016

https://physics.aps.org/articles/v9/95

mercoledì 19 ottobre 2016

# s-gene: started on Halloween 2015 ...

<< A “top secret" meeting of scientists was held at the Langone Medical Center on Halloween 2015. Their aim? To kickstart a new Human Genome Project and build a functional human genome from the base pairs up by 2026 >>

<< "There's only one grand challenge in synthetic biology. Only one. And it's to write a human genome. And we have to do that" >> Andrew Hessel

Jason Dorrier. Writing the First Human Genome by 2026 Is Synthetic Biology's Grand Challenge. Oct 10, 2016.

http://singularityhub.com/2016/10/10/writing-the-first-human-genome-by-2026-is-synthetic-biologys-grand-challenge/

Singularity University’s Exponential Medicine 2016 Conference. San Diego, Oct 8-11, 2016.

https://exponential.singularityu.org/medicine/

martedì 18 ottobre 2016

# n-trade: paper gold; at that point the scheme will be revealed ...

<< At that point, the entire Ponzi scheme in the paper gold and silver markets will be revealed, and it has been ongoing for decades. Those holding paper gold instruments will be scorched and those holding physical bullion will see their true wealth expand dramatically >>

John Embry Says Maguire Is Right, Gold & Silver Smash Was Orchestrated To Bailout Shorts. Oct. 05, 2016.

http://kingworldnews.com/john-embry-says-maguire-is-right-gold-silver-smash-was-orchestrated-to-bailout-shorts/

Laura Naka Antonelli.  La grande farsa dell’oro. “Vendite orchestrate” per nascondere la verita'. 7 Ott. 2016.

http://www.wallstreetitalia.com/la-grande-farsa-delloro-vendite-orchestrate-per-nascondere-la-verita/

mercoledì 12 ottobre 2016

# s-gst: solitons (also) in angiogenesis

<< Here's what we humans have in common with oceans, lakes and rivers: We have solitons coursing through us >>

Sonia Fernandez. This Soliton is About You. Monday, October 3, 2016 10:30

http://www.news.ucsb.edu/2016/017218/soliton-about-you

L. L. Bonilla, M. Carretero et al. Soliton driven angiogenesis. Nature. Sci. Rep. 6, Article number: 31296 (2016)doi:10.1038/srep31296. Publ. 09 Aug 2016.

http://www.nature.com/articles/srep31296

sabato 8 ottobre 2016

# s-behav: surprisingly, they (also) show marked social interactions ...

<< sharks [sand tiger sharks Carcharias taurus] prefer to travel in groups of various sizes and spend a surprising amount of time together. Some individuals even spent up to 95 consecutive hours together over the course of the year. >>

Researchers Examine the Social Networks of Sharks. Released: 4-Oct-2016 3:05 PM EDT

http://www.newswise.com/articles/researchers-examine-the-social-networks-of-sharks

Danielle E. Haulsee, Dewayne A. Fox, et al. Network Analysis Reveals Potential Fission-Fusion Behavior in a Shark. Nature. Scientific Reports 6, Article number: 34087 (2016)
doi:10.1038/srep34087  Published online: 30 Sept. 2016

http://www.nature.com/articles/srep34087

martedì 4 ottobre 2016

# s-gst: about internal tides

<< In certain parts of the ocean, towering, slow-motion rollercoasters called internal tides trundle along for miles, rising and falling for hundreds of feet in the ocean's interior while making barely a ripple at the surface >>

<< Internal tides are generated in part by differences in water density, and created along continental shelf breaks, where a shallow seafloor suddenly drops off like a cliff, creating a setting where lighter water meets denser seas. In such regions, tides on the surface produce oscillating, vertical currents, which in turn generate waves below the surface, at the interface between warmer, shallow water , and colder, deeper water >>

<< Now for the first time [AA] have accurately simulated the motion of internal tides along a shelf break called the Middle Atlantic Bight ... >>

Jennifer  Chu. Researchers  find  explanation  for  interacting  giant, hidden  ocean  waves. Sept. 28,  2016.

http://phys.org/news/2016-09-explanation-interacting-giant-hidden-ocean.html

Samuel M. Kelly, Pierre F. J. Lermusiaux. Internal-tide interactions with the Gulf Stream and Middle Atlantic Bight shelfbreak front. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans. Volume 121, Issue 8 Aug. 2016 Pages 6271–6294 DOI:10.1002/2016JC011639

