From the ‘It’s ok to be smart’ video series.
Joe Hanson, Ph.D. is a curious group of atoms in a curious universe, and he’s here to tell you how it all works. We officially live in the future, and everyone should know that it’s okay to be smart!
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Recent News
Study Shows Brain Signals Only Matter if They Arrive on Time
Signals are processed only if they reach the brain during brief receptive cycles. This timing mechanism explains how attention filters information and may inform therapies and brain-inspired technologies. It [...]
Does Space-Time Really Exist?
Is time something that flows — or just an illusion? Exploring space-time as either a fixed “block universe” or a dynamic fabric reveals deeper mysteries about existence, change, and [...]
Unlocking hidden soil microbes for new antibiotics
Most bacteria cannot be cultured in the lab-and that's been bad news for medicine. Many of our frontline antibiotics originated from microbes, yet as antibiotic resistance spreads and drug [...]
By working together, cells can extend their senses beyond their direct environment
The story of the princess and the pea evokes an image of a highly sensitive young royal woman so refined, she can sense a pea under a stack of [...]
Overworked Brain Cells May Hold the Key to Parkinson’s
Scientists at Gladstone Institutes uncovered a surprising reason why dopamine-producing neurons, crucial for smooth body movements, die in Parkinson’s disease. In mice, when these neurons were kept overactive for [...]
Old tires find new life: Rubber particles strengthen superhydrophobic coatings against corrosion
Development of highly robust superhydrophobic anti-corrosion coating using recycled tire rubber particles. Superhydrophobic materials offer a strategy for developing marine anti-corrosion materials due to their low solid-liquid contact area [...]
This implant could soon allow you to read minds
Mind reading: Long a science fiction fantasy, today an increasingly concrete scientific goal. Researchers at Stanford University have succeeded in decoding internal language in real time thanks to a [...]
A New Weapon Against Cancer: Cold Plasma Destroys Hidden Tumor Cells
Cold plasma penetrates deep into tumors and attacks cancer cells. Short-lived molecules were identified as key drivers. Scientists at the Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (INP), working with colleagues [...]
This Common Sleep Aid May Also Protect Your Brain From Alzheimer’s
Lemborexant and similar sleep medications show potential for treating tau-related disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease. New research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis shows that a commonly used sleep medication can [...]
Sugar-Coated Nanoparticles Boost Cancer Drug Efficacy
A team of researchers at the University of Mississippi has discovered that coating cancer treatment carrying nanoparticles in a sugar-like material increases their treatment efficacy. They reported their findings in Advanced Healthcare Materials. [...]
Nanoparticle-Based Vaccine Shows Promise in Fighting Cancer
In a study published in OncoImmunology, researchers from the German Cancer Research Center and Heidelberg University have created a therapeutic vaccine that mobilizes the immune system to target cancer cells. The researchers [...]
Quantitative imaging method reveals how cells rapidly sort and transport lipids
Lipids are difficult to detect with light microscopy. Using a new chemical labeling strategy, a Dresden-based team led by André Nadler at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell [...]
Ancient DNA reveals cause of world’s first recorded pandemic
Scientists have confirmed that the Justinian Plague, the world’s first recorded pandemic, was caused by Yersinia pestis, the same bacterium behind the Black Death. Dating back some 1,500 years and long [...]
“AI Is Not Intelligent at All” – Expert Warns of Worldwide Threat to Human Dignity
Opaque AI systems risk undermining human rights and dignity. Global cooperation is needed to ensure protection. The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has changed how people interact, but it also poses [...]
Nanomotors: Where Are They Now?
First introduced in 2004, nanomotors have steadily advanced from a scientific curiosity to a practical technology with wide-ranging applications. This article explores the key developments, recent innovations, and major [...]
Study Finds 95% of Tested Beers Contain Toxic “Forever Chemicals”
Researchers found PFAS in 95% of tested beers, with the highest levels linked to contaminated local water sources. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), better known as forever chemicals, are [...]
Long COVID Symptoms Are Closer To A Stroke Or Parkinson’s Disease Than Fatigue
When most people get sick with COVID-19 today, they think of it as a brief illness, similar to a cold. However, for a large number of people, the illness [...]
The world’s first AI Hospital, developed in China is transforming healthcare
Artificial Intelligence and its developments have had a revolutionary impact on society, and healthcare is not an exception. China has made massive strides in AI integrated healthcare, and continues [...]
Scientists Rewire Immune Cells To Supercharge Cancer-Fighting Power
Blocking a single protein boosts T cell metabolism and tumor-fighting strength. The discovery could lead to next-generation cancer immunotherapies. Scientists have identified a strategy to greatly enhance the cancer-fighting [...]
