Plucking hairs 'can make more grow'

Plucking hairs in a precise pattern can make even more pop up in their place, a US study suggests.

Playing with the density of hair removed altered how serious an injury the body recognized and in turn how much hair regrew.

The team managed to regenerate 1,300 hairs by plucking 200, in the study using mice reported in Cell journal.

Experts said it was "really nice science" but were uncertain if it could lead to a cure for human baldness.

Half of the men have male-pattern baldness by the age of 50.

The team at the University of Southern California was investigating how hair follicles communicate with each other to decide on the scale of repair job needed.

Inflammation

In a series of experiments, they removed 200 hair follicles from a circular patch of skin in mice.

A low-density pluck - removing follicles from a patch 6mm in diameter - led to no regeneration at all.

A medium-density pluck, with 200 removed from a 5mm circle, led to 1,300 new hairs.

A higher-density effort, with the same number of hairs but from a 4mm diameters circle, led to 780 new hairs.

Pulling every hair out led to every hair coming back, but no extra regeneration.

The researchers showed that the level of inflammation under the skin was finely tuned to the scale of the damage.

And through a cascade of chemical signaling and immune responses, this controlled the amount of regeneration.

The team says it is like each hair gets a vote about what happens next and when it reaches a critical threshold it can trigger regeneration. They call the concept "quorum sensing".

Lead researcher Dr. Cheng-Ming Chuong said: "It is a good example of how basic research can lead to work with potential translational value.

"The work leads to potential new targets for treating alopecia, a form of hair loss."

Pathway

Chris Mason, professor of regenerative medicine at University College London, told the BBC: "It's a really nice piece of science. The idea of quorum sensing is smart."

But it is not known whether it will cure human baldness.

Prof Mason added: "That's the million-dollar question. I'm not sure. As it stands here, you've got to have some hair to pluck.

"A lot of studies have produced hair, but it's too fine - it's baby hair, it's light-coloured and it just doesn't look right. But here we can infer they are adult hairs so that is something that is a step change.

"Could you tap into the pathway with a cream or injection? That could well be possible - or maybe don't wait until you're totally bald?"

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Virtual reality maze 'predicts Alzheimer's disease'

Alzheimer's disease can be detected decades before onset, using a virtual reality test, a study suggests.

People aged 18 to 30 were asked to navigate through a virtual maze to test the function of certain brain cells.

Those with a high genetic risk of Alzheimer's could be identified by their performance, according to German neuroscientists.

The findings could help future research, diagnosis, and treatment, they report in the journal Science.

The scientists, led by Lukas Kunz of the German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Bonn, say the high-risk group navigated the maze differently and had reduced the functioning of a type of brain cell involved in spatial navigation.

The findings could give an insight into why people with dementia can find navigating the world around them challenging, they say.

"Our results could provide a new basic framework for preclinical research on Alzheimer's disease and may provide a neurocognitive explanation of spatial disorientation in Alzheimer's disease," they report in Science.

Although genes play a role in dementia, their effects are complex with many unknowns.

Dr. Laura Phipps of Alzheimer's Research said the latest study focused on healthy younger people at higher genetic risk of Alzheimer's, suggesting they may already show alterations in spatial navigation several decades before the disease could start.

She added: "Although we don't know whether the young people in this study will go on to develop Alzheimer's, characterizing early brain changes associated with genetic risk factors is important to help researchers better understand why some people may be more susceptible to the disease later in life.

"The risk factors for Alzheimer's are diverse, including age, genetics, and lifestyle, and research is vital to allow us to unpick how each of these factors could contribute to a person's risk of the disease."

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Scan your food to reveal its nutritional value

Ever felt curious about just how many carbs and calories are sitting on your dinner plate? A new gadget has been invented which promises to reveal the nutritional value of your meal!

French startup DietSensor launched at the 2016 International Consumer Electronics Show a pocket-sized, Bluetooth-connected molecular sensor called SCiO. It uses near-infrared spectroscopy (the analysis of how molecules interact with light) to determine the chemical makeup of food and drink, reports Mashable. SCiO can analyze substances based on how their molecules interact with light.

While this may sound like a dream tool for dieters, the SCiO is primarily aimed at helping those with conditions such as diabetes or cardiovascular diseases keep a close eye on their diet.

In a demo for Mashable, the SCiO scanner was held over a piece of cheese. After one click of a button, the corresponding app revealed the fat content, carbs, and related tips — i.e. you shouldn't exceed more than 54 grams of this type of product in a given time period. That data was added to health profile which showed a progress chart of your daily food intake. We should note, however, that the demo included food provided by the company. We'll do a full review when the product officially launches.

Founders Remy and Astrid Bonnasse came up with the concept in 2014 when their 9-year-old daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, which required her to monitor the carbohydrate intake of each meal and measure insulin.

Ultimately, the couple developed a nutrition coaching app and worked with Israeli company Consumer Physics for the gadget that uses science to automate the process. The concept uses spectroscopy, which highlights how food molecules in food vibrate in a unique manner when it interacts with light. While this method has been used in science labs before, the DietSensor brings it to a consumer tool for the first time, the company said.

Although the scanner only reads homogeneous food (such as cheese, cracker, bread) and wouldn't be able to pick up all of the ingredients in a sandwich, the app allows you to input more complex meals manually.

It works on homemade food too, so if you want that piece of cake your friend is having for a birthday, you'll be able to scan its nutrition first.

The SCiO scanner is available for $249, while the app is free to download but requires a monthly $10 fee.

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Your next car could run on pee

It is an adolescent act of vandalism, probably more talked about than actually performed, but urinating into a fuel tank may one day have a practical and powerful purpose.

A team of researchers based at the University of the West of England in Bristol has developed a method for turning human effluent into electricity.

Urine is basically chemicals in solution, so if those chemicals can be properly utilised, it can be a fuel like any other. The Bristol team uses a Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) system, which harnesses microorganisms to create energy as part of their metabolic process. “Microorganisms are extremely efficient — more than 96% — at converting organic matter into energy, however a well-performing MFC is less than 60% at best”, says Professor Ioannis Ieropoulos, lead researcher and director of the Bristol BioEnergy Centre. “There is clearly a lot of room for improvement.”

To field test the process, the team installed a special urinal on their campus, and later another at the Glastonbury music festival. (The Glastonbury effort collected from a thousand donors a day in a male urinal, which allowed for single-stream recycling.) In both tests, the MFC system generated sufficient power to keep the interiors of the stalls lit with LED light fixtures.

For the moment, the process generates only enough electricity to recharge smartphones or lithium ion phosphate batteries that allow for continuous lighting. In areas with a poor power infrastructure (especially where issues of safety necessitate the illumination of public places), it’s a tremendous asset — the sun may not shine, and the wind may not blow, but rivers of urine will continue to flow. The technology is so promising that it has garnered the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and is currently being deployed through Oxfam to bring pee power to refugees in the developing world

As a happy side-benefit, the end product is made more environmentally friendly. “The effluent coming out of the MFC is cleaner than the urine that went in, and elementally better balanced, which could find uses as a fertilizer”, says Ieropoulos. “In addition, the MFC allows the recovery of useful resources such as phosphate.”

“There are several experiments we still need to perform before we can say with certainty what compounds and at what concentrations may be detrimental to the energy generation process”, he continues. “But from our Glastonbury data, it seems that urine with alcohol works very well as a fuel.”

This is clearly a technology flush with possibility. But with the limits of the current science and human bladder capacity, are pee-powered vehicles just a well-plumbed pipe dream?

Ieropoulos doesn’t think so. “We have directly powered continuously or intermittently other electronic devices such as DC pumps, DC motors, micro controllers for computing, and sensors. We envisage a future with advanced materials, highly energy efficient actuators, and storage devices where urine and other organic waste matter could be used as the fuel for charging the batteries of a vehicle.”

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We can finally see deep inside Egypt's mysterious pyramids

We all have wondered what the inside of a pyramid looks like. Now, thanks to cosmic rays, we can learn a little more about them. Archaeologists have begun to use new technology to better refine our understanding of pyramids' internal makeup

The pyramids of ancient Egypt are about 4,500 years old. They have stood the test of time.

The new Scans Pyramids project uses cosmic rays to build "inside" maps of the Egyptian attractions. The images show the internal crooked chamber of a 4,600-year-old pyramid known as the Bent Pyramid. It's a 345-foot monument 25 miles south of Cairo.

In ancient times, the pointed building was known as the Southern Shining Pyramid. It is believed to be one of Egypt's earliest designs. It looks odd, probably built in a time of transition, when engineering moved from stepped pyramids to smooth.

The cosmic rays used to unlock the secrets of the structure might be compared to X-rays. Scientists are using muon particles, which come from cosmic rays, to penetrate deep into stone.

Using these, researchers can gauge how thick the stonework is and build up a map of the internal organs of a building. It took 40 days of exposure to the particles to garner enough information. Now there are images that capture the scale of the craftsmanship involved.

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Humans are just starting to understand the octopus — and it's mind-blowing

Every year on June 8, people around the world celebrate this day, and to join in on the fun here are some mind-blowing facts about octopuses, according to a report published in the Business Insider.

With their eight arms and giant egg-shaped head, octopuses are one of the most alien-looking creatures on the planet.

Yet scientists have an extremely difficult time studying them in the wild because these highly intelligent invertebrates are the ultimate masters of disguise.

In her book, "Octopus!" Katherine Harmon Courage travels the globe to swim, observe, and even taste some of the many octopuses of the world. Here are 8 mind-blowing facts she learned about this squishy predator of the sea along her epic journey.

Octopuses have three hearts. The main heart will actually stop beating when the animal is swimming, so it can't swim very far before tiring out. 

When they do bleed, octopuses bleed blue blood, not red. That's because their blood is high in copper instead of iron. 

Over 95% of all animals on Earth are invertebrates. The octopus is the smartest of them all and has approximately 300 million neurons throughout its body. That's not much compared to the 100 billion in humans, but it's a giant leap from the 16 million in frogs.

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Belgian scientists make water-from-urine machine

A team of scientists at a Belgian university say they have created a machine that turns urine into drinkable water and fertilizer using solar energy, a technique which could be applied in rural areas and developing countries.

While there are other options for treating waste water, the system applied at the University of Ghent uses a special membrane, is said to be energy-efficient and to be applicable in areas off the electricity grid.

"We're able to recover fertilizer and drinking water from urine using just a simple process and solar energy," said University of Ghent researcher Sebastiaan Derese.

The urine is collected in a big tank, heated in a solar-powered boiler before passing through the membrane where the water is recovered and nutrients such as potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus are separated.

Under the slogan #peeforscience, the team recently deployed the machine at a 10-day music and theatre festival in central Ghent, recovering 1,000 litres of water from the urine of revellers.

The aim is to install larger versions of the machine in sports venues or airports but also to take it to a rural community in the developing world where fertilisers and reliable drinking water are short in supply, Derese said.

As was the case with previous projects the research team was engaged in, the water recovered from the city festival will be used to make one of Belgium's most coveted specialties - beer.

"We call it from sewer to brewer," Derese said.

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Hawking opens British artificial intelligence hub

Professor Stephen Hawking on Wednesday opened a new artificial intelligence research centre at Britain's Cambridge University.

The Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence (CFI) will delve into AI applications ranging from increasingly "smart" smartphones to robot surgeons and "Terminator" style military droids.

Funded by a £10 million (11.2 million-euro, $12.3-million) grant from the Leverhulme Trust, the centre's express aim is to ensure AI is used to benefit humanity.

Opening the new centre, Hawking said it was not possible to predict what might be achieved with AI.

"Perhaps with the tools of this new technological revolution, we will be able to undo some of the damage done to the natural world by the last one -- industrialisation.

"And surely we will aim to finally eradicate disease and poverty. Every aspect of our lives will be transformed.

"In short, success in creating AI could the biggest event in the history of our civilisation," Hawking said.

The centre is a collaboration between the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College London, and Berkeley, California.

