Information & Communication

Neurogenesis is a central issue in neuroscience. It is the process by which new brain cells grow to replace the ones that have died. Many scientists have devoted their careers to studying this area of science - when and how it occurs, and sometimes, whether it happens at all.

This could sound like something from a horror-fantasy movie script - Viral, bacterial and mammalian genes have combined to create an animal that needs to feed on blood! However, seen from another perspective, this is the fascinating tale of how evolution has acted on a species of the bat so that it can exploit one of the most niche food sources ever.

In the field of science and technology, every action has a reaction. It is in this way, we, as a generation, move forward. The city of Atlanta, a few months ago, had experienced a ransomware cyberattack that paralyzed its government. The attack had a direct effect on access to government websites causing approximately 6 million people to be affected. There are still ongoing efforts to get these critical systems back online.

“On tap at the brewpub. A nice dark red color with a nice head that left a lot of lace on the glass. Aroma is of raspberries and chocolate. Not much depth to speak of despite consisting of raspberries. The bourbon is pretty subtle as well. I really don’t know that find a flavor this beer tastes like. I would prefer a little more carbonization to come through.

Many of us judge the freshness of foods by their appearance or smell. This works for most un-refined foods we can buy and that are found in nature. However, in the case of packaged foods, we are often reduced to using the best-before dates printed on the outside of boxes or bottles. Consumers may regard these dates as accurate and reliable, but the truth is that they can be a little arbitrary. This may lead to food waste whether the products in question are in fact edible or not.

The global technology market is ever-evolving, and companies have not shied away from implementing them in workplaces. Amazon too has been working to create and patent a wristband system, to keep an eye on their workers in the huge warehouses and optimize the work.

Science shows that our electrochemical brain can potentially generate about 10 or more watts of power. This electrical activity can be represented in the form of brainwaves, of which humans have five types — gamma, beta, alpha, theta and delta. The categories range from highest (when the brain is aroused) to lowest activity levels (during dreamless sleep).

Microglia are cells thought to make up about 10% of the brain. Despite their lack of neuronal function, they are seen as quite important to normal neurological health and function.

The condition associated with Trypanosoma brucei is known as sleeping sickness, where affected humans tend to want to sleep during the day rather than the night. Patients with this condition also exhibit altered patterns of body temperature and endocrine functions. Their activities gradually shift through the morning, which, in turn, increases the body's drive to go to sleep at the "end" of that day.

A specimen found in the Atacama Desert over ten years ago rocked the internet with many wild theories about its origins and how such a creature came to be on Earth. These remains were skeletal and had a mostly humanoid form. However, it was also only about six inches long and had an elongated skull with an abnormal ridge. Its eye sockets were also stretched out of normal human proportions.

The 47th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Dental Research (AADR) is currently taking place in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and has already turned out some interesting new findings. For example, one presentation indicates that certain types of bone damage can be healed using a form of 3D printing. The project being showcased in this instance is intended to address skull bone defects, which are difficult to treat with conventional surgery.

Nanowires are short, thin rods of material such as gallium arsenide that are present at the sub-micrometric scale. They are grown on substrates such as silicon wafers in a way that resembles molecular self-assembly. Understanding this process is also key to controlling and modulating it. These abilities would mean scientists could create their own custom nanowires, which could be beneficial to numerous areas of science and technology.