Fiction Books
Good Place to Start With Ursula K. LeGuin?
Bebo 3 months ago • 100%
The Left Hand of Darkness. That's her first scifi book I read and fell in love with it. I will add here the review I wrote when I read it:
In this book Genly Ai is sent to the planet Gethen on behalf of the Ekumen, an alliance of human societies residing on far flung planets, to acquaint the inhabitants with the existence of the Ekumen and convince them to join the alliance. The Gethenians are unique: every individual has the potential to be a man or a woman during regular periods of time, referred to as "kemmer". The period of kemmer is the only time when a Gethenian has a defined sexuality. Throughout the course of the book any individual Gethenian is referred to as a "man". The narrative is told through two POVs, both in the first person: Genly Ai, the Envoy; and Estraven, who is the prime minister of Karhide, Mr Ai's liaison with the nation's king. Over the course of the narrative, Le Guin explores a society totally uninfluenced by sexuality which interestingly holds up a mirror to how sexuality /gender permeates every nook and cranny of our social existence. It was however the beautiful depiction of the progression of the relationship between Mr Ai and Estraven that made me fall in love with this book. The complete disconnect between the cultures of the two main characters initially made them misjudge each other leading to dangerous consequences. Later, unexpectedly thrown in together while traveling for days in the icy wilderness, they begin to understand and accept each other for who they are; the story ultimately culminating into it's heartbreaking conclusion. I will end with these beautiful lines: "Light is the left hand of darkness and darkness the right hand of light. Two are one, life and death, lying together like lovers in kemmer, like hands joined together, like the end and the way."
AsklemmyBebo 3 months ago • 100%
Read. Study topics I don’t know about. Learn new skills and try out new experiences. Travel to different places I haven't visited before.
bigthink.com
From forming bound states to normal scattering, many possibilities abound for matter-antimatter interactions. So why do they annihilate? There’s a quantum reason we simply can’t avoid.
scitechdaily.com
Clinical relevance of miRNAs as biomarkers is growing due to their stability and detection in biofluids. This study has identified miR-519a-3p as a potential early biomarker for Alzheimer’s, linked to prion protein expression. This molecule is directly associated with the expression of the cellular prion protein located on the surface of nerve cells. miR-519a-3p may potentially be used as a biomarker of preclinical stages of the disease. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925443924001765?via%3Dihub (open access)
Bebo 4 months ago • 100%
That's for sure!
www.youtube.com
The article referenced: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-3881/ad34d5 (open access)
Bebo 4 months ago • 100%
Oh this is partly how listening to music works for me. I'll be listening to some particular songs in the moment repeatedly, get fed up of either all of them at once or one by one, then just stop listening to those that I get fed up of. I'll then again listen to music when I again feel like listening to some particular music.
This is not directly related, but one reason I stop myself from binge watching TV shows is that if I end up watching too many episodes of a TV series at one go it can end up ruining the show for me, regardless of how great it may be, because watching too many episodes at one go makes me so fed up of the show that I don’t feel like watching it anymore. Binge watching almost ruined Breaking Bad for me; since then I make it a point to never watch more than 2 episodes of a show in a day. I generally restrict myself to one episode per day.
www.nytimes.com
The perception of taste is remarkably complex, not only on the tongue but in organs throughout the body. The idea that specific tastes are confined to certain areas of the tongue is a myth that “persists in the collective consciousness despite decades of research debunking it.” Also wrong: the notion that taste is limited to the mouth. https://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJMra2304578
Bebo 4 months ago • 100%
Love the smell of n-hexane and pet ether (worked in a chemistry lab). Though don't like the smell of gasoline. I kind of also like the smell of chlorinated water. Also chloroform, though not as much as n-hexane.
scitechdaily.com
This study focuses on the manipulation of the plexin-B1 protein to enhance the brain’s ability to clear amyloid plaques in Alzheimer’s disease, opening avenues for future therapeutic strategies to potentially halt the progression of the disease https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-024-01664-w
Bebo 4 months ago • 100%
Doing a reread of Equal Rites, Children of Hurin and listening to Jane Eyre.
Science Memes
Deadication
Bebo 4 months ago • 100%
Kind of had the same thought!
Bebo 4 months ago • 100%
ACC is mainly studied for its role in cognition and emotion. In the article linked it's mentioned >The ACC is one of the higher-order cortical regions that have been extensively studied for cognitive and emotional brain functions, but have been understudied for brain disease-related sensory abnormalities.> I also found another article on the role of ACC in cognition and emotion: https://neuro.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/jnp.23.2.jnp121
Also you can go through the Wikipedia article: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anterior_cingulate_cortex
Science Memes
Byeee
Bebo 4 months ago • 100%
Oh yeah one of my favourite shows.
scitechdaily.com
This study has identified the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) as a key area in the brain responsible for sensory hypersensitivity in autism spectrum disorders. Utilizing a mouse model with a Grin2b gene mutation, heightened neural activity and connectivity in the ACC was observed. Suppressing this hyperactivity normalized the sensory hypersensitivity, offering new insights into treatment options https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-024-02572-y (open access)
cats
MigraineBebo 4 months ago • 100%
I've found that applying an ice pack on my forehead and neck helps a little. Not much else by way of wacky treatments. The most effective one is my sumatriptan. It's a life saver for me!
Bebo 4 months ago • 100%
Oh I need a dark room as well as silence - bright light as well as loud, especially high pitched sounds, not only make my migrains worse, but are also triggers by themselves.
Bebo 4 months ago • 100%
I alternate between top day and scaled for subscribed. While browsing "all" I use top day.
Science Memes
Pancakes
Bebo 4 months ago • 100%
Exactly my thoughts. That's a benzene pancake!
www.nature.com
Brain-machine interfaces implanted in the participants of this study in the supramarginal gyrus (SMG) and primary somatosensory cortex (S1) were successfully able to decode both internally spoken and vocalized words. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-024-01867-y?utm_source=Live+Audience&utm_campaign=1586f44658-nature-briefing-daily-20240514&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b27a691814-1586f44658-52006460 (open access)
www.nature.com
This study performed lineage tracing of live human embryos from the first cleavage division until the blastocyst stage and discovered that the majority of cells in the EPI, the future human body, originate from one of the two cells in most embryos. The first blastomere to divide at the 2-cell stage has a higher likelihood to generate the first, and more, internalized cells at the 8-to-16-cell stage. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(24)00455-0?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0092867424004550%3Fshowall%3Dtrue (open access)
Bebo 4 months ago • 100%
Eternity was my favourite and I still use it sometimes, but now I'm mostly using boost.
bigthink.com
An interesting article on the time line of the universe. The Universe passed through many epochs, from free quarks and gluons to stable protons and neutrons to neutral atoms to stars, galaxies, planets, and more. The precise time at which these various epochs occurred, including the (current) dark energy-dominated era, can be pinpointed with precision. Here’s how we know.
Bebo 4 months ago • 100%
Oh please do continue the good work! Very cute cat.
scitechdaily.com
A cohort study found that individuals who engaged in mentally stimulating jobs during their 30s to 60s were less likely to develop mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia after turning 70, highlighting the importance of cognitive stimulation during midlife for maintaining cognitive function in old age. [It is important to note that this study identifies associations rather than direct causation of dementia.] https://www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/WNL.0000000000209353
aww
Technology
That time when Microsoft bought and killed Nokia phone unit
Bebo 5 months ago • 100%
I've been enjoying the launcher 10 launcher on my phone for more than two years now. Whenever I change my launcher, I keep going back to it. I find it to be so productive for my use. And the windows 10 live tiles ui is also great.
scitechdaily.com
The engineering of artificial cells requires a reconfigurable cytoskeleton that can organize at distinct locations and dynamically modulate its structural and mechanical properties. This study combines peptide self-assembly with DNA programmability to realize a synthetic cytoskeleton in droplets showing that programmable peptide–DNA nanotechnology approach is a powerful platform towards the construction of functional, fully artificial cells. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41557-024-01509-w (open access)
Discworld
Science Memes
sadtrombone.mp3
Bebo 5 months ago • 100%
Oh I love this!
Bebo 5 months ago • 100%
Science memes and ten forward.
Technology
Paedophiles create nude AI images of children to extort from them, says charity | Internet safety | The Guardian
Bebo 5 months ago • 100%
Yes, exactly.
www.theguardian.com
Internet Watch Foundation has found a manual on dark web encouraging criminals to use software tools that remove clothing. The manipulated image could then be used against the child to blackmail them into sending more graphic content, the IWF said.
www.theguardian.com
While Apple removed the platform from App Stores without a squeak of public protest, its battle with the EU rages on. "When an authoritarian regime tells Apple what it can do with the App Store, the company’s response is a curt single paragraph. When a democratic union tries to do the same, the response is vociferous and negative."
