<< The history of (..) hunt for these enigmatic objects traces back to the 18th century, but the crucial phase took place in a suitably dark period of human history - World War II. >>
Carla Rodrigues Almeida. A brief history of black holes. Max Planck Institute for the History of Science. Dec 27, 2018.
http://theconversation.com/a-brief-history-of-black-holes-107298
<< According to string theory, all matter consists of tiny, vibrating "string-like" entities. >>
AA << proposes a new structural concept, including dark energy, for a universe that rides on an expanding bubble in an additional dimension. >>
<< The researchers also show that expanding bubbles of this kind can come into existence within the framework of string theory. It is conceivable that there are more bubbles than ours, corresponding to other universes. >>
Our universe: An expanding bubble in an extra dimension. Uppsala University. Dec 28, 2018.
https://m.phys.org/news/2018-12-universe-extra-dimension.html
Souvik Banerjee, Ulf Danielsson, et al. Emergent de Sitter Cosmology from Decaying Anti–de Sitter Space. Phys. Rev. Lett. 121, 261301. Dec 27, 2018.
https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.121.261301
<< The largest machine ever built is shutting down for two years of upgrades. Take an immersive tour of the collider and study the remnants of a Higgs particle in augmented reality. >>
It's Intermission for the Large Hadron Collider. NYT. Dec 21, 2018
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/12/21/science/cern-large-hadron-collider-ar-ul.html
<< If you're a physicist this is better than Disneyland >>
Dennis Overbye (@overbye). Dec 21, 2018.
https://twitter.com/overbye/status/1076194249782251520
Also
<< N. sulla reticella zenana dall' Efodi ritmici / ... ritmici a s-tecche velaccine nell' eprom sonde / montate monatte in perifrastiche coll' adatti snodi dove s' addensano a metastrati l'epistrofi (..) >>
2153 - cracker tendenziali (around a matter-sucking maelstrom). Apr 04, 2008.
https://inkpi.blogspot.com/2008/04/cracker-tendenziali-around-matter.html
Tam Hunt and Jonathan Schooler << have developed a "resonance theory of consciousness" that suggests that resonance-another word for synchronized vibrations-is at the heart of not only human consciousness but of physical reality more generally. >>
Tam Hunt. The Hippies Were Right: It's All about Vibrations, Man! A new theory of consciousness. Dec 5, 2018.
Ephrat Livni. The science of "vibes" shows how everything is connected.
Dec 11, 2018.
https://qz.com/1490276/the-science-of-vibes-shows-how-everything-is-connected/
<< Quantum biology is usually considered to be a new discipline, (..) However, although the most significant findings have emerged in the past two decades, the roots of quantum biology go much deeper-to the quantum pioneers of the early twentieth century. >>
Johnjoe McFadden, Jim Al-Khalili.
The origins of quantum biology. Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences. Dec 12, 2018 doi: 10.1098/rspa.2018.0674
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspa.2018.0674
The real history of quantum biology.
University of Surrey. Dec 12, 2018 ,
https://m.phys.org/news/2018-12-real-history-quantum-biology.html
<< They are two of tens of thousands of retired adults travelling independently across the continent at any given time in search of adventure, warmer weather and camaraderie after a lifetime of hard work. These part-time nomadic adventurers, or grey nomads, have recast the image of Australia’s ageing population. Rather than being inert and conservative, or in need of care, these older Australians are champions of a radical type of urbanism: dwellings are mobile, infrastructure is portable or pluggable, social networks are sprawled, and adherents are on the move daily or weekly. >>
Timothy Moore. Grey nomad lifestyle provides a model for living remotely.
Monash University. Dec 9, 2018.
https://theconversation.com/grey-nomad-lifestyle-provides-a-model-for-living-remotely-106074
https://m.phys.org/news/2018-12-grey-nomad-lifestyle-remotely.html
<< collective oscillations in cell populations can emerge suddenly with nonzero amplitude via a discontinuous transition. >>
Rosa Martinez-Corral, Jintao Liu, et al. Bistable emergence of oscillations in growing Bacillus subtilis biofilms. PNAS Sep 4, 2018; 115 (36) E8333-E8340. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1805004115
https://www.pnas.org/content/115/36/E8333
<< As in all communities, cohabiting bacteria need ways to exchange messages. Biologists have known for decades that bacteria can use chemical cues to coordinate their behavior. >>
AA << are now finding that bacteria in biofilms can also talk to one another electrically. Biofilms appear to use electrically charged particles to organize and synchronize activities across large expanses. This electrical exchange has proved so powerful that biofilms even use it to recruit new bacteria from their surroundings, and to negotiate with neighboring biofilms for their mutual well-being. >>
<< Step by step we find that all the things we think bacteria don’t do, they actually do, [..] It’s displacing us from our pedestal. >> Ned Wingreen.
Gabriel Popkin. Bacteria Use Brainlike Bursts of Electricity to Communicate. With electrical signals, cells can organize themselves into complex societies and negotiate with other colonies. Sep 5, 2017
https://twitter.com/QuantaMagazine/status/1071417372500783104
https://www.quantamagazine.org/bacteria-use-brainlike-bursts-of-electricity-to-communicate-20170905/
Also
Gurol M. Suel publ.
http://labs.biology.ucsd.edu/suel/index.html
FonT
intrigante qui l'idea di una Intelligenza Artificiale che, dalle relativamente comode e veloci osservazioni sull'evoluzione di colonie batteriche sotto differenti condizioni, sia in grado di circoscrivere pattern comportamentali di interesse per la modellizzazione (e previsione) di comunita' altre ...
<< Pollinators tend to be preferentially attracted to large floral displays that may comprise more than one plant in a patch. Attracting pollinators thus not only benefits individuals investing in advertising, but also other plants in a patch through a 'magnet' effect. >>
Ruben Torices, Jose M. Gomez, John R. Pannell. Kin discrimination allows plants to modify investment towards pollinator attraction. Nature Comm.Volume 9, Article number 2018. doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-04378-3. May 22, 2018.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-04378-3
The social networks of flowers. CORDIS. Dec 11, 2018.
<< the surface of dwarf planet Ceres is rich in organic matter. Data from NASA's Dawn spacecraft indicate that Ceres's surface may contain several times the concentration of carbon than is present in the most carbon-rich, primitive meteorites found on Earth. >>
Team finds evidence for carbon-rich surface on Ceres. Southwest Research Institute. Dec 10, 2018.
https://m.phys.org/news/2018-12-team-evidence-carbon-rich-surface-ceres.html
S. Marchi, A. Raponi, et al. An aqueously altered carbon-rich Ceres.
Nature Astronomy. Dec 10, 2018. doi: 10.1038/s41550-018-0656-0.
<< In one of this year’s three winning videos, a drop of blue-dyed water at the bottom of an anise-oil and alcohol mixture begins to grow and shake, eventually pinching off a fragment that floats up. The process repeats several times. Created by now four-time Gallery-of-Fluid-Motion winner Oscar Enríquez of Carlos III University of Madrid and his colleagues, the visuals are accompanied by a soundtrack featuring a musical improvisation by a trio consisting of Enríquez on percussion, a violinist, and a clarinetist. Each instrument in the trio represents one of the three fluids. >>
Award-Winning Fluid Videos. APS. Physics 11, 121. Nov 21, 2018.
AA << discovered a new non-porous material that has unique and inherent "auxetic" stretching properties. >>
<< There are materials in nature that exhibit auxetic capabilities, such as cat skin, the protective layer in mussel shells and tendons in the human body. (..) When we stretch conventional materials, such as steel bars and rubber bands they become thinner. Auxetic materials on the other hand get thicker. >>
A bit of a stretch... material that thickens as it's pulled. University of Leeds. Dec 4, 2018.
https://m.phys.org/news/2018-12-bit-material-thickens.html
D. Mistry, S. D. Connell, et al. Coincident molecular auxeticity and negative order parameter in a liquid crystal elastomer. Nature Comm. Volume 9, Article number: 5095. Dec 4, 2018.
