Tag Archives: determine

How to Determine the X and V Coordinates of the Moon: A Comprehensive Guide

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Discover the Moon’s X: Captured from Tokyo in February 2025

Credit: Yomiuri Shimbun/AP Images/Alamy

Nearly a decade ago, my excitement surged as I captured my first telescope photo of the Moon. With a makeshift setup, I clumsily held my phone camera up to the eyepiece. After a few shaky attempts, I got a clear snapshot of the lunar surface, and shared it online with pride.

Unbeknownst to me, I had clicked the picture during a brief 4-6 hour window each month when fascinating features known as Moon’s X and V could be visible.

These lunar marks are optical illusions, revealing themselves only when sunlight strikes the rims of specific craters during the Moon’s waxing phase, perfectly aligned along the terminator.

The Moon’s X forms a bright X shape, illuminated by sunlight on the edges of three craters: La Caillou, Blanquinus, and Pulbach. Similarly, the V shape comes to life as sunlight hits the Ukert crater and nearby smaller craters.

To witness the Moon’s X and V, a telescope is essential. However, timing is crucial. The visibility of these features varies globally and is influenced by your local time zone.

The next waxing moon occurs at 5 AM GMT on January 26th. However, residents in the UK may miss it as the Moon will be below the horizon then. The best viewing opportunity on the evening of January 25th will be in New York, where the first quarter appears around midnight, enabling visibility of X and V from about 10 PM to 2 AM. In places like Sydney, the daytime blocks visibility as the first quarter falls around 3 PM local time.

For the best chance to view the Moon’s captivating X’s and V’s, ensure you’re gazing at a waxing moon during optimal hours, preferably when it’s high in the night sky. Tools like Stellarium can help you track the Moon’s visibility on specific dates.

Mark your calendars for upcoming first quarter events on February 24th, March 25th, and April 24th-25th. If you’re in the UK, you might want to target March 25th as it aligns well with evening visibility around 7 PM local time.

Understanding the intricacies that must align for the Moon’s X and V to appear, I feel fortunate to have captured my first lunar photo during such a special moment.

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Abigail Beer is the feature editor of New Scientist and author of The Art of Urban Astronomy. Follow me on Twitter @abbybeall

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Source: www.newscientist.com

How to Determine if Your Fatigue is Truly Caring Fatigue

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The concept of “compassion fatigue” was initially introduced in relation to nurses who provide care, demonstrate compassion, and occasionally witness traumatic events.

Compassion fatigue consists of two main aspects: emotional exhaustion and potential secondary trauma from observing the suffering of others.

Moreover, it isn’t limited to nurses; individuals in caring and related professions—those who must engage emotionally with others—are also vulnerable. Even outside professional settings, if you invest considerable emotional energy into supporting someone else and witness their pain, you may be at risk.

Research conducted on nurses has shown that compassion fatigue manifests in at least two primary forms.

First, it can present as a sort of emotional numbness (think of it as a defensive reaction to shield yourself from complete emotional exhaustion).

Secondly, it can lead to physical symptoms, which can include stomach issues, fatigue, and sleep disturbances.

A 2022 study featuring interviews with nurses yielded particularly noteworthy insights. For instance, one nurse described compassion fatigue as “a distinct type of exhaustion—cloudy, profound, like being enveloped in clouds or experiencing the fatigue of a hangover.”

Another nurse remarked about the emotional paralysis saying: “It’s akin to being a foil-covered person, deflecting everything… what is shared never truly reaches me… it just bounces off.”

Unfortunately, studies indicate that compassion fatigue can lead to a kind of façade. While one might outwardly appear caring and empathetic, internally, they may not genuinely feel these emotions.

This disconnection can be distressing and further intensify feelings of fatigue.

It can lead to questioning your own values (for instance, if I aspire to be a compassionate individual, why do I feel less concern for this person?).

The notion of “compassion fatigue” emerged in the context of nurses who provide care, compassion, and empathy – Credit: Getty Images

On a positive note, there is emerging research, though of varying quality, aimed at addressing and overcoming compassion fatigue.

A primary approach is to practice self-compassion, which involves allocating time for self-care and stepping back from the responsibilities of caring for others. This could include activities like walking in nature, practicing mindfulness, exercising, reading, watching television, or socializing with friends.

