Everyone knows that maintaining a clean kitchen is essential for safe food preparation. Failing to properly sanitize utensils after use can lead to foodborne illnesses from bacterial growth. Alongside dish sponges, cutting boards — particularly those used for raw meat — are hotspots for bacteria.Instead of relying solely on human-devised cleaning methods to combat bacterial buildup, researchers turned to nature for solutions. They found inspiration in the antimicrobial properties of shark sk ...read more
For certain fishes, evolution is easy. After tracking the evolution of teeth in cichlid fishes from Africa, a team of researchers has found that these fishes have developed the ability to evolve rapidly, allowing them to adapt their teeth readily for different habitats and diets. This ability, the researchers report today in a study in Nature, helps these fishes split off into new species faster than any other fishes and, for that matter, any other vertebrates.“This changes the way we think ab ...read more
In the late ‘80s, a team of Soviet and West African archaeologists discovered an African rainforest site that had the potential to rewrite at least a chapter of human evolutionary history. Artifacts encased in several layers of sediment hinted that some early humans had settled and thrived there, during a time when it was thought that they evolved primarily on savannas. Almost nobody paid attention.There were three reasons. First, the group published its findings in Russian, which relatively f ...read more
Decoding Thoughts: AI Translates Brain Scans into TextHow useful it would be to know what the person standing next to you on the train was thinking. Or what your boss was going to offer as a pay rise or what a potential partner thought of you. This ability is entirely futuristic, of course. But the groundwork is being laid now. Various groups have demonstrated the ability to decode certain kinds of thoughts, particularly what people are looking at, based on functional MRI brain scan images. This ...read more
Our brain is constantly working to keep the body functioning and, therefore, requires the utmost protection. In addition to a thick skull, the blood-brain barrier (BBB), a natural protective membrane, prevents microscopic intruders such as toxins and pathogens from entering the nervous system.Unfortunately, this also limits medical treatment for neurological disorders, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, brain tumors, and ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). But recent developments in medica ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine