Monday 12 October
A few good things to read before sleep.
This NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope Picture of the Month features galaxies in incredible detail that have been warped and multiplied like they’ve stepped into a house of mirrors.
Sunset 18:07 · fully dark from 19:28
No evening passes this week; at the moment it's only visible before dawn (next: Tue 13 Oct, 05:48).
Times are local to Amman. Away from city lights you’ll see much more.
A mathematical mechanism enables AI models to process language at scale, undergirding the current AI revolution. Our columnist asks: Why is attention the key? The post Is ‘Attention’ the Essence of Intelligence? first appeared on Quanta Magazine
Across phase 3 trials of GLP-1RAs and MHRMs, greater weight loss was strongly associated with larger reductions in BP, supporting pharmacological weight-loss therapies as an adjunct strategy for BP management in obesity.
Diligent sleuthing by astronomers has broken open a cold case in the data archive of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. In a study published Monday in Nature Astronomy, researchers report uncovering a surprising chemical clue that indicates the white dwarf star…
In the early moments of the big bang, two elements were forged: hydrogen and helium. Technically, the tiniest traces of light elements such as lithium were produced as well, but nothing of consequence. The early universe was about three parts hydrogen to one…
NASA is taking an unusual approach to testing heat shields that can keep astronauts safe as they return from missions to the moon and Mars: taking out the trash.
Growing fresh food on the Moon is going to be crucial if astronauts there are ever going to eat anything other than freeze-dried rations. Since husbanding animals on the lunar surface is…difficult (to put it mildly), most mission planners believe that plants…
The headline study this week in the NEJM was the highly positive TRIC I HF trial of tricuspid valve interventions. Gosh there was a lot to see under the hood of this trial
A population-based cohort study found that pregnant people who used benzodiazepines during the first trimester were not at a substantially increased risk of having a baby with major birth defects. The rates of overall major congenital malformations were…
Last week, RFK Jr. and his minions opened a "vaccine injury clinic" at the NIH. With no budget, structure, or leadership announced, the program appears to be a sham in service of RFK Jr.'s war on vaccines. The post RFK Jr. is definitely coming for your…
In two 1926 articles, Edgar Douglas Adrian revealed that neurons communicate through trains of spikes.
Now that I’m back here in the ol’ blogging salt mine, I need to catch up with this year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry. I generally do this on the morning of the award, but that wasn’t possible this year. It’s a very interesting topic, though, and I certainly…
Cardiorenal outcome trials have transformed the management of cardiovascular and kidney disease, particularly through glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors. Treatment effects are commonly communicated using…
Using longitudinal data from 52,236 patients with cancer, this study created a multimodal atlas of cancer cachexia, demonstrating that weight loss episodes are linked to systemic serologic signatures and specific tumor genotypes and can be predicted using…
Researchers from Rutgers, IBM and collaborating institutions have shown that a quantum computer can check what is happening inside it and respond while it is running, repeatedly resetting parts of the system to bring chaotic behavior under control.
First observation of fundamental quantization in mechanical vibrations could have applications in quantum error correction and protein diagnostics
Tania Kendrick is a civil servant in the UK’s Cabinet Office
If you’ve ever wondered how Claude and similar AI agents can answer complex questions in seconds and where they get the information, you’re not alone. Gurmeet Saran works to find that answer every day as an engineer at Anthropic in San Francisco, the AI…
Kanishka Narayan said the government will use advanced AI to strengthen the UK against cyber attacks.
Just 19% of the online encyclopedia’s biographies are of women. Is this because it’s edited by ‘mostly white, middle-aged, European men’, as the comedian claims? Name: Wikipedia. Age: 25. Continue reading...
If the question makes no sense to you, try spending some time with the principle of sufficient reason - by Sam Kimpton-Nye Read on Aeon
As physicians age, debates about mandatory testing or retirement intensify
Russia’s silence over the death of a lab worker underlines that pandemic preparedness amounts to nothing if information on threats is withheld In pandemic preparedness work, scientists like to focus on the technical challenges: identifying pathogens…
Algorithm looks for clues about a paper's origin that text-based detectors miss
The incident has prompted discussions about the use of artificial intelligence in scientific imagery.
The Klamath River in the U.S. was heavily dammed over the 20th century, blocking spawning Chinook salmon. As a result, the population of salmon that spawned in the river, which runs through Southern Oregon and Northern California, declined by roughly 90%.…
Environmental water to the area was halted after a complaint from a private landholder, leading to the deaths of wildlife and sheep Follow our Australia politics live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast…
The plant is said to smell like "rotting meat" and is is native to swamps and other wetlands in the Pacific Northwest.
Alexander Zverev is guaranteed to finish his 2026 season as the world number one after Carlos Alcaraz suffers a surprise defeat in Shanghai.
Carlos Alcaraz was dumped out in the third round of the Shanghai Masters as Zizou Bergs recorded the biggest win of his career, with the Spaniard's defeat confirming Alexander Zverev as the year-end world No 1.
Zizou Bergs recorded the biggest win of his career after stunning Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets at the Shanghai Masters. The Belgian world No.39 held his nerve throughout a tightly contested encounter to prevail 7-5, 7-6(4) after more than two hours on…