The gas chromatograph, a ubiquitous scientific instrument used to separate and analyze different gasses, could learn a great deal from the cat’s nose, a new study says. As the first detailed study of the feline sniffer, it reveals a dual-channel system in the nose that the instrument could perhaps replicate.“We know so much about vision and hearing, but not so much about the nose. This work could lead to more understanding of the evolutionary pathways behind different nose structures, and th ...read more
Sea turtles are a staple to the ocean ecosystem. They can be found worldwide and play distinct roles in their environment. Sea turtles can live long lives and migrate great distances. They’ve even outlived the dinosaurs. Unfortunately, however, as long as their lives may be, all seven sea turtle species are threatened or endangered. Between predation and human activity, sea turtles often find themselves in distressing situations. Here are why sea turtles are in danger and how you can help the ...read more
Cotard’s syndrome, or Cotard’s delusion as it is often called, is a rare neuropsychiatric disorder in which a person believes they are dead, that they do not even exist, or sometimes that the world itself does not exist.The condition was described in 1880 by Jules Cotard, a French neurologist and psychiatrist. In a presentation to the Société Médico-Psychologique, Cotard reported the case of a 43-year-old patient who believed she had “no brain, nerves, chest or entrails, and was just ...read more
A new paper claims to have solved a long-outstanding mystery in neuroscience – how, exactly, do the cells of people with Huntington’s disease produce damaging amyloid proteins from other proteins in a game of maladaptive Lego?Amyloids accumulate in nerve cells, forming plaques that result in cell death and contribute to the progressive symptoms of Huntington’s. The disease that killed Woody Guthrie causes changes in mental state and problems with moving, speaking and breathing.The new rese ...read more
Yes, Einstein wrote something along the lines of “time is an illusion.” But it’s not altogether clear what Einstein meant — and to understand what he might have been saying, we must dig into the circumstances that caused him to write it.A Stubbornly Persistent IllusionA close friend of Einstein’s, Michele Besso, passed away in 1955. Only a month before his own death, Einstein wrote to Besso’s grieving family.His letter said, “Now he has departed from this strange world a little ahe ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine
