Men are encouraged to ejaculate within 48 hours prior to IVF egg retrieval to enhance their chances of achieving a viable pregnancy. This recommendation comes from the first clinical trial exploring the effects of varying ejaculation intervals on fertility treatment outcomes.
During the final stages of an IVF cycle, a woman receives a “trigger” injection that matures the developing egg. This crucial injection occurs 36 hours before the eggs are harvested and fertilized.
For optimal sperm health during fertilization, men are often advised to ejaculate between two to seven days before providing their sperm sample for IVF. According to Dr. David Miller from the University of Leeds, who was not involved in the study, “There is an ideal timeframe for ejaculation when sperm quality peaks.”
This two-to-seven-day range is quite broad. Prolonged storage of sperm in the testes exposes them to various environmental toxins, particularly free oxygen radicals from metabolic processes and pollution. This exposure can lead to DNA damage and deterioration of sperm quality, warns Dr. Richard Paulson, also not involved in the trial. Conversely, too short a period between ejaculations may decrease sperm count.
Until now, solid clinical evidence supporting the idea that shorter intervals between ejaculations improve pregnancy outcomes has been lacking, though some studies hint at this. For instance, a 2024 meta-analysis observed that ejaculating less than four days apart correlated with improved semen quality in infertile men. Moreover, another study indicated that intervals under four hours resulted in lesser DNA-damaged sperm and enhanced sperm motility.
To investigate this concept further, Professor Yang Yu from the First Hospital of Jilin University in Changchun, China, conducted a study with 453 men undergoing conventional IVF. One group ejaculated roughly 36 hours prior to the final sperm sample, while another group ejaculated between 48 hours and seven days before.
Results revealed that the ongoing pregnancy rate was significantly higher in the short abstinence group: 46% versus 36% in the longer abstinence group. “While these findings are encouraging, it’s essential to note that they don’t completely represent ultimate treatment outcomes such as live birth rates,” Miller states. Nonetheless, the shorter abstinence group exhibited lower miscarriage rates, suggesting a potential for more live births.
Professor Paulson highlighted that the study provided intriguing insights but also noted its weaknesses, including the inclusion of both fresh and frozen embryos. IVF success rates can vary significantly between these two types. He also pointed out that the data showed a fertility decline in the short abstinence group while simultaneously seeing an increase in ongoing pregnancies. This suggests that fewer couples conceived, but those who did were more likely to continue past 12 weeks, warranting more detailed analysis. “Extraordinary claims necessitate extraordinary evidence that meticulously accounts for all potential variables,” he commented.
Future studies may also disclose whether more frequent ejaculation improves pregnancy outcomes for couples not undergoing IVF. “This trial offers strong evidence that shorter periods of abstinence contribute to better sperm quality,” asserts Dr. Jackson Kirkman-Brown from the University of Birmingham, UK.
Starcloud aims to establish a 4km x 4km data center satellite
star cloud
Is the overwhelming need for massive data centers by AI manageable through extraterrestrial solutions? Tech firms are considering low-Earth orbit as a viable option, although experts warn that substantial engineering and unresolved challenges currently hinder progress.
The explosive demand and investment in generative AI platforms like ChatGPT have sparked an unparalleled need for computing resources, requiring vast land areas as well as electricity levels comparable to those consumed by millions of households. Consequently, many data centers are increasingly relying on unsustainable energy sources such as natural gas, with tech companies expressing concerns that renewable energy sources cannot meet their skyrocketing power needs or stability requirements for reliable operations.
Google is moving forward with its vision for a space data center through its pilot initiative, Project Suncatcher, which plans to launch two prototype satellites equipped with TPU AI chips by 2027 to experiment with their functionality in orbit. However, one of the most notable advancements in space data processing occurred this year with the launch of a solitary H100 graphics processing unit by StarCloud, an Nvidia-backed company. Nevertheless, this is significantly less computing power than what modern AI systems require; OpenAI is estimated to utilize around a million of such chips.
For data centers to function effectively in orbit, many unresolved issues must be tackled. “From an academic research standpoint, [space data centers] are still far from being production-ready,” remarks Benjamin Lee from the University of Pennsylvania, USA.
According to Lee, one of the major hurdles is the extensive scale required to meet AI’s computational needs. This involves not only the power demands from solar panels—requiring substantial surface area—but also the challenge of dissipating heat produced by the chips, the only feasible cooling method in a vacuum. “We can’t use cold air and evaporative cooling like we do on Earth,” Lee explained.
“Square kilometers will be occupied independently for energy generation and cooling,” he added. “These structures expand rapidly. When discussing capacity in the range of 1,000 megawatts, it essentially equates to a considerable area in orbit.” Indeed, StarCloud plans to construct a data center of 5,000 megawatts over 16 square kilometers, roughly 400 times the area of the solar panels on the International Space Station.
Lee believes that several promising technologies could help mitigate these requirements. Krishna Muralidharan from the University of Arizona is investigating thermoelectric devices that can convert heat into electricity, enhancing the efficiency of chips functioning in space. “It’s not a matter of feasibility; it’s a challenge,” Muralidharan stated. “For now, we can temporarily rely on large thermal panels, but ultimately we will require more sophisticated solutions.”
Additionally, space presents unique challenges unlike those found on Earth. For instance, there is a significant presence of high-energy radiation that can impact computer chips, leading to errors and disrupted calculations. “Everything will slow down,” Lee cautioned. “A chip positioned in space might perform worse compared to one on Earth due to the need for recalibration and error correction.”
To function at this scale, Muralidharan noted that thousands of satellites need to operate in tandem, necessitating highly precise laser systems for communication both between data centers and with Earth, where atmospheric interference can distort signals. Despite this, Muralidharan remains optimistic, believing these challenges are surmountable. “The real question is not if, but when,” he asserts.