<< In highly social species, like primates, oxytocin plays an important role in cooperation, and in the formation and maintenance of social relationships. >>
AA << investigate the relationship between oxytocin and affiliative behaviors in socially‐housed captive capuchin monkeys (Sapajus [Cebus] apella) [..] oxytocin concentrations increased after subjects engaged in grooming or fur‐rubbing. >>
<< In addition, [AA] found that fur‐rubbing influenced affiliative behaviors, both during and after a social fur‐rubbing bout. While individuals spent more time in contact and proximity while fur‐rubbing, immediately following the fur‐rubbing event (15–30 min afterwards) all affiliative behaviors decreased. >>
<< Overall, these results support a critical role for oxytocin in affiliative behaviors that maintain and strengthen social relationships in capuchin monkeys, and highlight the complexity of the interactions among oxytocin, affiliative behaviors, and social bonding. >>
Marcela E. Benitez, Meghan J. Sosnowski, et al. Urinary oxytocin in capuchin monkeys: Validation and the influence of social behavior. American Journal of Primatology. 2018; 80 (10). doi: 10.1002/ajp.22877.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ajp.22877
Anna Varela. Oxytocin linked to social bonding in gregarious capuchin monkeys. Georgia State University.
Dec 5, 2018.
https://m.phys.org/news/2018-12-oxytocin-linked-social-bonding-gregarious.html
<< “Wow,” you think. “Maybe machines will replace human storytellers, just like self-driving cars could take over the roads.” >>
<< Was it possible, [AA] team asked, that machines could identify common emotional arcs in video stories-the typical swings of fortune that have characters struggling through difficult times, triumphing over hardship, falling from grace, or declaring victory over evil? If so, could storytellers use this information to predict how audiences might respond? These questions have resonance for anyone involved in video storytelling, from amateurs posting on YouTube to studio executives. >>
AI in storytelling: Machines as cocreators. MIT. Dec. 11, 2017. (via McKinsey & Company: Media & Entertainment).
https://www.media.mit.edu/articles/ai-in-storytelling-machines-as-cocreators/
Also
# s-ai: artists and machine intelligence interactions: the Ross' conjecture . Jun 13, 2016.
https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/2016/06/s-ai-artists-and-machine-intelligence.html
# s-ai: A.I. Benjamin: "you'll sell your blood to live" ... Jun 11, 2016.
https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/2016/06/s-ai-benjamin-sell-your-blood-to-live.html
# ai: artificial intelligence AlphaGo becomes its own teacher. Oct 23, 2017.
https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/2017/10/ai-artificial-intelligence-alphago.html
<< On the morning of November 11, just before 9:30 UT, a mysterious rumble rolled around the world. The seismic waves began roughly 15 miles off the shores of Mayotte, a French island sandwiched between Africa and the northern tip of Madagascar. The waves buzzed across Africa, ringing sensors in Zambia, Kenya, and Ethiopia. They traversed vast oceans, humming across Chile, New Zealand, Canada, and even Hawaii nearly 11,000 miles away. >>
<< Yet many features of the waves are remarkably weird-from their surprisingly monotone, low-frequency “ring” to their global spread. >>
Maya Wei-Haas. Strange waves rippled around the world, and nobody knows why. Nov28, 2018.
<< While meteorologists and computer models do reasonably well in forecasting severe thunderstorm activity up to a week in advance, their forecasts are less reliable in the 2‐ to 5‐week time frame. >>
AA << develop a technique that can accurately forecast severe thunderstorm activity in this time frame by using knowledge of the current state of weather in the tropics (the Madden ‐ Julian Oscillation). >>
Anne Manning. Researchers rise to challenge of predicting hail, tornadoes three weeks in advance. Colorado State University. Nov 29, 2018.
https://m.phys.org/news/2018-11-hail-tornadoes-weeks-advance.html
Cory F. Baggett, Kyle M. Nardi, et al. Skillful Subseasonal Forecasts of Weekly Tornado and Hail Activity Using the Madden‐Julian Oscillation. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres. Nov 12, 2018 doi: 10.1029/2018JD029059
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2018JD029059
The Madden–Julian oscillation
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madden%E2%80%93Julian_oscillation
<< Nearly a decade ago, headlines highlighted a disturbing trend in science: The number of articles retracted by journals had increased 10-fold during the previous 10 years. >>
<< It is not a perfect window into the world of retractions. Not all publishers, for instance, publicize or clearly label papers they have retracted, or explain why they did so. And determining which author is responsible for a paper's fatal flaws can be difficult. >>
Jeffrey Brainard, Jia You. What a massive database of retracted papers reveals about science publishing's 'death penalty'. Science. Oct. 25, 2018
Searchable database of more than 18,000 retracted papers and conference abstracts dating back to the 1970s
http://retractiondatabase.org/RetractionSearch.aspx?
the blog Retraction Watch, by Ivan Oransky and Adam Marcus.
<< Social decision-making is fundamental for successful functioning, and can be affected in psychiatric illness and by serotoninergic modulation. The Prisoner's Dilemma (PD) is the archetypal paradigm to model cooperation and trust. However, the effect of serotonergic enhancement is poorly characterised, and its influence on the effect of variations in opponent behaviour unknown. >>
<< MDMA [3,4-Methylene dioxy methamphetamine ] increased cooperative behaviour when playing trustworthy opponents. Underlying this was a change in brain activity of regions linked to social cognition. [AA] findings highlight the context-specific nature of MDMA's effect on social decision-making. >>
Anthony S Gabay, Matthew J Kempton, et al. MDMA increases cooperation and recruitment of social brain areas when playing trustworthy players in an iterated Prisoner's Dilemma. Journal of Neuroscience. Nov 19, 2018, 1276-18. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1276-18.2018.
http://www.jneurosci.org/content/early/2018/11/16/JNEUROSCI.1276-18.2018
MDMA makes people cooperative, but not gullible. King's College London. Nov 19, 2018.
https://m.medicalxpress.com/news/2018-11-mdma-people-cooperative-gullible.html
MDMA [3,4-Methylene dioxy methamphetamine ]
<< MIT engineers have built and flown the first-ever plane with no moving parts. Instead of propellers or turbines, the light aircraft is powered by an “ionic wind” - a silent but mighty flow of ions that is produced aboard the plane, and that generates enough thrust to propel the plane over a sustained, steady flight. >>
Jennifer Chu. MIT engineers fly first-ever plane with no moving parts.
The silent, lightweight aircraft doesn’t depend on fossil fuels or batteries. MIT News Office. Nov 21, 2018.
http://news.mit.edu/2018/first-ionic-wind-plane-no-moving-parts-1121
Haofeng Xu, Yiou He, et al. Flight of an aeroplane with solid-state propulsion. Nature. volume 563, pages 532–535 (2018).
<< Creative tasks range from what researchers call “little-c” creativity – making a website, crafting a birthday present or coming up with a funny joke – to “Big-C” creativity: writing a speech, composing a poem or designing a scientific experiment. >>
<< Recent evidence suggests that creativity involves a complex interplay between spontaneous and controlled thinking – the ability to both spontaneously brainstorm ideas and deliberately evaluate them to determine whether they’ll actually work. >>
AA << examined whether a person’s creative thinking ability can be explained, in part, by a connection between three brain networks. >>
Roger Beaty. New study reveals why some people are more creative than others. Harvard University. Jan 15, 2018.
https://theconversation.com/new-study-reveals-why-some-people-are-more-creative-than-others-90065
<< The findings thus reveal a whole-brain network associated with high-creative ability comprised of cortical hubs within default, salience, and executive systems-intrinsic functional networks that tend to work in opposition-suggesting that highly creative people are characterized by the ability to simultaneously engage these large-scale brain networks. >>
Roger E. Beaty, Yoed N. Kenett, et al. Robust prediction of individual creative ability from brain functional connectivity. PNAS Jan 30, 2018 115 (5) 1087-1092; doi: 10.1073/pnas.1713532115.
<< Three double pendulums, all starting with near identical initial conditions, all rapidly diverging. >>
Ari Rubinsztejn. Chaos and the Double Pendulum. Nov 19, 2018.
https://gereshes.com/2018/11/19/chaos-and-the-double-pendulum
<< Intel has unveiled the Intel Neural Compute Stick 2. It looks like a standard USB thumb drive, and it runs on a USB 3.0 port, but is oh-more-special. CNET said the new AI "brain" sticks into the side of your PC. >>
<< Availability? And at what price? The new Intel NCS 2 is shipping worldwide from Nov 14. Kyle Wiggers, VentureBeat, had some details. It will be available through JD.com in China; RS Components in Europe, the Middle East and Asia; Switch Sciences in Japan; and Mouser worldwide, for $99. >>
Nancy Owano. USB form neural compute stick makes debut at developer event. Nov 15, 2018.
https://m.techxplore.com/news/2018-11-usb-neural-debut-event.html
https://software.intel.com/en-us/neural-compute-stick
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181114005183/en/Intel-Unveils-Intel-Neural-Compute-Stick-2
Also
1746 - competitive professionalità. Dec 22, 2004.
https://inkpi.blogspot.com/2004/12/1746-competitive-professionalit.html
1965 - metaMeccano neoProtele. Feb 26, 2006.
https://inkpi.blogspot.com/2006/02/1965-metameccano-neoprotele.html
<< The research explored whether a dormant white dwarf star-sometimes referred to as a "zombie" star-could reignite if it had a close encounter with an intermediate-mass black hole. >>
<< If the stars align, so to speak, a zombie star could serve as a homing beacon for a never-before-detected class of black holes. >>
<< The stretching phenomena can be very complicated (..) Imagine a spherical star approaching a black hole. As it approaches the black hole, tidal forces begin to compress the star in a direction perpendicular to the orbital plane, reigniting it. But within the orbital plane, these gravitational forces stretch the star and tear it apart. It's a competing effect. >> Rob Hoffman
<< It was exciting to see that the zombie star reignited in each of the close encounter scenarios we looked at, >> Peter Anninos
Nolan O'brien. 'Zombie' stars return from the dead. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Oct 31, 2018.
https://m.phys.org/news/2018-10-zombie-stars-dead.html
Peter Anninos, P. Chris Fragile, et al. Relativistic Tidal Disruption and Nuclear Ignition of White Dwarf Stars by Intermediate-mass Black Holes. The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 865, Number 1. Sep 17, 2018. doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/aadad9.
http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/aadad9/meta
<< Telomere length (TL), telomerase activity (TA), and plasma amyloid-β (Aβ) levels have emerged as possible predictors of cognitive decline and dementia. >>
<< Practice of simple mind-body therapies may alter plasma Aβ levels, TL, and TA. Biomarker increases were associated with improvements in cognitive function, sleep, mood, and QOL (quality of life), suggesting potential functional relationships. >>
Innes Kim, Selfe Terry Kita, et al. Effects of Meditation and Music-Listening on Blood Biomarkers of Cellular Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease in Adults with Subjective Cognitive Decline: An Exploratory Randomized Clinical Trial. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. Oct 11, 2018. doi: 10.3233/JAD-180164.
https://content.iospress.com/articles/journal-of-alzheimers-disease/jad180164
Meditation and music may alter blood markers of cellular aging and Alzheimer's disease. IOS Press. Nov 13, 2018.
https://m.medicalxpress.com/news/2018-11-meditation-music-blood-markers-cellular.html
AA << identified neurons in the posterior parietal cortex and the frontal motor cortex that were associated with changes in posture. So close were the associations that the researchers could actually predict which posture a rat was assuming by simply watching neural activity in these two brain regions. >>
In a Perspective piece, Guifen Chen << wonders if neurons associated with posture become active only when a posture is achieved, or if they continue firing as that posture is held in place. >>
Bob Yirka. Researchers find neural cells in rat brain that are tuned to posture. Medical Xpress. Nov 2, 2018.
https://m.medicalxpress.com/news/2018-11-neural-cells-rat-brain-tuned.html
Bartul Mimica, Benjamin A. Dunn, et al. Efficient cortical coding of 3D posture in freely behaving rats. Science 02 Nov 2018: Vol. 362, Issue 6414, pp. 584-589
DOI: 10.1126/science.aau2013.
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/362/6414/584
Guifen Chen. Identifying posture cells in the brain. Science 02 Nov 2018:
Vol. 362, Issue 6414, pp. 520-521
DOI: 10.1126/science.aav3819.
<< A few weeks ago, [AA] argued [..] that the Atlantic overturning circulation (sometimes popularly dubbed the Gulf Stream System) has weakened significantly since the late 19th Century, with most of the decline happening since the mid-20th Century >>
<< But there were also some questions and criticisms in the media, so [they would like] to present a forum for discussing these questions >>
If you doubt that the AMOC [Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation] has weakened, read this. stefan @ 28 May 2018.
L. Caesar, S. Rahmstorf, et al. Observed fingerprint of a weakening Atlantic Ocean overturning circulation. Nature. 556 191–196 (2018).
“If we have dysfunctional politicians, it’s because we have a dysfunctional electorate,"
Paul Ratner. Neil deGrasse Tyson Explains Why We Have Dysfunctional Politicians. March 10, 2017.
https://bigthink.com/paul-ratner/neil-degrasse-tyson-reveals-what-he-would-do-as-president
Also
<< A study found that people with psychopathic traits are more likely to be attracted to others on the same psychopathic spectrum. >>
<< Psychopathic qualities include lack of empathy, lack of remorse, and other antisocial traits. >>
<< Psychopathic traits aren't that attractive to non-psychopathic individuals. >>
Mike Colagrossi. Psychopaths are attracted to other psychopaths. New psychological research suggests that psychopaths are attracted to others with their same disposition. Nov 2, 2018.
https://bigthink.com/sex-relationships/psychopaths-are-attracted-to-other-psychopaths
Ashley L. Watts Jessica C. Rohr, et al. Do psychopathic birds of a feather flock together? Psychopathic personality traits and romantic preferences. Journal of Personality. April 16, 2018. doi: 10.1111/jopy.12394.
<< 'Oumuamua (1I/2017 U1) is the first object of interstellar origin observed in the Solar system. >>
AA << discuss the possible origins of such an object including the possibility that it might be a lightsail of artificial origin. >>
Shmuel Bialy, Abraham Loeb. Could Solar Radiation Pressure Explain 'Oumuamua's Peculiar Acceleration? arXiv:1810.11490 [astro-ph.EP]. Oct 30, 2018.
https://arxiv.org/abs/1810.11490
Robby Berman. Harvard scientists suggest 'Oumuamua is an alien device. It's an asteroid, it's a comet, it's actually a spacecraft? Nov 6, 2018.
https://bigthink.com/surprising-science/oumuamua-spacecraft-alien-device
NASA utd about 'Oumuamua:
Calla Cofield. NASA Learns More About Interstellar Visitor 'Oumuamua. Nov. 14, 2018.
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/nasa-learns-more-about-interstellar-visitor-oumuamua
<< After a bubble bursts at a liquid surface, the collapse of the cavity generates capillary waves, which focus on the axis of symmetry to produce a jet. >>
AA << show that the time-dependent profiles of cavity collapse (..) and jet formation (..) both obey a inviscid scaling, which results from a balance between surface tension and inertia forces. >>
Ching-Yao Lai, Jens Eggers, and Luc Deike. Bubble Bursting: Universal Cavity and Jet Profiles. Phys. Rev. Lett. 121, 144501. Oct 2, 2018
https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.121.144501
John Sullivan. Math describes how bubbles pop. Princeton University. Oct 31, 2018.
