Neuroscientists Discover a Mechanism that can Reactivate Dormant Neural Stem Cells

Image of a single quiescent neural stem cell with its hallmark cellular protrusion extending from the cell body from Drosophila larval brains six hours after larval hatching, with the membrane in orange and nuclear marker in blue. Credit: Mahekta R Gujar

An international team of neuroscientists, led by Duke-NUS Medical School, have uncovered a mechanism that controls the reactivation of neural stem cells, which are crucial for repairing and regenerating brain cells.

The research, published in Nature Communications, offers exciting potential for advancing our understanding and treatment of common neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

Neural stem cells are the source of the brain’s primary functional cells...

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Adaptive Ferroelectric Materials show Promise for Energy-Efficient Supercomputing

Artistic rendering showing light pulses striking a computer chip.
Artistic rendering representing light pulses yielding adaptive transformations in nanodomain structures applicable to neuromorphic computing. (Image by Argonne National Laboratory/Haidan Wen and Ellen Weiss.)

Researchers have revealed an adaptive response with a ferroelectric device, which responds to light pulses in a way that resembles the plasticity of neural networks. This behavior could find application in energy-efficient microelectronics.

“Today’s supercomputers and data centers demand many megawatts of power,” said Haidan Wen, a physicist at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory. “One challenge is to find materials for more energy-efficient microelectronics...

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Are Nearby Planets Sending Radio Signals to Each Other?

Illustration of star with two orbiting planets communicating with radio signals
Illustration showing communication between planets beyond our solar system looking from the perspective of Earth. New research using the Allen Telescope Array looked for this type of communication, similar to communication between Earth and our rovers on Mars, in the TRAPPIST-1 star system. Credit: Zayna Sheikh

Researchers have developed a new method using the Allen Telescope Array to search for interplanetary radio communication in the TRAPPIST-1 star system.

A new technique allows astronomers to home in on planets beyond our solar system that are in line with each other and with Earth to search for radio signals similar, for example, to ones used to communicate with the rovers on Mars...

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Hubble Captures Intricacies of R Aquarii, a Symbiotic Binary Star roughly 700 Light-Years from Earth

Hubble's view on symbiotic binary star R Aquarii

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has provided a dramatic and colorful close-up look at one of the most rambunctious stars in our galaxy, weaving a huge spiral pattern among the stars. Hubble’s images capture its details and its evolution is featured by a unique timelapse video.

Residing only roughly 700 light-years from Earth in the constellation Aquarius, R Aquarii is a symbiotic binary star: a type of binary star system consisting of a white dwarf and a red giant that is surrounded by a large, dynamic nebula. As the closest symbiotic star to Earth, R Aquarii was studied by none other than Edwin Hubble in an effort to understand the mechanism that powers the system.

R Aquarii undergoes violent eruptions that blast out huge filaments of glowing gas...

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