Human brains are being brought back from the dead 🧠
A radical treatment first trialled on pigs has now successfully reanimated certain functions of a human brain. This technology raises the possibility that death could one day be a reversible condition.
As one of their favourite stories of 2024, Linda Rodriguez-McRobbie and Rowan Hooper discuss this breakthrough and the ethical dilemmas that come with it.
Hear more in a special holiday edition of New Scientist Weekly, a news podcast for the insatiably curious, hosted by Rowan Hooper.
Tap link to learn more: https://www.newscientist.com/podcasts/
#sciencepodcast #science #quantumcomputer #google #multiverse #sciencefacts #newscientist #podcast
Is nose breathing better for you? 😤
Breathing is so natural you may not give it much thought, but there’s good reason to give your inhalation a moment's pause. Breathing through your nose, for example, has some benefits over mouth breathing. Your nose filters, warms and humidifies air while producing nitric oxide, which kills pathogens and helps absorb more oxygen. Nose breathing also creates more air resistance, giving your lungs a workout that allows you to draw in up to 20 per cent more oxygen than breathing by mouth. It even boosts brain function by syncing brainwaves and improving memory, emotion, and cognition.
But if you aren’t a nose breather, don’t worry. Our bodies have lots of mechanisms to manage pollutants, kills pathogens and boost oxygen intake, so you don’t have to change your respiratory habits. But taking a moment to focus on your breath might bring some unexpected benefits.
Tap link to learn more: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24532640-600-how-to-breathe-your-way-to-better-memory-and-sleep/
#breath, #mouthbreathing, #nosebreathing, #sleep, #snoring, #snore, #memory, #cognition, #mindfulness, #brainwaves, #TikTok, #STEM, #Science, #Sciencefacts
How to fix computing's AI energy problem: run everything backwards 🖥️
Every time we use a computer, we are dealing with a machine that is, at a fundamental level, wasteful. It all goes back to a decision made decades ago about the deep workings of computer logic and how these machines delete data, a process that inevitably produces a large amount of waste heat. For a long time, we have muddled through with wasteful computers. But with the rise of artificial intelligence, which has pushed the power demands of computing to new heights, this seemingly inconsequential decision might be about to bite us. We may need to redesign computing from scratch.
Thankfully, we know exactly what to do. It involves a trick that might sound a touch unlikely: getting processors to do everything twice, once forwards, then in reverse. Reversible computing can be so much more energy efficient than conventional computing, and it's potentially the way we should have originally built computers," says Hannah Earleyat UK-based reversible computing company Vaire Computing.
Tap link to learn more: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26435231-300-how-to-fix-computings-ai-energy-problem-run-everything-backwards/
#AI, #comouting, #reversiblecomputing, #technology, #STEM, #heat, #processors, #Vaire
How physicists think we could travel through time ⌛️✨️
At some point, most of us have wished we could travel back in time to repair some misstep or faux pas. But it’s impossible, right? Well, not necessarily. Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity suggests that time travel may indeed be possible. We know that matter can bend space-time, and if you bend it enough, you may be able to create a time loop. Caveats abound, of course, and researchers are yet to announce a working time machine. But that hasn’t put them off exploring the possibilities.
Tap the link to learn about the five ways that time travel might just be feasible
https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26435212-700-the-wild-physics-that-could-actually-be-used-to-build-a-time-machine/
#timetravel #physics #quantum #backtothefuture #generalrelativity #timeloop #spacetime #time #space
Supersized snowflakes: A scientific quest to make enormous snow ❄️
The Guinness world record for the largest snowflake stands at 38 centimetres across and 20 cm thick, a whopper reported in Montana in January 1887. While some scientists are sceptical, it got us thinking. With all the scientific knowledge and facilities for studying snow and its climatic effects, could New Scientist embark on a quest to make record-breaking snowflakes? This is our journey into the complex world of snow physics.
Tap link to watch the full film: https://www.newscientist.com/video/2460583-supersized-snowflakes-a-scientific-quest-to-make-enormous-snow/
#snow, #winter, #Xmas, #Christmas, #snowflakes, #physics, #cold, #ice, #cloud, #weather, #science #worldrecord, #STEM
Watch some of the best animal stories from this year! 🐙🦁🐝
From bee slaps to ant amputations 2024 has been an interesting year for gaining more insight into the animal kingdom.
But which one of these stories should be crowned our animal video of the year.
All these stories and more are available to read at the link in bio
https://www.newscientist.com/
#animals #animalbehaviour #leeches #ants #lions #beeslap #bees #honeybees #bestof #octopus #deepsea #compilation