Scientists Discover 20 Percent of Human DNA Comes from a Mysterious Ancestor
Humans carry a complex genetic history that continues to reveal surprises. Scientists have found that 20% of our DNA may come from a mysterious ancestor, according to WP Tech. This [...]
AI detects early prostate cancer missed by pathologists
Men assessed as healthy after a pathologist analyses their tissue sample may still have an early form of prostate cancer. Using AI, researchers at Uppsala University have been able [...]
The Rare Mutation That Makes People Immune to Viruses
Some people carry a rare mutation that makes them resistant to viruses. Now scientists have copied that effect with an experimental mRNA therapy that stopped both flu and COVID [...]
Nanopore technique for measuring DNA damage could improve cancer therapy and radiological emergency response
Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a new technology for measuring how radiation damages DNA molecules. This novel technique, which passes DNA through [...]
AI Tool Shows Exactly When Genes Turn On and Off
Summary: Researchers have developed an AI-powered tool called chronODE that models how genes turn on and off during brain development. By combining mathematics, machine learning, and genomic data, the method [...]
Your brain could get bigger – not smaller – as you age
recently asked myself if I’ll still have a healthy brain as I get older. I hold a professorship at a neurology department. Nevertheless, it is difficult for me to [...]
Hidden Cost of Smart AI: 50× More CO₂ for a Single Question
Every time we ask an AI a question, it doesn’t just return an answer—it also burns energy and emits carbon dioxide. German researchers found that some “thinking” AI models, [...]
Genetically-engineered immune cells show promise for preventing organ rejection
A Medical University of South Carolina team reports in Frontiers in Immunology that it has engineered a new type of genetically modified immune cell that can precisely target and neutralize antibody-producing [...]
Building and breaking plastics with light: Chemists rethink plastic recycling
What if recycling plastics were as simple as flicking a switch? At TU/e, Assistant Professor Fabian Eisenreich is making that vision a reality by using LED light to both [...]
Generative AI Designs Novel Antibiotics That Defeat Defiant Drug-Resistant Superbugs
Harnessing generative AI, MIT scientists have created groundbreaking antibiotics with unique membrane-targeting mechanisms, offering fresh hope against two of the world’s most formidable drug-resistant pathogens. With the help of [...]
AI finds more breast tumors earlier than traditional double radiologist review
AI is detecting tumors more often and earlier in the Dutch breast cancer screening program. Those tumors can then be treated at an earlier stage. This has been demonstrated [...]
Lavender oil could speed recovery after brain surgery
A week of lavender-scented nights helped brain surgery patients sleep more deeply, shorten delirium, and feel calmer, pointing to a simple, natural aid for post-surgery care. A randomized controlled [...]
Targeting Nanoparticles for Heart Repair
Scientists have engineered dual-membrane nanoparticles that home in on heart tissue after a heart attack, delivering regenerative molecules while evading the body’s immune defences. Myocardial infarction, better known as [...]
Natural Compound Combo Restores Aging Brain Cells
Scientists have identified a natural compound combination that reverses aging-related brain cell decline and removes harmful Alzheimer’s-linked proteins. The treatment, combining nicotinamide (vitamin B3) and the green tea antioxidant [...]
Silver Nanoparticles Get a Green Makeover: An Eco-Friendly Way to Target Diabetes
Researchers have developed an eco-friendly method to produce silver nanoparticles from the roots of Martynia annua, showing strong antioxidant and anti-diabetic potential while avoiding the toxic by-products of conventional synthesis. [...]
Quantum Breakthrough: Scientists Find “Backdoor” to 60-Year-Old Superconducting Mystery
A Copenhagen team has unlocked a clever “backdoor” into studying rare quantum states once thought beyond reach. Scientists at the Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, have discovered a [...]
3D-Printed Nylon Filters With Titanium Dioxide For Greywater Treatment
A team of researchers has developed a novel water filtration system that combines nanotechnology with 3D printing, aiming to create a low-cost, sustainable solution for greywater treatment. As reported in Micro & [...]
New COVID variant ‘Stratus’ is spreading in the U.S. and worldwide
A new COVID variant is climbing the ranks in the U.S., becoming the third-most common strain of the summer. Variant XFG, colloquially known as "Stratus," was first detected in [...]
Fat Molecule May Control How You Feel Emotion
Key Questions Answered Q: What did researchers discover about the serotonin 5-HT1A receptor? A: They mapped how it activates different brain signaling pathways, offering insight into how mood and [...]
Nanodevice uses sound to sculpt light, paving the way for better displays and imaging
Light can behave in very unexpected ways when you squeeze it into small spaces. In a paper in the journal Science, Mark Brongersma, [...]
ChatGPT helps speed up patient screening for clinical trials
A new study in the academic journal Machine Learning: Health discovers that ChatGPT can accelerate patient screening for clinical trials, showing promise in reducing delays and improving trial success rates. Researchers at [...]
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