Science FTW

Happy Homer Simpson GIF

Happy So Excited GIF

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Your initial reaction might be to assume it reads minds. More accurately – the sensors detect which muscles we want to move in our lips, tongue, jaw, and larynx.

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Base editing, a new form of gene therapy, sharply lowers bad cholesterol in clinical trial

https://www.science.org/content/article/base-editing-a-new-form-of-gene-therapy-sharply-lowers-bad-cholesterol

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I’m not sure how to respond to this, other than it makes me sad.

Of course, this is a huge chunk of it

But still, if we are going to get through this, it will be because the scientific method got us there. The number of folks who don’t see that is distressing.

(Of course, “acting in the best interest of the public” I guess throws a wrench into this, as it makes what you think is the best interest of the public a factor, and for the fascists I do not trust them to interpret that in any good way.)

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Sex diversity in the 21st century: Concepts, frameworks, and approaches for the future of neuroendocrinology

Highlights

  • Univariate, binary sex is insufficient for explaining sex diversity in nature.

  • Investigators have a responsibility to model the complexity of sex in their research.

  • We propose a new conceptual framework for studying sex.

  • Measuring sex at multiple biological levels using diverse organisms is critical.

  • This framework will promote inclusive and rigorous research on sex diversity.

Abstract

Sex is ubiquitous and variable throughout the animal kingdom. Historically, scientists have used reductionist methodologies that rely on a priori sex categorizations, in which two discrete sexes are inextricably linked with gamete type. However, this binarized operationalization does not adequately reflect the diversity of sex observed in nature. This is due, in part, to the fact that sex exists across many levels of biological analysis, including genetic, molecular, cellular, morphological, behavioral, and population levels. Furthermore, the biological mechanisms governing sex are embedded in complex networks that dynamically interact with other systems. To produce the most accurate and scientifically rigorous work examining sex in neuroendocrinology and to capture the full range of sex variability and diversity present in animal systems, we must critically assess the frameworks, experimental designs, and analytical methods used in our research. In this perspective piece, we first propose a new conceptual framework to guide the integrative study of sex. Then, we provide practical guidance on research approaches for studying sex-associated variables, including factors to consider in study design, selection of model organisms, experimental methodologies, and statistical analyses. We invite fellow scientists to conscientiously apply these modernized approaches to advance our biological understanding of sex and to encourage academically and socially responsible outcomes of our work. By expanding our conceptual frameworks and methodological approaches to the study of sex, we will gain insight into the unique ways that sex exists across levels of biological organization to produce the vast array of variability and diversity observed in nature.

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Where have I heard this before???

Oh yeah!

It Was Me Poop GIF by BuzzFeed

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Today I learned that a fair amount is greater than a great deal. Good anarkist teaching.

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Wi-Fi for neurons: first map of wireless nerve signals unveiled in worms

Studies find a densely connected network of neurons that communicate over long distances, rather than across synapses.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03619-w?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=nature&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR0gr6oVWOxM2LFvGUJWFbPbJBbVwlITl1qrjvGzq0qQGjff70sZsogvl98_aem_AeI6xX9o5dIWjwpsbMNRFP_hQU3LUUAsUGAlSjiJE1eBL1e54VsN_H4ijtapWDQw48Q#Echobox=1700599440

I think my Wi-Fi is down.

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Traumatic Memories Are Represented Differently Than Regular Sad Memories in the Brains of People With PTSD, New Research Shows

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Reanimating an old theory. At the time of the meteor impact, the Deccan Traps had been in decline for some hundred thousand years. The location of this feature almost exactly 180o from the Chicxulub impact could have resulted in renewing the eruptions to previous levels by the shockwave travelling through the earth.

This does not change the fact that the Deccan eruptions must have wreaked havoc on the climate leading up to the impact. Probably not the greatest environment, but the expectation of species decline has not materialized. Still unsolved, probably lots of factors conspired to take out the dinos.

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People often point out that there were large igneous provinces associated with the Permian-Triassic and Triassic-Jurassic extinction, but not that there were a whole series of other ones all through the Cretaceous. Paraná-Etendeka, the High Arctic LIP, Madagascar, a few more – as far as I can tell none really had much impact on dinosaurs over all. It seems like the effects really depend.

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like how bubbles in boiling water are trapped pockets of transitional air

:thinking:

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Fun! Now do dark energy! Figure that one out and we have power forever!

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“It’s sort of like the start of a joke—a volcanologist and a coffee expert walk into a bar and then come out with a paper,” said Méndez Harper, a volcanologist at Portland State University. “But I think there are a lot more opportunities for this sort of collaboration,

Coffee! It can solve pretty much anything! :grin:

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I would love to see something “wibbly wobbly timey wimey” in a scientific paper!!

Doctor Who Comedy GIF by STARCUTOUTSUK

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