Another point of uncertainty is whether AI will still necessitate such extensive computational resources by the time the data centers are in place. This is particularly relevant if anticipated advancements in AI do not align with the growing computing power we are beginning to observe. “It’s evident that training requirements may peak or stabilize, which would likely cause the demand for large-scale data centers to follow suit,” Lee explained.
Yet, even in such a scenario, Muralidharan suggests potential applications for space-based data centers, such as facilitating space exploration beyond Earth and monitoring terrestrial phenomena.
Research indicates that men may need to engage in exercise for twice as long as women to obtain equivalent health benefits, according to a significant new study involving 85,000 participants.
Findings revealed that women performing approximately four hours of moderate to vigorous exercise weekly, such as brisk jogging, swimming, or dancing, could lower their risk of coronary heart disease by 30 percent. In contrast, men required nearly nine hours of physical activity per week to achieve the same risk reduction.
“In comparison to men, women allocate half the time to exercise for similar health outcomes,” the researchers noted in their publication. Nature cardiovascular research.
While the research team did not explore the reasons for this notable difference, they proposed several physiological explanations.
Women possess higher estrogen levels, a hormone linked to bone and muscle health along with fat metabolism rates.
Additionally, men and women have different types of skeletal muscles, which may make women more adept at endurance training.
“Heart disease is the primary cause of premature death in both genders, though men typically develop heart disease earlier, and women tend to ‘catch up’ later in life after menopause,” stated Professor Riyaz Patel, a cardiologist at University College London, who was not part of the study. BBC Science Focus.
“The takeaway is that everyone can benefit from exercise. Increased physical activity is advantageous for all.”
Anything that gets your heart pumping, like jogging, dancing, or swimming, can help improve your heart health – Credit: Getty
The study, led by Jiajin Chen from Xiamen University in China, monitored participants aged 37 to 73 using wrist-worn fitness trackers over an eight-year period.
For individuals with pre-existing cardiovascular conditions, women required just 51 minutes of exercise weekly to reduce their risk of death by 30 percent, compared to 85 minutes for men.
Heart disease remains the leading cause of early death globally. In the United States alone, about 100 out of every 100,000 women are anticipated to die from cardiovascular disease in 2023, while the figure for men is 60% higher.
The World Health Organization, along with the American Heart Association and NHS, advises individuals aged 16 to 64, regardless of gender, to engage in 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week.
Managing your period can be challenging if long covid prolongs it.
72 images / Alamy
Long covid appears to disrupt the menstrual cycle, causing periods to become heavier and last longer. This may be due to hormonal changes or lingering Covid-19-related complications that lead to inflammation.
The reasons behind long COVID remain unclear. Research indicates that the virus may persist at low levels in the body, trigger inflammatory immune responses, or disrupt gut microbiota.
Common symptoms include fatigue and brain fog. Previous studies have linked menstrual cycle irregularities to covid, though they did not provide accurate assessments of menstrual changes or whether these variations are independent of Covid-19.
To address this gap, Dr. Jacqueline Maybin and her team from the University of Edinburgh, UK, enlisted over 12,000 women to participate in a reproductive health study from March to June 2021.
More than 9,000 participants had no history of Covid-19, defined as testing negative for the virus and lacking symptoms such as loss of smell or cough. Approximately 1,700 women reported acute COVID-19, where symptoms resolved within a month, while about 1,000 were identified as having long COVID.
Over half of those with long COVID reported heavier-than-usual periods. In comparison, around 40% of women with acute COVID-19 and 35% of those who had no accidental infection experienced similar issues.
Additionally, long COVID was significantly linked to periods lasting longer than 8 days, whereas acute COVID-19 did not appear to affect cycle length. This suggests prolonged symptoms may stem from long COVID rather than the initial infection.
To understand the underlying mechanisms, researchers analyzed blood samples from menstrual cycles of women with long COVID against those of 40 women who contributed samples pre-pandemic.
Findings showed that individuals with long COVID exhibited elevated levels of the hormone 5α-dihydrotestosterone, which is associated with irregular periods in the latter half of the cycle. Furthermore, higher levels of inflammatory molecules tied to long COVID were detected through biopsies.
This indicates that long COVID may induce hormonal and immune changes that affect menstrual cycles. However, Maybin stresses that further research is essential to clarify these findings.
In another evaluation, the team noted that women with long COVID reported increased symptoms such as fatigue and muscle pain before and during menstruation, while nausea, headaches, and breathing issues often worsened after menstruation and preovulation. “This suggests ovarian hormones might influence the severity of some symptoms,” Maybin explains.
However, since the study primarily involved white women, she emphasizes the need to determine if these results apply to more diverse populations, as all participants were from the UK, a high-income nation.
IF Adam Dorr is right, robots and artificial intelligence may soon dominate the global economy, effectively displacing humanity from the workforce. Social scientists also foresee a drastic, rapid, and relentless tech transformation, likely rendering most human jobs obsolete within the next two decades.
Dorr leads a team of researchers studying technological change over millennia and predicts that by 2045 not only will the labor market be shaken, but even horses, in a metaphorical sense, will be affected. “In the realm of technology, we’ve become the next targets. That’s our labor we’re discussing.”
Whatever your profession, machines will soon be able to perform those tasks. “Costs have continually decreased, and capabilities have continually improved. I’ve observed this trend before. If you can achieve the same results for less, the switch becomes inevitable. We are akin to horses, and to traditional film cameras.”
Adam Dorr: “We’re horses, we’re movie cameras.” Photo: Andrew Watchhorn Photography
Dorr, 48, is a technology theorist with a PhD in Public Service from UCLA. He leads Rethinkx, a nonprofit focused on analyzing and forecasting technological disruptions, primarily established and funded by tech entrepreneurs James Albib and Tony Seba.
In a conversation with the Guardian, Dorr discussed his recent visit to Ireland for the Dargan Forum, a two-day event in Dún Laoghaire, South Dublin, that emphasized green and digital transitions.
