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Mechanisms of Mind Control: Brain-Altering Parasite Turns Ants Into Zombies at Dawn and Dusk

Lead Image: Dissected ant and where you can see the encapsulated parasites (white oval structures) spilling out of the hind body. Credit: Brian Lund Fredensborg It takes over the brains of ants, causing them to cling to blades of grass against their will. The lancet liver fluke has an exceptional lifecycle strategy, in which snails, ants, and grazing animals are unwitting actors. Researchers are now investigating the precise mechanisms behind this intriguing form of mind control. Imagine coming to, jaws gripping the top of a swaying blade of grass, unaware of how you got there. That’s the reality for ants…

Beyond Moore’s Law: MIT’s Innovative “Lightning” System Combines Light and Electrons for Faster Computing

MIT researchers introduce Lightning, a reconfigurable photonic-electronic smartNIC that serves real-time deep neural network inference requests at 100 Gbps. Credit: Alex Shipps/MIT CSAIL via Midjourney “Lightning” system connects photons to the electronic components of computers using a novel abstraction, creating the first photonic computing prototype to serve real-time machine-learning inference requests. Computing is at an inflection point. Moore’s Law, which predicts that the number of transistors on an electronic chip will double each year, is slowing down due to the physical limits of fitting more transistors on affordable microchips. These increases in computer power are slowing down as the demand…

Cornell Study Reveals Why Cancer May Spread to the Spine

Lead Image: Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine found that the vertebral bones of the spine are formed from a unique stem cell type that releases a protein, MFGE8, promoting tumor metastasis. This discovery offers insights into spinal disorders, and reasons tumors often spread to the spine, and could pave the way for new treatments in orthopedics and oncology. The spinal vertebral bones originate from a unique stem cell type that secretes a protein favoring tumor metastases, according to a study led by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine. This breakthrough paves the way for a new line of research into spinal…

Cryo Conservation – A Cool Solution to Saving Species From Extinction

Lead Image: Researchers underscore the significant potential of cryobanks, which store varied genetic materials from animals at ultra-low temperatures, in safeguarding declining global animal populations. The study, conducted with the contribution of several global conservation agencies, suggests prioritizing species for future sampling and establishing a global cryobanking database to facilitate collaborative conservation efforts and possibly reintroduce threatened species to their natural habitats. Amidst the dire biodiversity crisis, underscored by a staggering 69% drop in global animal populations since 1970, experts are turning to an innovative solution to help avert species extinction. Analogous to how egg-freezing offers humans the option to…

Decoding the Universe’s Ghost: Project 8 Is Closing In on the Elusive Neutrino

Researchers from Project 8 employ a pioneering technique, Cyclotron Radiation Emission Spectroscopy, in their ambitious endeavor to determine the elusive neutrino’s mass, holding potential implications for our understanding of the universe. Project 8 marks a major milestone in its quest to measure neutrino mass. The humble neutrino, an elusive subatomic particle that passes effortlessly through normal matter, plays an outsized role among the particles that comprise our universe. To fully explain how our universe came to be, we need to know its mass. But, like so many of us, it avoids being weighed. Now, an international team of researchers from…