<< In mezzo alla devastazione della mareggiata del 29 ottobre 2018 che ha distrutto porti e strade, il piccolo pino di Aleppo, cresciuto sullo scoglio detto della Carega, a forma di sedia, davanti alla strada per Portofino, ha retto. >>
Onde 10 metri, ma pino su scoglio resiste. Cresciuto su roccia tra Santa Margherita Ligure e Portofino. ANSA GENOVA. 01 Nov 2018 18:22
Also
2157 - il pino di takata matsubara. Apr 01, 2011.
https://inkpi.blogspot.com/2011/04/2157-il-pino-di-takata-matsubara.html
Sara Malm. The miracle pine: Tree that survived 2011 Japanese tsunami before dying six months ago is rebuilt as monument to 19,000 victims of the disaster. Mar 11, 2013.
<< The emerald jewel wasp (Ampulex compressa) is renowned for its ability to zombify the American cockroach (Periplaneta americana) with a sting to the brain. >>
<< many cockroaches deter wasps with a vigorous defense. Successful cockroaches elevated their bodies, bringing their neck out of reach, and kicked at the wasp with their spiny hind legs, often striking the wasp's head multiple times (..) >>
<< Thus, for a cockroach not to become a zombie, the best strategy is: be vigilant, protect your throat, and strike repeatedly at the head of the attacker. >>
Catania K.C. How Not to Be Turned into a Zombie. Brain Behav Evol. 1-15 Oct 31, 2018. doi: 10.1159/000490341
https://www.karger.com/Article/Abstract/490341
Karate kicks keep cockroaches from becoming zombies, wasp chow. Vanderbilt University. Oct 31, 2018.
https://m.phys.org/news/2018-10-karate-cockroaches-zombies-wasp-chow.html
Also
<< cockroaches aren’t a nuisance. They’re "gregarious insects" that can teach us about how groups approach collective decision-making. >>
Erin Blakemore. Cockroaches Have Personalities, Too. Smithsonian.com Feb 4, 2015.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/cockroaches-have-personalities-too-180954140
AA << demonstrate an integrated device platform incorporating a silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor double quantum dot that is capable of single-spin addressing and control via electron spin resonance, combined with high-fidelity spin readout in the singlet-triplet basis. >>
M. A. Fogarty, K. W. Chan, et al. Integrated silicon qubit platform with single-spin addressability, exchange control and single-shot singlet-triplet readout. Nature Comm. volume 9, Article number: 4370 Oct 30, 2018.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-06039-x
Tests show integrated quantum chip operations possible. University of New South Wales. Oct 30, 2018.
about Rosie https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2018/10/16/knightscope-robot-security-patrol/amp
about Norman http://norman-ai.mit.edu/
also
https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/search?q=nfulaw
https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/search?q=ai-bot
PS: non e' casuale se ho scelto la forma "they could see you" anziche' "they could meet you"; "meet" significa "incontro", "to come into contact or conjunction with" percio' comporta anche "scambio"; invece "see" significa qui "osservare", "to perceive by the eye", "to come to know"; Lo "scambio" qui e' assente a priori. Vale a dire "apertura" di una finestra di osservazione per la raccolta, l'analisi, la modellizzazione delle informazioni, e poi le previsioni, il controllo; e poi anche "blablabla", anzicheforse. 2018-1030 15:45.
<< OVER THE past five years researchers in artificial intelligence have become the rock stars of the technology world (..) The top names can earn over $1m a year. (..) The standard route into these jobs has been a PhD in computer science from one of America’s elite universities. (..) That is changing. This month fast.ai, an education non-profit based in San Francisco, kicked off the third year of its course in deep learning. (..) The course and others like it come with a simple proposition: there is no need to spend years obtaining a PhD in order to practise deep learning. (..) Fast.ai’s course can be completed in just seven weeks. >>
No PhD, no problem. New schemes teach the masses to build AI. Oct 25, 2018.
https://www.economist.com/business/2018/10/27/new-schemes-teach-the-masses-to-build-ai
More
https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/2018/06/ai-open-source-ai-projects.html
<< Researchers at McMaster University have solved a vexing problem by engineering surface coatings that can repel everything, such as bacteria, viruses and living cells, but can be modified to permit beneficial exceptions. >>
Researchers design "smart" surfaces to repel everything but targeted beneficial exceptions. McMaster University. Oct 24, 2018
https://phys.org/news/2018-10-smart-surfaces-repel-beneficial-exceptions.html
Tohid Didar. Researchers design "smart" surfaces, creating promise for safer implants and more accurate diagnostic tests. Oct 24, 2018.
<< Life-changing moments are also brain-changing moments: everything from a first kiss to a last goodbye modifies cells within the skull. The capacity to learn and remember, however, extends beyond the profound experiences that we lament or treasure. In fact, a new study (..) suggests that even when we're not consciously forming new memories, our brains can change in important ways, altering how we interpret and interact with the world. >>
Charles D. Gilbert. To see what's right in front of you, your brain may need some rewiring. Rockefeller University. Oct 24, 2018.
https://m.medicalxpress.com/news/2018-10-front-brain-rewiring.html
AA << found that during the course of perceptual learning axon collaterals in primary visual cortex (V1) undergo sprouting and pruning, suggesting how V1 is engaged in encoding learned information. >>
Timo van Kerkoerle, Sally A. Marik, et al. Axonal plasticity associated with perceptual learning in adult macaque primary visual cortex. PNAS Oct 9, 2018 115 (41) 10464-9 doi: 10.1073/pnas.1812932115
this << study (..) demonstrates, for the first time, that stem cell proliferation is directly controlled by the autonomic nervous system (ANS). >>
<< To demonstrate that stem cell behavior was changing as a result of ANS stimulation, the researchers grew intestinal epithelial cells in the lab and exposed them to high levels of two neurotransmitters, norepinephrine and acetylcholine. Norepinephrine is a major neurotransmitter of the sympathetic nervous system, or "fight or flight" branch of the ANS, while acetylcholine is produced by the parasympathetic nervous system, or "rest and digest" branch. >>
Scientists find stem cell proliferation is controlled directly by nervous system. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Oct 17, 2018.
https://m.phys.org/news/2018-10-scientists-stem-cell-proliferation-nervous.html
Elizabeth A. Davis, Megan J. Dailey. A direct effect of the autonomic nervous system on somatic stem cell proliferation? Am J Physiol. doi: 10.1152/ajpregu.00266.2018. Oct 10, 2018.
https://www.physiology.org/doi/abs/10.1152/ajpregu.00266.2018
<< Wind-dispersed plants have evolved ingenious ways to lift their seeds >>
AA << visualized the flow around dandelion seeds, uncovering an extraordinary type of vortex. This vortex is a ring of recirculating fluid, which is detached owing to the flow passing through the pappus. >>
<< The discovery of the separated vortex ring provides evidence of the existence of a new class of fluid behaviour around fluid-immersed bodies that may underlie locomotion, weight reduction and particle retention in biological and manmade structures. >>
Cathal Cummins, Madeleine Seale, et al. A separated vortex ring underlies the flight of the dandelion. Nature 2018; 562: 414–8. doi: 10.1038/s41586-018-0604-2.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-018-0604-2
<< When dandelion seeds fly, a ring-shaped air bubble forms as air moves through the bristles, enhancing the drag that slows their descent. >>
Dandelion seeds reveal newly discovered form of natural flight. University of Edinburgh. Oct 17, 2018.
