Required Reading
This week it’s a whole lotta TikToks, as the US government wants to ban it if the company doesn’t sell it to another owner, which is pretty terrible.
Damien H. Ding’s Dreams of a Modernist Past
In his paintings, Ding establishes an imaginary dialogue with architect I. M. Pei that reveals something about both the artist and his subject.
Speaking without vocal cords, thanks to a new AI-assisted wearable device
Bioengineers have invented a thin, flexible device that adheres to the neck and translates the muscle movements of the larynx into audible speech. The device is trained through machine learning to recognize which muscle movements correspond to which wo…
Fatty food before surgery may impair memory in old, young adults
Eating fatty food in the days leading up to surgery may prompt a heightened inflammatory response in the brain that interferes for weeks with memory-related cognitive function in older adults — and, new research in animals suggests, even in young adults.
Oregon State researchers take deep dive into how much water is stored in snow
There’s a new metric that provides a more holistic look at how much water is stored in snowpack, and for how long.
‘Noisy’ roundworm brains give rise to individuality
Research has demonstrated individual differences in and successfully extracted commonalities from the whole-brain activity of roundworms. The researchers also found that computer simulations based on the whole-brain activity of roundworms more accurate…
Gut bacteria make neurotransmitters to shape the newborn immune system
Investigators discovered that unique bacteria colonize the gut shortly after birth and make the neurotransmitter serotonin to educate gut immune cells. This prevents allergic reactions to food and the bacteria themselves during early development.
Why killer T cells lose energy inside of solid tumors
Researchers have discovered the reason why immune cells lose energy when they enter the solid tumor microenvironment — and how to restore their energy levels. A metabolic enzyme, called Acetyl-CoA carboxylase, has been identified as the culprit, for i…
Less social with age
Scientists tested several hypotheses on the drivers of social aging in free-living Assamese macaques in Thailand. The researchers collected data on the social behavior of females for eight years and found that the size of their social networks decrease…