Alle afleveringen
373 afleveringen, van nieuw naar oud
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How the Brain Protects Itself From Blood-Borne Threats
25 oktober 2023 · 12 min
To buffer the brain against menaces in the blood, a dynamic, multi-tiered system of protection is built into the brain’s blood vessels. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Good Times” by Patrick Patrikios.
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JWST Spots Giant Black Holes All Over the Early Universe
11 oktober 2023 · 25 min
Giant black holes were supposed to be bit players in the early cosmic story. But recent James Webb Space Telescope observations are finding an unexpected abundance of the beasts. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Light Gazing” by Andrew Langdon. Lees meer
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Is It Real or Imagined? How Your Brain Tells the Difference.
27 september 2023 · 18 min
New experiments show that the brain distinguishes between perceived and imagined mental images by checking whether they cross a “reality threshold.” Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Who’s Using Who” by The Mini Vandals.
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Chatbots Don't Know What Stuff Isn't
13 september 2023 · 17 min
Today’s language models are more sophisticated than ever, but they still struggle with the concept of negation. That’s unlikely to change anytime soon. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Hidden Agenda” by Kevin MacLeod.
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Global Microbiome Study Gives New View of Shared Health Risks
30 augustus 2023 · 21 min
The most comprehensive survey of how we share our microbiomes suggests a new way of thinking about the risks of developing some diseases that aren’t usually considered contagious. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Transmission” by John Deley and the 41 Players. Lees meer
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Physicists Use Quantum Mechanics to Pull Energy out of Nothing
16 augustus 2023 · 19 min
The quantum energy teleportation protocol was proposed in 2008 and largely ignored. Now two independent experiments have shown that it works. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Pulse” by Geographer.
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How Loneliness Reshapes the Brain
2 augustus 2023 · 21 min
Feelings of loneliness prompt changes in the brain that further isolate people from social contact. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Slow Burn” by Kevin MacLeod.
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Gene Expression in Neurons Solves a Brain Evolution Puzzle
19 juli 2023 · 20 min
The neocortex of our brain is the seat of our intellect. New data suggests that mammals created it with new types of cells that they developed only after their evolutionary split from reptiles. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Pulse” by Geographer. Lees meer
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Machines Learn Better if We Teach Them the Basics
5 juli 2023 · 21 min
A wave of research improves reinforcement learning algorithms by pre-training them as if they were human. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Quasi Motion” by Kevin MacLeod.
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The Cause of Depression Is Probably Not What You Think
21 juni 2023 · 22 min
Depression has often been blamed on low levels of serotonin in the brain. That answer is insufficient, but alternatives are coming into view and changing our understanding of the disease. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Redwood Trail” by Audionautix. Lees meer
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Ants Live 10 Times Longer by Altering Their Insulin Responses
7 juni 2023 · 18 min
Queen ants live far longer than genetically identical workers. Researchers are learning what their longevity secrets could mean for aging in other species. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Good Times” by Patrick Patrikios.
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How the Brain Distinguishes Memories From Perceptions
24 mei 2023 · 14 min
The neural representations of a perceived image and the memory of it are almost the same. New work shows how and why they are different. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Light Gazing” by Andrew Langdon.
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What Causes Alzheimer's? Scientists Are Rethinking the Answer. (Pt 2)
10 mei 2023 · 41 min
If plaques of amyloid protein in the brain aren’t the root cause of Alzheimer’s disease, what is? Researchers investigating alternative possibilities have faced resistance from the biomedical establishment for decades, but intriguing theories about the role of defects in protein processing and the immune system have emerged. (Part 2 of two episodes.) Lees meer
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What Causes Alzheimer's? Scientists Are Rethinking the Answer. (Pt. 1)
26 april 2023 · 34 min
After decades in the shadow of the reigning model for Alzheimer’s disease, alternative explanations are finally getting the attention they deserve. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Redwood Trail” by Audionautix.
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Astronomers Say They Have Spotted the Universe's First Stars
12 april 2023 · 15 min
Theory has it that “Population III” stars brought light to the cosmos. The James Webb Space Telescope may have just glimpsed them. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Light Gazing” by Andrew Langdon.
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New Chip Expands the Possibilities for AI
29 maart 2023 · 19 min
An energy-efficient chip called NeuRRAM fixes an old design flaw to run large-scale AI algorithms on smaller devices, reaching the same accuracy as wasteful digital computers. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Cast of Pods” by Doug Maxwell.
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How Supergenes Fuel Evolution Despite Harmful Mutations
15 maart 2023 · 19 min
Supergenes that lock inherited traits together are widespread in nature. Recent work shows that their blend of genetic benefits and risks for species can be complex. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Chee Zee Jungle – Primal Drive” by Kevin MacLeod. Lees meer
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Brightest-Ever Space Explosion Reveals Possible Hints of Dark Matter
1 maart 2023 · 12 min
A recent gamma-ray burst known as the BOAT — “brightest of all time” — appears to have produced a high-energy particle that shouldn’t exist. For some, dark matter provides the explanation. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Pulse” by Geographer. Lees meer
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Inside the Proton, the 'Most Complicated Thing You Could Possibly Imagine'
16 februari 2023 · 17 min
The positively charged particle at the heart of the atom is an object of unspeakable complexity, one that changes its appearance depending on how it is probed. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Light Gazing” by Andrew Langdon.
