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Recent studies on Drosophila (fruit flies) reveal a promising approach to combat brain aging by regulating actin polymerization. Researchers found that an age-related accumulation of F-actin (filamentous actin) in the brain is linked to cognitive decline and shorter healthspan. By using interventions like diet, genetic modifications, and specific drugs to lower F-actin levels, scientists observed improved brain function and extended healthspan in the flies.
This breakthrough suggests that targeting the actin cytoskeleton could restore youth-like function in aging brains and potentially delay age-associated neurodegenerative changes. Could actin-modulating therapies be the next frontier in promoting brain health?
🔬 #BrainAging #Neuroscience #Actin
🚀 SpaceX to Attempt First-Ever Starship-to-Starship Refueling in March 2025
NASA has announced that SpaceX will conduct a groundbreaking test of orbital fuel transfer between two Starship spacecraft as early as March next year. This in-orbit refueling demonstration is crucial, as it could enable larger payload deliveries beyond Earth’s orbit and support future unmanned missions. Should the test succeed, SpaceX is set to land astronauts on the Moon in September 2026.
#SpaceX #Starship #NASA #SpaceExploration #OrbitalRefueling #MoonMission #FutureOfSpace #TechNews #Science
An ‘ice tsunami’ is often triggered by a sudden rise in temperature. As the ice begins to melt, it becomes more susceptible to movement, especially under the influence of strong winds.
These images capture the Amur River embankment in Khabarovsk / Russia 2021.
#IceTsunami #ClimateChange #ScienceNews #Khabarovsk #NaturePhenomena #AmurRiver #Meteorology #science
A Strong Contender for the Next Nobel Prize
The startup Iambic has made a breakthrough that surpasses Google DeepMind’s AlphaFold. While AlphaFold, the AI system developed by Google DeepMind, recently earned a Nobel Prize in Chemistry for predicting the 3D structure of how molecules bind to target proteins, this is just the beginning. It’s impressive but not enough to drastically reduce the time (10-15 years) and costs ($1-2.6 billion per drug) required to bring new medicines to market.
Iambic has taken it a step further by developing an AI model that predicts, with remarkable accuracy, how well a human body will absorb a specific drug candidate. The predictions are validated against real-world data, making it a promising tool for pharmaceutical development.
The success of a drug candidate depends on several key properties—pharmacokinetics, efficacy, and toxicity. These are exactly the factors predicted by Iambic’s AI-powered drug discovery platform called Enchant, which boasts a predictive accuracy of 0.74, compared to just 0.58 achieved by previous models.
The Enchant model could potentially cut the costs of drug development in half, allowing pharmaceutical companies to assess a drug’s potential success at the earliest stages of research.
To understand the significance of Iambic’s breakthrough, consider the vast competition in the “AI in Biomedicine” sector, where more than 8,600 companies are racing to unlock the next major innovation (as shown in the chart above). In the sub-segment of “AI-based Analytics Platforms for Drug Development” alone, the number of companies has grown fourfold in the last three years, now standing at 950 competitors (see the chart below).
#AI #DeepPharma #DrugDiscovery #Biotech #Pharmacology #AlphaFold
#science
A Jurassic-period colony of sea lilies, spanning nearly 100 square meters, has been uncovered! These ancient echinoderms were meticulously excavated by German paleontologists over 18 years. Now, you can marvel at this incredible fossil at the Urweltmuseum Hauff in Holzmaden.
#Paleontology #Fossils #SeaLilies #Jurassic #Echinoderms #ScienceNews #NaturalHistory #MuseumExhibit
#science
The United States receives more Nobel Prizes in science than the rest of the world combined. However, 43% of PhD holders in the U.S. were born abroad.
🌍🎓 #NobelPrize #Science #Education #Innovation #GlobalScience #Immigration #STEM @science
EngineAI Unveils SE01 Humanoid Robot with Natural Gait
The young Shenzhen-based startup EngineAI has announced a full-sized humanoid robot, SE01.
What sets SE01 apart is its unique biomechanics, offering smooth, natural movements with 12 degrees of freedom.
The development team consists of experts from UC Berkeley, Tsinghua University, and the Beijing Institute of Technology.
A friendly shoutout to everyone who used to laugh at awkwardly moving robots — the engineers in China have made their point loud and clear! 🤖
The real fear begins when these machines become indistinguishable from humans. Now imagine if it had the cognitive capabilities of Anthropic’s AI or a 1TB model within the next decade.
There might be no place left for humans — not in manufacturing, services, or even daily life.
#EngineAI #SE01 #robotics #China
Tyrannosaurus Rex vs. Emu Foot: Spot the Difference
In 2008, American scientists studied the fossilized remains of a Tyrannosaurus Rex and concluded that the closest living relatives of the mighty T-Rex are none other than ostriches and chickens. Evolution certainly knows how to surprise!
#ScienceFacts #TyrannosaurusRex #Paleontology #Evolution #Ostrich #Chickens #Dinosaurs #Emu #ScienceChannel #InterestingFacts #Science
🚀 The Largest Prime Number Ever Discovered!