It will bring together researchers from multiple disciplines to work with industry representatives and policymakers on projects ranging from regulation of autonomous weapons to the implications of AI for democracy.

"AI is hugely exciting. Its practical applications can help us to tackle important social problems, as well as easing many tasks in everyday life," said Margaret Boden, a professor of cognitive sciences and consultant to the CFI.

The technology has led to major advances in "the sciences of mind and life", she said, but, misused, also "presents grave dangers".

"CFI aims to pre-empt these dangers, by guiding AI-development in human-friendly ways," she added.

Fears of robots freeing themselves from their creators have inspired a host of films and literature -- "2001: a Space Odyssey" to name but one.

Hawking warned technological developments also posed a risk to our civilisation.

"Alongside the benefits, AI will also bring dangers, like powerful autonomous weapons, or new ways for the few to oppress the many.

"It will bring disruption to our economy. And in the future, AI could develop a will of its own -- a will that is in conflict with ours," he said.

But catastrophic scenarios aside, the development of AI, which allows robots to execute almost all human tasks, directly threatens millions of jobs.

Freedom or destruction?

So will AI, which has already conquered man in the game of chess, ultimately leave humans on the sidelines?

"We don't need to see AI as replacing us, but can see it as enhancing us: we will be able to make better decisions, on the basis of better evidence and better insights," said Stephen Cave, director of the centre.

"AI will help us to learn about ourselves and our environment -- and could, if managed well, be liberating."

With this in mind, ethics will be one of the key fields of research of the CFI.

"It's about how to ensure intelligent artificial systems have goals aligned with human values" and ensure computers don't evolve spontaneously in "new, unwelcome directions", Cave said.

"Before we delegate decisions in important areas, we need to be very sure that the intelligence systems to which we are delegating are sufficiently trustworthy."

The opening of the research centre comes at a time when major international groups have competing ambitions in AI.

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Vegetarians don’t have better heart health than meat-eaters

Do vegetarians have healthier hearts than carnivores? An American study of 12,000 people over 3 years has concluded that cutting out meat did not reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in the next decade.

This new study by the Rutgers New Jersey School of Medicine in the US city of Newark does not call into question the lower risk of obesity, high blood pressure and metabolic syndrome provided by a vegetarian diet. The study indicated that vegetarians are generally younger and female. But it also said that their overall heart risk is no different from that of meat-eaters.

The study was presented on Monday, October 17, at the American College of Gastroenterology annual meeting in Las Vegas. It covered 12,000 adults aged 20 or over, including 263 vegetarians (2.3% of the total), between 2007 and 2010.

The researchers examined rates of obesity, average waist circumference, blood pressure, and glucose and cholesterol levels, all of which are factors in increased risk of heart disease. They also used the Framingham Risk Score, a test which estimates the risk of developing cardiovascular disease over the next 10 years by taking account of factors such as age, gender, cholesterol levels, blood pressure and smoking status.

The test indicated that the vegetarians had a cardiovascular risk of 2.7%, compared with 4.5% for the non-vegetarians. The researchers say that this difference is not statistically significant.

This study is contrary to the scientifically proven benefits of the Mediterranean diet which is rich in fruit, vegetables and whole grains and is recommended by most nutritionists around the world.

The scientists have two reservations about their conclusions: the fact that the study covered a relatively short period of time, and that the people self-reported their diet. Studies over a longer time frame are therefore required.

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Scientists turn food poisoning microbe into powerful cancer fighter

Scientists have modified Salmonella bacteria to trigger a particularly powerful immune response against human cancer cells implanted in mice, shrinking the tumors and—for the first time—preventing them from metastasizing, according to a report published on the Science.

Cancer tends to stick around because it’s practically invisible to the body’s own defenses: The immune system doesn’t recognize the rogue cells because they aren’t foreign invaders. To activate the immune system to attack cancer, scientists had tried all sorts of tricks, including infecting cancerous tissue with bacteria. Now, if this technique of modified Salmonella bacteria can be replicated in humans, it would be a significant step forward for the field of bacterial cancer therapy, says the report.

