The Left Hand of Darkness. That's her first scifi book I read and fell in love with it. I will add here the review I wrote when I read it:
In this book Genly Ai is sent to the planet Gethen on behalf of the Ekumen, an alliance of human societies residing on far flung planets, to acquaint the inhabitants with the existence of the Ekumen and convince them to join the alliance. The Gethenians are unique: every individual has the potential to be a man or a woman during regular periods of time, referred to as "kemmer". The period of kemmer is the only time when a Gethenian has a defined sexuality. Throughout the course of the book any individual Gethenian is referred to as a "man". The narrative is told through two POVs, both in the first person: Genly Ai, the Envoy; and Estraven, who is the prime minister of Karhide, Mr Ai's liaison with the nation's king. Over the course of the narrative, Le Guin explores a society totally uninfluenced by sexuality which interestingly holds up a mirror to how sexuality /gender permeates every nook and cranny of our social existence. It was however the beautiful depiction of the progression of the relationship between Mr Ai and Estraven that made me fall in love with this book. The complete disconnect between the cultures of the two main characters initially made them misjudge each other leading to dangerous consequences. Later, unexpectedly thrown in together while traveling for days in the icy wilderness, they begin to understand and accept each other for who they are; the story ultimately culminating into it's heartbreaking conclusion. I will end with these beautiful lines: "Light is the left hand of darkness and darkness the right hand of light. Two are one, life and death, lying together like lovers in kemmer, like hands joined together, like the end and the way."
Read. Study topics I don’t know about. Learn new skills and try out new experiences. Travel to different places I haven't visited before.
Why do matter and antimatter annihilate?
From forming bound states to normal scattering, many possibilities abound for matter-antimatter interactions. So why do they annihilate?
From forming bound states to normal scattering, many possibilities abound for matter-antimatter interactions. So why do they annihilate? There’s a quantum reason we simply can’t avoid.
This molecule is directly associated with the expression of the cellular prion protein located on the surface of nerve cells. The research, conducted by the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia, paves the way for early detection of Alzheimer's disease. A new study conducted by the Molecular
Clinical relevance of miRNAs as biomarkers is growing due to their stability and detection in biofluids. This study has identified miR-519a-3p as a potential early biomarker for Alzheimer’s, linked to prion protein expression. This molecule is directly associated with the expression of the cellular prion protein located on the surface of nerve cells. miR-519a-3p may potentially be used as a biomarker of preclinical stages of the disease.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925443924001765?via%3Dihub (open access)
Sorry Trekkies, Real Life Planet Vulcan Was Just Killed By Science
The article referenced:
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-3881/ad34d5 (open access)
Oh this is partly how listening to music works for me. I'll be listening to some particular songs in the moment repeatedly, get fed up of either all of them at once or one by one, then just stop listening to those that I get fed up of. I'll then again listen to music when I again feel like listening to some particular music.
This is not directly related, but one reason I stop myself from binge watching TV shows is that if I end up watching too many episodes of a TV series at one go it can end up ruining the show for me, regardless of how great it may be, because watching too many episodes at one go makes me so fed up of the show that I don’t feel like watching it anymore. Binge watching almost ruined Breaking Bad for me; since then I make it a point to never watch more than 2 episodes of a show in a day. I generally restrict myself to one episode per day.
The perception of taste is remarkably complex, not only on the tongue but in organs throughout the body.
The perception of taste is remarkably complex, not only on the tongue but in organs throughout the body.
The idea that specific tastes are confined to certain areas of the tongue is a myth that “persists in the collective consciousness despite decades of research debunking it.” Also wrong: the notion that taste is limited to the mouth.
https://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJMra2304578
Love the smell of n-hexane and pet ether (worked in a chemistry lab). Though don't like the smell of gasoline. I kind of also like the smell of chlorinated water. Also chloroform, though not as much as n-hexane.
Innovative research from Mount Sinai has also identified new pathways for research. Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have achieved a major breakthrough in Alzheimer's disease research. Their study identifies a promising method that could potentially slow or even stop the p
This study focuses on the manipulation of the plexin-B1 protein to enhance the brain’s ability to clear amyloid plaques in Alzheimer’s disease, opening avenues for future therapeutic strategies to potentially halt the progression of the disease
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-024-01664-w
Doing a reread of Equal Rites, Children of Hurin and listening to Jane Eyre.
ACC is mainly studied for its role in cognition and emotion. In the article linked it's mentioned >The ACC is one of the higher-order cortical regions that have been extensively studied for cognitive and emotional brain functions, but have been understudied for brain disease-related sensory abnormalities.> I also found another article on the role of ACC in cognition and emotion: https://neuro.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/jnp.23.2.jnp121
Also you can go through the Wikipedia article: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anterior_cingulate_cortex
In my case I've found the need to use Google for local searches, and certain very specific searches (one example is journal impact factors). In a lot of other cases, DDG has actually given me better results - I was getting fed up with some of the crappy results I was getting using Google, which prompted me to try out and eventually shift to DDG.
Sensory hypersensitivity in mice with Grin2b mutations is associated with hyperactivity in the anterior cingulate cortex and increased connectivity throughout the brain. A research team led by Director Kim Eunjoon of the Center for Synaptic Brain Dysfunctions and Director Kim Seong-Gi of the Center
This study has identified the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) as a key area in the brain responsible for sensory hypersensitivity in autism spectrum disorders. Utilizing a mouse model with a Grin2b gene mutation, heightened neural activity and connectivity in the ACC was observed. Suppressing this hyperactivity normalized the sensory hypersensitivity, offering new insights into treatment options
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-024-02572-y (open access)
Mostly using DDG now for sometime. Once in a while need to use Google.