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2016JC011639/abstract

lunedì 3 ottobre 2016

# s-evol: perceiving environmental color patterns

AA << say  that  they'd  now  like  to  explore  other  types  of  camouflage  in  fossils  and  to  use  this evidence  in  understanding  "how  predators  could  perceive  the  environment  and  to  understand  their  role in  shaping  evolution  and  biodiversity" >>

Joseph  Caputo. What  dinosaurs'  color  patterns  say  about their  lives.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-09/cp-wdc090816.php

Jakob Vinther, Robert Nicholls, et al. 3D  Camouflage  in  an  Ornithischian  Dinosaur. Current  Biology. Volume 26, Issue 18, p2456–2462, 26 Sept. 2016

http://www.cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822(16)30706-0

lunedì 26 settembre 2016

# p-usa: #POTUS race: Donald presidency scares him to death, by Stephen

<< Author Stephen King spoke to Ron Charles, editor of The Washington Post's Book World, during a Facebook Live interview Saturday >>

<< If there's one man who would seem immune to fear, it's Stephen King, the best-selling author and master of horror fiction. But after more than 50 novels, hundreds of short stories and numerous film adaptations of his voluminous work, the 69-year-old still gets spooked >>

<< "A Tump presidency scares me more than anything else," King told Ron Charles [..] "I'm terrified that he'll become president" >>

<<  "I would have laughed three or four months ago, but I think that Trump has a real shot" >>

Peter Holley. Stephen King: ‘A Trump presidency scares me to death’. POST, The Fix. Sept. 24, 2016

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/09/24/master-of-horror-fiction-stephen-king-says-trump-presidency-scares-me-to-death/

domenica 25 settembre 2016

# s-bot: human brain waves to remotely control nanobots inside a cockroach

<< This is wild: a team of Israeli scientists developed a contraption that uses a person's brain waves to remotely control DNA-based nanorobots — while the nanobots were inside a living cockroach >>

http://singularityhub.com/2016/09/18/mind-controlled-nanobots-used-to-release-chemicals-in-living-cockroaches/

Arnon S, Dahan N, et al. Thought-Controlled Nanoscale Robots in a Living Host. PLoS ONE 2016 11(8):e0161227. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0161227

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0161227

also: imprinting and recalling inside a single network of brain cells with thin beam of light (as if switching on a TV )

http://flashontrack.blogspot.it/2016/08/s-brain-imprinting-and-recalling-inside.html

venerdì 23 settembre 2016

# s-behav: fertility, in a wide view of an open system

<< Male  peacock  spiders  know  how  to  work  their  angles  and  find  their  light. The  arachnids,  native  to  Australia,  raise  their  derriere  —  or,  more  accurately,  a  flap  on  their  hind end  — skyward  and  shake  it  to  attract  females. Hairlike  scales  cover  their  bodies  and produce  the vibrant  colorations that make peacock spiders so striking >>

Helen Thompson. Tiny structures give a peacock spider its radiant rump. Sept. 09, 2016

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/tiny-structures-give-peacock-spider-its-radiant-rump

Doekele G. Stavenga, Jürgen C. Otto, Bodo D. Wilts. Splendid coloration of the peacock spider Maratus splendens. J. R. Soc. Interface 2016 13 20160437; DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2016.0437. Published 10 August 2016

http://rsif.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/13/121/20160437

giovedì 22 settembre 2016

# n-socsci-ai: a Study Panel to assess the current state of Artificial Intelligence

<< The One Hundred Year Study on Artificial Intelligence, launched in the fall of  2014, is a longterm investigation of  the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its influences on people, their communities, and society. It considers the science, engineering, and deployment of  AI-enabled computing systems. As its core activity, the Standing Committee that oversees the One Hundred Year Study forms a Study Panel every five years to assess the current state of  AI. >>

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND LIFE IN 2030 ONE HUNDRED YEAR STUDY ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. REPORT OF THE 2015 STUDY PANEL. September 2016

download:
https://ai100.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/ai_100_report_0916fnl_single.pdf

Peter Stone, Rodney Brooks, et al. "Artificial Intelligence and Life in 2030." One Hundred Year Study on Artificial Intelligence: Report of the 2015-2016 Study Panel, Stanford University, Stanford, CA,  September 2016. Doc: http://ai100.stanford.edu/2016-report. Accessed:  September 6, 2016. Report Authors
AI100 Standing Committee and Study Panel 

https://ai100.stanford.edu/2016-report

mercoledì 21 settembre 2016

# n-socsci-ai: futurescape, by Gerd, Rohit et al.

<< [..] as humanity enters the Jurassic Park of Big Tech. Artificial intelligence. Cognitive computing. The Singularity. Digital obesity. Printed food. The Internet of Things. The death of privacy. The end of work-as-we-know-it, and radical longevity >>

