New research by Northwestern Medicine reveals how humans have evolved advanced brain regions to interpret others’ thoughts, connecting these areas with the amygdala, a part of the brain involved in emotional processing. Study sought to better understand how humans evolved to become skilled at thinking about others. Newer parts of the brain that support [...]
New research offers a potential explanation for the formation of early Earth protocells. Few questions have captivated humankind more than the mystery of life’s origins on Earth. How did the first living cells emerge? How did these early protocells develop the structural membranes essential for thriving and eventually assembling into complex organisms? New research [...]
An international research team, led by the University of Wollongong (UOW), has found wearable organic X-ray sensors could offer safer radiotherapy protocols for cancer patients. More than 400 people are diagnosed with cancer every day in Australia and 50% of these people will go on to be treated with radiotherapy. The side-effects of cancer [...]
MIT researchers have introduced an efficient reinforcement learning algorithm that enhances AI’s decision-making in complex scenarios, such as city traffic control. By strategically selecting optimal tasks for training, the algorithm achieves significantly improved performance with far less data, offering a 50x boost in efficiency. This method not only saves time and resources but also paves [...]
AI and Human Evolution As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly widespread and advanced, it prompts new questions about its impact on human life and society. A recent paper in The Quarterly Review of Biology explores how these technologies might influence human evolution. In “How Might Artificial Intelligence Influence Human Evolution?” author Rob Brooks examines the gradual yet inevitable [...]
In a recent study published in Scientific Reports, researchers reported that drug adsorption on micro- and nano-plastics (MNPs) has severe consequences. Introduction Plastic degradation results in the formation of particles with diverse shapes, sizes, and compositions. Research suggests these micro- and nano-sized fragments, viz., MNPs, are present in the environment and enter the human body, [...]
A radical stem cell transplant has significantly improved the blurry vision of three people with severe damage to their cornea. The clinical trial, which took place in Japan, is the first of its kind in the world, and a significant advancement for stem cell research. Two years after the operation, no serious safety concerns have come to [...]
The bidirectional research examines both laboratory findings and human clinical trial data, revealing that the medicinal use of white button mushrooms reduces the type of cells that suppress the immune system and facilitate the spread of prostate cancer. Researchers at City of Hope, one of the largest and most advanced cancer research and treatment [...]
Recent estimates indicate that deadly antibiotic-resistant infections will rapidly escalate over the next quarter century. More than 1 million people died from drug-resistant infections each year from 1990 to 2021, a recent study reported, with new projections surging to nearly 2 million deaths each year by 2050. In an effort to counteract this public health [...]
A new UC Davis Health study has uncovered how Salmonella bacteria, a major cause of food poisoning, can invade the gut even when protective bacteria are present. The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, explains how the pathogen tricks the gut environment to escape the body's natural defenses. The digestive system is [...]