I've found that applying an ice pack on my forehead and neck helps a little. Not much else by way of wacky treatments. The most effective one is my sumatriptan. It's a life saver for me!
Oh I need a dark room as well as silence - bright light as well as loud, especially high pitched sounds, not only make my migrains worse, but are also triggers by themselves.
Tubular. It's a fork of newpipe incorporating sponsorblock and youtube dislike.
Technology that enables researchers to interpret brain signals could one day allow people to talk using only their thoughts.
Brain-machine interfaces implanted in the participants of this study in the supramarginal gyrus (SMG) and primary somatosensory cortex (S1) were successfully able to decode both internally spoken and vocalized words.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-024-01867-y?utm_source=Live+Audience&utm_campaign=1586f44658-nature-briefing-daily-20240514&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b27a691814-1586f44658-52006460 (open access)
The cells generated by the very first division of the fertilized egg make a lopsided contribution to the body’s organs and tissues.
This study performed lineage tracing of live human embryos from the first cleavage division until the blastocyst stage and discovered that the majority of cells in the EPI, the future human body, originate from one of the two cells in most embryos. The first blastomere to divide at the 2-cell stage has a higher likelihood to generate the first, and more, internalized cells at the 8-to-16-cell stage.
https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(24)00455-0?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0092867424004550%3Fshowall%3Dtrue (open access)
From the earliest stages of the hot Big Bang (and even before) to our dark energy-dominated present, how and when did the Universe grow up?
An interesting article on the time line of the universe.
The Universe passed through many epochs, from free quarks and gluons to stable protons and neutrons to neutral atoms to stars, galaxies, planets, and more. The precise time at which these various epochs occurred, including the (current) dark energy-dominated era, can be pinpointed with precision. Here’s how we know.
A recent study from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, the Columbia Aging Center, and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health found that individuals who engaged in mentally stimulating jobs during their 30s to 60s were less likely to develop mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dem
A cohort study found that individuals who engaged in mentally stimulating jobs during their 30s to 60s were less likely to develop mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia after turning 70, highlighting the importance of cognitive stimulation during midlife for maintaining cognitive function in old age. [It is important to note that this study identifies associations rather than direct causation of dementia.]
https://www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/WNL.0000000000209353
Researchers employ cutting-edge methods to create functional cells, closing the divide between synthetic and biological materials. In a new study published in Nature Chemistry, UNC-Chapel Hill researcher Ronit Freeman and her colleagues describe the steps they took to manipulate DNA and proteins —
The engineering of artificial cells requires a reconfigurable cytoskeleton that can organize at distinct locations and dynamically modulate its structural and mechanical properties. This study combines peptide self-assembly with DNA programmability to realize a synthetic cytoskeleton in droplets showing that programmable peptide–DNA nanotechnology approach is a powerful platform towards the construction of functional, fully artificial cells.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41557-024-01509-w (open access)
Paedophiles create nude AI images of children to extort from them, says charity | Internet safety | The Guardian
Internet Watch Foundation has found a manual on dark web encouraging criminals to use software tools that remove clothing
Internet Watch Foundation has found a manual on dark web encouraging criminals to use software tools that remove clothing. The manipulated image could then be used against the child to blackmail them into sending more graphic content, the IWF said.
TechScape: No WhatsApp in China, no TikTok in the US, and the return of Llama | Technology | The Guardian
In this week’s newsletter: While Apple removed the platform from App Stores without a squeak of public protest, its battle with the EU rages on. Plus, how a ban in the US could change TikTok everywhere
While Apple removed the platform from App Stores without a squeak of public protest, its battle with the EU rages on.
"When an authoritarian regime tells Apple what it can do with the App Store, the company’s response is a curt single paragraph. When a democratic union tries to do the same, the response is vociferous and negative."
The long read: New research into the dying brain suggests the line between life and death may be less distinct than previously thought
"For all that science has learned about the workings of life, death remains among the most intractable of mysteries....
"New research into the dying brain suggests the line between life and death may be less distinct than previously thought...
"Death may be far more alive than we ever thought possible..."
Recent research illustrates how RNA molecules' chemical characteristics might have played a crucial role in the development of complex life forms. How did complex life manage to evolve on the early, inhospitable Earth? Initially, ribonucleic acid (RNA) must have existed to carry the first genetic i
This study reveals how life’s complexity could originate from simple RNA molecules on early Earth. Through experiments demonstrating RNA’s recycling and replication abilities under conditions such as low salinity and high pH, the research suggests life could emerge from minimal molecular sets in environments akin to volcanic islands. This means that an RNA world could arise without the prior necessity for long complex sequences.
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jacs.3c10813# (open access)
The Earth that exists today wasn't formed simultaneously with the Sun and the other planets. In some ways, we're quite a latecomer.
An article which explains the formation of Earth and our solar system.
A molecule found in the diet could play a significant role in slowing the progression of Alzheimer's disease. A recent study conducted by scientists at the University of California, Davis, reveals that a ketogenic diet can significantly delay the early stages of Alzheimer’s-related memory loss in m
This study shows that a ketogenic diet slows early Alzheimer’s memory loss in mice, in which the molecule beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), plays an important role thus offering hope for its application in human ageing and cognitive health.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-024-05860-z (open access).
Researchers See Ancient Genes As Potential Targets for Dementia Treatment Genetic remnants of viruses that are naturally present in the human genome could affect the development of neurodegenerative diseases. Researchers at DZNE come to this conclusion on the basis of studies on cell cultures. They
This study uncovers that activation of endogenous retroviruses affects prion-like spreading of proteopathic seeds. It supports that endogenous retroviruses play a role in protein misfolding diseases and suggest that antiviral drugs could represent promising candidates for inhibiting protein aggregate spreading.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-40632-z (open access)