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High-Temperature Superconductivity Understood at Last
1 februari 2023 · 15 min
A new atomic-scale experiment all but settles the origin of the strong form of superconductivity seen in cuprate crystals, confirming a 35-year-old theory. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Quasi Motion” by Kevin MacLeod.
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Record-Breaking Robot Highlights How Animals Excel at Jumping
18 januari 2023 · 20 min
Robots can surpass the limitations on how high and far animals can jump, but their success only underscores nature’s ingenuity in making the most of what’s available. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Pixel Peeker Polka” by Kevin MacLeod.
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A Good Memory or a Bad One? One Brain Molecule Decides.
4 januari 2023 · 20 min
When the brain encodes memories as positive or negative, one molecule determines which way they will go. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Retro” by Wayne Jones.
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Old Problem About Mathematical Curves Falls to Young Couple
21 december 2022 · 21 min
Eric Larson and Isabel Vogt have solved the interpolation problem — a centuries-old question about some of the most basic objects in geometry. Some credit goes to the chalkboard in their living room. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Good Times” by Patrick Patrikios. Lees meer
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How the Physics of Nothing Underlies Everything
7 december 2022 · 17 min
The key to understanding the origin and fate of the universe may be a more complete understanding of the vacuum. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Pulse” by Geographer.
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Geometric Analysis Reveals How Birds Mastered Flight
23 november 2022 · 18 min
Partnerships between engineers and biologists have begun to reveal how birds evolved their superb maneuverability. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Running Out” by Patrick Patrikios.
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How the 'Diamond of the Plant World' Helped Land Plants Evolve
9 november 2022 · 17 min
Structural studies of the robust material called sporopollenin reveal how it made plants hardy enough to reproduce on dry land. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Redwood Trail” by Audionautix.
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Protein Blobs Linked to Alzheimer's Affect Aging in All Cells
26 oktober 2022 · 23 min
Protein buildups like those seen around neurons in Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other brain diseases occur in all aging cells, a new study suggests. Learning their significance may reveal new strategies for treating age-related diseases. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Aimless Amos” by Rondo Brothers. Lees meer
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The Brain Has a 'Low-Power Mode' That Blunts Our Senses
12 oktober 2022 · 18 min
Neuroscientists uncovered an energy-saving mode in vision-system neurons that works at the cost of being able to see fine-grained details. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Unanswered Questions” by Kevin MacLeod.
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Researchers Achieve 'Absurdly Fast' Algorithm for Network Flow
28 september 2022 · 18 min
Computer scientists can now solve a decades-old problem in practically the time it takes to write it down. Read more at quantamagazine.org. Music is “Aimless Amos” by Rondo Brothers.
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Graduate Student's Side Project Proves Prime Number Conjecture
14 september 2022 · 13 min
Jared Duker Lichtman, 26, has proved a longstanding conjecture relating prime numbers to a broad class of “primitive” sets. To his adviser, it came as a “complete shock.” Read more at quantamagazine.org. Music is “Thought Bot” by Audionautix.
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Physicists Rewrite the Fundamental Law That Leads to Disorder
31 augustus 2022 · 27 min
The second law of thermodynamics is among the most sacred in all of science, but it has always rested on 19th century arguments about probability. New arguments trace its true source to the flows of quantum information. Read more at quantamagazine.org. Music is “Pulse” by Geographer. Lees meer
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Secrets of the Moon's Permanent Shadows Are Coming to Light
17 augustus 2022 · 23 min
Robots are about to venture into the sunless depths of lunar craters to investigate ancient water ice trapped there, while remote studies find hints about how water arrives on rocky worlds. Read more and explore infographics at quantamagazine.org.
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Deep Learning Poised to 'Blow Up' Famed Fluid Equations
3 augustus 2022 · 22 min
For centuries, mathematicians have tried to prove that Euler’s fluid equations can produce nonsensical answers. A new approach to machine learning has researchers betting that “blowup” is near. Read more at quantamagazine.org. Music is “Pulse” by Geographer. Lees meer
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Researchers Identify 'Master Problem' Underlying All Cryptography
19 juli 2022 · 22 min
The existence of secure cryptography depends on one of the oldest questions in computational complexity. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Transmission” by John Deley and the 41 Players.
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Brain Chemical Helps Signal to Neurons When to Start a Movement
6 juli 2022 · 17 min
Dopamine, a neurochemical often associated with reward behavior, also seems to help organize precisely when the brain initiates movements. It’s the latest revelation about the power of neuromodulators. Read more at quantamagazine.org. Music is “Pulse” by Geographer. Lees meer
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This Animal's Behavior Is Mechanically Programmed
23 juni 2022 · 25 min
Biomechanical interactions, rather than neurons, control the movements of one of the simplest animals. The discovery offers a glimpse into how animal behavior worked before neurons evolved. Lees meer
The post This Animal’s Behavior Is Mechanically Programmed first appeared in Quanta Magazine.