https://m.phys.org/news/2018-10-dandelion-seeds-reveal-newly-natural.html
<< In the many scientific endeavors that are driven by organic chemistry, unambiguous identification of small molecules is of paramount importance (..) the unambiguous determination of a small molecule’s structure requires X-ray and/or neutron diffraction studies. In practice, however, X-ray crystallography is rarely applied in routine organic chemistry due to intrinsic limitations of both the analytes and the technique. >>
AA << report the use of the CryoEM (cryo-electron microscopy) method MicroED (micro-electron diffraction) to provide routine and unambiguous structural determination of small organic molecules. >>
Christopher G. Jones, Michael W. Martynowycz, et al. The CryoEM Method MicroED as a Powerful Tool for Small Molecule Structure Determination. ChemRxiv Oct 17, 2018 doi: 10.26434/chemrxiv.7215332.v1
https://chemrxiv.org/articles/The_CryoEM_Method_MicroED_as_a_Powerful_Tool_for_Small_Molecule_Structure_Determination/7215332
https://twitter.com/ChemRxiv/status/1052562398295539712
AA << demonstrated how to describe the shape of any symmetrical wormhole - a black hole that theoretically can be a kind of a portal between any two points in space and time - based on its wave spectrum >>
Physicist describes the shape of a wormhole. RUDN University. Oct 17, 2018.
https://m.phys.org/news/2018-10-physicist-wormhole.html
R.A.Konoplya. How to tell the shape of a wormhole by its quasinormal modes. Physics Letters B. Volume 784 Sep 10, 2018 Pages 43-49 doi: 10.1016/j.physletb.2018.07.025
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037026931830563X
<< puffed rice and milk can serve as a stand-in to simulate collapsing ice shelves and rockfill dams. >>
<< Intrigued by their findings, the researchers created what they call a "crushing wave model," which they believe could prove useful for describing the behavior of much larger collapse events. >>
Bob Yirka. Using puffed rice to simulate collapsing ice shelves and rockfill dams. Oct 15, 2018.
https://m.phys.org/news/2018-10-puffed-rice-simulate-collapsing-ice.html
<< These "ricequakes" repeat perpetually during the experiments and propagate upward through the material. >>
Itai Einav, Francois Guillard. Tracking time with ricequakes in partially soaked brittle porous media. Science Advances Oct 12, 2018. Vol. 4, no. 10, eaat6961. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aat6961.
<< A material designed by MIT chemical engineers can react with carbon dioxide from the air, to grow, strengthen, and even repair itself. The polymer, which might someday be used as construction or repair material or for protective coatings, continuously converts the greenhouse gas into a carbon-based material that reinforces itself. >>
<< Materials science has never produced anything like this (..) These materials mimic some aspects of something living, even though it's not reproducing. >> Michael Strano
David L. Chandler. Self-healing material can build itself from carbon in the air. MIT. Oct 11, 2018.
https://m.phys.org/news/2018-10-self-healing-material-carbon-air.html
Seon‐Yeong Kwak, Juan Pablo Giraldo, et al. Polymethacrylamide and Carbon Composites that Grow, Strengthen, and Self‐Repair using Ambient Carbon Dioxide Fixation. Advanced Materials. Oct 9, 2018. doi: 10.1002/adma.201804037
<< Now, multiple surveys show the Greens polling at 15-17 percent nationally, catching up with or even overtaking the SPD. >>
Zia Weise. The rise and rise of Bavaria’s Greens. Oct 12, 2018.
<< The Green wave: Glance casually at the election results in Bavaria, in Luxembourg, in Belgium’s communes, and you’ll find a Green wave engulfing the center-left of the political spectrum. Look a bit closer, and you’ll see the traditional political camps - the EPP and Social Democracy - fighting for survival. Mark this day in your calendars as a potential turning point for Europe. >>
Florian Eder. Brussels Playbook. Oct 15, 2018
<< The polls said the Greens were making major gains to secure second place with up to 19 percent of the vote. >>
The Latest: Exit Polls: Top Party Losing Bavaria Majority. The Associated Press. Oct 14, 2018
<< A progressively drying climate punctuated by variable wetter episodes may have precipitated the transition from our hominin ancestors to anatomically modern humans >>
Dryer, less predictable environment may have spurred human evolution. University of Arizona. Oct 8, 2018.
https://m.phys.org/news/2018-10-dryer-environment-spurred-human-evolution.html
R. Bernhart Owen, Veronica M. Muiruri, et al. Progressive aridification in East Africa over the last half million years and implications for human evolution. PNAS Oct 8, 2018 doi: 10.1073/pnas.1801357115
<< The longevity field is bustling but still fragmented, and the “silver tsunami” is coming. >>
<< That is the takeaway of The Science of Longevity, the behemoth first volume of a four-part series offering a bird’s-eye view of the longevity industry in 2017. The report, a joint production of the Biogerontology Research Foundation, Deep Knowledge Life Science, Aging Analytics Agency, and Longevity.International, synthesizes the growing array of academic and industry ventures related to aging, healthspan, and everything in between. >>
Shelly Fan. We Read This 800-Page Report on the State of Longevity Research So You Don’t Have To. Feb 14, 2018.
Also
DrugAge Database of Anti-Ageing Drugs
<< Many ladybirds have attractive color patterns consisting of black and red. This prominent color pattern is thought to function as a warning that indicates to predators that they are very bitter and unpalatable. >>
AA << focused on the multicolored Asian ladybird beetle Harmonia axyridis (also known as the harlequin ladybird), which lives mainly in Siberia and East Asia, and shows >200 color patterns within a species. The team has identified a single gene that regulates such highly diverse ladybird color patterns. >>
A mechanism of color pattern formation in ladybird beetles. National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Japan. Sep 26, 2018.
https://m.phys.org/news/2018-09-mechanism-pattern-formation-ladybird-beetles.html
Toshiya Ando, Takeshi M Matsuda, et al. Repeated inversions within a pannier intron drive diversification of intraspecific colour patterns of ladybird beetles. Nature Communications 9, 3843. Sep 21, 2018. doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-06116-1.
AA << study the dynamics of knotted deformable closed chains sedimenting in a viscous fluid. (..) trefoil and other torus knots often attain a remarkably regular horizontal toroidal structure while sedimenting, with a number of intertwined loops, oscillating periodically around each other. (..) this motion (..) is accompanied by a very slow rotation around the vertical symmetry axis. (..) this oscillating mode of the dynamics can spontaneously form even when starting from a qualitatively different initial configuration. (..) the oscillating modes are usually present as transients or final stages of the evolution, depending on chain aspect ratio and flexibility, and the number of loops. >>
Magdalena Gruziel, Krishnan Thyagarajan, et al. Periodic Motion of Sedimenting Flexible Knots. Phys. Rev. Lett. 121, 127801 Sep 18, 2018. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.121.127801.
https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.121.127801
The periodic motion of flexible knots, and the connection to DNA. University of Warsaw. Sep 26, 2018.
https://m.phys.org/news/2018-09-periodic-motion-flexible-dna.html
<< Hydrogen gas has long been noted as a promising energy carrier, but its production is still dependent on fossil raw materials. Renewable hydrogen gas can be extracted from water, but as yet the systems for doing so have limitations. In the new article, published in the journal Energy and Environmental Science, an interdisciplinary European research group led by Uppsala University scientists describe how artificial enzymes convert solar energy into hydrogen gas. >>
Artificial enzymes convert solar energy into hydrogen gas. Uppsala University.