Bebo 5 months ago • 100%
Reading English, August by Upamanyu Chatterjee and listening to Jane Eyre.
Technology
YouTube’s ad blocker crackdown now includes third-party apps
Bebo 5 months ago • 100%
Nowadays I'm using tubular which is newpipe with sponsor block and youtube dislike incorporated.
Science Memes
tag yourself (I'm basic)
Bebo 5 months ago • 100%
I'm neutral pH=07.
Bebo 5 months ago • 100%
"“That’s not fair, you know. If we knew when we were going to die, people would lead better lives.” IF PEOPLE KNEW WHEN THEY WERE GOING TO DIE, I THINK THEY PROBABLY WOULDN’T LIVE AT ALL."
From Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett.
Bebo 5 months ago • 100%
"LORD, WHAT CAN THE HARVEST HOPE FOR, IF NOT FOR THE CARE OF THE REAPER MAN?"
From Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett.
www.theguardian.com
"For all that science has learned about the workings of life, death remains among the most intractable of mysteries.... "New research into the dying brain suggests the line between life and death may be less distinct than previously thought... "Death may be far more alive than we ever thought possible..."
scitechdaily.com
This study reveals how life’s complexity could originate from simple RNA molecules on early Earth. Through experiments demonstrating RNA’s recycling and replication abilities under conditions such as low salinity and high pH, the research suggests life could emerge from minimal molecular sets in environments akin to volcanic islands. This means that an RNA world could arise without the prior necessity for long complex sequences. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jacs.3c10813# (open access)
bigthink.com
An article which explains the formation of Earth and our solar system.
scitechdaily.com
This study shows that a ketogenic diet slows early Alzheimer’s memory loss in mice, in which the molecule beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), plays an important role thus offering hope for its application in human ageing and cognitive health. https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-024-05860-z (open access).
Bebo 6 months ago • 100%
Digital. I've run out of space for storing physical books.
AndroidBebo 6 months ago • 100%
Adguard dns and ublock origin in Firefox.
Fediverse
What are some ways you think discoverability might be improved across federated platforms?
Bebo 6 months ago • 100%
I can do this using the moshidon app.
Bebo 6 months ago • 100%
I can hear this photo. The husky tantrum is so loud
Ask Lemmy
Would you think of words that you don't know, ending with "phile" as something sexual (or negative)?
Bebo 6 months ago • 100%
Hydrophilic!
scitechdaily.com
This study uncovers that activation of endogenous retroviruses affects prion-like spreading of proteopathic seeds. It supports that endogenous retroviruses play a role in protein misfolding diseases and suggest that antiviral drugs could represent promising candidates for inhibiting protein aggregate spreading. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-40632-z (open access)
scitechdaily.com
This study has used publicly available MS/MS spectra for bile-acid-selective ion patterns to identify thousands of polyamine bile amidates. It highlights the existence of many more bile acid modifications than previously recognized and the value of leveraging public large-scale untargeted metabolomics data to discover metabolites. [https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(24)00185-5?\_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0092867424001855%3Fshowall%3Dtrue](https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(24)00185-5?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0092867424001855%3Fshowall%3Dtrue) (open access)
scitechdaily.com
Metformin is a widely prescribed anti-diabetic medicine that also reduces body weight. There is ongoing debate about the mechanisms that mediate metformin’s effects on energy balance. This study shows that metformin induces the formation of hunger-reducing metabolite N-lactoyl-phenylalanine (Lac-Phe), a byproduct of muscle fatigue and an amino acid called phenylalanine, found after heavy exercise. https://www.nature.com/articles/s42255-024-00999-9
scitechdaily.com
Breast cancer diagnoses in women under 50 have increased significantly in the past two decades, primarily driven by estrogen-receptor positive tumors. This research highlights the importance of early detection and the need for prevention strategies. Prevention efforts in young women need to adopt a targeted approach to address racial disparities in incidence rates observed at different age phases. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2814306 (open access)
theconversation.com
Emotion artificial intelligence uses biological signals such as vocal tone, facial expressions and data from wearable devices as well as text and how people use their computers, to detect and predict how someone is feeling. It can be used in the workplace, for hiring, etc. Loss of privacy is just the beginning. Workers are worried about biased AI and the need to perform the ‘right’ expressions and body language for the algorithms.