Music is “Running Out” by Patrick Patrikios.
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Tiny Galaxies Reveal Secrets of Supermassive Black Holes
8 juni 2022 · 16 min
Dwarf galaxies weren’t supposed to have big black holes. Their surprise discovery has revealed clues about how the universe’s biggest black holes could have formed. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Light Gazing” by Andrew Langdon.
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A Deepening Crisis Forces Physicists to Rethink Structure of Nature's Laws
25 mei 2022 · 40 min
Physicists are reexamining a longstanding assumption: that big stuff consists of smaller stuff. Lees meer
The post A Deepening Crisis Forces Physicists to Rethink Structure of Nature’s Laws first appeared on Quanta Magazine
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New Map of Meaning in the Brain Changes Ideas About Memory
11 mei 2022 · 20 min
Researchers have mapped hundreds of semantic categories to the tiny bits of the cortex that represent them in our thoughts and perceptions. What they discovered might change our view of memory. Lees meer
The post New Map of Meaning in the Brain Changes Ideas About Memory first appeared on Quanta Magazine
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Machine Learning Gets a Quantum Speedup
27 april 2022 · 21 min
Two teams have shown how quantum approaches can solve problems faster than classical computers, bringing physics and computer science closer together. Lees meer
The post Machine Learning Gets a Quantum Speedup first appeared on Quanta Magazine
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Secrets of Early Animal Evolution Revealed by Chromosome 'Tectonics'
14 april 2022 · 18 min
Large blocks of genes conserved through hundreds of millions of years of evolution hint at how the first animal chromosomes came to be. Lees meer
The post Secrets of Early Animal Evolution Revealed by Chromosome ‘Tectonics’ first appeared on Quanta Magazine
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A Solution to the Faint-Sun Paradox Reveals a Narrow Window for Life
31 maart 2022 · 25 min
We might have a past faint sun to owe for life’s existence. This has consequences for the possibility of life outside Earth. Lees meer
The post A Solution to the Faint-Sun Paradox Reveals a Narrow Window for Life first appeared on Quanta Magazine
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Evolution 'Landscapes' Predict What's Next for COVID Virus
18 maart 2022 · 26 min
Studies that map the adaptive value of viral mutations hint at how the COVID-19 pandemic might progress next. Lees meer
The post Evolution ‘Landscapes’ Predict What’s Next for COVID Virus first appeared on Quanta Magazine
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Flying Fish and Aquarium Pets Yield Secrets of Evolution
3 maart 2022 · 17 min
New studies reveal the ancient, shared genetic “grammar” underpinning the diverse evolution of fish fins and tetrapod limbs. Lees meer
The post Flying Fish and Aquarium Pets Yield Secrets of Evolution first appeared on Quanta Magazine
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Mathematicians Outwit Hidden Number Conspiracy
17 februari 2022 · 22 min
Decades ago, a mathematician posed a warmup problem for some of the most difficult questions about prime numbers. It turned out to be just as difficult to solve, until now. Lees meer
The post Mathematicians Outwit Hidden Number Conspiracy first appeared on Quanta Magazine
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Mathematician Hurls Structure and Disorder Into Century-Old Problem
3 februari 2022 · 17 min
A new paper shows how to create longer disordered strings than mathematicians had thought possible, proving that a well-known recent conjecture is “spectacularly wrong.” Lees meer
The post Mathematician Hurls Structure and Disorder Into Century-Old Problem first appeared on Quanta Magazine
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Researchers Defeat Randomness to Create Ideal Code
20 januari 2022 · 24 min
By carefully constructing a multidimensional and well-connected graph, a team of researchers has finally created a long-sought locally testable code that can immediately betray whether it’s been corrupted. Lees meer
The post Researchers Defeat Randomness to Create Ideal Code first appeared on Quanta Magazine
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The Brain Processes Speech in Parallel With Other Sounds
6 januari 2022 · 19 min
Scientists thought that the brain’s hearing centers might just process speech along with other sounds. But new work suggests that speech gets some special treatment very early on. Lees meer
The post The Brain Processes Speech in Parallel With Other Sounds first appeared on Quanta Magazine
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Biologists Rethink the Logic Behind Cells' Molecular Signals
23 december 2021 · 25 min
The molecular signaling systems of complex cells are nothing like simple electronic circuits. The logic governing their operation is riotously complex — but it has advantages. Lees meer
The post Biologists Rethink the Logic Behind Cells’ Molecular Signals first appeared on Quanta Magazine
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A Massive Subterranean ‘Tree’ Is Moving Magma to Earth’s Surface
9 december 2021 · 23 min
Deep in the mantle, a branching plume of intensely hot material appears to be the engine powering vast volcanic activity. Lees meer
The post A Massive Subterranean ‘Tree’ Is Moving Magma to Earth’s Surface first appeared on Quanta Magazine