STEM

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Brain Scientists Finally Discover the Glue That Makes Memories Stick For a Lifetime
Posted by BeauHD on Wednesday August 28, 2024 @11:30PM from the key-chemical-players dept.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Scientific American, written by science journalist Simon Makin:

The persistence of memory is crucial to our sense of identity, and without it, there would be no learning, for us or any other animal. It's little wonder, then, that some researchers have called how the brain stores memories the most fundamental question in neuroscience. A milestone in the effort to answer this question came in the early 1970s, with the discovery of a phenomenon called long-term potentiation, or LTP. Scientists found that electrically stimulating a synapse that connects two neurons causes a long-lasting increase in how well that connection transmits signals. Scientists say simply that the "synaptic strength" has increased. This is widely believed to be the process underlying memory. Networks of neural connections of varying strengths are thought to be what memories are made of.

In the search for molecules that enable LTP, two main contenders emerged. One, called PKMzeta (protein kinase Mzeta), made a big splash when a 2006 study showed that blocking it erased memories for places in rats. If obstructing a molecule erases memories, researchers reasoned, that event must be essential to the process the brain uses to maintain memories. A flurry of research into the so-called memory molecule followed, and numerous experiments appeared to show that it was necessary and sufficient for maintaining numerous types of memory. The theory had a couple of holes, though. First, PKMzeta is short-lived. "Those proteins only last in synapses for a couple of hours, and in neurons, probably a couple of days," says Todd Sacktor, a neurologist at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, who was co-senior author of the 2006 study. "Yet our memories can last 90 years, so how do you explain this difference?" Second, PKMzeta is created in cells as needed, but then it has to find the right synapses. Each neuron has around 10,000 synapses, only a few percent of which are strengthened, says neuroscientist Andre Fenton, the other co-senior author of the 2006 study, who is now at New York University. The strengthening of some synapses and not others is how this mechanism stores information, but how PKMzeta molecules accomplish this was unknown.

A new study published in Science Advances by Sacktor, Fenton and their colleagues plugs these holes. The research suggests that PKMzeta works alongside another molecule, called KIBRA (kidney and brain expressed adaptor protein), which attaches to synapses activated during learning, effectively "tagging" them. KIBRA couples with PKMzeta, which then keeps the tagged synapses strengthened. Experiments show that blocking the interaction between these two molecules abolishes LTP in neurons and disrupts spatial memories in mice. Both molecules are short-lived, but their interaction persists. "It's not PKMzeta that's required for maintaining a memory, it's the continual interaction between PKMzeta and this targeting molecule, called KIBRA," Sacktor says. "If you block KIBRA from PKMzeta, you'll erase a memory that's a month old." The specific molecules will have been replaced many times during that month, he adds. But, once established, the interaction maintains memories over the long term as individual molecules are continually replenished. [...]

"What seems clear is that there is no single 'memory molecule,'" concludes Scientific American. "Regardless of any competing candidate, PKMzeta needs a second molecule to maintain long-term memories, and there is another that can substitute in a pinch."

"There are also some types of memory, such as the association of a location with fear, that do not depend on PKMzeta," the report adds. "Nobody knows what molecules are involved in those cases, and PKMzeta is clearly not the whole story."

Saludos.

[Cadavre Exquis]

World's First Zinc-Ion Battery Megafactory Opens For Business
Posted by BeauHD on Wednesday September 04, 2024 @03:00AM from the safe-energy-solutions dept.

Sweden's Enerpoly has opened the world's first zinc-ion battery megafactory near Stockholm, aiming for a 100 MWh annual capacity by 2026. "According to Enerpoly, this megafactory will serve Europe's needs for safe energy storage, and also utilize an all-European supply chain to boot," reports New Atlas. From the report:

If you're wondering why Enerpoly is bothering with zinc-ion and not lithium-ion batteries, it's because the former is a better choice for storage in several ways:

• They use a water-based electrolyte, which makes them non-flammable, and reduces the risk of fires and explosions.
• They're less expensive, because zinc is far more abundant than lithium (which is difficult and expensive to extract), and easier to handle. They can also operate across a wider temperature range and require less maintenance, making them cheaper than lithium-ion options.
• They're more eco-friendly for the same reason. In contrast, extracting lithium currently requires extensive mining as well as the use of massive evaporation ponds before processing even begins.
• They're said to last a whole lot longer. According to the International Zinc Association, a nonprofit trade association which counts Enerpoly as a member, zinc-based batteries can last up to 20 years, while lithium batteries manage about 12 years.