Gerd Leonhard, Rohit Talwar et al. Technology vs. Humanity: The Coming Clash Between Man and Machine (Futurescapes). Sept. 15, 2016

http://www.kurzweilai.net/technology-vs-humanity-the-coming-clash-between-man-and-machine-futurescapes

FonT: dev'essere senz'altro spassosissima la lettura di questo libro ...

martedì 20 settembre 2016

# s-evol: pinnacle of nastiness, an example of natural flexibility

<< [..] venom genes might not be consistent even within a single species of rattlesnake, perhaps because snakes in different areas specialize in different prey. One western diamondback rattlesnake that Carroll’s team [Sean B. Carroll] sampled had unexpected extra genes that the other western diamondbacks didn’t have. >>

<< As for the ancestral rattlesnake, it’s impossible to say exactly how powerful the now-extinct reptile’s venom was, Carroll says. But the wider variety of enzymes this rattlesnake could hypothetically produce would have given it more flexibility to adapt its poison to environmental curveballs — an ability that Castoe [Todd Castoe] describes as “the pinnacle of nastiness.” >>

Laurel Hamers. Rattlesnakes have reduced their repertoire of venoms. September 15, 2016

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/rattlesnakes-have-reduced-their-repertoire-venoms

Noah L. Dowell, Matt W. Giorgianni, et al. The Deep Origin and Recent Loss of Venom Toxin Genes in Rattlesnakes. Current Biology. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2016.07.038
Published: Sept.15, 2016

http://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(16)30789-8

lunedì 19 settembre 2016

# s-age: dietary restriction to extend lifespan

<< Dietary  restriction  is  known  to  extend  lifespan  in  many  species.  It  has  now  been  shown  to  reduce  DNA damage  and  extend  lifespan  in  mice  modelling  human  DNA-repair  disorders. >>

J.  Oshima,  G. M.  Martin. Ageing:  Dietary  protection  for  genes. Nature   537,   316–317  (15  September  2016)   doi:10.1038/nature19427 Published  online   24  August  2016.

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v537/n7620/full/nature19427.html

W.  P.  Vermeij  M.  E.  T.  Dolle'. Restricted  diet  delays  accelerated  ageing  and genomic  stress  in  DNA-repair-deficient  mice. Nature Volume: 537, Pages: 427–431 Date published: 15 September 2016 DOI: doi:10.1038/nature19329

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v537/n7620/full/nature19329.html

FonT: nella costellazione di "ricette" anti- invecchiamento la restrizione alimentare, intesa non come "dieta" ma come "stile di vita", e' l'approccio che nel corso degli ultimi decenni ha avuto (e ha tuttora nella letteratura scientifica internazionale) conferme sperimentali significative; uno stile che sa  associare (giornalmente) controllo alimentare bilanciato e attivita' fisica "dolce" (secondo una generica pratica zen, ad es.) sembra  l'approccio meno rischioso e il piu' efficace tra quelli proposti.

martedì 13 settembre 2016

# n-trade: Wall Streeters in transition: they were going to lower-cost centers ...

<< We said we were going to deploy 1250 people into our lower cost centers of excellence in Mumbai and other parts of the world >> Jonathan Pruzan, chief financial officer, Morgan Stanley.

Matt Turner. Watch  out  Wall  Streeters:  Your  jobs  are moving  to  Mumbai.  Sept 12, 2016

http://uk.businessinsider.com/morgan-stanley-is-moving-jobs-overseas-2016-9

lunedì 12 settembre 2016

# s-brain: mind-body connection: two broad networks in the cerebral cortex have access to the adrenal medulla

<< How  does  the  “mind”  (brain)  influence  the  “body”  (internal  organs)? >>

AA <<  identified  key  areas  in the  primate  cerebral  cortex  that  are  linked  through  multisynaptic  connections  to  the  adrenal medulla. >>

Richard  P. Dum, David  J. Levinthal, Peter  L.  Strick.  Motor,  cognitive,  and  affective  areas  of  the  cerebral  cortex  influence  the  adrenal medulla. PNAS  vol.  113,  no.  35,  9922–9927. doi:10.1073/pnas.1605044113

http://m.pnas.org/content/113/35/9922.abstract

Neuroscientists  identify  cortical  links  to  adrenal  medulla  (mind-body connection). August  19,  2016.

