Antscan is a publicly accessible database of synchrotron X-ray CT images of ants. The database covers almost 800 species from more than 200 genera and is coordinated with genome sequencing projects that will enable integrative analyses.
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Scientists use ‘negative light’ to send secret messages hidden inside heat
Researchers have developed a technology to invisibly transmit information disguised as background thermal radiation. Using a phenomenon called “negative light,” they transferred 100 kilobits of data per second in a way that was completely undetectable to outside observers.
Most methods for concealing data during transfer involve hiding it among other data or encrypting it in a way that makes it impossible to read without a cipher or other means of decryption. The new technique, by contrast, makes the data almost impossible to intercept because there’s no indication it’s being sent at all. It can also be encrypted through traditional means to further harden security, the team wrote in a paper published March 5 in the journal Light: Science & Applications.
“We Found Evidence of a Type II Civilization” — Michio Kaku
In this clip, physicist Michio Kaku explains to Joe Rogan why the strange behavior of Tabby’s Star briefly led scientists to consider something extraordinary.
Planets usually block less than 1% of a star’s light.
Even Jupiter would block about 1%.
But Tabby’s Star dimmed by nearly 20% — something astronomers had never seen before.
Because of that extreme and unusual dimming, some scientists explored whether an intelligent megastructure — like a Dyson sphere built by a Type II civilization on the Kardashev Scale — could explain the observations.
This video focuses on *why the idea was considered*, not a confirmed conclusion.
AI is homogenizing human expression and thought, computer scientists and psychologists say
AI chatbots are standardizing how people speak, write, and think. If this homogenization continues unchecked, it risks reducing humanity’s collective wisdom and ability to adapt, computer scientists and psychologists argue in an opinion paper published in Trends in Cognitive Sciences.
They say that AI developers should incorporate more real-world diversity into large language model (LLM) training sets, not only to help preserve human cognitive diversity, but also to improve chatbots’ reasoning abilities.
Single-cell multi-omic analyses highlight the essential role of NKX2.2-CLEC16A/endosomal pathway for human pancreatic differentiation and function
Chen et al. provide a comprehensive roadmap of the gene regulatory networks governing human pancreatic differentiation and identify the essential roles of the NKX2.2-CLEC16A/endosomal pathway axis for islet organogenesis. This study also highlights the expandable pancreatic progenitor (ePP)-islet system as a powerful platform for investigating cell fate decisions and disease modeling.
Anchoring a key immune molecule makes T cells hit harder
Researchers at the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology have found that physically resisting the formation of an immunological synapse actually promotes a stronger immune response. The findings could help explain how immune responses become weakened in cancer and chronic infection and inform the design of more effective vaccines.
In a new study led by Professor Mike Dustin at the Kennedy Institute, and the team lead Dr. Alexander Leithner (now at the University of Salzburg, Austria), in collaboration with Audun Kvalvaag, at the Institute for Cancer Research at the University Hospital Oslo, examined how the physical presentation of a protein called ICAM-1 (Intercellular Adhesion Molecule 1) on a target cells affects the activation of T cells—the immune system’s cells responsible for identifying and eliminating infected or cancerous cells.
Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, their findings show that when ICAM-1 is locked in place, rather than free to move within the cell membrane, T cells show a stronger response and become more effective at killing target cells. The study provides new insight that could help design better immune strategies and may have implications for vaccine design, cancer immunotherapy and understanding immune evasion.
Popular Anti-Aging Supplement May Fuel Cancer Growth — Here’s Why
This actually offers some significant new insights for both cancer treatment research and the development of anti-aging therapies. 🧠
Read more👇
A group of natural compounds attracting attention for their anti-aging potential has a dark side.
New research shows how a family of chemicals called polyamines speeds up the growth of cancer cells. Led by a team from the Tokyo University of Science in Japan, the study offers some significant new insights for both cancer treatment research and the development of anti-aging therapies.
Polyamines are essential molecules found in all living cells. Including compounds with colorful names like spermidine and putrescine, they regulate processes involving cell growth and protein synthesis.
Strange ‘Chirp’ May Reveal What Powers The Brightest Supernovae in The Universe
A strange chirp appeared in the light from a massive stellar explosion.
Scientists think it may be the signature of a newborn magnetar 🧲⭐
Full story.
A never-before-seen ‘chirp’ in the light of an exploding star has revealed new clues about the engine powering some of the brightest supernovae in the Universe.
According to an analysis of the unprecedented signal, a superluminous supernova named SN 2024afav was most likely the violent birth of a magnetar – a rapidly spinning, extremely magnetic neutron star whose environment is ‘wobbling’ due to an effect predicted by general relativity.
The event, says a team led by astrophysicist Joseph Farah of Las Cumbres Observatory in the US, marks the first observational evidence of this effect, known as Lense-Thirring precession, in the environment of a magnetar.
What Happens When AI Runs the Entire Economy?
What happens when AI controls prices, jobs, markets, and growth itself? Explore the future of an economy run by machines—and what it means for work, power, and humanity.
Get Nebula using my link for 50% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/isaacarthur Watch my exclusive video Lazarus Protocols: https://nebula.tv/videos/isaacarthur-lazarus-protocols-reviv…extinction Check out Abolish Everything https://nebula.tv/abolish?ref=isaacarthur.
🛒 SFIA Merchandise: https://isaac-arthur-shop.fourthwall.com/ 🌐 Visit our Website: http://www.isaacarthur.net ❤️ Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IsaacArthur ⭐ Support us on Subscribestar: https://www.subscribestar.com/isaac-arthur 👥 Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1583992725237264/ 📣 Reddit Community: https://www.reddit.com/r/IsaacArthur/ 🐦 Follow on Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/Isaac_A_Arthur 💬 SFIA Discord Server: https://discord.gg/53GAShE Credits: What Happens When AI Runs the Entire Economy? Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images.
Chapters 0:00 Intro — The Invisible Hand Becomes a Neural Network 2:58 What Does “Running the Economy” Actually Mean? 5:30 What Does “Running the Economy” Actually Mean? 10:19 Labor in an AI-Run Economy 14:41 Who Programs the Economy’s Values? 17:01 Government, Power, and Economic Sovereignty 20:21 So, Can Humans Stay in the Loop? 22:56 The Best-Case and Worst-Case Futures 24:53 Abolish Everything 25:57 The Last Economic Decisions We Ever Make.
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