News about PaperPanda, Open Access, and Research
Several recent studies have led to the suggestion that humans can grow new neurons in some parts of the brain as adults, but the idea is being questioned after a close look at RNA in brain cells Mind 16 February 2022 By Jason Arunn Murugesu Conceptual illustration of a neuron Shutterstock/Rost9 Adults may be unable … Read more
Thousands of studies have linked the trillions of microbes living in and on our bodies to conditions from cancer to autism to depression. But most microbiome samples come from wealthy countries in North America and Europe, a new analysis finds, distorting our understanding of human-microbe interactions. “There are many ethnic groups and geographical locations that … Read more
Sony’s Gran Turismo is one of the biggest racing game series of all time, having sold over 80 million copies globally. But none of those millions of players is the fastest. In a new breakthrough, a team led by Sony AI – the company’s artificial intelligence (AI) research division – developed an entirely artificial player … Read more
To hurtle around a corner along the fastest “racing line” without losing control, race car drivers must brake, steer and accelerate in precisely timed sequences. The process depends on the limits of friction, and they are governed by known physical laws—which means self-driving cars can learn to complete a lap at the fastest possible speed … Read more
Insights from a synthetic fish built from plastic and gelatine and powered by human cardiac cells might one day be useful for treating heart disease Technology 10 February 2022 By Alex Wilkins An artificial fish built from human heart cells could teach us how the organ functions. The human heart can pump without signals from … Read more
In popular imagination, the Black Death is the most devastating pandemic to have ever hit Europe. Between 1346 and 1353, plague is believed to have reached nearly, if not every, corner of the continent, killing 30-50 percent of the population. This account is based on texts and documents written by state or church officials … Read more
With its tail flipping rhythmically from side to side, this strange synthetic fish scoots around in its salt and glucose solution, using the same power as our beating hearts. This nifty miniaturized circulatory system, developed by scientists at Harvard and Emory universities, can keep swimming to the beat for more than 100 days. The … Read more
Homo sapiens ventured into Neanderthal territory in Europe much earlier than previously thought, according to an archaeological study published in Science magazine on Wednesday. Up to now, archaeological discoveries had indicated that Neanderthals disappeared from the European continent about 40,000 years ago, shortly after the arrival of their “cousin” H. sapiens, barely 5,000 years … Read more
AI company DeepMind has built a tool that can create working code to solve complex software challenges Technology 2 February 2022 By Matthew Sparkes Artist’s impression of data Andriy Onufriyenko/Getty Images DeepMind, a UK-based AI company, has taught some of its machines to write computer software – and it performs almost as well as an … Read more
The human gut is the host of a rampant microscopic orgy. To survive, the microbes in our digestive tract are having ‘sex’ with each other on a regular basis, all in the name of swapping secrets on how to survive deadly doses of antibiotics. A team of researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign … Read more