Human

A new study examines the threat bacteria could pose to human space colonization. According to the findings, which were published in Astrobiology, Earthly bacteria can very well adapt to new locations better than humans can.This concern is highlighted by plans for future manned missions to Mars, and even data from the International Space Station has helped showcase just how adaptable bacteria can be to the realm beyond our own atmosphere.Despite all of the safety standards in place, there’s just no stopping…

Film: Monster (Japanese with English Subtitles)Cast: Sakura Ando, Eita Nagayama, Soya KurokawaDirector: Kore-eda HirokazuRating: 3.5/5Runtime: 127 mins Hirokazu Kore-eda’s film envisages different perspectives of behavior patterns exhibited by a so-called ‘problem’ child. It’s a superbly constructed narrative that explores the complexity in the use of words describing actions and how they have an imploding impact on the people they are targeted at. The filmmaker underlines the need for…

One of Waymo’s driverless cars collided with a cyclist in San Francisco this week because it apparently didn’t see the human until it was too late.Cops Pull Over Self-Driving CarAccording to a Waymo spokesperson:On February 6th at 17th Street and Mississippi Street in San Francisco, one of our vehicles was involved in a collision with a bicyclist. The Waymo vehicle was at a complete stop at a four-way intersection. An oncoming large truck progressed through the intersection in our direction and then at our turn to…

RoboChem is an autonomous benchtop platform for fast, accurate, and around-the-clock chemical synthesis. Credit: University of AmsterdamChemical researchers at the University of Amsterdam have created a self-operating chemical synthesis robot equipped with an AI-based machine-learning system, named ‘RoboChem’. This compact laboratory instrument surpasses human chemists in speed and precision, while also displaying a high level of ingenuity. As the first of its kind, it could significantly accelerate the chemical discovery…

Artificial intelligence and human thought both run on electricity, but that’s about where the physical similarities end. AI’s output arises from silicon and metal circuitry; human cognition arises from a mass of living tissue. And the architectures of these systems are fundamentally different, too. Conventional computers store and compute information in distinct parts of the hardware, shuttling data back and forth between memory and microprocessor. The human brain, on the other hand, entangles memory with processing,…

The increase in the productivity of stone tool cutting-edge (shown in white lines) did not occur before or at the beginning of Homo sapiens' wide dispersals in Eurasia but subsequently occurred after their initial dispersals, coinciding with the development of bladelet technology in the Early Upper Paleolithic. Credit: Reiko Matsushita A study led by researchers at the Nagoya University Museum in Japan may change how we…

The core of a good meme, beyond humor or creativity, is that kernel of relatability. Richard Dawkins, who coined the phrase meme, envisioned it as a viral idea that spread from person to person much like a virus. However, what he didn’t expect was the fact that much of this information would center around humor and that the internet is an incredibly potent vector for “infection.” Part of the appeal is that the ideas carried by the meme either focus on a shared experience or emotion or work with familiar information and…

Researchers have created the first functional 3D-printed brain tissue that can develop and form connections in the same way as real human brain tissue.This remarkable accomplishment by a team at the University of Wisconsin–Madison provides neuroscientists with a new tool for studying communication between brain cells and other parts of the human brain, potentially leading to better ways of treating diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's."It could change the way we look at stem cell biology, neuroscience, and the…

Researchers have used a novel technique to 3D print brain tissue whose cells developed into functional neurons that communicated with each other in a matter of weeks. They say the approach could be used to study healthy and unhealthy brains, test drugs, or simply observe how the brain develops.Creating an organ as close as possible to the real thing is essential for research exploring disease pathology and testing new drugs. The brain presents particular challenges, including the fact that neurons grown in the lab have to…

Last week, Elon Musk announced his brain-computer interface company, Neuralink, had implanted a device in a human for the first time. The company's PRIME study, approved by the US Food and Drug Administration last year, is testing a brain implant for “people with paralysis to control external devices with their thoughts”.In the past few years, Neuralink has faced investigation for mistreatment of lab animals and seen the departure of several company executives. Nevertheless, the PRIME trial is a significant milestone for…