The GIMPS project has identified the 52nd Mersenne prime, which is now the largest known prime number. This mathematical giant has the form and spans more than 40 million digits! The discovery was made possible through distributed computing, with thousands of volunteers worldwide contributing their computing power.
Think you can find the next record-breaking prime? Join the hunt and become a part of mathematical history!
🔗 Learn more at Mersenne.org
Why Men and Women Experience Pain Differently
It is well-known that men and women perceive pain and respond to analgesics in distinct ways.
A recent study involved 98 participants, both healthy individuals and those suffering from chronic lower back pain. They were trained in pain-relieving meditation techniques. Some participants received a high dose of naloxone—a drug that blocks opioid receptors—before meditating to improve their well-being.
In men, naloxone completely neutralized the pain-relieving effects of meditation. In contrast, for women, it even slightly enhanced the relief. Meditation showed significant benefits for participants with back pain who did not receive naloxone.
The study concludes that men rely on opioid receptors for pain relief, while women engage other biological mechanisms to manage pain.
#Science #PainResearch #GenderDifferences #Meditation #Neuroscience #Health
If you’re wondering, no, this isn’t a scene from the latest Alien movie.
What the fisherman is holding is a wolf eel, a fascinating creature found in the northern Pacific Ocean. It can grow up to 2.5 meters long!
Despite its fearsome appearance, the wolf eel mainly feeds on crustaceans and mollusks and rarely hunts fish.
#CheckThisOut #ScienceIsCool #OceanLife #WildCreatures
#science
The Fascinating Legacy of Red Hair in Europe: A Genetic Time Capsule
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📊 Survey Results: Geographic Distribution of Our Readers 🌍
We asked, and more than 2,000 of you responded! Here are the current results showing where our readers are located:
1️⃣ Central & South Asia (India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, etc.) - 26%
2️⃣ Western Europe (UK, France, Germany, Netherlands, etc.) - 11%
3️⃣ Eastern Europe & Russia (Russia, Ukraine, Poland, etc.) - 10%
4️⃣ North America (USA, Canada, Mexico) - 10%
5️⃣ Middle East & North Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Israel, etc.) - 10%
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7️⃣ Northern & Southern Europe (Sweden, Norway, Italy, etc.) - 8%
8️⃣ East & Southeast Asia (China, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, etc.) - 8%
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🔟 Australia & Oceania (Australia, New Zealand, etc.) - 2%
Thank you to everyone who participated! It’s amazing to see how diverse our community is. 🌏✨
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Scientists have developed a pill that could replace exercise and dieting.
The drug, called LaKe, activates muscle metabolism and improves endurance by mimicking the effects of prolonged physical activity.
Additionally, the pill reduces fat levels and provides other health benefits—much like running a 10-kilometer race.
Initial tests on mice have already shown positive results, and the next step will be human trials.
👍 — This is exactly what we need!
Money begets money, success begets success, and Nobels beget Nobels.
Believe it or not, according to Nature, 95% of Nobel laureates (702 out of 736) belong to a single vast academic family tree, a network that I reflects their academic “lineage.” This isn’t just biological; it’s about mentorship—one scientist guiding another, usually as an advisor or mentor. Only a rare few, just 32 laureates, somehow achieved the Nobel without being part of this formidable academic network (you can see them on the left side of the network diagram).
Inside this colossal network lie 33 generations of laureates, all tracing their academic roots back to one progenitor—Erasmus of Rotterdam (1466–1536). He pioneered a system of mentorship that laid the foundation for today’s structured guidance, where knowledge, skills, connections, and experience are passed from one scientist to another, often leading to the highest accolades in science, such as the Nobel.
Opinion:
Success in a scientific career is not so much a matter of talent and hard work, but of connections and prestige.
1. Mentorship is the key driver behind the rise of superstars.
2. Elite mentorship propels scientists to the highest echelons of success.
3. The most critical factor in elite career trajectories isn’t just talent, and it’s not mere luck. It’s specific luck: the luck of having the right mentor.
Thus, superstars are born through mentorship.
Now, after Nature’s publication, the “Mentor Effect” in the “science of success” has earned experimental validation.
Take note, parents and grandparents: where—and with whom—your children and grandchildren learn can shape their paths in ways you might never expect.
Here are some relevant hashtags for your post:
#Science #NobelPrize
🚀 China Successfully Tests Supersonic Passenger Jet
The Chinese company Space Transportation has completed successful tests on a passenger jet that can reach speeds of up to Mach 4—twice as fast as the iconic Concorde, which retired in 2003.
According to the company, this revolutionary jet could take passengers from Beijing to New York in just two hours. The first commercial flight is expected as early as 2027, promising a new era in high-speed travel.
#Aviation #SupersonicFlight #science
🚀 Boston Dynamics Unveils Impressive New Demo of Atlas Robot
Boston Dynamics recently released a fascinating video showcasing its humanoid robot, Atlas. In the demo, Atlas autonomously moves engine covers from one container to another—no remote control, no cheats, just pure automation. This subtle dig at other robotics initiatives, like Elon Musk’s Optimus, underscores Boston Dynamics’ commitment to genuine autonomy.