Oct 4, 2018.
https://m.phys.org/news/2018-10-artificial-enzymes-solar-energy-hydrogen.html
Adam Wegelius, Namita Khanna, et al. Generation of a functional, semisynthetic [FeFe]-hydrogenase in a photosynthetic microorganism. Energy Environ. Sci. 2018, 1754-5692 doi: 10.1039/C8EE01975D. Sep 25, 2018.
https://pubs.rsc.org/en/Content/ArticleLanding/2018/EE/C8EE01975D#!divAbstract
<< Our perception of free will is composed of a desire to act (volition) and a sense of responsibility for our actions (agency). >>
AA << study focal brain lesions that disrupt volition, causing akinetic mutism (..), or disrupt agency, causing alien limb syndrome (..), to better localize these processes in the human brain. >>
<< Lesion locations causing akinetic mutism all fell within one network, defined by connectivity to the anterior cingulate cortex. Lesion locations causing alien limb fell within a separate network, defined by connectivity to the precuneus. >>
AA << results demonstrate that lesions in different locations causing disordered volition and agency localize to unique brain networks, lending insight into the neuroanatomical substrate of free will perception. >>
R. Ryan Darby, Juho Joutsa, et al. Lesion network localization of free will. PNAS Oct 1, 2018. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1814117115
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2018/09/25/1814117115
Study looks at brain networks involved with free will. Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Oct 1, 2018
https://m.medicalxpress.com/news/2018-10-brain-networks-involved-free.html
<< Good Money is a mobile-first banking wallet that allows users to hold all of their assets, both fiat and cryptocurrencies, in one place. The wallet has no annual fee ($0 per year vs. the average $400 per year of consumer checking accounts) and allows for full fiat and cryptocurrency interoperability. Further, Good Money offers a 1.8 percent interest rate - over 100 times greater than interest rates offered by traditional checking accounts. Beyond interest rates, a second failure of traditional consumer banking is that customers do not control how their stored money is invested by banks. Meaning that your money could well be invested in the petroleum industry when you are in fact a die-hard environmentalist. As the name implies, Good Money enables you as the user to choose how your stored money is invested, aligning it with your vision for humanity. >>
Peter H. Diamandis. The Biggest Tech-Driven Changes Happening in Finance and Banking. Sep 20, 2018.
https://singularityhub.com/2018/09/20/the-bright-tech-driven-future-of-finance-and-banking/
<< Neanderthals were also more similar to modern humans in their physical expression than previously thought. The study, which analysed Neanderthal hand and arm bones, reveals that these individuals didn’t actually rely primarily on force in their daily activities – they used precision grips just like we do. >>
Francis Wenban-Smith. Neanderthals were no brutes - research reveals they may have been precision workers. University of Southampton. Sep 26, 2018.
https://theconversation.com/neanderthals-were-no-brutes-research-reveals-they-may-have-been-precision-workers-103858
Fotios Alexandros Karakostis, Gerhard Hotz, et al. Evidence for precision grasping in Neandertal daily activities. Science Advances 26 Sep 2018: Vol. 4, no. 9, eaat2369 doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aat2369
http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/4/9/eaat2369
Also
"Neanderthal"
<< Egoism, Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy, sadism, spitefulness and others are among the traits of the malevolent side of human personality. As results from a recently published German-Danish research project show, these traits share a common "dark core." People with one of these tendencies are also likely to have one or more of the others. >>
Psychologists define the 'dark core of personality'. University of Copenhagen. Sep 27, 2018.
https://m.medicalxpress.com/news/2018-09-psychologists-dark-core-personality.html
Moshagen Morten,Hilbig Benjamin E.,Zettler Ingo. The dark core of personality. Psychological Review, Jul 12 , 2018
http://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Frev0000111
Also
"silvo sadico" (by quasistochastic poetry)
https://inkpi.blogspot.com/search?q=silvo+sadico
Charlie vs Donald
(never boring with chaos and tit-for-tat theories)
https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/2016/06/s-gst-never-boring-with-chaos-and-tit.html
<< "With these results, we have demonstrated on a molecular-genetic level that genome duplications can positively affect the adaptability of organisms," says plant scientist Timothy Paape. The multiple gene copies enable the plant to assume advantageous mutations while keeping an original copy of important genes. >>
Genome duplication drives evolution of species. University of Zurich. Sep 25, 2018.
https://m.phys.org/news/2018-09-genome-duplication-evolution-species.html
Timothy Paape, Roman V. Briskine, et al. Patterns of polymorphism and selection in the subgenomes of the allopolyploid Arabidopsis kamchatica.
Nature Comm 9 3909 Sep 25, 2018
<< Origami and high-performance textiles are transforming architecture plans for smart human habitats >>
Origami opens up smart options for architecture on the Moon and Mars. Europlanet. Sep 21, 2018.
https://m.phys.org/news/2018-09-origami-smart-options-architecture-moon.html
<< A peculiar type of atom can be induced to form a ‘ghost’ chemical bond with a nonexistent atom, according to new calculations. >>
<< A highly excited atom that includes a loosely bound electron has the weird ability to form 'trilobite' chemical bonds. Such bonds are created by the small attraction between the electron and a second atom in its lowest energy state. The electron is most often found at long distances from its host nucleus, 'reaching out' to the second atom. A visualization of the electron’s likely location in this ultra-long-range bond depicts a series of elongated shells that resemble the segments of an extinct sea animal called a trilobite. >>
<< Through computer simulations, [AA] found that the same effect can be engineered even in the absence of the second atom by exposing the excited atom to a rapid series of electric and magnetic pulses. In the resultant ghost chemical bond, the excited electron appears to reach out to the nonexistent second atom. Such a bond could be formed in a laboratory setting, the authors write. >>
How an atom forms a 'ghost' bond with a partner that isn't there. Nature. Sep 21, 2018
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-06745-y
<< The existence of such a ghost chemical bond in which an electron reaches out from one atom to a nonexistent second atom is a consequence of the high level degeneracy. >>
Matthew T. Eiles, Zhengjia Tong, Chris H. Greene. Theoretical Prediction of the Creation and Observation of a Ghost Trilobite Chemical Bond. Phys. Rev. Lett. 121, 113203. Sep 12, 2018.
https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.121.113203
<< Long-range stress correlations, like those DeGiuli and others have found in amorphous solids, are characteristic of an elastic solid-a material that bounces back to its original shape after being deformed. >>
Emanuela Del Gado. Viewpoint: Constructing a Theory for Amorphous Solids. Sep 10, 2018.
<<
- Assortment on cooperation is a characteristic feature of hunter-gatherer life
- Assortment persists despite substantial migration and residential mixing
- No evidence for stable social types or a preference to live with cooperators
- Individuals respond in kind to the cooperative behavior of their group members
>>
Kristopher M. Smith, Tomas Larroucau, et al. Hunter-Gatherers Maintain Assortativity in Cooperation despite High Levels of Residential Change and Mixing. Curr Biol doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.07.064 Sep 20, 2018.
https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(18)30994-1
Nomadic hunter-gatherers show that cooperation is flexible, not fixed. University of Pennsylvania. Sep 20, 2018.
https://m.phys.org/news/2018-09-nomadic-hunter-gatherers-cooperation-flexible.html
<< By studying the genome of a kind of octopus not known for its friendliness toward its peers, then testing its behavioral reaction to a popular mood-altering drug called MDMA or "ecstasy," scientists say they have found preliminary evidence of an evolutionary link between the social behaviors of the sea creature and humans, species separated by 500 million years on the evolutionary tree. >>
<< What our studies suggest is that certain brain chemicals, or neurotransmitters, that send signals between neurons required for these social behaviors are evolutionarily conserved. >> Gul Dolen
Octopuses given mood drug 'ecstasy' reveal genetic link to evolution of social behaviors in humans. Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Sept 20, 2018.
https://m.phys.org/news/2018-09-octopuses-mood-drug-ecstasy-reveal.html
Eric Edsinger, Gul Dolen. A Conserved Role for Serotonergic Neurotransmission in Mediating Social Behavior in Octopus. Curr Biol. Sep 20, 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.07.061
https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(18)30991-6
<< There are currently two main schools of thought regarding the origins of RNA. In one school, RNA is considered to be a product of nonenzymatic, prebiotic reactions. In the other, RNA is considered to be a product of chemical and/or biological evolution. >>
AA << report progress toward finding a proto-RNA that is the product of molecular self-assembly. >>
Cafferty B.J., Fialho D.M., Hud N.V. (2018) Searching for Possible Ancestors of RNA: The Self-Assembly Hypothesis for the Origin of Proto-RNA. In: Menor-Salvan C. (eds) Prebiotic Chemistry and Chemical Evolution of Nucleic Acids. Nucleic Acids and Molecular Biology, vol 35. Springer, Cham. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-93584-3_5
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-3-319-93584-3_5
Joelle Renstrom. New study identifies possible ancestors of RNA. Astrobiol Mag. Sep 17, 2018.
