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One of the most powerful assets of the brain is that it can store information as memories, allowing us to learn from our mistakes. However, some memories remain vivid while others become forgotten. Unlike computers, our brains appear to filter which memories are salient enough to store.

Researchers from Tohoku University have discovered that part of the memory selection process depends on the function of astrocytes, a special type of cell that surrounds neurons in the brain. They showed that artificially acidifying the astrocytes did not affect short-term memory but prevented memories from being remembered long-term.

The findings are published in the journal Glia.

The researchers implemented a technique called “optogenetics” to manipulate the astrocytes by shining light onto ...

Scientists from Vilnius University’s (VU) Life Sciences Center (LSC) have discovered a unique way for cells to silence specific genes without cutting DNA. This research, led by Prof. Patrick Pausch and published in the journal Nature Communications, reveals a new way to silence genes that is akin to pressing a “pause” button on certain genetic instructions within cells.

The research team, including doctoral student Rimvydė Čepaitė, Dr. Aistė Skorupskaitė, undergraduate Gintarė Žvejyte and Prof. Pausch at Vilnius University, working alongside an international team, uncovered how cells use a specific system to locate and silence unwanted DNA. This system, which could eventually enable safer gene modifications, shows promise for repairing faulty genes that cause diseases.

“U...

It’s common knowledge that our brains—and, specifically, our brain cells—store memories. But a team of scientists has discovered that cells from other parts of the body also perform a memory function, opening new pathways for understanding how memory works and creating the potential to Enhance Learning and to Treat Memory-related Afflictions.

“Learning and memory are generally associated with brains and brain cells alone, but our study shows that other cells in the body can learn and form memories, too,” explains New York University’s Nikolay V. Kukushkin, the lead author of the study, which appears in the journal Nature Communications.

The research so...

Two of the trickiest qualities to balance in the world of machine learning are fairness and accuracy. Algorithms optimized for accuracy may unintentionally perpetuate bias against specific groups, while those prioritizing fairness may compromise accuracy by misclassifying some data points.

With this challenge in mind, a team from CSAIL has taken the lead in devising a framework that enables a more nuanced approach to balancing these qualities.

Instead of forcing a binary decision in labeling all data points as “good” or “bad,” their framework uses their Reject Option Classification (ROC) algorithm which assigns a third category of “rejected samples,” allowing it to identify instances where the model might be less certain or where predictions could potentially le...