Apocalypse? Nah! Part I – future tense

I miss the honky-tonks, Dairy Queens and 7-Elevens. (You've got it, you've got it.) And as things fell apart, nobody paid much attention.I've had this song running through my head for a few days. It's...

journals.biologists.com

I’m a neuroscientist. Here’s why our brains need pop concerts | Bala Subramaniam

Attending a Nick Jonas show with my kids was an invitation to experience ‘collective effervescence’ – a healing, shared experience

theguardian.com

No, Artificial Intelligence Is Not Conscious

Taken to its logical conclusion, this line of thinking is absurd—and damning.  

theatlantic.com

Does AI already have human-level intelligence? The evidence is clear

The vision of human-level machine intelligence laid out by Alan Turing in the 1950s is now a reality. Eyes unclouded by dread or hype will help us to prepare for what comes next.

nature.com

‘If I think about what this means, I want to cry’: what happens when a city loses its university?

When Essex University’s Southend campus opened, it was a message of hope for a ‘left behind’ UK seaside town. Its closure will be felt far beyond its 800 students, some of whom will not get their degr...

theguardian.com

A genetically encoded device for transcriptome storage in mammalian cells

Understanding how cells make decisions over time requires the ability to link past molecular states to future phenotypic outcomes. We present TimeVault, a genetically encoded system that records and s...

science.org

‘A bombshell’: doubt cast on discovery of microplastics throughout human body

Exclusive: Some scientists say many detections are most likely error, with one high-profile study called a ‘joke’ High-profile studies reporting the presence of microplastics throughout the human body have been thrown into doubt by scientists who say the discoveries are probably the result of contamination and false positives. One chemist called the concerns “a bombshell”. Studies claiming to have revealed micro and nanoplastics in the brain, testes, placentas, arteries and elsewhere were reported by media across the world, including the Guardian. There is no doubt that plastic pollution of the natural world is ubiquitous, and present in the food and drink we consume and the air we breathe. But the health damage potentially caused by microplastics and the chemicals they contain is unclear, and an explosion of research has taken off in this area in recent years. Continue reading...

theguardian.com

Stable isotope labelling kinetics of neurofilament light

Leckey et al. report novel measures of neurofilament light chain kinetics in the human central nervous system using stable isotope labelling. Translation o

academic.oup.com

High-fat food reinforces risk taking by suppressing defensive neurons

This study by de Araujo Salgado and Krashes reveals how high-fat diets suppress defensive neural circuits, driving riskier foraging in the presence of predation. The findings highlight how high-fat fo...

cell.com

New ‘PLAMseq’ method revolutionizes the study of genome proteins

A team at CABIMER has developed PLAMseq, a technique that for the first time enables the simultaneous identification of chromatin-associated proteins and their precise genomic locations within a singl...

eurekalert.org

Ireland, Spain and the Netherlands to boycott Eurovision 2026 as Israel cleared to compete

Decision not to hold vote on Israel’s participation comes in spite of several broadcasters calling for its exclusion Ireland, Spain and the Netherlands will boycott next year’s Eurovision after Israel was given the all-clear to compete in next year’s song contest in spite of several participating broadcasters calling for its exclusion. At the general assembly of the European Broadcasting Union, the body that organises the hugely popular international annual singing competition, no vote on Israel’s participation was held. Continue reading...

theguardian.com

Interview with Professor Giampietro Schiavo

ABSTRACT. Giampietro Schiavo is a Professor of Cellular Neuroscience, Deputy Director for strategy at Queen Square Institute of Neurology, academic lead of the Alzheimer Research UK Drug Discovery Ins...

journals.biologists.com

‘We can leave knowing we left a mark’: how Corsica Studios transformed London nightlife – and why it’s closing

The beloved south London club has announced it will shut next year as redevelopment of the site goes ahead. Founder Adrian Jones, DJs and promoters look back

theguardian.com

In a first, a gene therapy seems to slow Huntington disease

Small study suggests uniQure drug could be first successful treatment for devastating brain disorder

scim.ag

Better together: researchers discover how cells keep groups of proteins in check

Researchers have discovered a new biological process that they’ve called ‘interstasis’, a way for cells to promote the equilibrium of functionally-related proteins, preventing too many from accumulati...

crick.ac.uk

Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy and Children’s Risk of Autism, ADHD, and Intellectual Disability

This nationwide cohort study with sibling control analysis examines the association of acetaminophen use during pregnancy with children’s risk of autism, ADHD, and intellectual disability.

jamanetwork.com

Pure bloodlines? Ancestral homelands? DNA science says no. — Harvard Gazette

Geneticist explains recent analyses made possible by tech advances show human history to be one of mixing, movement, displacement.

news.harvard.edu

Step back and take it in: the US is entering full authoritarian mode | Jonathan Freedland

Trump’s dictator-like behaviour is so brazen, so blatant, that paradoxically, we discount it. But now it’s time to call it what it is, says Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland

theguardian.com

Collapse of critical Atlantic current is no longer low likelihood, study finds

Scientists say ‘shocking’ discovery shows rapid cuts in carbon emissions are needed to avoid catastrophic fallout The collapse of a critical Atlantic current can no longer be considered a low-likelihood event, a study has concluded, making deep cuts to fossil fuel emissions even more urgent to avoid the catastrophic impact. The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (Amoc) is a major part of the global climate system. It brings sun-warmed tropical water to Europe and the Arctic, where it cools and sinks to form a deep return current. The Amoc was already known to be at its weakest in 1,600 years as a result of the climate crisis. Continue reading...

theguardian.com

The Democrats are in deep trouble in the US – and Labour is on the way to joining them | Nesrine Malik

When millions of once-loyal supporters become disillusioned with a party, there can only be one result: electoral disaster, says Guardian columnist Nesrine Malik

theguardian.com