<< Of 7274 trials where results were due, 49.5% (95% confidence interval 48.4% to 50.7%) reported results. >>
<< Compliance with the European Commission requirement for all trials to post results on to the EUCTR [EU Clinical Trials Register] within 12 months of completion has been poor, with half of all trials non-compliant. >>
Ben Goldacre, Nicholas J DeVito, et al. Compliance with requirement to report results on the EU Clinical Trials Register: cohort study and web resource. BMJ 2018;362:k3218. Sep 12, 2018.
https://www.bmj.com/content/362/bmj.k3218
<< "chaos, rather than malice" is behind academics’ poor reporting of trial results. >> Ben Goldacre
Inga Vesper. Europe’s academics fail to report results for 90% of clinical trials. But nearly 70% of industry-sponsored trials report their results within a year of ending. Nature doi: 10.1038/d41586-018-06676-8 Sep 13, 2018.
<< the human eye and brain are together capable of seeing "ghosted" images >>
<< it is possible to create ghost images with a technique using light to make an image without reflecting it off the original object. The technique is called "ghosting," >>
Bob Yirka. Human eye capable of seeing 'ghosted' images. Sep 4, 2018
https://m.phys.org/news/2018-09-human-eye-capable-ghosted-images.html
<< Computational ghost imaging relies on the decomposition of an image into patterns that are summed together with weights that measure the overlap of each pattern with the scene being imaged. These tasks rely on a computer. Here [AA] demonstrate that the computational integration can be performed directly with the human eye. >>
Alessandro Boccolini, Alessandro Fedrizzi, Daniele Faccio. Ghost imaging with the human eye. arXiv:1808.05137 [q-bio.NC] Aug 13, 2018.
AA << show that the cleaner wrasse fish, Labroides dimidiatus, passes through all phases of the mark test: (i) social reactions towards the reflection, (ii) repeated idiosyncratic behaviours towards the mirror (contingency testing), and (iii) frequent observation of their reflection. >>
Masanori Kohda, Hatta Takashi, et al. Cleaner wrasse pass the mark test. What are the implications for consciousness and self-awareness testing in animals? BioRxiv doi: 10.1101/397067 Aug 21, 2018
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/early/2018/08/21/397067
<< Since the 1970s, a test developed by Gordon Gallup has been the gold standard for testing for self-awareness - researchers make a mark on a creature's face and introduce a mirror. If the animal makes some attempt to touch or remove the mark, they are deemed to have self-awareness. Since the test first came into use, only a few animals have ever passed the test. Besides humans, the list currently includes chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans, dolphins, elephants and pigeons. >>
Bob Yirka. Small fish passes classic self-awareness test. Sep 4, 2018.
https://m.phys.org/news/2018-09-small-fish-classic-self-awareness.html
<< It comes as quite a shock when the ground beneath your feet, your house or your field suddenly disappears leaving a hole. [..] We call these sinkholes, and they are a global problem. >>
<< These voids may eventually come to the surface over time as the roof progressively collapses. These collapses can be gradual, or can happen suddenly, with surface depressions appearing overnight without warning. >>
Peter Styles, Jamie Pringle. How to detect a sinkhole - before it swallows you up. Keele University. Sep 4, 2018.
https://theconversation.com/how-to-detect-a-sinkhole-before-it-swallows-you-up-101543
<< Walking is one of the things that distinguishes us from all other animals and, according to a Harvard Medical School Review, "walking doesn't get the respect it deserves". >>
<< Our genome has been evolving over millennia and we still have the same genomes as our hunter-gather ancestors who were active and not obese. >> Anthony Hannan.
Jill Margo. Science shows how walking keeps the brain developing deep into old age.
Also
Kinhin
<< Researchers find evidence that neural systems actively remove memories, which suggests that forgetting may be the default mode of the brain. >>
Dalmeet Singh Chawla. To Remember, the Brain Must Actively Forget. July 24, 2018.
https://twitter.com/QuantaMagazine/status/1039034486476955648
https://www.quantamagazine.org/to-remember-the-brain-must-actively-forget-20180724
Also: "Occam" in
<< Solitons are nonspreading wave packets that exist in a wide range of real-world systems, including water waves, sound, DNA, optics, and so on. >>
<< Two or more solitons can bind together to form a soliton molecule with dynamics similar to matter molecules, such as vibration, synthesis, and dissociation. >>
<< Formation processes for three types of soliton molecules were studied: ground-, excited-state, and a new one termed an intermittent-vibration soliton molecule. While it is generally believed that attractive interactions of solitons are responsible for the formation of soliton molecules, the authors found that soliton interactions are not limited to attractive interactions. Counterintuitively, even repulsive interactions can lead to the formation of soliton molecules, >>
John Wallace. Investigation with a femtosecond fiber laser finds new type of soliton ‘molecule’. Aug 01, 2018.
<< For closely‐separated bound solitons, soliton interactions display wide diversities in repeated measurements, including soliton attraction, repelling, collision, vibration, and annihilation. For well‐separated bound solitons, repulsive interactions dominate the soliton interactions. >>
Junsong Peng, Heping Zeng. Build‐Up of Dissipative Optical Soliton Molecules via Diverse Soliton Interactions. Laser & Photonics Reviews 2018, 12, 1800009.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/lpor.201800009
Also "soliton" in:
<< The CHAOS [Controlled Hindrance of Adaptation of OrganismS] method takes advantage of this effect, pulling multiple genetic levers in order to build up stress on the bacterial cell and eventually trigger a cascading failure, leaving the bug more vulnerable to current treatments. The technique does not alter the bug's DNA itself, only the expression of individual genes, similar to the way a coded message is rendered useless without the proper decryption. >>
<< We now have a way to cut off the evolutionary pathways of some of the nastiest bugs and potentially prevent future bugs from emerging at all, >> Peter Otoupal
Chaos-inducing genetic approach stymies antibiotic-resistant superbugs. University of Colorado at Boulder. Sept 3, 2018.
https://m.phys.org/news/2018-09-chaos-inducing-genetic-approach-stymies-antibiotic-resistant.html
<< While individual perturbations improved fitness during antibiotic exposure, multiplexed perturbations caused large fitness loss in a significant epistatic fashion. >>
Peter B. Otoupal, William T. Cordell, et al. Multiplexed deactivated CRISPR-Cas9 gene expression perturbations deter bacterial adaptation by inducing negative epistasis. Comm Biol 1 (129) Sept 3, 2018
AA << present the genome of 'Denisova 11', a bone fragment from Denisova Cave (Russia)3 and show that it comes from an individual who had a Neanderthal mother and a Denisovan father. >>
<< The finding of a first-generation Neanderthal–Denisovan offspring among the small number of archaic specimens sequenced to date suggests that mixing between Late Pleistocene hominin groups was common when they met. >>
Viviane Slon, Fabrizio Mafessoni, et al. The genome of the offspring of a Neanderthal mother and a Denisovan father. Nature. Aug 22, 2018. doi: 10.1038/s41586-018-0455-x
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-018-0455-x
Marlowe Hood. Neandertal mother, Denisovan father-Newly-sequenced genome sheds light on interactions between ancient hominins. Aug 22, 2018.
https://m.phys.org/news/2018-08-neandertal-mother-denisovan-fathernewly-sequenced-genome.html
Also
the fuzzy dispersal and interaction dynamics of ancient (early) nomads. Dec 11, 2017.
https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/2017/12/evol-ethno-fuzzy-dispersals-and.html
<< To be disrupted, an unlucky star must venture close enough to a black hole that gravitational tides exceed the internal gravity that binds the star together. In other words, the difference in the black hole's gravitational pull on the near and far sides of the star, along with the inertial pull as the star swings around the black hole, stretches the star out into a stream. "Basically it spaghettifies," >> James Guillochon
Joshua Sokol. Star-Swallowing Black Holes Reveal Secrets in Exotic Light Shows. August 8, 2018.