While this may sound straightforward, it can be challenging when you’re feeling emotionally depleted. A useful technique is to visualize the self-care advice you would give to a valued friend and apply that same counsel to yourself.

This article responds to the inquiry (from Yvonne Tevlin via email) “How can I overcome compassion fatigue?”

If you have questions, please email us at Question @sciencefocus.com or send a message Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram (please include your name and location).

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com

OpenAI Discusses Share Sale Talks to Determine Pricing for Elon Musk’s SpaceX

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OpenAI is reportedly discussing the sale of shares held by current and former employees, a move that could value the company at an astonishing $50 trillion, surpassing Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

As the deal advances, the valuation of the ChatGPT developer is expected to rise by nearly two-thirds from its current $300 million (£22.5 billion).

Currently, Musk’s Rocket Company is valued at $3.5 trillion and is nearing a price tag of $400 million with new investments.

According to Bloomberg, which first reported on the talks, existing investors such as Thrive Capital approached OpenAI about acquiring shares from employees. Other backers of the San Francisco-based OpenAI include SoftBank, which led the $300 million funding round, and Microsoft.

Both OpenAI and Thrive Capital have chosen not to comment on the matter.

Tech startups frequently organize employee stock sales to boost motivation among staff and attract investors.

OpenAI faces competitive challenges from Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta in retaining key personnel, and employee stock sales could serve as incentives for retention. Facebook’s parent company has been actively recruiting OpenAI employees to develop its “Superintelligence” unit.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman noted that despite Meta offering a staggering $100 million (£74 million) signing bonus, “none of our top talent” has left.

Another competitor, HumanAI, founded by former OpenAI employees, is reportedly in talks to raise funds that would value the company at $170 billion. Funding is crucial for AI startups aiming to leverage expensive computer chips and data center resources to train more advanced models that enhance their products.

This report emerges as Altman mentioned that OpenAI is set to unveil an upgraded version of its ChatGPT model. He shared a screenshot on Sunday that appeared to showcase the latest AI model, GPT-5, on social media.

OpenAI also launched two new open models recently, which intensify competition against Meta and China’s DeepSeek, offering open AI models that can be freely downloaded and customized.

“This model is the outcome of a multi-billion dollar research initiative aimed at making AI accessible to the widest audience possible,” Altman stated.

However, OpenAI primarily operates on a “closed” model, meaning you’ll need to pay for an enhanced version of ChatGPT or subscribe to integrate that model into your business.

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OpenAI operates as a profitable nonprofit organization and is still engaged in negotiations to transition into a for-profit model, amidst ongoing tensions with Microsoft.

In a June interview with the New York Times podcast, Altman acknowledged, “There certainly are points of tension in deep partnerships, and we are experiencing some of that.”

In March, a U.S. judge dismissed a request for a preliminary injunction by Musk to halt the shift toward an open commercial model. Musk, co-founder of OpenAI in 2019, left the organization the same year, criticizing it for deviating from its founding mission of advancing artificial intelligence for the greater good, rather than for profit.

Additionally, OpenAI is advancing its hardware segment after acquiring the startup IO, founded by iPhone designer Sir Jony Ive, in a $6.4 billion deal. Altman reportedly informed employees that OpenAI is developing a 100 million AI “people” intended to become integral to users’ daily experiences.

Although Altman describes the prototype as “the most exciting technology the world has ever seen,” mass production of the unknown IO device isn’t expected to commence until 2027.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Scientists Determine the Age of a Stellar Row in the Center of a Galaxy – Sciworthy

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Galaxies are groups of stars held together by gravitational forces. Most galaxies originated in the first 200 million years after the Big Bang and have transformed over approximately 14 billion years. Early galaxies formed as aggregates of stars that clustered around the center of mass. In the youth of the universe, galaxies were in close proximity, exerting gravitational pull on one another. As the universe expands, the distances between galaxies have grown, reducing their interactions. They have remained far apart, allowing for internal development over billions of years.

Astronomers categorize galaxies based on their current shapes. Those resembling the Milky Way are termed spiral, while circular or oval-shaped ones are called elliptical. Galaxies that fall between spiral and elliptical forms are referred to as lenticular, and any that do not fit into these categories are labeled irregular. Over 75% of galaxies identified by astronomers are spiral in nature. If a spiral galaxy features prominent bars of stars and dust through its center, researchers classify it further as a barred spiral galaxy.

About 60% of spiral galaxies, including the Milky Way, exhibit galactic bars, designating them as barred spiral galaxies. These bars also serve as nurseries for star formation and are catalysts for the galaxy’s evolution. However, astronomers understand that galaxies do not inherently begin with these bars, prompting further investigation into the formation processes and timelines of these features.

This diagram illustrates the galactic classification system developed by 20th-century astronomer Edwin Hubble. The galaxy marked with the “E” label represents elliptical galaxies, while S0 indicates lenticular galaxies. The other “S” labels refer to spiral galaxies, with those labeled “SB” denoting a spiral structure. “Hubble tuning fork diagram” by cosmogoblin is licensed under CC0 1.0.

An international team of scientists researched the formation of bars in 20 galaxies near the Milky Way using advanced analytical techniques developed over the last four years. They gathered data from the TIMER space investigation, focused on the light emission patterns known as spectra from stars near the centers of these galaxies. The TIMER survey utilized the Very Large Telescope in Chile, equipped with a multi-unit spectroscopic explorer called MUSE.

The team initially struggled to obtain spectra for individual stars within these galaxies. As a reference, the closest galaxy studied was 7 megaparsecs away, approximately 23 million light years, or 130 million miles. Individual stars are too diminutive to distinguish at such distances, even with the most precise instruments.

To overcome this challenge, the team analyzed the spectra of stars within two concentric rings representing different regions at the centers of these galaxies. The inner ring comprised stars strictly within the bars of the galaxy, corresponding to an area known as the nuclear disk, while the outer ring included both inner and outer stars of the bar, referred to as the main disk.

They subtracted the spectrum of the stars in the inner ring from that of the outer ring, yielding two distinct light patterns: one for stars within the bar and another for stars outside of it. By treating the combined patterns of each ring as representative of typical stars in those regions, they could estimate the age of individual stars and ascertain when they formed. Past astrophysical models suggest that galaxy bars enhance the star formation rate around their centers. Hence, the team inferred the formation timing of galaxy bars as stars began to form more rapidly within those structures.

With this innovative approach, they estimated the age range for the 20 galaxies studied, with an error margin of approximately 1.5 billion years. Among their sample, the galaxy that formed bars most recently was 800 million years old. Out of the 20 galaxies, 14 formed bars approximately 7.5 billion years ago or later, while the remaining six galaxies established bars around 9.5 billion years ago, with the oldest estimates dating back 13.5 billion years. In contrast to earlier predictions, they found that larger galaxies do not necessarily possess older bars.

From the diverse ages of the bars observed, the team concluded that the formation of galaxy bars is an ongoing process in the cosmos. Their methodology provides astrophysicists with a means of gaining deeper insights into the dynamics of the early universe and the interactions between ancient galaxies, which connect to their present forms. By doing so, future research teams can establish a refined timeline for the universe and identify changes in how dominant forces have shaped galaxies, from their interactions to their internal structuring.


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Source: sciworthy.com

Physicists at Catlin determine the maximum weight of neutrinos

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Physicists of the Karlsrue Tritium Neutrino (Catlin) experiment have reported so far the most accurate measurement of the upper mass limit of neutrinos, establishing it as 0.45 electron volts (EV), less than a millionth of the electron mass.

Interior view of the main spectrometer of catrin. Image credit: M. Zacher/Katrin Collaboration.

Neutrinos are the most abundant particles in the universe and exist as three different types or flavors: Electron Neutrino, Muon Neutrino, and Tau Neutrino.

These flavors vibrate. In other words, a single neutron can be converted to each type when it moves, providing compelling evidence that neutrinos have masses that contradict the original assumptions of massless neutrinos in the standard model.

But their exact mass remains one of the great mysteries of particle physics.

in New paper In the journal Sciencethe physicists from the Catlin collaboration present the results of the first five measurement campaigns of the Catlin experiment.

“The catrin experiment determines the mass of neutrinos by analyzing the beta decay of tritium,” they explained.

“During this decay, the neutrons are converted into protons, releasing both electron and electron antioxidant, the latter being neutrino antiparticles.”

“We can infer the mass of neutrinos by analyzing the distribution of total disintegration energy between the emitted electrons and the electron antioxidants.”

For 259 days between 2019 and 2021, Catlin physicists measured approximately 36 million electrons of energy. This is a dataset of 6 times the previous run.

The findings establish the strictest laboratory base upper limit for effective electron neutrino masses and place them below 0.45 eV at a 90% confidence level.

This result shows a third improvement in the mass limit of neutrinos, and doubles the previous limit.

“For this result, we analyzed five measurement campaigns. The total data collection from 2019 to 2021 is about a quarter of the total data expected from Catlin,” said Dr. Catlin Valerius, one of the two co-spokemens for the Catlin experiment and a physicist at the Karl-Thru Institute.

“In each campaign, we gained new insights and further optimized the experimental conditions,” said Dr. Suzanne Mertens, a physicist at the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics and the Institute of Technology Munich.

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Max Aker et al. (Catlin collaboration). 2025. Direct neutrino mass measurements based on 259 days of catrin data. Science 388 (6743): 180-185; doi: 10.1126/science.adq9592

Source: www.sci.news

Fish use mirrors to assess their size and determine their likelihood of winning a confrontation

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Bluestreak Cleaner checking himself out in the mirror

Osaka Metropolitan University

Before deciding whether to fight another fish, wrasse look at their own reflection in the mirror to gauge their size.

Blue Streak Cleaner Lass (Loveroid) are astonishingly bright. This finger-sized coral reef fish is the first to pass the mirror test, a common assessment of whether an animal can recognize its own body and not another animal in a mirror. Researchers discovered that these wrasses use their own reflection to build an image of their own body size and compare it to others.

beginning, Taiga Kobayashi Researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University in Japan conducted an experiment to see if fish were willing to attack. They held up images of different wrasses, each 10 percent larger or smaller than the real fish, against the glass wall of an aquarium. Regardless of the size of the model fish in the photo, the territorial wrasses put up a fight.

The researchers then repeated the test with additional mirrors, and the fish saw their own reflection in the mirror, but when the researchers held up pictures of larger or smaller wrasses on the glass plate, the fish chose to fight only the smaller rivals.

“This was unexpected, as this fish has always been known to be aggressive towards rivals, regardless of its size,” Kobayashi says.

Because the tanks are partitioned, the wrasses can't see both themselves and pictures of rival fish at the same time, so the scientists think the fish must be comparing the pictures to a mental approximation of their own size.

How did wrasses develop this ability, given that they evolved in an environment without mirrors? In both the lab and in the wild, it's advantageous for fish to know the size of their opponent before fighting, Kobayashi says. In other words, the fish were smart enough to use the mirror as a decision-making tool.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

NASA to determine astronauts’ return method on Boeing spacecraft within two weeks

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Should NASA opt to utilize SpaceX for the return journey, Wilmore and Williams would be required to stay aboard the space station for an additional six months.

SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft is set to launch a new crew to the orbital outpost in September on a mission named Crew 9. NASA has announced a change in plans to send only two astronauts instead of the initial four, and could potentially use the available seats to bring back Wilmore and Williams at the conclusion of Crew 9 in February.

Under this scenario, the Starliner spacecraft would return to Earth without one crew member, as stated by NASA.

Bowersox mentioned on Wednesday that no decisions have been made as yet, but NASA must soon finalize a plan to manage the space station’s resources and ensure smooth operations in orbit.

“We’re approaching a point where a decision needs to be made by the end of August, potentially even earlier,” he explained.

The launch of Wilmore and Williams marked the first crewed test flight of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. This mission was intended to serve as a critical final test before NASA grants approval for Boeing to conduct regular trips to and from the International Space Station.

However, in June, five of Starliner’s thrusters malfunctioned as the spacecraft was nearing the space station, leading to a delay in the rendezvous and docking process. Helium leakage was detected from the capsule’s propulsion system during the flight. Mission managers were already aware of this issue prior to Starliner’s launch into orbit, but stated that it was unlikely to impact the mission or the astronauts’ safety.

Joe Acaba, astronaut office chief at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, stated that astronauts undergo training for potential contingencies, including accidents that could result in an extended stay in space.

While in orbit, Wilmore and Williams utilize their free time to conduct scientific experiments and assist the space station’s crew with maintenance work.

Acaba mentioned that the duo are kept informed about NASA’s decision-making process, but ultimately must rely on the expertise of engineers and mission managers on the ground.

“They will adhere to our directives. That’s their duty as astronauts,” Acaba affirmed.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

The simplest, scientifically supported method to determine if you are drinking adequate water

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In the UK, the NHS recommends 6 to 8 cupsThe Harvard Medical School recommends drinking 1.2 liters of fluid per day, and points out that you should also get some fluid from the food you eat. 4-6 cups per dayBut it's the more extreme advice – drinking two litres of water a day – that has taken off online.

In 2016, the idea that getting most of your hydration from water is beneficial was debunked by Dr Stuart Galloway, an associate professor of physiology, kinesiology, and nutrition at the University of Stirling. His research showed that a range of drinks, including diuretic drinks such as lager and instant coffee, It did not promote additional fluid loss compared to drinking normal amounts of water..

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But because everyone has a different body type, diet, and activity level, and different environments (hot, dry, humid, etc.), it's impossible to really say how much everyone needs to drink. Most people can tell if they need more water by feeling thirsty, but this desire weakens as we age. If in doubt, for the majority of adults, the number of times you go to the bathroom can be a useful indicator of adequate hydration, says Galloway.

“It takes into account differences in fluid loss due to environment and activity level, as well as changes in fluid intake. A good rule of thumb is that if your fluid intake is adequate, you'll be going to the bathroom four to six times in a typical day.”

If you're peeing more than six times, you're overdoing it, if you're peeing less than four times, you probably need to drink more water.

“This method has some drawbacks, including influences such as changes in kidney function with age, certain medications, or ingredients in different drinks that can affect urine concentration and volume,” he warns. “So this is a rough rule of thumb rather than a precise guide.”

Urine color can also be helpful, he says, with a similar caveat: “For best results, don't rely on a single marker, but evaluate them in combination.”

About our expert, Dr Stuart Galloway

Dr Galloway is Professor of Exercise Physiology at the University of Stirling. He is also Group Leader of the University's Physiology, Exercise and Nutrition Research Group and has published over 90 peer-reviewed research articles, review articles, and book chapters. His research focuses on human nutrition and exercise metabolism, and fluid and electrolyte balance.

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Brain activity can be used by AI to determine a child’s gender

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Activity within brain networks appears to differ between boys and girls

People Images/Getty Images

Artificial intelligence can now distinguish the brain patterns of 9- to 10-year-old boys and girls according to their sex and even gender, but not everyone is convinced of the accuracy of the results.

The prevalence of pain, headaches, heart disease, and other illnesses Varies by genderHowever, little is known about neurological variation in this regard or among sexes, particularly among children.

You can learn more and Elvisha Damara Researchers at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in New York analyzed thousands of sets of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data from more than 4,700 children, roughly equal in gender, all aged 9 to 10, who were participating in the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development Project.

Sex was defined based on “anatomical, physiological, genetic and hormonal structures at birth,” while gender was determined based on “an individual's attitudinal, emotional and behavioral characteristics.”

Parents weren't asked directly about their thoughts about their child's gender, but were assessed with a series of questions, such as how often their child imitates male or female characters on TV or in movies, whether they wanted to be a girl or a boy, whether they said they disliked their genitals, etc. All these questions were weighted equally and combined into a score.

A separate score was created from questions that asked the children themselves, such as whether they felt like a boy or a girl.

The researchers did not disclose the different genders the children identified as, or how many of the children had a gender that was different from their own gender. “We thought of gender as a continuum, not a binary,” Damala said. “We did not limit our analysis to gender categories, so we cannot comment on how many children had a gender that was different from their own gender.”

The researchers first looked at the relationship between brain networks and sex, and then looked at the relationship between these networks and sex for each assigned sex. They found that sex and gender differences were associated with distinct patterns of functional connectivity, a measure of communication between distant brain regions.

Gender was associated with connectivity between the visual cortex, which controls movement, and the limbic system, a group of deep brain structures involved in regulating emotion, behavior, motivation, and memory. These networks were “important in distinguishing participants based on their gender,” Damala said.

Gender-related networks were widespread throughout the cerebral cortex (the outer layer of the brain that is also associated with memory, movement, sensation and problem solving), both when using gender scores constructed from responses to parental questions and when using separate scores constructed by asking questions of the children themselves.

“In assigned females, sex mapped to networks involved in attention, emotion processing, motor control, and higher-order thinking,” Damala says. “In assigned males, the same relationships existed, but there were additional networks involved in higher-order thinking and visual processing. Although there was some overlap between sex- and gender-related brain networks, they were very distinct from each other.”

Once the researchers trained an AI model on some of the MRI data, it was able to identify a child's gender based on brain connectivity patterns in other datasets. It could also predict gender, but this was much less accurate and was based solely on the gender reported by parents, not the child themselves.

A better understanding of how brain activity patterns differ by sex could help scientists learn more about conditions that affect boys and girls at different rates, such as ADHD, Damala said.

The findings could also have implications for how human brain research is conducted, she says: “This shows that sex and gender need to be considered separately in biomedical research. This applies to how data is collected, how it is analyzed, and how results are interpreted and communicated,” Damala says.

but Ragini Verma The University of Pennsylvania researcher says the study tells us little about the neurological basis of gender. Because of the study's large sample size, the team was likely only able to find signals of different brain activity patterns between the sexes, but “any variability in gender predictions is based on low precision,” she says.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Ongoing investigations to determine the reasons behind the rise of colorectal cancer in young individuals.

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Number of people under 50 diagnosed with colorectal cancer has been increasing for 30 years

Mohammed Elamin Aliwi/Alamy

One of the most alarming trends regarding cancer is the increasing incidence of several types of tumors in people under the age of 50, especially colorectal cancer.

A £20m, five-year research project aimed at discovering the causes of the rising number of bowel cancers has been given the green light. The study will use blood, urine and stool samples from millions of people held in about 17 biobanks in Europe, North America and India.

The goal is to determine whether this increase is related to changes in food, drink, medicines, air pollutants, and other environmental chemicals by measuring everything people are exposed to (known as the “exposome”). It’s about understanding what’s going on.

“Exposomes are all the elements of the outside world that influence our health,” he says. Andrew Chan co-leader of the project at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston;

The number of people under the age of 50 diagnosed with colorectal cancer has been increasing for 30 years. In the UK, for example, these tumors have increased by about 50 per cent in people aged 25 to 49 over this period, and similar trends are seen in the US, Canada, Australia and some European countries.

Nine out of 10 tumors occur in older people, so the increase in deaths among people under age 50 has not yet had a significant impact on the total number of cancer deaths. But this trend is worrying to doctors, especially since tumors in younger people tend to be more aggressive and diagnosed at a later stage.

Speculation abounds as to the cause, but various aspects of modern diets, including increased consumption of processed foods and red meat, and a lack of fiber, as well as antibiotic use and exposure to pollutants, are likely to be contributing factors. It is believed that this is the main cause.

In a new research projectChan and his team have attempted to identify and measure all the chemicals in medical samples obtained in previous studies, and plan to investigate further.

They will use mass spectrometry to identify the chemical signatures that disrupted the levels of novel compounds and natural biochemicals that entered the body.

One of the biobanks being used is Nurses’ Health Study 3, a large-scale project in the United States that charts the health and lifestyles of hundreds of thousands of nurses. Some participants have provided not only blood samples but also stool samples, which will allow the team to analyze gut bacteria as well.

Another important cohort is the Danish Newborn Screening Biobank. The biobank contains dried blood spots from almost every baby born in Denmark since 1982, representing approximately 2 million samples. This will allow researchers to see whether what we are exposed to in the womb is associated with an increased risk of colon cancer.

If, as expected, a correlation is found between certain biochemicals in the blood and the risk of colon cancer, the researchers will investigate whether blood tests can identify people who are more vulnerable. says Mr. Chan. “That could be a group of people who would be targeted for more intensive colon cancer testing,” he says.

Another part of the project will test whether reversing blood characteristics associated with colorectal cancer reduces people’s risk of developing the tumor. Jordana Bell Professor at King’s College London and one of Chan’s collaborators. “We seek to apply the insights we generate early by identifying putative causal factors, understanding potential mechanisms, and designing intervention trials,” she says.