Dorr combined his foreboding forecasts, asserting that humanoid robots equipped with advanced AI are poised to permeate nearly every industry, leaving humans unable to compete. This situation will lead to increased inequality and extreme societal divides.
The pace of this transition is faster than most anticipate, according to Dorr. “We’ve tracked over 1,500 instances of technological change throughout history. Our theoretical framework has revealed consistent patterns occurring repeatedly.”
When new technologies capture even a slight percentage of market share or public attention, they tend to quickly gain overwhelming dominance within 15 to 20 years. This indicates that both robots and AI could soon eradicate human labor, as Dorr claims.
“The machines we envision are expanding daily, and we have limited time to brace ourselves for this. Turbulence is unavoidable.”
Some sectors allow for fruitful human-robot collaboration, reminiscent of chess grandmasters working alongside chess programs, but Dorr believes such coexistence is becoming less viable.
While roles that depend on human judgment, like sports coaches, politicians, sex workers, and ethicists, may still exist, these too face fierce competition from machines. “There will always be some niche areas for human labor, but the reality is we aren’t close to enough job opportunities to employ 4 billion people.”
As traditional institutions may no longer serve their intended purposes, Dorr emphasizes the urgent need for society to create new guidelines and reassess concepts like value, pricing, and distribution. “I don’t have the answers. I’m not even sure if I’m asking the right questions. What I do know is that we must experiment with new ownership models and stakeholder structures.”
Adam Dorr at the Royal Marine Hotel in Dun Laoghaire, Dublin; Photo: Andrew Watchhorn Photography
He is the author of the book *Bright: The Future of Optimism, Progress, and Environmentalism*, which envisions a future of sustainability and hope. He recognizes the risks of economic disruption, rising populist sentiments, and misinformation, yet he insists this evolution is inevitable. The potential for productivity gains and abundance is staggering, and by emulating models like open-source software, equitable distribution can be achievable. “This could be one of humanity’s most significant transformations to date.”
While past futurists anticipated an era of leisure but missed the mark, current insights suggest that such a transformation may actually be on the horizon, with a smaller segment of society, previously unengaged in work, offering guidance on how to fill their time.
“We can draw comparisons with affluent individuals who seem directionless and possibly unhappy, while others find ways to lead meaningful and purposeful lives. I believe our connections with friends, family, and community play a crucial role in this fulfillment.
Leprosy can be caused by two types of bacteria: Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis.
Nobeastsofierce Science/Alamy
Contrary to popular belief, the influence of leprosy existed among the American populace long before Europeans arrived.
“The narrative was that Europeans introduced this dreadful disease to America,” states Nicholas Lascovan from the Pasteur Institute in Paris. “Our findings challenge that notion.”
Globally, the majority of leprosy instances result from the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae. However, in 2008, Xiang-Yang Han and his team from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center identified a second causative agent, M. lepromatosis, in two individuals from Mexico afflicted with leprosy. Since then, more occurrences of this pathogen have been noted in the US, Canada, Brazil, and Cuba, as well as in four people from Singapore and Myanmar.
Driven to explore this less-studied pathogen, Lascovan collaborated with Han, other researchers, and indigenous communities to analyze ancient DNA from 389 individuals who lived in America before European contact.
They discovered M. lepromatosis at one archaeological site near the Alaska-Canada border and two locations along Argentina’s southeastern coastline, all carbon-dated to roughly 1,000 years ago. The bacterial genome exhibited slight variations, indicating a distinct strain separated by about 12,000 kilometers. “It has rapidly spread across the continent for centuries,” explains Lascovan.
DNA analysis from numerous modern cases, primarily in the US and Mexico, showed that nearly all contemporary strains are closely related, with minor variations from ancient times. Nonetheless, the team also recognized a rare and unusually ancient strain in modern populations that wasn’t found in archaeological sites, suggesting the existence of at least two distinct strains. Notably, M. lepromatosis is still present in North America today, alongside M. leprae, which was introduced by Europeans.
The findings imply that these bacteria have diverged and evolved within the United States for approximately 10,000 years. About 3,000 years ago, a lineage of the pathogen mutated into its current form, capable of infecting red squirrels in the UK and Ireland, causing issues such as skin swelling and unpleasant lesions.
Regarding their origins, genetic data indicate that M. lepromatosis and M. leprae diverged from a shared ancestor over 700,000 years ago, yet the precise location of this divergence remains unidentified.
Modern cases of M. lepromatosis appear to primarily affect the blood vessels of the feet, while M. leprae targets nerves, according to Han. Those infected with M. lepromatosis may experience blocked blood flow, tissue death, and skin breakdown, leading to potentially fatal complications from severe secondary infections caused by bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus. The disease can also progress to internal organs such as the liver and spleen, resulting in some individuals succumbing before the skeletal system exhibits leprosy signs.
This may help clarify why archaeologists have not identified leprosy in ancient artifacts from the Americas, as Han mentions. While skeletal remains from Europe and Asia frequently show clear signs of leprosy-related bone damage, the ancient Canadian individuals examined in this study exhibited only ambiguous jaw lesions, which could arise from various conditions.
Annemieke Geluk from Leiden University in the Netherlands remarked that this “remarkable study” necessitates a rethink of the disease’s history. “My teaching materials indicate that there was no leprosy in the Americas before European colonization,” she noted, “I will need to revise my materials!”
Beyond its historical implications, this research also highlights pressing public health concerns. Leprosy is resurging in certain global regions, and rising antibiotic resistance complicates treatment. “Understanding this is highly critical,” says Geluk. “We need collaborative efforts worldwide to map existing strains.”
When her school closed in March 2020, Baltimore English teacher Chimere Sweeney thought that once the US got the new SARS-COV-2 virus, she would return to her students. But “There was another plan in life,” she said when she quickly got Covid and never recovered.
Initially, Sweeney developed only muscle pain. By the second week she began having panic attacks, blurry vision, constipation and partial hearing loss. Half of her face freezes “like concrete.” She forgot her phone number and address and stuttered. Within a month of contracting, she lost 30 pounds.