<< In a temporal context, a sensitivity to sunk costs arises when an individual resists ending an activity, even if it seems unproductive, because of the time already invested. In two parallel foraging tasks [AA] found that mice, rats, and humans show similar sensitivities to sunk costs in their decision-making. >>
Brian M. Sweis, Samantha V. Abram, et al. Sensitivity to "sunk costs" in mice, rats, and humans. Science Jul 13, 2018; 361 (6398): 178-81 doi: 10.1126/science.aar8644
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/361/6398/178
Krystle Barbour. Sticking with the wrong choice. University of Minnesota Medical School. July 13, 2018.
<< Tick saliva contains proteins [evasins] that suppress chemokine-driven inflammation by binding and neutralizing multiple chemokines simultaneously, helping them to suck blood for several weeks without eliciting inflammation. >>
Kamayani Singh, Graham Davies, et al. Yeast surface display identifies a family of evasins from ticks with novel polyvalent CC chemokine - binding activities. Scientific Reports. Jun 27, 2017; 7 (4267).
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-04378-1
AA << has identified several new tick evasins and shown that one of them, P991_AMBCA, from the cayenne tick found in the Americas, can bind to and block the effect of chemokines which cause inflammation in myocarditis, heart attack and stroke. >>
From bug to drug - tick saliva could be key to treating heart disease. University of Oxford. Jun 27, 2017.
https://m.phys.org/news/2017-06-bug-drugtick-saliva-key-heart.html
Also: "saliva" in:
<< Adhesives that can bond strongly to biological tissues would have broad applications ranging from tissue repair and drug delivery to wound dressings and biomedical devices. However, existing tissue adhesives are far from ideal. >>
<< Achieving high adhesion energy requires the synergy of two effects. First, the adhesive should form strong bonds with the substrate. Second, materials inside either the adhesive or the substrate (or both) should dissipate energy by hysteresis. Tissue adhesives must also show compatibility with body fluids, as well as with cells and tissues. >>
AA << report the design of a family of tough adhesives for biological applications to meet those requirements. The design is inspired by a defensive mucus secreted by slugs (Arion subfuscus) that strongly adheres to wet surfaces. >>
J Li, AD Celiz, et al. Tough adhesives for diverse wet surfaces. Science Jul 28, 2017; 357 (6349): 378-81. doi: 10.1126/science.aah6362
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/357/6349/378
Sticky when wet: Strong adhesive for wound healing. Slug-inspired, flexible medical bio-glue sticks to wet surfaces without toxicity. Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard. July 27, 2017.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/07/170727141508.htm
AA << studied photosystem complexes from cyanobacteria grown in the presence of far-red light. >>
<< Kinetic measurements demonstrated that far-red light is capable of directly driving water oxidation, despite having less energy than the red light used by most photosynthetic organisms. >>
Dennis J. Nurnberg, Jennifer Morton, et al. Photochemistry beyond the red limit in chlorophyll f - containing photosystems. Science. Jun 15, 2018: 360 (6394): 1210-3. doi: 10.1126/science.aar8313
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/360/6394/1210
Hayley Dunning. New type of photosynthesis discovered. Imperial College London. Jun 14, 2018.
<< Using this protein [protein BASL: Breaking of Asymmetry in the Stomatal Lineage] to detect the polarity field is like switching a light on in each cell across the tissue. It allows us to see that these cells all have a compass, pointing in the same direction across the leaf >>
<< In this way we will find out if, as we suspect, this molecular compass is a conserved mechanism in the development of plant shapes across the plant kingdom which could be co-opted in different ways by different branches of evolution. >> Catherine Mansfield.
Adrian Galvin. Leaves possess a molecular compass. John Innes Centre. Aug 21, 2018
https://m.phys.org/news/2018-08-molecular-compass.html
Catherine Mansfield, Jacob L. Newman, et al. Ectopic BASL Reveals Tissue Cell Polarity throughout Leaf Development in Arabidopsis thaliana. Current Biology. 28 (16): 2638-46.E4 Aug 20, 2018 doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.06.019
https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(18)30810-8
<< At IBM Research AI, [AA] built an AI-based solution to assist analysts in preparing reports. >>
<< An AI-assisted solution can help analysts to prepare complete reports and also avoid bias based on past experience. >>
Oktie Hassanzadeh. Semantic concept discovery over event databases. IBM. July 17, 2018.
https://m.phys.org/news/2018-07-semantic-concept-discovery-event-databases.html
https://www.ibm.com/blogs/research/2018/07/semantic-concept-discovery/
Oktie Hassanzadeh, Shari Trewin, Alfio Massimiliano Gliozzo. Semantic Concept Discovery Over Event Databases. ESWC. Feb 14, 2018.
https://2018.eswc-conferences.org/paper_182/
FonT
sarebbe davvero singolare, sorprendente, se, dopo l'analisi dei dati, una AI "decidesse" di scrivere il report finale in forma poetica, magari con un approccio quasistocastico, fuzzy, per la stesura del testo ...
<< Is the ultimate explanation for what’s happened to us is that everyone is a moron? >> 06:01 Aug 18, 2018
https://twitter.com/NewYorker/status/1030847282269306881
Masha Gessen. How QAnon and Sacha Baron Cohen Speak to the Same Desperate Need. Aug 8, 2018.
FonT
qualcosa di simile a "moron" pare fosse l'opinione del giovane Mr. Mark Zuckerberg sui suoi giovani colleghi studenti all'inizio del suo incredibile successo; chissa' se nel frattempo MZ ha cambiato opinione ...
facebook: a synthetic perspective from the deep brain, by Mark. Apr 14, 2018.
https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/2018/04/web-facebook-synthetic-perspective-from.html
Also
"facebook" in:
AA << report remarkably persistent mixing and non-mixing regions in a three-dimensional dynamical system where randomness is expected. A spherical shell half-filled with dry non-cohesive particles and periodically rotated about two horizontal axes generates complex structures that vary non-trivially with the rotation angles. >>
Zafir Zaman, Mengqi Yu, et al. Persistent structures in a three-dimensional dynamical system with flowing and non-flowing regions. Nature Comm vol 9, no 3122 (2018) doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-05508-7
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-05508-7
Emily Ayshford. When mixing granular matter, order among disorder. Northwestern University. Aug 14, 2018.
<< (..) to create smart structures - objects that can collapse, absorb energy, and spring back into place using the geometric principles of origami. >>
<< Smart structures simply change their shape based on a response to a change in the environment. >>
Sophia Fox-Sowell. How origami might reshape the future of everything. Northeastern University. Aug 2, 2018.
https://m.phys.org/news/2018-08-origami-reshape-future.html
Also
"origami"
<< When two cracks propagate in a material like concrete or metal, they tend to follow paths that bring them closer to each other. However, some cracks exhibit repulsion for a short distance before reverting to the attractive mode of propagation. >>
Michael Schirber. Synopsis: Why Some Cracks Repel. June 20, 2018.
https://physics.aps.org/synopsis-for/10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.255501
Marie-Emeline Schwaab, Thierry Biben, et al. Interacting Cracks Obey a Multiscale Attractive to Repulsive Transition. Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 255501. June 20, 2018.
https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.255501
Also: "crack"
