Swimming toward an 'internet of health'?

In recent years, the seemingly inevitable 'internet of things' has attracted considerable attention: the idea that in the future, everything in the physical world — machines, objects, people — will be connected to the internet. Drawing on lessons learned from studies on a variety of marine animals outfitted with sensors, researchers in a new perspective article describe how an 'internet of health' could revolutionize human medicine.

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African evidence support Younger Dryas Impact Hypothesis

A team of scientists from South Africa has discovered evidence partially supporting a hypothesis that Earth was struck by a meteorite or asteroid 12,800 years ago, leading to global consequences including climate change, and contributing to the extinction of many species of large animals at the time of an episode called the Younger Dryas.

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Fossil fish gives new insights into evolution after end-Cretaceous mass extinction

An international research team has discovered a new and well-preserved fossil stingray with an exceptional anatomy, which greatly differs from living species. The find provides new insights into the evolution of these animals and sheds light on the recovery of marine ecosystems after the mass extinction occurred 66 million years ago.

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Sex-based differences in the development of brain hubs involved in memory and emotion

Researchers have uncovered sex-based differences in the development of the hippocampus and amygdala. These brain areas have been implicated in the biology of several mental disorders that impact males and females differently. The findings may help researchers better understand sex-based differences in the emergence of mental disorders during adolescence and early adulthood.

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New approach to pain treatment in diseases of the pancreas

One of the worst symptoms associated with inflammation or cancer of the pancreas is severe chronic pain. Pancreatic pain is difficult to treat, because many painkillers prove ineffective in pancreatic patients. In a recent study, medical researchers discovered the cause of this phenomenon for the first time: a particular neuroenzyme in the body is present in the nerves of the organ in high concentrations.

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Object identification and interaction with a smartphone knock

Scientists have developed new technology, dubbed 'Knocker', which identifies objects and executes actions just by knocking on them with the smartphone. Software powered by machine learning of sounds, vibrations, and other reactions will follow the users' directions.

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Ultra-fast optical way to extract critical information from quantum materials

Topological insulators are quantum materials, which, due to their exotic electronic structure, on surfaces and edges conduct electric current like metal, while acting as an insulator in bulk. Scientists have now demonstrated how to tell apart topological materials from their regular — trivial — counterparts within a millionth of a billionth of a second by probing it with ultra-fast laser light.

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