“In two weeks, I was told I would be better,” said Sweeney, now 42. “But my two weeks didn't come.”
Almost five years later, she still suffers from severe whole body pain, insomnia, depression, painful rash and boiling, uncontrollable urination, short-term memory loss and irregular periods.
“I'm a healthy 37-year-old woman and I might have had to pop allergy pills many times, but I took 10-12 medications per day to control almost every system in my body,” Sweeney said.
The World Health Organization characterized Covid as a pandemic on March 11, 2020, so scientists don't fully understand why some people develop chronic diseases and disordered conditions after their first virus infection. The US may have come throughout the winter after the first pandemic without a massive surge in cases, but each infection is at risk of developing a long community. Some scientists are looking for a new type of clinical trial designed for the longest and most debilitating covid patients.
Long covid is known to be the cause Over 200 different symptoms There are no approved tests or recommended treatments in almost 12 organ systems, including those of the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, eyes and skin. Research shows long covid It's more common for middle-aged people, especially women and those with weakened immune systems, but anyone who catches the virus can get it.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that there is one in every 20 adults in the United States, or about 14 million. Living with a long covid. Other data shows that 5.8 million children It may be affected by the condition as well. However, experts say these numbers are likely to be underestimated as there is no official surveillance system in place.
Billion Dollar Research Initiative Called Recover Started by the National Institutes of Health, finding the causes and potential treatments of covid, I've reached that promisesays scientists and patient advocates.
Meanwhile, experts fear that extreme cuts in federal spending by the Trump administration could be possible It undermines long Covid's research effortswhich could further delay the discovery of treatment. Last month, President Donald Trump ended his secretary as a health and welfare secretary Advisory Committee on Long Covid.
This indefinite dye microscope image, available to the US National Institutes of Health in February 2020, shows the novel coronavirus SARS-COV-2, shown in yellow, emerges from the cell surface and is cultured in laboratory culture.niaid-rml via AP file
W. Medical Director, UT Health Austin. Dr. Michael Broad Post-Covid-19 Program In Texas, “We build boats while we're at the sea and we're trying to understand together. [with patients] …But we need to build on the progress we have already made. ”
“We are not offering answers that are worthy of the public health crisis we are facing,” he said.
Causes of long covids
SARS-COV-2, which causes Covid, is not the only virus that causes prolonged symptoms. Another condition called myalgia encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) shares many similarities with the long community; Caused by infection Among other things, Epstein Barr, influenza, and water cell-zoster virus.
Brode said Covid is unique because it is more likely to cause chronic disease than other pathogens. It has not yet been determined why it could lead to long-term symptoms. Experts have come to several theories so far.
One idea is that Virus remains hidden in different tissues Broad said after the infection subsided. These viral particles continue to thrust and stimulate the immune system in ways that cause long covid symptoms.
Another potential cause is Reactivation of other virusessitting in a dormant state of people's bodies, such as EBV and HIV.
Dr. Igor Coralnik, co-director of Northwest Medicine's Comprehensive COVID-19 Centre, said Covid could also trick the immune system into producing antibodies that attack people's own healthy organs and tissues.
Some evidence shows covid It affects the inner layer of blood vesselswhich leads to the formation of small clots and helps explain the symptoms, such as irregular heartbeat and heart failure, that some long-term community patients experience, Koralnik said.
It is unclear whether one or a combination of these factors will cause long covid, experts say. But the evidence suggests that they are all linked to an increase in inflammation in the body, Coralnik said, it's yours The risk of long covid increases with each covid infection.
“It's like a river that's over a dam,” Coralnik said. “The more episodes of Covid, the higher the river levels will go to where it is overflowing, and there will be a long flood of COVID symptoms.”
Diagnosis of long covids can be complicated
There are diagnostic tools to check for long covid symptoms, such as MRI scans for heart abnormalities. There are no tests that can diagnose the condition Or distinguish it from similar diseases, the CDC says.
As a result, people need to stay away from work, school or other responsibilities and endure numerous clinical tests and scans that are not only expensive, but also stressful and time-consuming. This is a broad exclusion process that prevents people from getting the help they need, Broad said.
Eye, intestine, and immune system clue
The current challenge is to find one or more biomarkers of genes, proteins, or other substances associated with a particular condition that will help diagnose long covid.
a Recover your research Released last year, routine lab tests, including 25 standard blood and urine tests, showed little difference in biomarkers, with or without previous symbiotic infections. Researchers concluded that these tests may not be useful in the diagnosis of long-term COVID.
Koralnik and his team recently discovered that people with long covids are reducing blood flow in small blood vessels in the retina. This reduced flow is thought to reduce blood circulation in and around the brain, and the small organelles called mitochondria, which convert oxygen into energy, are described as “toxic.”
This theory can explain why many people with long covid experience cognitive problems, fatigue and exercise intolerance, Coralnik said. Overall, the findings published in the Journal of Imaging in February are The retina can become a long covid biomarker.
Other studies suggest that biomarkers may be present in the gut and immune system, but Brode noted that these early findings are based on small groups of people and should be considered in salt grains.
As useful as diagnostic tests, experts say that for those with prolonged symptoms, some experts should not slow scientists in searching for long covid treatments.
Julia Moore Vogel, senior program director at Scripps Research, and Patient-led research cooperation Regarding long covid, he said that other conditions like migraines do not have reliable biomarkers or tests to confirm the diagnosis. Several drugs have been approved To handle it.
“I think we'll get there,” said Vogel, a long-distance runner before developing the long-time Covid in 2020. “But I personally don't think it should contain anything.”
Unfortunate advances in long covid treatments
The Food and Drug Administration has not approved treatments, particularly for long covids. Experts are not sure if they'll get it anytime soon.
