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.

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)

The article referenced:

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-3881/ad34d5 (open access)

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

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

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)

Really enjoyed this one.

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)

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)

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 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

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)

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.

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."

"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..."

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)

An article which explains the formation of Earth and our solar system.

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).

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)