http://www.kurzweilai.net/neuroscientists-identify-cortical-links-to-adrenal-medulla-mind-body-connection

domenica 11 settembre 2016

# s-brain: intuitions as a physical brain simulator

<< Recent  behavioral  and  computational  research  has suggested  that  our  physical  intuitions  may  be  supported  by  a  “physics  engine”  in  the  brain akin  to  the  physical  simulation  engines  built  into  video  games. >>

AA << identified  a  set  of  cortical  regions that  are  selectively  engaged  when  people  watch  and  predict  the  unfolding  of  physical  events— a  “physics  engine”  in  the  brain >>

Jason Fischer, John G. Mikhael, et al. Functional neuroanatomy of intuitive physical inference. PNAS vol.  113  no.  34  E5072–E5081

http://m.pnas.org/content/113/34/E5072.abstract

Shelly Fan.  Like Video Games, Your Brain Has a Physics Engine That Simulates the World. Sep 04, 2016.

http://singularityhub.com/2016/09/04/like-video-games-your-brain-has-a-physics-engine-that-simulates-the-world

venerdì 9 settembre 2016

# s-brain: only a fraction to keep alive ...

<< We're all living in a 'conceptual prison': our brains perceive a fraction of reality to keep us alive. To help us survive, our perception of truth is limited, says scientist Donald Hoffman >>

<< For millions of years the Australian jewel beetle's reproductive strategy proceeded very effectively. Then, Homo sapiens - and its habit of dumping used beer bottles - entered the picture. Unable to distinguish between these brown glass containers and the shell of a potential mate, the male beetles began attempting to copulate with discarded vessels. "They nearly went extinct" ... >>

Kathryn Nave. We're  all  living  in  a 'conceptual  prison'. 01 Sep 2016.

http://www.wired.co.uk/article/the-reality-of-survival

mercoledì 7 settembre 2016

# s-gst: surface waves as a Turing machine

<< A droplet bouncing and wandering across a liquid surface can produce waves that store the history of its chaotic motion >>

Philip  Ball. Focus:  Surface  Waves  Store  Bouncing Droplet’s  History. Physics  9,  101. August  26,  2016.

http://physics.aps.org/articles/v9/101

S. Perrard, E. Fort, Y. Couder. Wave-Based Turing Machine: Time Reversal and Information Erasing. Phys. Rev. Lett. 117, 094502 – DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.117.094502 Published 26 August 2016

http://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.117.094502

lunedì 5 settembre 2016

# s-tech: a BZ skin for squishy bots

<< The potential to develop “materials that compute” has taken another leap (..) researchers for the first time have demonstrated that the material can be designed to recognize simple patterns. >>

<< This responsive, hybrid material, powered by its own chemical reactions, could one day be integrated into clothing and used to monitor the human body, or developed as a skin for “squishy” robots >>

<< The computations were modeled utilizing Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) gels, a substance that oscillates in the absence of external stimuli, with an overlaying piezoelectric cantilever. >>

<< This (..) is an example of this groundbreaking shift away from traditional silicon CMOS-based digital computing to a non-von Neumann machine in a polymer substrate, with remarkable low power consumption. >>

Research at Pitt into “materials that compute” advances as engineers demonstrate system performs pattern recognition. Sept 2, 2016.

https://engineering.pitt.edu/News/2016/Anna-Balazs-Materials-That-Compute-Pattern-Recognition/

Yan  Fang , Victor  V.  Yashin ,  et al. Pattern  recognition  with  “materials  that  compute”. Science  Advances   02  Sep 2016: Vol.  2,  no.  9,  e1601114 DOI:  10.1126/sciadv.1601114

http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1601114

also:

1558-orologio chimico

http://inkpi.blogspot.it/2005/04/1558-orologio-chimico.html

venerdì 2 settembre 2016

# s-acad: scientists can contribute

<< Scientists can contribute to ensuring that the loss of privacy through technology does not result in loss of personal freedom. >>

Christoph Bock. Preserve personal freedom in networked societies. Broad anti-discrimination laws and practices could compensate for failing data protection and technology-linked loss of privacy. 31 August 2016. Nature 537, 9 (01 Sept 2016) doi:10.1038/537009a

http://www.nature.com/news/preserve-personal-freedom-in-networked-societies-1.20510

