Elon Musk recently pronounced that the next Neuralink project will be a “Blindsight” cortical implant to restore vision: “Resolution will be low at first, like early Nintendo graphics, but ultimately may exceed normal human vision.”Unfortunately, this claim rests on the fallacy that neurons in the brain are like pixels on a screen. It’s not surprising that engineers often assume that “more pixels equals better vision.” After all, that is how monitors and phone screens work.In our n ...read more
China achieved a historic feat by bringing back the first-ever sample from the lunar far side in June 2024. It’s moon lander, Chang'e 6, used a robotic scoop and drill to collect approximately 5 pounds (2 kilograms) of rocks and soil. These samples came back to Earth on June 25, 2024.Chang'e 6 built off the accomplishments of two previous Chinese missions: Chang'e 4, which soft-landed on the far side of the Moon and used a rover to explore the surface, and Chang'e 5, which returned samples fro ...read more
Most grade school kids know that they can count tree rings to learn how long they lived. Biologists and forensic scientists count cementum rings (these microscopic structures encircle a tooth's root and vary in shade and thickness by season) in teeth for the same reason. Now, scientists have adapted the technique — but with high-powered X-ray imaging technology — and applied it to fossils hundreds of millions of years old. This method not only can pinpoint how long the fossilized creature li ...read more
One of the world’s great geophysical phenomena is the flow of warm water, and associated weather, from the Gulf of Mexico across the Atlantic towards western Europe. This flow is known as the Gulf Stream and the North Atlantic Drift and although huge in scale, it is merely a surface feature of a much bigger ocean process.As this current travels north, warm water evaporates, leaving the surface water saltier and denser. Then, as it reaches the Arctic, the water begins to cool and freeze, making ...read more
In 1940, American chemist Roger Adams isolated and identified CBD. Since then, scientists discovered that CBD is not psychoactive and have investigated CBS’s potential health and medical benefits. In recent years, this natural remedy has become increasingly popular as a sleep treatment. While the exact mechanism of how CBD works is still being studied, it’s likely that it leads to better sleep by addressing conditions that adversely affect sleep. What Is CBD?Cannabidiol, colloquially know ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine