There’s a serious environmental impact on dogs, but owners can mitigate it
Analyzing the Complete Genome of Six Apes and Implications for the Future of Thermonuclear Accelerators
Researchers have studied the complete genomes of six ape species for more than two decades. An understanding of the apes’ genomes gives geneticists insights into the genetic factors that differentiate humans from our animal cousins. All six of the ape species that have been mapped are listed as either critically or extremely important for their survival. “I’ve never thought that this would be accomplished in my lifetime,” says evolutionary geneticist and study co-author Kateryna Makova.
After decades of research, physicists have demonstrated that, in principle, an alternative kind of particle accelerator can work just as well as more conventional designs. Many particle accelerators that power huge experiments like the Large Hadron Collider at CERN are radio-frequency accelerators, but they are large and limited in how strong their magnetic fields can be. The new work shows that accelerators that instead use plasma to accelerate particles could be a viable alternative and could be built at much smaller scales.
Tune in to Nature: How we can reduce our dog’s environmental footprint – Part I: Human brain cells for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease
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How we can reduce our dogs’ surprisingly large environmental footprint. The complete genomes of not one, but six ape species and the most detailed wiring diagram of a mammal’s brain are included in this.
Human brain cells engineered to evade detection by the immune system have successfully restored muscle control in a rat model of Parkinson’s disease. The altered genes acted as an immune cloak and were used to amplify the activity of stem cells. The nerve cells in the cells are suitable for treating Parkinson’s disease. The study is a step towards the development of a ‘universal’ cell line that can be transplanted into anyone, to cure a raft of conditions — from type 2 diabetes to blindness — without the need for anti-rejection drugs.
Source: Daily briefing: Dogs have a serious environmental impact — but owners can mitigate it
Artificial intelligence makes the world better: Why many people think it is important to take care of their own lives? The UK and UK – AI research findings reveal both optimism and disappointment
54% of 4,260 global researchers who responded to a survey believe that artificial intelligence (AI) will bring more benefits to society than risks. That makes them seemingly a lot more optimistic than the general public: for example, in a similar survey just 13% of the UK public shared the same rosy view. The two groups’ views were more aligned on the technology’s role in disinformation, data use and cybercrime: 77% of researchers and 68% of the UK public said that AI makes misinformation a problem. The survey’s most striking finding is that fewer than one-third of AI scientists think that the technologies should be developed as quickly as possible, says Robert Trager, director of the Oxford Martin AI Governance Initiative. It seems like they want a more considered approach to development.
The estimated energy that data centres will use in 2030 — roughly equivalent to the current annual electricity consumption of Japan and more than twice as much as today — mostly because of power-hungry artificial intelligence systems. (Nature | 3 min read)
The development of a class of drugs that work by inducing sleep has been seen over the past decade. Sucuronexant, Lemborexant, and daidorexant have been approved for use in the United States. “The beauty of it is it does nothing but block the stimulation of wakefulness,” says neurologist Joe Herring.
DORA therapies are available in a few countries, but they are not available to many people who could benefit from them. “I’m aware that each pill I pop before bed is about the same price as ordering a fancy cocktail,” writes journalist Rachel Nuwer, who is trying the treatment after learning about it while reporting the story.
Source: Daily briefing: Dogs have a serious environmental impact — but owners can mitigate it
The 3D Brain Wiring Diagram of a Mouse: A Product of the MICrONS Project and its First Published Nature Methods Paper
The authors write that their beloved dogs have a greater effect on wildlife and the environment than we like to think. Pets attack wildlife, disturb habitats with their scent and droppings, shed toxic flea treatments, consume vast amounts of meat and produce equivalent volumes of waste. But dog owners can do a lot to ameliorate these downsides, Bateman says. He suggests that if you follow leash laws, don’t let your dog chase animals, pick up your poo, and buy sustainable dog food.
The wiring diagram of a mouse’s brain is the most detailed so far, and was created by mapping cells in a tiny part of the brain. The high-resolution 3D map contains more than 200,000 brain cells, around 82,000 of which are neurons. It also includes more than 500 million of the neuronal connection points called synapses and more than 4 kilometres of neuronal wiring, all found in a tiny block of tissue in a brain region involved in vision. (Nature | 5 min read)
The map is the result of the Machine Intelligence from Cortical Networks (MICrONS) project, who described their work in a package of eight papers published in Nature and Nature Methods.
Researchers have created the largest-ever 3D map of a mouse’s brain, and have described their work in a package of eight papers published in Nature and Nature Methods. The high-resolution 3D map contains more than 200,000 brain cells, around 82,000 of which are neurons. The wiring diagram of a mouse’s brain is the most detailed so far.