Also: self awareness, creativity and civil rights

http://flashontrack.blogspot.it/2016/05/s-brain-behav-n-socsci-abc-self.html

giovedì 1 settembre 2016

# s-evol: rapid self-assembly, in shades of orange and green ...

<< Scientists  have  found  what  they  think  is  the  oldest  fossil  on  Earth,  a  remnant  of  life  from  3.7 billion  years  ago  when  Earth's  skies  were  orange  and  its  oceans  green. >>

<< The  discovery  shows  life  may  have  formed  quicker  and  easier  than  once  thought,  about  half  a billion  years  after  Earth  formed.  And  that  may  also  give  hope  for  life  forming  elsewhere,  such as  Mars >>

Seth  Borenstein. Scientists  find  3.7  billion-year-old  fossil,  oldest  yet.  August  31,  2016.

http://m.phys.org/news/2016-08-scientists-billion-year-old-fossil-oldest.html

AA << report  evidence  for  ancient  life  from  a  newly  exposed  outcrop  of  3,700-Myr-old  metacarbonate  rocks  in  the ISB (Isua  supracrustal  belt, southwest  Greenland)  that  contain  1–4-cm-high  stromatolites— macroscopically  layered  structures  produced  by  microbial communities >>

Allen P. Nutman, Vickie C. Bennett, et al.  Rapid  emergence  of  life  shown  by  discovery  of 3,700-million-year-old  microbial  structures. Nature   (2016)   doi:10.1038/nature19355. Published  online  31  August  2016.

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature19355.html

mercoledì 31 agosto 2016

# e-tech: human- machine dialog: a step towards

<< Machines are taking over more and more tasks. Ideally, they should also be capable to support the human in case of poor performance. To intervene appropriately, the machine should understand what is going on with the human >>

<< Fraunhofer scientists have developed a diagnostic tool that recognizes user states in real time and communicates them to the machine.>>

<< A key aspect  (..) is that not only the user understands the machine, but that the machine also understands the state of the human. >>

In the model, AA << differentiates between six dimensions of user state that impact human performance: workload, motivation, situation awareness, attention, fatigue and the emotional state. >>

In addition, AA << combines these with external factors such as task, environmental factors, current level of automation and time of day, as well as individual factors—such as the user's experience. >>

Hey human, how are you doing?  Press Release. Man-machine interaction: comprehensive assessment of user states. Research News / 1.8.2016

https://www.fraunhofer.de/en/press/research-news/2016/august/hey-human-how-are-you-doing.htme

FonT: idealmente, si potrebbero  miniaturizzare i sensori e, attraverso  compressione algoritmica, adattare il software per far girare il sistema all'interno di un OS per smartwatch /  smartphone, giusto per comodita' d'uso ...

martedì 30 agosto 2016

# s-astro: Dragonfly 44, a galaxy with a massive dark matter inside

<< an  international  team  of  astronomers  has  found  a  massive  galaxy  that  consists almost  entirely  of  dark  matter. The  galaxy,  Dragonfly  44,  is  located  in  the  nearby  Coma  constellation  and  had  been  overlooked  until  last  year  because  of  its unusual  composition:  It  is  a  diffuse  “blob”  about  the  size  of  the  Milky  Way,  but  with  far  fewer  stars >>

<< Dragonfly  44’s  mass  is  estimated  to  be  1  trillion  times  the  mass  of  the  Sun,  or  2  tredecillion  kilograms  (a  2  followed  by  42 zeros),  which  is  similar  to  the  mass  of  the  Milky  Way.  However,  only  one-hundredth  of  1%  of  that  is  in  the  form  of  stars  and “normal”  matter.  The  other  99.99%  is  in  the  form  of  dark  matter  —  a  hypothesized  material  that  remains  unseen  but  may make  up  more  than  90%  of  the  universe >>

Jim  Shelton. Scientists  discover  a  ‘dark’  Milky  Way. August  25,  2016

http://news.yale.edu/2016/08/25/scientists-discover-dark-milky-way

Pieter  van  Dokkum ,  Roberto  Abraham, et al. A high stellar velocity dispersion and ~100 globular clusters for the ultra- diffuse  galaxy dragonfly 44. ApJ  828  L6 Published 2016 August 25.