“This team did very solid work, very rigorous,” says Roy Curtiss III, an infectious diseases researcher at the University of Florida in Gainesville, who has pioneered similar bacterial techniques to combat cancer.

Because bacteria often home in on necrotic, oxygen-depleted tissue—present in most solid tumors—scientists can easily “target” cancerous tissue with the microbes. Only one such treatment has so far received Food and Drug Administration approval (a therapy to treat bladder cancer), though others are in the pipeline. But even with the most effective of these techniques, tumors tend to come back and the bacteria themselves can be toxic.

Enter Salmonella, a rod-shaped microbe notorious for causing most cases of food poisoning. In 2006, researchers at Chonnam National University in Gwangju, South Korea, were looking to create a new cancer-fighting agent. They were also searching for a vaccine for the bacterium Vibrio vulnificus, which infects shellfish off the South Korean coast. As they worked with Vibrio, they noticed that a protein in its flagellum—a whiplike tail used for swimming—triggered a particularly strong response from immune cells. So they took a harmless version of Salmonella typhimurium and “weaponized” it, genetically modifying it to secrete the protein, known as FlaB.

The team, led by biologists Jung-Joon Min and Joon Haeng Rhee, then set out to test the effects of the modified Salmonella on cancer. In one set of experiments, they injected it into 20 mice with human colon cancers. Three days later, the scientists discovered that although the mice had cleared the bacteria from their livers, lungs, and spleens, the tumorous tissue in their colons was crawling with Salmonella. After 120 days, tumors were undetectable in 11 of the 20 mice, which remained healthy throughout the experiment. Control mice, infected with bacteria that did not secrete FlaB, eventually succumbed to their cancers, according to the report on the Science.

Next, the researchers transplanted metastasizing human colon cancer cells into a different set of mice. They treated eight with the FlaB-secreting Salmonella and six with a non-FlaB version. An additional seven mice went untreated. After 27 days, both the untreated mice and those with the non-FlaB version of S. typhimurium had dozens of metastases. But the eight mice that got the FlaB-secreting bacteria had just four secondary tumors in total, with several showing no evidence of metastasis, the researchers report today in Science Translational Medicine.

The FlaB protein probably gets the credit for halting the spread of the cancer, Min and Rhee wrote in an e-mail. FlaB appears to be especially good at activating a secondary molecule, TLR5, that seems to make immune cells more aggressive, “changing them from Dr Jekyll to Mr Hyde,” the researchers wrote.

For now, the team will continue to refine the technique with animal models. But sometime within the next few years, Min and Rhee plan to run clinical trials in humans to see whether FlaB-enhanced bacteria could work as a safe, effective anticancer therapy, says the report on the Science. 

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Technology for Social Change

Local developers, designers, innovators, social entrepreneurs all gathered together during SCI's first ever 'Tech 4 Social Change' weekend event during the 18th- 19th November, featuring hands-on mentorship and training from Liam Magee, Researcher from University of Western Sydney. 'Tech 4 Social Change' is a means of harnessing diverse skills and efforts in promoting cross collaboration amongst multidisciplinary sectors to experiment with new technologies in advancing social change through Save the Children International's (SCI) programming efforts.

Liam Magee, Senior Research Fellow (Digital Media) from University of Western Sydney and regular hackathon organizer explains, "The aim of these types of events are to start from a small idea or design and work towards developing a 'Minimum Viable Product (MVP)' or prototype within the specified timeframe, in this case- 48 hours. It is also a great way for people to learn about extreme programming, agile development, and participatory design, whilst networking and exchanging skills and experience."

SCI's 'Tech 4 Social Change' event adds a unique feature in that participants must work collaboratively with our local 'Changemakers' - community members who reside in slums and poor urban settlements in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

"By engaging local change makers, it provides the perfect opportunity for programmers, designers, innovators to co-design in developing innovative solutions suitable to the real needs of people, in understanding who the beneficiaries are, and in allowing them to act as user surrogates at all steps of the development and design processes,"Liam added.

