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Fun Academic Articles and Findings

Started by Sain, December 19, 2017, 04:06:00 PM

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Sain

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CopperLily

Quote from: Sain on May 12, 2018, 05:25:27 AM
There can be surprising side costs for making even a simple study like that in a manner that would satisfy the scientific community. It's also good to often go to the original article after seeing the press release versions. Sometimes the subject of the study may have been very different from what is later reported in the more public media :P

As a working scientist, all of these things.

- "I'm pretty sure I know this" is different from "We have an exact measure of this"
- Science is *expensive*
- Public reporting on science is...not good. And often only mildly related to what the paper says.

Sain

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Sain

Yep. Even for Cyberpunk stories it's rare to see this wild applications of AI. Kind of inspiring ;D Really wanna write near-future scifi with modern AI (neural network based) technology sometime.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBFMsY5ZP0o
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Sain

PM box is open. So is my discord: Sain#5301

Sain

PM box is open. So is my discord: Sain#5301

Sain

#31
O my god. You can download this algorithm here and try it yourself. Gonna need to play around with it tomorrow and see what's up. It looks AWESOME!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKQp28OqwNQ

e. If anyone more code-savvy wants to help me get it to work so I can play around please explain what the instructions actually mean ;D
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Argyros

Old news, but good news for phylogenetics:

Lax, G., Eglit, Y., Eme, L., Bertrand, E. M., Roger, A. J. & Simpson, A. G. B. (2018). Hemimastigophora is a novel supra-kingdom-level lineage of eukaryotes. Nature 564, 410-414. doi.org/10.1038/s41586-018-0708-8



Meh, tardigrades are cuter.
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Sain

Ooh, that looks cool. Will need to take a read. Even old news is often new news since we all follow different fields ;D! So feel free to share more if you have!
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Argyros

DNA Barcoding is a type of scientific technology predominantly utilized in phylogenetics and taxonomy, yet is expanding into other fields of science such as ecology, agriculture, horticulture, forestry and – as it states in this article – aquaculture. In particular, legislation pertaining to the fishing and seafood industries can be vastly improved by the implementation of DNA barcoding to identify vulnerable and endangered species to keep them in the ocean and off the market.

Wainwright, B. J., Ip, Y. C. A., Neo, M. L., Chang, J. J. M, Gan, C. Z., Clark-Shen, N., Huang, D. & Rao, M. (2018). DNA barcoding of traded shark fins, meat and mobulid gill plates in Singapore uncovers numerous threatened species. Conservation Genetics, 19(6), 1393–1399. doi.org/10.1007/s10592-018-1108-1


Now, DNA extraction for species identification in raw products is nothing new and has been done several times before. However, DNA barcoding is substantially faster and more accessible (not as accurate, since it's only the mtDNA, but pretty reliable nonetheless), so it's exciting to surmise that this type of novel technology can be utilized more frequently for stricter regulation of commercial imports and exports.
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Argyros

In 2018, Kew scientists, researchers and partners discovered 172 new botanical species (128 tracheophytes*, 44 fungi) from deserts, rainforests, woodlands and mountains around the world. You can check out the featured species in this article.



Figure 1. The newly discovered Talbotiella cheekii in Guinea. T. cheekii is a member of the Fabaceae (Leguminosae) and grows to over 24 metres (~79 ft) in height and 83 cm (~33 in) in diameter. © Kew, 2018.

* – Vascular plants.
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Sain

That tree looks so cool. Like some fantasy species ;D
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Sain

This might be interesting to some since fusion power is often glossed over in the media with quite nonsensical explanations and the usual (20 years from now since 1990) hand wave. The article discusses some of the current hurdles in creation of a stable fusion power plant, and highlights a recent breakthrough in understanding of the plasma behaviour in the doughnut shaped plasma inside fusion reactors.

Scientists discover a process that stabilizes fusion plasmas - link to the media article (which has link to the original, but after a quick glimpse I do not recommend reading if you're not a physicist.)
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Argyros

Researchers from Swansea University in Wales have identified a previously unknown strain of soil borne bacteria that is effective against four out of six antibiotic-resistant superbugs, including MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus).

Bacteria found in ancient Irish soil halts growth of superbugs: New hope for tackling antibiotic resistance


Growth of the previously unknown actinobacteria strain, Streptomyces sp. myrophorea (isolate McG1 species of Streptomyces). S. sp. myrophorea originates from an ethnopharmacology folk medicine used by neolithic peoples and druids in the townland of Toneel North in Boho, County Fermanagh. This bacteria is aptly named because it produces a distinctive fragrance similar to wintergreen oil (Greek: myro (fragrance) + phorea (porter, carrier)). Despite superficially resembling fungi, Streptomyces are true bacteria and account for two-thirds of the most common antibiotics used in modern medicine. S. sp. myrophorea is inhibitory to many species of ESKAPE pathogens, can grow in high alkalinity (pH 10.5) and can tolerate relatively high levels of radioactivity. © G. Quinn, Swansea University.