“When I first got sick, I was OK, I had to survive for just three to five years. At least, I think I have options as I have decent symptom management trial data. But we've made little progress in treatment,” Vogel said. “There are currently promising research beginning, but it's not close to the amount that should be burdened by the disease.”
Most clinical trials test whether medications used to treat other conditions are useful for long-term COVID. For example, researchers at the University of British Columbia Low-dose naltrexone – Approved drugs for opioid and alcohol use disorders. The drug is thought to have anti-inflammatory and pain relief properties and is used off-label in people with fibromyalgia and ME/CFS, making it potential as a long-term symbiotic treatment.
Other drugs Barishinibapproved for treating rheumatoid arthritis and acute charlation, and Temelimabuexperimental drugs often administered to people with multiple sclerosis have also been investigated as potential long covid treatments.
Instead of a particular treatment, people with long covids must balance rest and activity in a strategy called pacing and undergo physical and cognitive behavioral therapy for further support. Many people will often rely on several drugs, including antiviral Paxlovid, to treat symptoms.
But realistically, “we may not actually have one silver bullet treatment,” says Alison Cohen, an epidemiologist at the University of California, San Francisco, who coexisted for three years for a long time. Cohen said that long covid will take a “multi-faceted approach” to take a “multi-faceted approach” in a very diverse way.
What will you do in the future for recovery?
As long as SARS-COV-2 continues to spread, everyone is at risk of a long Covid, Cohen said. And now, evidence shows that recovery from the condition is rare. A survey released last month found it Only about 6% of people with long covid recover According to Cohen, two years later. Covid vaccinations were associated with better long-term recovery, especially among those who won booster shots.
People who improve are experiencing many “ups and downs,” Coralnik said. “You need to expect a lot of collisions on the road.”
“Living with a long Covid is tiring,” Cohen said. “So for everyone who doesn't live with it, it's important to think about what we can do to support those who have them.”
In the meantime, clinical trials must be designed to accommodate and include the patients they intend, Vogel said. Many people are tied to their homes and beds and cannot travel due to the risk of multiple in-person visits or flare-ups of symptoms, she added. “There are too many things you can't know until you put them on the table,” she said.
Although we don't know when a long community community finally gets the answers and security they need, Vogel keeps her head high.
“We know we can do that. We are confident that a well-designed and well-tested exam will at least improve the quality of life. “But I can't think of any other way. I can't accept that this is for my life.”
Ion traps can control atoms for quantum experiments
Y. Colomb/National Institute of Standards and Technology/Scientific Photo Library
After decades of investigation, researchers observed a series of atoms undergoing a one-dimensional phase change. This was so elusive that it could only happen in a quantum simulator.
“There is only one motive [for our experiment] I'm trying to really understand basic physics. “We're just trying to understand the fundamental states that matter can be in,” he says. alexander shuckardt at the University of Maryland.
He and his colleagues used electromagnetic fields to arrange 23 ions of the element ytterbium in a line, forming a nearly one-dimensional chain. The device can be used for quantum computing, but in this case the researchers used the chain as a simulator instead.
In it, they built a 1D ytterbium magnet one atom at a time. Previous calculations predicted that this type of magnet would become unmagnetized when warmed, thanks to quantum effects. However, no experiments have achieved this phase transition in the past.
One reason for the difficulty is that systems such as quantum computers and simulators typically only work properly when they are very cold. So heating them to cause a phase transition can cause them to malfunction, Schuckert says.
To get around this, he and his colleagues tuned the initial quantum state of the atoms so that over time, the collective state of the 1D magnet changes as if the temperature were increased. This revealed a phase transition that had never been seen before.
The result is very unusual, he says, because chains of atoms are generally not supposed to undergo phase transitions. Mohammad Maghrebi at Michigan State University. The researchers were able to manipulate it precisely because each ion could interact with other ions over large distances, even if they weren't in contact. This caused the entire line to engage in abnormal collective behavior.
Because their simulator allows for such exotic states of matter, it could be used to study theoretical systems that are extremely rare or may not exist in nature, Maghrebi said. say.
Schuckert suggests that quantum simulators could also help explain the strange electrical or magnetic behavior that some materials exhibit in the real world. But for that to happen, these devices will have to be able to reach higher temperatures than they currently do. Currently, researchers can only create models at extremely low temperatures, but within five years it may be possible to simulate even higher temperatures, he says.
And if the simulator could be made larger, for example by arranging ions in two-dimensional arrays, many more existing theoretical systems could be studied, he says. andrea trombettoni at the University of Trieste, Italy. “This would suggest new physics to explore,” he says.
La Niña increases the risk of drought in certain regions, as occurred in California in 2022
David McNew/Getty Images
A weak La Niña weather pattern has emerged in the Pacific Ocean several months later than originally expected. Although this will reduce average global temperatures, it will increase the risk of droughts and heavy rains in parts of the world.
The eastern tropical Pacific Ocean transitions from hot to cold and back again in a temperature cycle known as El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). La Niña is the cold phase of the cycle. It typically occurs about every three to five years when trade winds strengthen, pushing cold water westward from off the coast of South America.
Sea surface temperatures in that part of the Pacific Ocean have been below average in recent months, but never below the threshold needed to declare a La Niña event. Until nowaccording to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Wind patterns also now reflect La Niña conditions.
The agency expects La Niña to last until April 2025, before temperatures return to normal.
Even as a weak event, below-average sea surface temperatures are expected to have a unique impact on global weather patterns, increasing the risk of drought in parts of North and South America and torrential rain in Australia and the Southeast. has been. Asia.
He also notes that La Niña events tend to lower global average temperatures, and that this cooling effect is proportional to the strength of the event. Pedro Dinegio At the University of Colorado Boulder. Dinezio said the transition from warm El Niño conditions to neutral La Niña conditions has brought temperatures down, but they are still above average in many parts of the world.
That also applies to the ocean. A transition to La Niña means temperatures in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean are colder than average. However, global sea surface temperatures are still rising 0.5℃ or more Above average.