Ian Fawkes from Cancer Research UK (CRUK) said: “In the United States, recent data show that people born in the 1990s have a 2.4 times higher risk of colon cancer than people born in the 1950s. Most cancer cases occur in people over age 50. “This development is an important issue for us to address. The key is to understand why the rise in early-onset cancers is occurring in the first place.”

CRUK is funding the research along with Maryland’s National Cancer Institute, France’s National Cancer Institute and the UK’s Gut Babe Foundation.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

AI can accurately determine a person’s gender from a brain scan 90% of the time

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Comparisons are difficult because men’s brains tend to be larger than women’s.

Sergiy Tryapitsyn / Alamy

Are male and female brains that different? A new way to investigate this question has led us to the conclusion that they exist, but we need artificial intelligence (AI) to tell them apart.

The question of whether we can measure differences between male and female brains has long been debated, and previous studies have yielded conflicting results.

One problem is that men’s brains tend to be slightly larger than women’s. This is likely due to the fact that men are generally larger, and some previous studies have compared the size of various small areas of the brain. Unable to adjust whole brain volume. However, no clear findings have been made so far. “When you correct for brain size, the results change quite a bit,” he says. Vinod Menon at Stanford University in California.

To tackle this problem in a different way, Menon’s team used a relatively new method called dynamic functional connectivity fMRI. This involves recording the brain activity of people lying in a functional MRI scanner and tracking changes in how activity in different areas changes in sync with each other.

The researchers designed an AI to analyze these brain scans and trained it on the results of about 1,000 young people from an existing database in the United States called the Human Connectome Project, identifying which individuals are male and which individuals. told the AI whether the person was female. In this analysis, the brain was divided into 246 different regions.

After this training process, the AI was able to differentiate between a second set of brain scan data from the same 1000 men and women with approximately 90% accuracy.

More importantly, the AI was equally effective at differentiating male and female brain scans from two different, never-before-seen brain scan datasets. Both consisted of about 200 people of similar age, ranging in age from 20 to 35, from the United States and Germany.

“What we bring to the table is a more rigorous study with replication and generalization to other samples,” Menon says. None of the people in the training or testing data were transgender.

“Replication with a completely independent sample from the Human Connectome Project gives us even more confidence in our results,” he says. Camille Williams At the University of Texas at Austin.

The next question is whether the AI will be just as accurate when tested on an additional, larger set of brain scan results. “Time will tell what results we get with other datasets,” he says Menon.

If confirmed, the findings could help us understand why some medical conditions and forms of neurodiversity, such as depression, anxiety, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, differ by gender. No, says Menon.

“If we don’t develop these gender-specific models, we will miss important aspects of differentiating factors.” [for example]”An autistic man and a control man, and an autistic woman and a control woman,” Menon said.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Can genetics alone determine success in sports? Scientists weigh in

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During the 2016 Summer Olympics, my family and I were on a hiking holiday in Yorkshire in the north of England. And in the evening, after a meal and a few drinks at the pub, we sat and watched the biggest sports broadcasts. What’s my favorite? Tracking my cycling.

A bunch of athletes with thighs thicker than a supermodel’s hips race at ridiculous speeds around polished wooden tracks on giant one-gear bikes with no freewheel or brakes. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it. It is a sport that the British are particularly good at.

We even have track cycling’s “golden couple” in Jason Kenney and Laura Trott, who were planning to get married at the time. Sir Jason and Dame Laura Kenny (I made up that word) were knighted and dammed respectively in 2022, but between them they have an incredible 12 Olympiads between them. There’s a gold medal.

On this special night of competition, Laura had already completed all the events and was rooting for Jason to win his third and final Rio gold medal. As we sat in the crowd and in a small hotel room in Yorkshire yelling at Jason as he crossed the finish line, Laura tweeted: “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Naturally, this aroused the interest of geneticists in me. Really, what are the odds? Will their future offspring become a sports superstar, or will he be with us on the couch watching the 2024 Paris Olympics?

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Although it was an off-the-cuff comment, there is ample reason for Laura to have high expectations. If she combines her and Jason’s genes, she has a much higher chance of producing a child who not only has better athletic ability, but also has the potential to become an Olympian than other people.