For the microbiologists and other enthusiasts on E, here is the resource material:

Terra, L., Dyson, P. J., Hitchings, M. D., Thomas, L., Abdelhameed, A., Banat, I. M., Gazze, S. A., Vujaklija, D., Facey, P. D., Francis, L. W. & Quinn, G. A. (2018). A novel alkaliphilic streptomyces inhibits ESKAPE pathogens. Frontiers in Microbiology, 9: 2458. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.02458
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Sain

Quote from: Argyros Drakontos on January 10, 2019, 12:27:12 PM
Researchers from Swansea University in Wales have identified a previously unknown strain of soil borne bacteria that is effective against four out of six antibiotic-resistant superbugs, including MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus).

Bacteria found in ancient Irish soil halts growth of superbugs: New hope for tackling antibiotic resistance


Growth of the previously unknown actinobacteria strain, Streptomyces sp. myrophorea (isolate McG1 species of Streptomyces). S. sp. myrophorea originates from an ethnopharmacology folk medicine used by neolithic peoples and druids in the townland of Toneel North in Boho, County Fermanagh. This bacteria is aptly named because it produces a distinctive fragrance similar to wintergreen oil (Greek: myro (fragrance) + phorea (porter, carrier)). Despite superficially resembling fungi, Streptomyces are true bacteria and account for two-thirds of the most common antibiotics used in modern medicine. S. sp. myrophorea is inhibitory to many species of ESKAPE pathogens, can grow in high alkalinity (pH 10.5) and can tolerate relatively high levels of radioactivity. © G. Quinn, Swansea University.


For the microbiologists and other enthusiasts on E, here is the resource material:

Terra, L., Dyson, P. J., Hitchings, M. D., Thomas, L., Abdelhameed, A., Banat, I. M., Gazze, S. A., Vujaklija, D., Facey, P. D., Francis, L. W. & Quinn, G. A. (2018). A novel alkaliphilic streptomyces inhibits ESKAPE pathogens. Frontiers in Microbiology, 9: 2458. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.02458

Awesome! I hope they'll start human testing soon.

I've also casually been following the experiments to find microbes in soil with much excitement. They're super promising, and makes perfect sense to try look for more antibiotics there given how it's been the battleground for back-and-forth between different microbes for so long. All these new findings of soil microbes combined with the promising phage therapy really make the doomsday scenarios of oncoming super bugs seem much less likely.
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Argyros

Quote from: Sain on January 10, 2019, 12:30:46 PM
Awesome! I hope they'll start human testing soon.

I've also casually been following the experiments to find microbes in soil with much excitement. They're super promising, and makes perfect sense to try look for more antibiotics there given how it's been the battleground for back-and-forth between different microbes for so long. All these new findings of soil microbes combined with the promising phage therapy really make the doomsday scenarios of oncoming super bugs seem much less likely.

Indeed, it is a novel discovery for the field of microbiology. I am interested to see how Streptomyces sp. myrophorea, McG1 will affect the epidemiology of specific types of diseases, especially those in HAI (Hospital Associated Infections). I think this discovery, coupled with the judicious prescription of antibiotics by general practitioners (and farmers), can help combat the insurgence of antibiotic resistant "super-bugs".
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Argyros

BenchSci is a free antibody (Ab/Ig) search engine for academic researchers and scientists with publication data to help decode comprehensive open- and closed-access datasets, display published figures with no commercial bias and permit a search on experimental variables.

Neat.

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Sain

This is pretty neat, thanks ;D Might actually find use for this tool.
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Argyros

If you're a paleontologist, ichthyologist or general enthusiast, you might find this article interesting, about how the teeth of the newly discovered Galagadon nordquistae were found in the rock that once surrounded the famous Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton, Sue.

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Oniya

The question now is: Was Sue gnawed on by the shark, or vice versa?
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Sain

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Sain

A really cool new method for 3D printing. Kind of genius how they can do it with just light projector and rotating sample holder. Really looking forward to this getting optimized to higher resolution.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5UsRDS-wqI
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Argyros

#47
Thanks for sharing, Sain! I love 3D printing; I have a friend who has the conventional machine, so seeing it in action is any form is very interesting  ;D
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Sain

We really are witnessing history with how the AI has improved in last few years. It's absolutely bonkers how fast things are going forward.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMXvkbAtHNY
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Argyros

Fashion Alert! Researchers have fabricated a textile that dynamically regulates heat passing through the its weave, automatically cooling or insulating the user depending on exogenous stimuli. [Article]




Fig. 1. New fabric created by University of Maryland scientists YuHuang Wang and Ouyang Min is the first textile to automatically change properties to trap or release heat depending on external conditions. © Faye Levine, University of Maryland.
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