http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/2041-8205/828/1/L6

lunedì 29 agosto 2016

# s-psych: Who broke Grandma's favorite vase?

<< "Who  broke  Grandma's  favorite  vase?"  As  you  listen  to  a  chorus  of  "I  don't  know"  and  "Not  me,"  how  will you  determine  the culprit? Conventional  wisdom  says,  divide  and  conquer,  but  what  does  scientific research  show  us  about  questioning  a  group  of  people  at  one  time?  Unfortunately,  very  little. >>

Michelle  Ponto. How easy  is  it  to  spot  a  lie? Researchers  look  at  the  art  of  deception  during  group  interviews. 25 Aug 2016.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-08/f-hei082516.php

<< Investigators  often  have  multiple  suspects  to  interview  in  order  to  determine  whether  they  are  guilty  or innocent  of  a  crime.  Nevertheless,  co-offending  has  been  significantly  neglected  within  the  deception detection  literature.  The  current  review  is  the  first  of  its  kind  to  discuss  co-offending  and  the  importance  of examining  the  detection  of  deception  within  groups >>

Zarah Vernham, Par-Anders Granhag, Erik Mac Giolla. Detecting  Deception  within  Small  Groups:  A Literature  Review. Front.  Psychol. 30  June  2016  DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01012

http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01012

domenica 28 agosto 2016

# s-phys: the beryllium anomaly, hypothesis of a fifth force

<< Earlier this year, an experiment in Hungary reported very unusual behavior in the decays of beryllium-8 nuclei. The experimental collaboration suggested that their results may come from the effects of a new force of nature. If confirmed, this would have far-reaching consequences on fundamental physics including grand unification, dark matter and the experimental strategy for pushing the frontier of human knowledge. >>

Nuclear  puzzle  may  be  clue  to  fifth  force. August 18, 2016.

http://scienmag.com/nuclear-puzzle-may-be-clue-to-fifth-force/

Jonathan  L.  Feng,  Bartosz  Fornal, et al. Particle  Physics  Models  for  the  17 MeV  Anomaly  in  Beryllium  Nuclear Decays. arXiv:1608.03591v1  [hep-ph]. Submitted  on  11  Aug  2016.

http://arxiv.org/abs/1608.03591

Jonathan  L.  Feng,  Bartosz  Fornal, et al. Protophobic  Fifth  Force Interpretation  of  the  Observed Anomaly  in  ^8Be  Nuclear  Transitions. arXiv:1604.07411v2  [hep-ph]. Submitted  on  25  Apr  2016.

http://arxiv.org/abs/1604.07411

FonT: a differenza del tecnologo e della gran parte delle altre professioni (a parte l'atto artistico spontaneo, improvvisato), per chi si occupa di ricerca scientifica in qualsiasi ambito disciplinare la comparsa (e la dimostrazione sperimentale) di una "anomalia" e' da considerare sempre e in ogni caso evento ricco di informazione, percio' evento di primaria importanza, da trattare possibilmente senza pregiudizi;  in questo aspetto (fondamentale) l'umano nomade (il boscimane ad es.) e lo "scientist" sono nei fatti piu' vicini di quanto si creda ... una sorta di "cerchio" che si chiude ...

sabato 27 agosto 2016

# e-sec: a priori cracked; 'verifiable computing' vs chip manufacturing

<< Medical devices, public infrastructure and voting machines, as well as financial, military and government electronics could all be compromised long before their first use if backdoors were added to their chips during the manufacturing process.  The issue could affect CPUs, GPUs and motherboards, but also storage and memory components. These days we're seeing more companies employ cryptographic signing for their software to ensure that the code delivered to the users is identical what was written by the vendors (although not all companies are taking this to heart yet). A similar validation process is needed for hardware to ensure its integrity. >>

Lucian Armasu. University Researchers Invent Solution To Protect Chips Against Manufacturing Sabotage. August 26, 2016  4:00 PM

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/chip-protection-solution-manufacturing-sabotage,32569.html

Researchers design a chip that checks for  sabotage. Integrated Circuits Can Monitor Their Own Computations and Flag Defects. August 23, 2016

http://engineering.nyu.edu/press-releases/2016/08/23/cybersecurity-researchers-design-chip-checks-sabotage

venerdì 26 agosto 2016

# s-phys: spontaneous oddities observed in a home-made black hole in sound

AA << observe spontaneous Hawking radiation, stimulated by quantum vacuum fluctuations, emanating from an analogue black hole in an atomic Bose–Einstein condensate. >>

Jeff Steinhauer. Observation of quantum Hawking radiation and its entanglement in an analogue black hole. Nature Physics (2016) doi:10.1038/nphys3863 Published online 15 Aug 2016

http://www.nature.com/nphys/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nphys3863.html