It’s the same way fast bowler Stuart Broad had a better chance of becoming a star cricketer because his father Chris batted for England. Or British middleweight boxing champion Chris Eubank Jr., who has a better chance of becoming a top boxer than his school friends. Or distance runner Eilish McColgan, who credits her Olympic medalist mother Liz for her athleticism. Similarly, Jason and Laura’s descendants (they have two children) will have a huge genetic head start.

However, while there are some human traits that can be traced down to a single gene (hair color, lactose intolerance, ability to tan, etc.), it is clear that this is not the only case for potential Olympic athletes. . .

My own area of expertise is the genetics of weight, which has been shown to involve over 1,000 genes. Let’s consider some of the characteristics needed to become an elite cyclist. It requires the right combination of “fast-twitch” and “slow-twitch” muscle fibers, good balance, high aerobic capacity, fast recovery rate, high pain threshold, and concentration, just to name a few.

One can only imagine the genetic complexity underlying the fusion of these multiple traits. With so many genes involved, it’s currently impossible to predict exactly how talented Jason and Laura’s children will be.

These complex traits are always determined by an ideal combination of genes and environmental factors, as well as a little bit of luck.

nature and nurture

Growing up in a household with two multi-gold medal winning cyclists will have a huge influence on their children. They will grow up in a competitive environment and will be heavily involved in sports in their daily lives.

Similarly, the kind of food such children eat will be better than most children. Two Olympians like Laura and Jason have nutritional advisors coming out of their ears, so they’re unlikely to feed their kids junk.

But no matter how helpful or unhelpful our environment is, we need the right genes to thrive. That’s why in every area of life we see glorious examples of genetics being passed down through generations. Musical parents often have musical children, and beauty is passed down from parent to child.

The question is what the child will do with the genes they are given. They can use it to their advantage or not. If we compare poker hands, there can be good hands and bad hands depending on genetics, but the only people you can blame are your own family. However, depending on how you play the game, you can win with a bad hand or lose with a good hand.

So nothing is certain, and probably within the next 20 years, we will learn more about how genes make us fat or thin, fast or slow, and how they control how we look, act, and behave. The day will come when we will understand in detail.

But for now, there’s no doubt that Jason and Laura’s children will have a huge head start, both genetically and environmentally, and they probably won’t want to line up their children with them at sports day. Sho.

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Using scientific evidence to determine if your dog truly loves you

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Scientists who study non-human animals do not use the word “love” in their published papers. Ironically, most animal behavior scientists were initially drawn to this topic due to their profound and enduring interest in animals.

However, researchers have traditionally been trained not to use anthropomorphic terms such as “love” to describe the emotions of non-human animals. Instead, they use terms like “temperament” and “positive cognitive bias” to avoid anthropomorphism. Though this strict stance on using human terminology for non-humans is starting to soften, due in part to the usefulness of certain terms in describing animal behavior and strong evolutionary reasons to believe that non-human animals are not completely dissimilar to humans.

Observing dog behavior makes it clear that dogs are deeply in love with humans, although some may refer to it as “hypersocial” or “socially obsessed.” There are also questions about how to recognize and define “love” in non-human animals who lack the linguistic capabilities to communicate their emotions.

Various studies have examined dogs’ sensitivity to human emotional states and physiological responses, such as separation anxiety and heart rate changes. These studies shed light on the complex relationship between dogs and humans and suggest that dogs may indeed experience emotions similar to love.

Credit: Justin Padgett

On the other hand, some behaviors that appear affectionate may be vestigial or instinctual rather than expressions of genuine affection. For example, wolves, dogs’ closest ancestors, use behaviors such as “kissing” as part of their natural interactions. Physiological research on heart rate, hormones, and brain activity provides further evidence of the bond between dogs and humans.

Researchers have found that both dogs and humans experience a decrease in heart rate after being reunited, indicating a physiological connection. Similarly, the hormone oxytocin, known for its role in human bonding, is also involved in dog-human bonding.

Furthermore, fMRI images of dog brains show activity in the reward center when dogs are near their owners, suggesting a positive emotional response. This evidence, combined with dogs’ ability to form associations and respond to human cues, implies a deep emotional bond between dogs and humans.

Source: www.sciencefocus.com