theconversation.com
An interesting story of how a silver denarius, minted over 2,000 years ago, reveals efforts taken by Ancient Rome to counter voter intimidation and manipulation during elections.
www.theguardian.com
Brin’s “We definitely messed up.”, at an AI “hackathon” event on 2 March, followed a slew of social media posts showing Gemini’s image generation tool depicting a variety of historical figures – including popes, founding fathers of the US and, most excruciatingly, German second world war soldiers – as people of colour.
scitechdaily.com
This study demonstrates, for the first time, the successful integration of cyanate into a perovskite solar cell to develop a cutting-edge triple-junction perovskite/Si tandem solar cell,proving cyanates to be viable substitute for halides in perovskite-based solar cells. An efficiency of 27.1 percent was achieved. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07226-1
theconversation.com
From the article: "....two new studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine shed further light on the profound toll of COVID-19 on cognitive health." And in other studies cases "with mild to moderate COVID-19 showed significant prolonged inflammation of the brain and changes that are commensurate with seven years of brain aging."
scitechdaily.com
This cohort study analyzing data from 247 867 adults in the UK Biobank found that individuals sleeping less than 6 hours daily had a notably higher risk of developing T2D compared with those with 7 to 8 hours of sleep. Despite the association between healthier diets and reduced T2D risk, the increased risk associated with short sleep duration persisted even among adults with healthy eating habits. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2815684 (open access)
www.theguardian.com
Employers are letting artificial intelligence conduct job interviews. Candidates are trying to beat the system. "And when they got on the phone, Ty assumed the recruiter, who introduced herself as Jaime, was human. But things got robotic."
scitechdaily.com
This study has established specific ultrasound parameters in the use of low-intensity, low-frequency ultrasound stimulation (LILFUS), designed to mimic the brainwave patterns of theta and gamma oscillations observed during learning and memory processes to induce predictable and long-lasting changes in brain function. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adk3198 (Open access)
www.sciencealert.com
The prebiotic emergence of protocells is an important part of chemical origin of life. This study shows that cyclic-phospholipids formed from fatty acids and glycerol could have played a role by generating a heterogeneous library of vesicles with diverse morphologies and tolerance to a range of metal ions, temperature, and pH. https://www.cell.com/chem/abstract/S2451-9294(24)00069-X
scitechdaily.com
This study shows that Individual neurons coordinate to produce rhythmic waves that propel fluid through dense brain tissue, aiding the removal of debris from the brain. Understanding the process can help in neurodegenerative diseases. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07108-6#citeas
www.theguardian.com
Israeli company NSO Group is accused in lawsuit by Meta’s messaging app of spying on 1,400 users over a two-week period.
www.theguardian.com
It’s cheap, quick and available 24/7, but is a chatbot therapist really the right tool to tackle complex emotional needs?
scitechdaily.com
Hydrogen traps can be introduced into the material microstructure to immobilize or trap absorbed hydrogen, limiting the amount of hydrogen participating in the embrittling process. This study finds that adding the chemical element molybdenum to steel reinforced with Ti-carbides markedly enhances its ability to trap hydrogen. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-45017-4 (open access)
scitechdaily.com
This study investigates the factors regulating the nuclear entry of intact HIV-1 capsid using coarse-grained simulations and structural analysis. It demonstrates that modulating the capsid lattice elasticity can be an effective strategy for the development of antiviral drugs to prevent viral nuclear import and impair infection. [https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2313737121](https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2313737121) (open access)
scitechdaily.com
This research indicates that in neurodegenerative conditions ongoing stress caused by protein aggregation is leading to the death of brain cells. This reports a ubiquitin-dependent mechanism that silences the cellular response to stress. Stress response silencing was found to sustain cell survival even if stress resolution failed. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06985-7 (open access)
scitechdaily.com
This study shows links between Long COVID’s neurological effects, including brain fog and cognitive decline, and brain blood vessel integrity, offering hope for new treatments and diagnostic methods. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-024-01576-9 (open access)
scitechdaily.com
Researchers have uncovered new insights into the way brain cells, or neurons, interact when making a decision, and how the links between these neurons could reinforce a decision. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07088-7
www.theguardian.com
Experts alerted motor trade to security risks of ‘smart key’ systems which have now fuelled highest level of car thefts for a decade.