Davide Castelvecchi. Artificial black hole creates its own version of Hawking radiation. Result could be closest thing yet to an observation of the bizarre phenomenon. 15 Aug 2016.

http://www.nature.com/news/artificial-black-hole-creates-its-own-version-of-hawking-radiation-1.20430

Ron  Cowen. One-man  band:  the  solo  physicist  who  models  black holes  in  sound. Working  alone,  Jeff  Steinhauer  has  created  a  sonic  analogue  of  Hawking  radiation.  15  Aug 2016.

http://www.nature.com/news/one-man-band-the-solo-physicist-who-models-black-holes-in-sound-1.20437

martedì 23 agosto 2016

# s-psych: bias in moral judgment

AA << results suggest that a victim's plight is perceived as less severe when others share it, and this bias is common to both third-party judges and victims. >>

Konis D, Haran U, et al. A Sorrow Shared Is a Sorrow Halved: Moral Judgments of Harm to Single versus Multiple Victims. Front Psychol. 2016 Aug 2;7:1142. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01142. eCollection 2016.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27531988

lunedì 22 agosto 2016

# s-brain: 70-years after; Dr. Albert revisited

<< Treating an addiction to a mind-altering substance with another mind-altering substance might seem counterintuitive, but more and more, researchers are finding ways that psychedelic drugs like psilocybin mushrooms and party drugs like ketamine could actually help people get over alcohol and drug addictions. >>

Kevin Loria. Science Doctors are talking about using psychedelic drugs to treat alcoholics. 21 Aug 2016.

http://www.businessinsider.com/doctors-using-ketamine-lsd-and-mushrooms-to-treat-mental-illness-2016-8

Zoe  Cormier. Magic-mushroom  drug  lifts  depression  in  first  human trial. Researchers'  long  fight  to  test  psilocybin's  safety  finally  yields  fruit.  Nature.  17  May  2016. doi:10.1038/nature.2016.19919.

http://www.nature.com/news/magic-mushroom-drug-lifts-depression-in-first-human-trial-1.19919

Dr. Albert (Albert Hofmann) in: Lysergic acid diethylamide. 21 Aug 2016.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lysergic_acid_diethylamide

domenica 21 agosto 2016

# s-esobio: we're not finding them 'cause they've vanished inside ...

<< What if we're not finding aliens because they've already vanished from this reality into virtual worlds? >>

@singularityhub. 18 Ago 2016 10:23

https://twitter.com/singularityhub/status/766369830043803649

<< Proposed by futurist John Smart, the theory suggests that technological civilizations — and the Fermi paradox assumes there would be many by now — don’t colonize outer space (and thus flood the cosmos with signatures we could easily find). Instead, they move toward inner space by building vast digital realities on computers much smaller than we can detect. >>

Aaron Frank. Why No Aliens?  Aug 18, 2016.

http://singularityhub.com/2016/08/18/why-no-aliens-they-live-in-video-game-universes-like-a-future-no-mans-sky/

sabato 20 agosto 2016

# s-nano: self-assembly, also in nanotech

<< some nanomaterials can be coaxed into snapping themselves into desired formations-a process called self-assembly >>

AA << have just developed a way to direct the self-assembly of multiple molecular patterns within a single material, producing new nanoscale architectures.  >>

Smarter  self-assembly  opens  new  pathways  for  nanotechnology. August  8,  2016.

http://m.phys.org/news/2016-08-smarter-self-assembly-pathways-nanotechnology.html

A. Stein, G. Wright, et al. Selective directed self-assembly of coexisting morphologies using block copolymer blends. Nature Communications 7, Article number: 12366 (2016) doi:10.1038/ncomms12366

http://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms12366

giovedì 18 agosto 2016

# s-evol: closer to gorillas

<< Surprising  results  from  a  new  study  reveal the  heel bone  from  our  fossil relative  is  closer  related  to  gorillas. >>

<< The  new study  that  for  the  first  time  examined  the  internal  anatomy  of a  fossil  human  relative’s  heel  bone,  or  calcaneus,  shows  greater similarities  with  gorillas  than  chimpanzees >>

Wits  University. More  gorilla  than  chimp. 11  Aug 2016.

https://www.wits.ac.za/news/latest-news/research-news/2016/2016-08/more-gorilla-than-chimp.html