During the weekend event, people from multidisciplinary backgrounds formed various teams with the local change makers to begin working on designing solutions to these unique 'problem sets'. Teams worked collaboratively together over the 48 hours with the success of developing several 'Minimum Viable Products'.

They included the development of an android app where people facing natural disasters such as floods, cyclones, or earthquakes could send for help to a disaster dashboard system. The disaster dashboard system acted as a focal point for centralizing all information, data from the last five years and imminent updates during natural disasters. Other teams were able to successfully develop an android app as a way of addressing child migration issues, to ensure safe migration and a dashboard as a response to slum evictions, whereby people could seek immediate assistance and relevant parties would be organizations would be notified.

Sharon Hauser, Director of Programme, Development, and Quality, Save the Children International says, "SCI's Tech 4 Social Change Event fosters participatory processes with community members to ensure that the response or solutions are focused around a human-centered design. By continuing to innovate and draw upon technology as a means for addressing development issues, we are able to have far-reaching implications in impacting the lives of children, families, and communities of where we are working."

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German scientists tests 'Artificial Sun'

Scientists in Germany flipped the switch Thursday on what's being described as "the world's largest artificial sun," a device they hope will help shed light on new ways of making climate-friendly fuels.

The giant honeycomb-like setup of 149 spotlights - officially known as "Synlight" - in Juelich, about 30 kilometers (19 miles) west of Cologne, uses xenon short-arc lamps normally found in cinemas to simulate natural sunlight that's often in short supply in Germany at this time of year.

By focusing the entire array on a single 20-by-20 centimeter (8x8 inch) spot, scientists from the German Aerospace Center, or DLR , will be able to produce the equivalent of 10,000 times the amount of solar radiation that would normally shine on the same surface.

Creating such furnace-like conditions - with temperatures of up to 3,000 degrees Celsius (5,432 Fahrenheit) - is key to testing novel ways of making hydrogen, according to Bernhard Hoffschmidt, the director of DLR's Institute for Solar Research.

Many consider hydrogen to be the fuel of the future because it produces no carbon emissions when burned, meaning it doesn't add to global warming. But while hydrogen is the most common element in the universe it is rare on Earth. One way to manufacture it is to split water into its two components - the other being oxygen - using electricity in a process called electrolysis.

Researchers hope to bypass the electricity stage by tapping into the enormous amount of energy that reaches Earth in the form of light from the sun.

Hoffschmidt said the dazzling display is designed to take experiments done in smaller labs to the next level, adding that once researchers have mastered hydrogen-making techniques with Synlight's 350-kilowatt array, the process could be scaled up ten-fold on the way to reaching a level fit for industry. Experts say this could take about a decade, if there is sufficient industry support.

The goal is to eventually use actual sunlight rather than the artificial light produced at the Juelich experiment, which cost 3.5 million euros ($3.8 million) to build and requires as much electricity in four hours as a four-person household would use in a year.

Hoffschmidt conceded that hydrogen isn't without its problems - for one thing it's incredibly volatile - but by combining it with carbon monoxide produced from renewable sources, scientists would, for example, be able to make eco-friendly kerosene for the aviation industry.

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When galaxies crash, black holes devour stars