The downside? They have a lower energy density than something like a Tesla 4680 battery, making them ideal for applications like load shifting and grid resilience.

Saludos.

[Cadavre Exquis]

https://www.eleconomista.es/tecnologia/noticias/12973192/09/24/las-agencias-espaciales-trazan-un-plan-para-limpiar-el-cosmos.html

Saludos.

[Cadavre Exquis]

FDA Grants Neuralink With Breakthrough Device Tag For 'Blindsight' Implant
Posted by BeauHD on Wednesday September 18, 2024 @03:00AM from the life-changing-tech dept.

Neuralink said on Tuesday it has received the FDA's "breakthrough device" designation for its experimental implant aimed at restoring vision. Called Blindsight, the device "will enable even those who have lost both eyes and their optic nerve to see," said Neuralink founder Elon Musk. Reuters reports:

The FDA's breakthrough tag is given to certain medical devices that provide treatment or diagnosis of life-threatening conditions. It is aimed at speeding up development and review of devices currently under development. Neuralink did not immediately respond to a request seeking details about when it expects the Blindsight device to move into human trials.

Saludos.

[Cadavre Exquis]

Fly Brain Breakthrough 'Huge Leap' To Unlock Human Mind
Posted by BeauHD on Thursday October 03, 2024 @09:25PM from the technological-feats dept.

fjo3 shares a report from the BBC:

They can walk, hover and the males can even sing love songs to woo mates -- all this with a brain that's tinier than a pinhead. Now for the first time scientists researching the brain of a fly have identified the position, shape and connections of every single one of its 130,000 cells and 50 million connections. It's the most detailed analysis of the brain of an adult animal ever produced. One leading brain specialist independent of the new research described the breakthrough as a "huge leap" in our understanding of our own brains. One of the research leaders said it would shed new light into âoethe mechanism of thought." [...]

The images the scientists have produced, which have been published in the journal Nature, show a tangle of wiring that is as beautiful as it is complex. Its shape and structure holds the key to explaining how such a tiny organ can carry out so many powerful computational tasks. Developing a computer the size of a poppy seed capable of all these tasks is way beyond the ability of modern science. Dr Mala Murthy, another of the projectâ(TM)s co-leaders, from Princeton University, said the new wiring diagram, known scientifically as a connectome, would be âoetransformative for neuroscientists." [...] The researchers have been able to identify separate circuits for many individual functions and show how they are connected. The wires involved with movement for example are at the base of the brain, whereas those for processing vision are towards the side. There are many more neurons involved in the latter because seeing requires much more computational power. While scientists already knew about the separate circuits they did not know how they were connected together.

Anyone can view and download the fly connectome here.

Saludos.

[Cadavre Exquis]

Cheetos Food Dye Turns Mice Transparent
Posted by BeauHD on Friday October 04, 2024 @03:00AM from the puff-piece dept.

Researchers have discovered that a popular food dye used in Cheetos "alters the optical qualities of skin, allowing light to pass through (Source paywalled; alternative source)," according to the Wall Street Journal. Larger doses of the dye used on humans could make searching veins for blood draw easier. From a report:

Tartrazine, the yellowing agent for the "dangerously cheesy" snack, was tested on the stomachs and heads of mice -- with surprising results. Researchers were even able to see muscle pulsations and blood vessels in their brains, the Wall Street Journal reported.

How does this ultimate magic trick work? It has to do with how cells are comprised of membranes that hold fats in a watery style, the outlet stated. The fats and water manage light differently. In this case, when the dye is applied, it causes light to pass through when it hits their cells. Thus, ta-da! the transparent opacity of invisible mice skin.

The findings have been published in the journal Science.

Saludos.