Angel Zeininger, Biren A. Patel, et al. Trabecular architecture in the StW 352 fossil hominin calcaneus. Journal of Human Evolution. Volume 97, Aug. 2016, Pages 145–158. doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2016.05.009.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2016.05.009

mercoledì 17 agosto 2016

# s-brain: gut feeling; brain and gut connected by neural networks

<< The study demonstrates that the immune system might be controlled using drugs originally designed to target the nervous system, such as antipsychotics. >>

Duke  University. Targeting  the  gut-brain  connection  can impact  immunity. Drugs  aimed  at  nervous  system  act  on  immune  system  as  well. Public Release 11-Aug-2016 

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-08/du-ttg080916.php

Xiou Cao, Alejandro Aballay. Neural Inhibition of Dopaminergic Signaling Enhances Immunity in a Cell-Non-autonomous Manner. Current Biology, August 2016 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.06.036

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2016.06.036

martedì 16 agosto 2016

# s-ageing: the long (and slow) life of Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus) ...

<< Greenland  sharks  live  at  least  as  long  as 400  years,  and  they  reach  sexual  maturity at  the  age  of  about  150,  a  new  study reports.  The  results  place  Greenland sharks  as  the  longest-lived  vertebrates  on Earth.  The  Greenland  shark  (Somniosus microcephalus)  is  widely  distributed across  the  North  Atlantic,  with  adults reaching  lengths  of  400  to  500  centimeters (13  to  16  feet).  The  biology  of  the Greenland  shark  is  poorly  understood,  yet their  extremely  slow  growth  rates,  at  about 1  cm per  year,  hint  that  these  fish  benefit from  exceptional  longevity. >>

AAAS. Winner  of  the  longest-lived  vertebrate award  goes  to... Public release 11-Aug-2016

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-08/aaft-wot080816.php

Julius  Nielsen, Rasmus B. Hedeholm, et al.  Eye  lens  radiocarbon  reveals  centuries  of  longevity  in  the  Greenland  shark  (Somniosus microcephalus). Science. 12  Aug  2016: Vol.  353,  Issue  6300,  pp.  702-704 DOI:  10.1126/science.aaf1703.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.aaf1703

domenica 14 agosto 2016

# s-brain: imprinting and recalling inside a single network of brain cells with thin beam of light (as if switching on a TV ) ...

<< a set of neurons trained to fire in unison could be reactivated as much as a day later if just one neuron in the network was stimulated. >>

AA <<  injected the mouse with a virus containing light-sensitive proteins engineered to reach specific brain cells. Once inside a cell, the proteins allowed researchers to remotely activate the neuron with light, as if switching on a TV >>

<< But then I saw the results and said "Holy moly, this whole thing is plastic". We're dealing with a plastic computer that's constantly learning and changing >>  Rafael Yuste.

Researchers Reprogram Network of Brain Cells in Mice With Thin Beam of Light. Neuroscience News. August 11, 2016

http://neurosciencenews.com/optogenetics-brain-plasticity-4832/

Luis Carrillo-Reid, Weijian Yang, et al. Imprinting and recalling cortical ensembles. Science.12 Aug 2016: Vol. 353,  Issue  6300,  pp.  691-694 DOI:  10.1126/science.aaf7560.

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/353/6300/691

sabato 13 agosto 2016

# s-brain: growing mini human brains (3D midbrain-like organoids) ...

AA << developed a method to differentiate human pluripotent stem cells into a large multicellular organoid-like structure that contains distinct layers of neuronal cells expressing characteristic markers of human midbrain. >>

AA << detected electrically active and functionally mature mDA (midbrain dopaminergic) neurons and dopamine production in 3D midbrain-like organoids (MLOs). In contrast to human mDA neurons generated using 2D methods or MLOs generated from mouse embryonic stem cells, (AA) human MLOs produced neuromelanin-like granules that were structurally similar to those isolated from human substantia nigra tissues. >>

AA <<  MLOs bearing features of the human midbrain may provide a tractable in vitro system to study the human midbrain and its related diseases. >>

Junghyun Jo, Yixin Xiao, et al. Midbrain-like Organoids from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells Contain Functional Dopaminergic and Neuromelanin-Producing Neurons. Cell Stem Cell. Volume 19, Issue 2, p248–257, 4 August 2016. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.stem.2016.07.005

http://www.cell.com/cell-stem-cell/abstract/S1934-5909(16)30200-4

also:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/07/160730154504.htm

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/singapore-scientists-grow-mini-brains