“The oceans, in particular, were record warm and slow to cool in mid-to-late 2023,” he said. Karin Gleeson He spoke at a press conference at NOAA in December, before La Niña officially occurred.
It is not unusual for a La Niña event to occur this late, even after a strong El Niño event. But that change will occur several months later than forecasters expected. It remains unclear why predictions were so far off and whether anthropogenic climate change played a role in the delay.
Proboscis monkeys are renowned for their loud, bulbous calls and are among the most famous primates in the world. Contrary to popular belief, their noses are not so large that they need to be held under their arms when eating. They have a healthy diet.
Endemic to the Southeast Asian island of Borneo, these Old World monkeys are known for their social and friendly nature. They live in troops, with a harem group consisting of dominant males, females, and young males, while bachelor groups may include males and sometimes females.
These monkeys inhabit mangrove swamps and forests near rivers, where they feed on fruits, seeds, and leaves. They prefer unripe fruits due to the high sugar content in ripe fruits, which can cause their already plump bellies to swell further.
Baby proboscis monkeys are born with bright blue faces and black fur, but gradually change to their adult colors as they grow – Photo credit: Getty
They are unique among primates for regurgitating and re-chewing their food (rumination) and have multiple-chambered stomachs similar to cows. The bacteria in their stomachs aid in digesting tough foods and detoxifying them.
Everything about these monkeys is large, from their stomachs accounting for a quarter of their body weight to their long limbs and tails. Males can weigh up to 24 kg (about 52 lbs) and have large noses, earning them the nickname “Orang Branda” or “Dutchman” from local Malays.
Read more:
It turns out that female proboscis monkeys prefer males with large noses, which can grow up to 17 cm (6.5 inches) in length. This trait is sexually selected, with women showing a preference for males with bigger noses due to its association with body quality and vocalization. The size of the nose indicates fertility and influences the male’s success in attracting females.
Interestingly, males with larger noses also tend to have smaller canine teeth, despite the lack of territorial aggression in proboscis monkeys. Troops of monkeys often interact, and members may move between groups, gathering at night to sleep in the same areas.
Proboscis monkeys are adept swimmers with partially webbed limbs, using a splash-free dog paddle to navigate their habitat. Their main threat comes from human activities like deforestation for timber and agriculture, leading to a drastic decline in their population.
Do you have a science question? To submit your question, email questions@sciencefocus.com or message us on our Facebook, ×, or Instagram page (remember to include your name and location).
Check out our ultimate fun facts and more amazing science pages.
The impact of the long corona pandemic appears to vary by age
Damir Cudic/Getty Images
Symptoms of long COVID appear to be very different in young children and adolescents, and a better understanding of how the symptoms manifest could aid in diagnosis.
So far, most research on long-COVID has focused on adults, in part because of a “misconception that children can't get long-COVID,” he said. Rachel Gross At New York University.
Gross and his colleagues are currently following 751 children ages 6 to 11 and 3,109 children ages 12 to 17 whose parents say they had previously been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
The researchers defined long COVID as having at least one symptom that lasted more than a month, started or worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, and was present at the time of the study.
Among young children, these symptoms primarily included sleep problems, difficulty concentrating, and abdominal problems such as pain, nausea, vomiting, and constipation.
The symptoms were uncommon among about 150 children of the same age who had not previously been infected, and were confirmed by the absence of antibodies against the virus in their blood samples.
In contrast, symptoms in the 1,300 uninfected young people typically included pain, fatigue and loss of smell or taste.
It's unclear why symptoms differ across different age groups, but Gross said it could be due to differences in hormones or immune systems, or that teenagers may simply be better able to vocalize their symptoms than younger kids. Danilo Buoncenzo A study from the Gemelli University Hospital in Rome, Italy. For example, a teenager may complain of fatigue, but a caregiver may only notice lingering symptoms in a younger child when they vomit.
Armed with this data, the researchers developed a score that ranks how likely a young person's symptoms are to have long-Covid. Currently, diagnosis depends on doctors ruling out other illnesses and recognizing that long-Covid can take many different forms. “Doctors would prefer a score or more objective criteria. Such a tool would definitely help clinicians at least recognize that a child may have long-Covid,” Buoncenso said.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had long-lasting impacts on society and the health of millions of Americans who are still experiencing symptoms. Long-haul COVID-19 can result in chronic symptoms lasting for months, including weakness, palpitations, fatigue, headaches, and cognitive impairment. Scientists are still uncertain about the extent to which COVID affects brain function, leading to what is colloquially known as “brain fog.” Forgetfulness.
So, what causes brain fog in long COVID-19 patients? Researchers propose that the dysfunction of specialized cells lining the brain’s blood vessels plays a crucial role. Known as the Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB), this filter prevents toxins, pathogens, and large molecules from entering the brain. It is theorized that a leaky BBB could allow harmful substances to enter, disrupting normal processes and causing brain fog.
To investigate the link between a leaky BBB and COVID-related brain fog, researchers led by Matthew Campbell, PhD, and Colin P. Dougherty, PhD, examined the brains of patients previously infected with COVID. They studied a group of men and women over 18 years old, including 10 COVID survivors and 22 long-haul COVID patients (symptoms lasting more than 12 weeks), with 11 experiencing brain fog and 11 without it.
Using high-resolution MRI, the team measured BBB permeability by injecting a contrast agent into the patients’ blood to track blood flow through the BBB and into the brain. Patients with brain fog showed higher leakage rates compared to those without brain fog, suggesting a link between BBB dysfunction and persistent brain fog.
Further analysis revealed that patients with long COVID and brain fog had elevated levels of inflammatory markers in their blood, indicating brain inflammation potentially caused by a leaky BBB. The team also observed higher levels of a cell-signaling protein associated with chronic fatigue syndrome in patients with brain fog.
