EverythingScience

Why Your Gut Microbes Could Be Controlling Your Sleep This finding supports a groundbreaking view that sleep arises from the interplay between the brain and the microbiome — a partnership that could reshape how we understand consciousness, evolution, and health. The work opens a new frontier in sleep science, suggesting that the key to our rest may lie as much in our gut as in our heads. What Drives Sleep? A New Look at the Gut-Brain Connection What causes us to sleep? The answer may lie not only in the brain itself, but also in how it interacts with the microorganisms that develop in the gut. New research from Washington State University points to a shift in how scientists think about sleep. The study found that peptidoglycan, a material that forms part of bacterial cell walls, appears naturally in the brains of mice and aligns closely with their sleep patterns. These results build on a long-running scientific idea at WSU that suggests sleep may emerge from communication between the body’s systems that regulate rest and the large community of microbes that live inside us. Source:SciTechDaily @EverythingScience

Misinformation is an inevitable biological reality across nature, researchers argue From claims that vaccines don't work to manipulated images and deliberately misrepresenting what politicians say, social media is often rife with misinformation. But far from being a recent phenomenon, there is nothing new about so-called "fake news," according to a new paper published in the journal Interface. Researchers argue that misinformation is an inherent and inevitable property of biological systems, from bacteria to birds and human societies. Misinformation is everywhere Social communication is a key part of social evolution and collective behavior. It is how an organism learns about its immediate environment without having to rely on risky, trial-and-error or how a bacterium coordinates its behavior with its neighbors to launch a collective defense. However, these social connections can also act as channels for misinformation. While there are many studies on the spread of misinformation in human societies, our understanding of its biological origins is limited. So the team reviewed decades of empirical and theoretical studies of misinformation in biological systems to see where and how it happens in nature. They found plenty of examples, such as a bird giving a false alarm call, causing the entire flock to flee, an animal population copying outdated migratory paths and even deceptive signaling in bacteria. Source:Phys.org @EverythingScience

Your Brain Has a Learning Shortcut AI Can’t Copy Artificial intelligence can now produce acclaimed essays and support medical diagnoses with impressive precision, yet biological brains still outperform machines in one essential area: flexibility. Humans can absorb new information and adapt to unfamiliar situations with very little effort. People can jump into new software, follow a recipe they have never tried before, or learn the rules of a game they have just discovered, while AI systems often struggle to adjust in real time and to learn effectively “on the fly.” A new study from Princeton neuroscientists offers insight into why the brain excels at this kind of rapid adjustment. The researchers found that the brain repeatedly draws on the same cognitive “blocks” when performing different types of tasks. By recombining these blocks in new ways, the brain can quickly generate fresh behaviors. Source:SciTechDaily @EverythingScience

Can I See Comet 3I/ATLAS From Earth During Its Closest Approach Today? Yes, Here’s How Source:IFLScience @EverythingScience

Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS made its closest pass to Earth on Dec. 19—about 170 million miles away! Check out these stunning shots of four other comets captured from the station since 2023. More comet pics... flic.kr/s/aHsmbS1GgV Source: @Space_Station @EverythingScience

🔭 Until now, observing the inner regions of the Sun’s enigmatic atmosphere – the corona – was close to impossible. 🛰️🛰️☀️ The satellite duo making up our Proba-3 mission fills this observation gap by creating artificial solar eclipses in orbit. Read more: esa.int/Enabling_Suppo… Source: @esa @EverythingScience

Another trip around the Sun ☀️ NASAHubble turned 35 this year. Even after more than three decades in orbit, the telescope continues to revolutionize our view of the universe. Source: RT@NASAGoddard @EverythingScience

How color-changing, bacteria-infused spacesuits could help keep future astronauts safe from space radiation Source:Space.com @EverythingScience

It's being used to fight cancer, flu and the next pandemic, but what exactly is mRNA? Source:Phys.org @EverythingScience

New 'DNA cassette tape' can store up to 1.5 million times more data than a smartphone — and the data can last 20,000 years if frozen Source:Live Science @EverythingScience

I created a little web game which I'm going to use for a future video explaining how aircraft used to navigate by radio before VORs. No special equipment needed, just listen to morse code tones, if you're on one of the 4 beams then you'll hear a continuous tone, so find a beam, stay on it and get to the destination, then it gets harder, removing the map, and eventually just relying on the audio alone: illectro.github.io (Not mobile friendly currently) Source: @DJSnM @EverythingScience

Scientists Find the Protein That Lets Alcohol Wreck Your Liver Source:SciTechDaily @EverythingScience