Artificial Intelligence discovers Secret Equation for ‘Weighing’ Galaxy Clusters

Astrophysicists at the Institute for Advanced Study, the Flatiron Institute and their colleagues have leveraged artificial intelligence to uncover a better way to estimate the mass of colossal clusters of galaxies. The AI discovered that by just adding a simple term to an existing equation, scientists can produce far better mass estimates than they previously had.

The improved estimates will enable scientists to calculate the fundamental properties of the universe more accurately, the astrophysicists reported March 17, 2023, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“It’s such a simple thing; that’s the beauty of this,” says study co-author Francisco Villaescusa-Navarro, a research scientist at the Flatiron Institute’s Center for Computational Astrophysics (CCA) in...

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Potential Relief for Osteoarthritis moves to Clinical Trial after Animal Studies

The image on the left shows damaged osteoarthritic cartilage without treatment in animal studies, and the image on the right shows regeneration of articular cartilage after knee injection of the new drug R805/CX-011. (Image: Evseenko Lab/USC Stem Cell)
The image on the left shows damaged osteoarthritic cartilage without treatment in animal studies, and the image on the right shows regeneration of articular cartilage after knee injection of the new drug R805/CX-011. (Image: Evseenko Lab/USC Stem Cell)

A team of researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC have found a drug with the potential for curbing painful hyperinflammation from osteoarthritis, according to results of an animal study.

The findings, published March 22nd in Science Translational Medicine, indicate that a drug compound, R805/CX-011, may modulate an important cell receptor in the body’s immune system, GP130, that signals when antibodies should attack a virus or infection...

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Researchers create Artificial Enzyme for Fast Detection of Disease-related Hormone in Sweat

Sanjida Yeasmin, photo by Johanna Carson

Researchers in the Oregon State University College of Engineering have developed a handheld sensor that tests perspiration for cortisol and provides results in eight minutes, a key advance in monitoring a hormone whose levels are a marker for many illnesses including various cancers.

Findings were published in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. The material and sensing mechanism in the new device could be easily engineered to detect other specific hormones, the researchers say — for example, progesterone, a key marker for women’s reproductive health and pregnancy outcomes.

“We took inspiration from the natural enzymes used in blood glucose meters sold at pharmacies,” said Larry Cheng, associate professor of electrical engineer...

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Neutrinos made by a Particle Collider Detected

UC Irvine-led team is first to detect neutrinos made by a particle collider
The FASER particle detector, located deep underground at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, was mostly built out of spare parts from other experiments at CERN. Photo courtesy of CERN

Discovery promises to help physicists understand nature of universe’s most abundant particle. In a scientific first, a team led by physicists at the University of California, Irvine has detected neutrinos created by a particle collider. The discovery promises to deepen scientists’ understanding of the subatomic particles, which were first spotted in 1956 and play a key role in the process that makes stars burn.

The work could also shed light on cosmic neutrinos that travel large distances and collide with the Earth, providing a window on distant parts of the universe.

It’s the latest result from the For...

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