The demo is impressive: Atlas maintains stable mobility, performs complex tasks with minimal errors, and shows a clear capacity for “intelligent” actions. If this isn’t cherry-picking but a real demonstration of Atlas’s consistent capabilities, it might just be the most advanced humanoid robot in the world right now.
#BostonDynamics #AtlasRobot #HumanoidRobots #Robotics #ArtificialIntelligence #Automation #AI
#science
Water in Zero Gravity! 🚀
Astronaut Don Pettit demonstrates the wonders of microgravity by injecting dye into a floating water sphere aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Without gravity, the water takes on a perfect spherical shape, revealing the fascinating behavior of fluids in space. 🌌💧
#Science #Microgravity #FluidDynamics #ISS #Astronomy #Physics #DonPettit #ScienceIsCool #STEM #SpaceExploration
🇺🇸 Texas: A single hailstorm destroyed thousands of acres of solar panels, turning the land into a toxic waste site within minutes.
@science
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#Texas #Hailstorm #SolarPanels #EnvironmentalDisaster #ToxicWaste #ClimateImpact #RenewableEnergy #ExtremeWeather #Sustainability #ClimateChange #SolarEnergy #DisasterRecovery #GreenEnergy
A Strange Spider Within a Spider: Cyclosa’s Astonishing Decoy
Something large and bizarre, seemingly assembled from whatever was available – web threads, debris, and remnants – isn’t a creature of nightmares. It’s a decoy.
The real spider, much smaller (only about 5 mm), hides beneath the “abdomen” of its intimidating counterpart.
These clever decoys are crafted by spiders of the Cyclosa genus from the orb-weaver family (Araneidae). Typically, the real spider positions itself on the edge of the web, subtly pulling on the silk threads. This causes the fake spider to move, creating the illusion of a living, menacing predator from afar.
The decoy itself is a masterpiece of recycling. Cyclosa spiders construct it from leaf fragments, leftover egg sacs, and the desiccated bodies of previous victims. These creations serve as a diversion, tricking predators like paper wasps, birds, or lizards into attacking the decoy instead of the spider. This distraction gives the real spider precious time to escape.
There’s also a hypothesis that these web decorations attract more prey. Organic debris on the web hosts yeast-like fungi, which release chemicals that lure insects into the trap, increasing Cyclosa’s hunting success.
#Science #Biology #Arachnology #Spiders #Nature #Evolution #Insects #Survival #Decoy
Hydra Under the Microscope
The hydra preys on invertebrates, most often small crustaceans. It extends its tentacles, waiting patiently for its target. When the prey touches the tentacles, it is struck by the hydra’s stinging cells.
#Hydra #Microscopy #MarineBiology #Invertebrates #Zoology #Science
Photos of Earth Captured After the Launch of the “Hera” Probe
The first color images of Earth were taken from the Falcon 9 launch vehicle shortly after liftoff. Meanwhile, the black-and-white shots, where Earth appears small, were captured by the “Hera” probe itself from a staggering distance of 1.6 million kilometers.
#falcon
#space
#science
How Did the Term “Bug” Originate in Programming?
In 1947, operators of one of the earliest computers, the Mark II at Harvard University, encountered an unexpected issue: a moth had become trapped in one of the machine’s relays, causing it to malfunction.
The operators removed the insect and taped it into the technical logbook, noting that a “bug” (referring to the moth) had been found. From that point on, the term “bug” became synonymous with errors or glitches in programs and systems, firmly embedding itself in the language of computer science.
#ProgrammingHistory #ComputerScience #TechTrivia #SoftwareDevelopment #MarkII #BugOrigin
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Why should an organism, like the green crab spider (Diaea dorsata), have two eyes? In nature, eye number often evolves based on specific environmental and survival needs. Many spiders, for example, have multiple eyes (usually eight), allowing them to detect movement and focus on prey from various angles, even in low light.
In the case of this spider, its visual system with multiple eyes maximizes its ability to detect predators and prey across its environment, providing a critical survival advantage. So, while many creatures, including humans, have two eyes for a stereoscopic vision that enhances depth perception, spiders need a broader field of vision due to their predatory and defensive strategies.
In an image captured at 20x magnification by Pavel Blachowicz, this green crab spider, adorned with eyes, shows how evolution has tailored its visual apparatus for survival in its habitat.
Ocean Currents off the Coast of the Americas
This visualization was created using satellite imagery and ocean data collected by NASA. The green hues represent cooler temperatures, while the white, yellow, and red colors indicate warmer areas.
🌍 @science
The giant, perfectly circular area you’re referring to is indeed quite striking and often prompts imaginative explanations like alien activity. However, this circular shape is entirely man-made. It surrounds Mount Taranaki, an extinct stratovolcano in New Zealand, within a forest reserve whose borders were established by humans. The distinct boundary between the lush forest of the reserve and the surrounding farmlands creates this almost perfect circle visible from space. The reserve’s purpose is to protect the ecosystem around the volcano, and the contrast between the preserved forest and agricultural land results in the striking shape.
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Today, SpaceX successfully caught its Super Heavy booster for the first time using “mechanical arms.”
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Wow, those new Ilon Musk bots are awesome!
@science #robots