Investigating the immune system’s role in brain inflammation during long COVID, researchers examined gene activity in white blood cells. White blood cells from long COVID patients with brain fog showed significantly more active genes related to sustaining the immune response, suggesting ongoing inflammation causing BBB dysfunction and brain fog.
Lab experiments with brain cells exposed to patient blood samples further supported the link between inflammation, BBB dysfunction, and brain fog. Additionally, direct exposure of brain cells to COVID virus proteins resulted in increased inflammatory gene activity.
In conclusion, researchers found that BBB dysfunction during long COVID leads to chronic inflammation, contributing to brain fog. This insight may aid in understanding other long-term COVID effects and could guide future research on restoring BBB function to treat long COVID patients.
New World porcupines originated in South America and dispersed into North America between 4 and 3 million years ago. Today, prehensile tail porcupines live in the tropical forests of Central and South America. In contrast, North American porcupine (Erethizon Dorsatum) It is thought to be adapted to temperate forests at higher latitudes, with a larger body, shorter tail, and a diet that includes bark. paper Published in this week's journal Current BiologyPalaeontologists have described functionally important features of the skeleton of an extinct porcupine. Erethizon PoeriThe oldest nearly complete porcupine skeleton recorded in North America, discovered in Florida from the Early Pleistocene.
North American porcupines differ from their southern counterparts in that they have more fur, a shorter tail, and a larger build.
Porcupines are a type of rodent whose ancestors probably originated in Africa more than 30 million years ago.
Their descendants subsequently migrated overland to parts of Asia and Europe, but the journey to South America is a particularly defining event in mammalian history.
They probably crossed the Atlantic Ocean on rafts at a time when Africa and South America were much closer than they are today.
They were the first rodents to set foot on the continent, where they evolved into familiar groups such as guinea pigs, chinchillas, capybaras, and porcupines.
Some were gigantic – lumbering, mouse-like creatures up to five feet long, with tiny brains and weighing less than a plum – and a close relative of the extinct capybara that grew to the size of a cow.
Porcupines have evolved to remain relatively small and adapt to life in the trees of the lush tropical rainforests of South America.
Now they move through the tree canopy using long fingers with blunt, sickle-shaped claws perfectly angled to grip branches.
Many birds have long, prehensile tails that can support their body weight and help them climb trees and pick fruit.
Despite its impressive track record of migration, South America was a dead end for millions of years.
North and South America are separated by a vast ocean passage with rapids, which most animals could not cross, with a few notable exceptions.
Beginning about 5 million years ago, the Isthmus of Panama rose above sea level, separating the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
Millions of years later, this land bridge would become the equivalent of an ancient, congested highway, allowing traffic to flow in both directions.
Prehistoric elephants, sabre-toothed tigers, jaguars, llamas, peccaries, deer, skunks and bears migrated from North America to South America.
Also joining us on the reverse journey were four species of ground sloths, an oversized armadillo, fearsome birds, capybaras and even marsupials.
The two groups had radically different fates. The mammals that migrated south did relatively well, and many successfully colonized their new tropical environments and have survived to the present day. But the lineages that moved north into colder environments almost entirely went extinct. Only three species remain today: the giant armadillo, the Virginia opossum, and the North American porcupine.
South American porcupines have a formidable coat of hollow, overlapping quills that provide considerable defense but little in the way of thermoregulation.
North American porcupines replaced this with a mixture of insulating hairs and long, needle-like hairs that they erect when they sense danger. They also had to change their diet, which led to a change in the shape of their jaws.
“When their favorite foods disappear in the winter, they'll nibble at tree bark and eat the soft tissue underneath. It's not the tastiest food, but it’s better than nothing,” says Natasha Vitek, a research scientist at the Florida Museum of Natural History.
“This type of feeding appears to have been selected for a particular jaw structure that enhances the ability to grind teeth.”
“They also lost their tails, which they used to prehensile. North American porcupines still love climbing trees, but it’s not their forte.”
“Museum specimens often show signs of healed fractures, likely caused by falls from trees.”
In the new study, Vitek and his colleagues examined an exceptionally well-preserved skeleton of an extinct species of porcupine from Florida, US.
“It's very unusual to find a fossil skeleton like this, which includes not only the skull and jaw, but also many other bones from other parts of the body,” said Dr. Jonathan Block, curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Florida Museum of Natural History.
“This will give us a more complete picture of how extinct mammals interacted with their environment.”
“We quickly realized that it was different from modern North American porcupines in that it had a specialized tail for grasping branches.”
The researchers were confident that by comparing the fossil skeleton with modern porcupine bones they could pinpoint its identity.
“The results were surprising: the fossil lacked the reinforced jaws for gnawing at bark, but had a tail adapted for prehensile functions, making it more similar to South American porcupines,” Vitek said.
“But other features, such as the shape of the middle ear bones and the shape of the lower front and back teeth, bore stronger similarities to North American porcupines.”
When all the data was combined, the analyses consistently gave the same answer.
Fossils Erethizon Poeriis an extinct species of North American porcupine, and this group has a long history that likely began before the formation of the Isthmus of Panama.
But questions remain about how many species in this group once existed and why they became extinct.
“One of the things our study leaves unresolved is whether these extinct species were the direct ancestors of today’s living North American porcupines,” Vitek said.
“It’s possible that porcupines have invaded temperate zones twice — once along the Gulf Coast and once in the West — but we’re not there yet.”
_____
Natasha S. Vitek othersAn extinct North American porcupine with a South American tail. Current BiologyPublished online May 27, 2024; doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.04.069
Be cautious of counterfeit eclipse glasses. A genuine pair should have a silver front lens and a black interior. It should be clearly marked with the manufacturer’s name and address and should not be damaged. Look for the ISO logo and code “IS 12312-2” on the inside as well.
If you don’t have eclipse glasses, you can make a DIY pinhole projector using white cardboard or paper, aluminum foil, and a pin. Cut a small square or rectangle in the center of the material, cover it with foil, and create a small hole with a pin. This projector allows you to safely view the sun’s image on a surface.
