Blood test shows promise for early detection of dementia

Research findings focus on people with a sleep disorder, but could have broader implications. For people with a certain sleep disorder, a simple blood test could help predict the development of dementia years before symptoms appear, a new study indicates.

Idiopathic REM sleep behaviour disorder (iRBD) causes people to physically act out their dreams while sleeping.

The disorder is also associated with a very high risk of Parkinson’s disease and a related condition called Dementia with Lewy Bodies.

This is a form of dementia that often causes memory and cognitive loss, as well as vivid visual hallucinations and movement difficulties similar to Parkinson’s.

McGill University researchers have discovered that a blood test, originally developed to detect Alzheimer’s disease, co...

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Nature-inspired 3D-printing method shoots up faster than bamboo

A simple, energy-efficient 3D-printing process takes its cues from trees to manufacture polymers quickly and inexpensively. Charging forward at top speed, a garden snail slimes up 1 millimeter of pavement per second. By this logic, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology researchers’ new 3D printing process speeds past existing methods — at a snail’s pace.

Researchers in Beckman’s Autonomous Materials Systems Group created “growth printing,” which mimics tree trunks’ outward expansion to print polymer parts quickly and efficiently without the molds and expensive equipment typically associated with 3D printing. Their work appears in the journal Advanced Materials.

“Humans are incredibly talented at making things...

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Super-Earths and mini-Neptunes: More Earth-like planets may exist

illustration of planets

A new study presents a compelling new model for the formation of super-Earths and mini-Neptunes – planets that are 1 to 4 times the size of Earth and among the most common in our galaxy. Using advanced simulations, the researchers propose that these planets emerge from distinct rings of planetesimals, providing fresh insight into planetary evolution beyond our solar system.

A new study by Rice University researchers Sho Shibata and Andre Izidoro presents a compelling new model for the formation of super-Earths and mini-Neptunes — planets that are 1 to 4 times the size of Earth and among the most common in our galaxy...

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Decoding the neural basis of affective empathy: How the brain feels others’ pain

[그림1] 통증과 가려움 유발 자극에 의해 활성화된 뉴런의 시각화
Experimental setup for observational fear testing and calcium imaging in observer mice. The observer mouse witnesses the demonstrator mouse receiving electric shocks, enabling the assessment of observational fear. During the experiment, miniature endoscopic calcium imaging is used to monitor neuronal activity in the observer’s anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Green-labeled neurons indicate cells expressing calcium indicators (GCamp6f), while white-labeled neurons represent activated cells observed through calcium imaging (Raw). The observed behaviors in the observational fear experiment include observer freezing (OB-freezing; pink), demonstrator pain response (DM-reaction; blue), and demonstrator freezing (DM-freezing; yellow)...
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