During a solar eclipse, position a second piece of material as a screen on the ground, hold the projector with the foil facing up, and adjust the distance to change the image size on the screen.
Important things to note when observing a total solar eclipse
Along the path of the eclipse, there are significant moments to witness as the event progresses.
As the sun dims during the eclipse, the surroundings start to darken, creating an eerie atmosphere.
The “diamond ring effect” was demonstrated after a total solar eclipse at Palm Cove in Australia’s tropical north Queensland state in 2012. Greg Wood/AFP – Getty Images File
Stay alert for the “diamond ring effect” as the last sunlight disappears, creating an illuminated halo around the sun and a diamond-like appearance.
As the light diminishes further, the Moon’s rough terrain creates Bailey beads. These small light beads are visible briefly as the remaining sunlight filters through the moon’s surface.
When the moon completely covers the sun, it is safe to remove your eclipse glasses and observe the total solar eclipse directly with the naked eye.
The SARS-CoV-2 virus can remain in the lungs for up to 18 months after infection, a study has found, challenging the notion that it is undetectable after initial recovery. This persistence is associated with a failure of the innate immune system. This study confirms the existence of “viral reservoirs” similar to those found in HIV and highlights the role of NK cells in controlling these reservoirs. This discovery is extremely important for understanding long-term COVID-19 infections and the mechanisms of viral persistence.
Groundbreaking research reveals:
SARS-CoV-2 Due to malfunctioning of the innate immune system, it can remain in the lungs for months, undetected, leading to long-term COVID-19 infections. 1 to 2 weeks after being infected with the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) virus It is generally undetectable in the upper respiratory tract. But does that mean it’s not present in the body? To find out, a team at the Institut Pasteur, which specializes in HIV, teamed up with France’s public research institute, the Commission for Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy (CEA), to study lung cells in animal models. It was conducted. This finding not only shows that SARS-CoV-2 can be detected in the lungs of certain individuals for up to 18 months after infection, but also that its persistence is associated with a failure of innate immunity, the first line of defense against the pathogen. It also shows that this is the case. ).This study was published in the journal innate immunology.
Discovery of virus carriers in the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19)
After causing an infection, some viruses remain in the body in a discreet and undetectable form. They remain in what is known as the “viral reservoir.” This is the case with HIV, which is latent in certain immune cells and can reactivate at any time. The same may be the case with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. COVID-19 (new coronavirus infection). At least, this is the hypothesis proposed in 2021 by a team of scientists at the Pasteur Institute, and now confirmed in a preclinical model in non-human primates.
“Furthermore, we were able to culture these viruses and use the tools we developed to study HIV to observe that the viruses were still able to replicate.” To understand the role of innate immunity in controlling these viral reservoirs, scientists next turned to NK (natural killer) cells. “The innate immune cellular response, the body’s first line of defense, has so far been little studied in the context of SARS-CoV-2 infection,” says Michaela Müller-Turtwin. “However, it has long been known that NK cells play an important role in controlling viral infections.” The study found that in some animals, macrophages infected with SARS-CoV-2 were destroyed by NK cells. In other animals, NK cells have been shown to adapt to infection and destroy resistant cells (known as adaptive NK cells). For macrophages. Therefore, this study sheds light on a possible mechanism explaining the existence of ‘viral reservoirs’. People who had little or no virus over time had adaptive NK cell production, whereas people with higher levels of virus not only had no adaptive NK cells, but only cell activation. NK cell activity also decreases. Therefore, innate immunity appears to play a role in controlling persistent SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Future research directions
“We will undertake a study of a cohort infected with SARS-CoV-2 early in the pandemic to investigate whether the identified viral reservoirs and mechanisms are associated with long-lasting COVID-19 cases. “However, the results here already represent an important step in understanding the nature of the virus reservoir and the mechanisms regulating virus survival,” says Michaela Müller-Turtwin.
Reference:
“SARS-CoV-2 virus persistence in lung alveolar macrophages is controlled by IFN-γ and NK cells”, Nicolas Huot, Cyril Planchais, Pierre Rosenbaum, Vanessa Contreras, Beatrice Jacquelin, Caroline Petitdemange, By Marie Lazzerini, Emma Beaumont, Aurelio Horta-Rezendis, Felix A. Rey, R. Keith Reeves, Roger Le Grand, Hugo Mouquet, Michaela Müller-Tourtuin, November 2, 2023. innate immunology.
This research was primarily funded by families of major donors as part of the Coronavirus Research Program Call for Projects.
It’s not often that a respected professor embarks on an investigation into a scientific discovery by a 15-year-old, but in 1938 Robert Bloom made an exception. The British-born paleontologist was keenly aware that South Africa in the 1930s was gaining a reputation for extremely primitive-looking hominin fossils. So when he heard that elementary school student Gerd Terblanche had discovered a fragment of a human skull in a cave there, he immediately tracked him down. Bloom’s visit to the boy’s school was successful. The boy later recalled that he was walking around with children. “Probably the world’s four most precious teeth are in his pants pocket.”.
Within a few months, Bloom completed his analysis of the fossil. He determined that they were different from anything previously discovered; He gave ancient humans a new name. paranthropus.
However, although he was convinced that the remains were valuable, paranthropus He never became famous. Perhaps it was because it was a misfit. It resembled one of our small-brained ancestors, but existed on Earth long after other ape-like hominids were replaced by large-brained hominins. Even among paleoanthropologists, paranthropus They are depicted as a “forgotten” human race.
It probably won’t last very long. Spurred by the discovery of more fossils, researchers are finally starting to re-evaluate this addition to the evolutionary tree – and their research suggests it was one of the strangest. ing. paranthropus They may have been skilled tool makers, but they also may have grazed like cows and communicated with low calls like elephants. The question now is whether this research will bring us any closer to understanding how the last apemen survived in a world dominated by…
This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Strictly Necessary Cookies
Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.