Supermassive black holes rip up and devour hapless stars a hundred times more frequently than thought, according to research released on Monday. Scientists had previously calculated that such cosmic cannibalism was extremely rare, happening once every 10,000 to 100,000 years per galaxy. These so-called "tidal disruption events" had only been witnessed in astronomical surveys canvassing tens of thousands of galaxies. But the authors of a new study said they spotted a star being destroyed by a black hole in a survey of only 15 galaxy collisions -- an extremely small sample size by astronomy standards. The chances of a star disappearing into the maw of a black hole go up a hundredfold when galaxies crash, they concluded. "Our surprising findings show that when two galaxies collide, it dramatically increases how often stars get ripped apart and swallowed," co-author James Mullaney, an astronomer at the University of Sheffield, told AFP. Supermassive black holes are millions to billions times more massive than our Sun. Astronomers agree they reside at the centre of almost all known major galaxies. The Milky Way's own black hole -- currently dormant -- is tucked inside the constellation Sagittarius. But exactly how these monsters form is still hotly debated among scientists. For the new study, a team led by astronomer Clive Tadhunter, also from Sheffield, analysed 15 colliding galaxies, each containing billions of stars. In 2015, they noticed a startling change in one of them -- galaxy F01004-2237, some 1.7 billion light years from Earth -- compared to a decade earlier. Sifting through historical data collected by the Catalina Sky Survey, the researchers traced the transformation to 2010. The brightness flared that year in a way consistent with the death throes of a star being ripped apart. "Our study shows that galaxy collisions play an important role in causing stars to fall toward black holes," Mullaney said. Once in the danger zone, the doomed star is sucked in by a black hole's gravitational pull. The stellar debris starts to travel faster and faster, heating up and emitting a flash of light as the star is obliterated. When our own Milky Way merges with nearby Andromeda, in about 4.5 million years, such star-wrecking events will occur up to every ten years, the scientists said. These light shows would be brighter than any stars or planets in the night sky. "From Earth we'd see these events as a flare of light lasting a few months, or even years," said Mullaney. Assuming, of course, there was anyone around to notice. The findings, published in the journal Nature Astronomy, were based on observations made with the William Herschel Telescope, operated on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands.

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Intelligence: inherited or learned?

The Royal Spanish Academy defines intelligence as the "ability to understand or understand".Usually we use the term with the same sense that gives the SAR, however, specialists do not manage to reach a uniform definition that covers everything that intelligence implies.

Beyond etymological questions, the experts can recognize and understand the intelligence, although they can not express a concrete meaning that according to the different professors involved in the subject. The real problem that arises about intelligence does not refer to semantic issues because it is based specifically on its origin: Where does intelligence come from? Do we inherit it? Whose? Do we learn to be intelligent? Do we learn to understand? These doubts have plagued scientists around the world for years, and now seem to have an answer.

Assuming that intelligence is genetic would mean accepting that two twin brothers can have the same ability to understand and solve problems. However, as social beings that we are, we allow the influence and incidence of the social environment in which we manage. Therefore, reality would seem to demonstrate that a person's intelligence has a genetic component, but it is also influenced by the social context in which that person lives.

The incidence of new technologies and the changes they have caused in our habits also have their place within this controversy. Some experts say that smartphones, tablets, and other technological elements somehow "make us dumb", reducing our ability to focus, concentration and understanding. The impact of the social context is practically irrefutable before this approach, especially with some examples: What would Einstein be in the middle of 2016? Would I have such a high IQ? What about Da Vinci? Could you understand the functioning of certain mechanisms to create their world-renowned inventions? If the incidence of the social context is as some experts put it,

·         Clarifying the panorama

As the specialists apparently demonstrate, intelligence is composed of genetic issues and social issues. This false conclusion is only a new door to other questions: in what proportion does each component affect? What makes a person smarter, their genes or their interaction with society?

A study conducted in 2013 by the University of Queensland  (Australia) analyzed the DNA and the results of the IQ tests in almost 18,000 children from four different countries. According to their findings genes are responsible for up to 50% of the intelligence that a person acquires, however, social factors also influence the development of intelligence. What these experts conclude is that social factors are more important during childhood, while genetic factors have a cumulative condition that makes them more transcendent in adulthood.

The importance of this subject goes beyond a simple scientific doubt because it entails certain expectations of future. Understanding the origin of human cognitive ability and its direct link to DNA could trigger a true revolution in the knowledge that is currently possessed over the brain and mind. As if that were not enough, this confirmation could help identify genes linked to cognitive problems and intellectual disabilities such as those that cause Down syndrome, helping to recognize them and thus prevent the development of these disorders.

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10 Simple Ways to Increase Your Brain Capacity

Neuroscientists have proven that our brains can change. And for this transformation to be positive we propose to exercise your mind to boost your brain capacity. 

We use only 10% of our brain and, contrary to the beliefs of some scientists who assumed that we had the brain we were born with in our lives, today they have verified that this is not the case. It is possible to increase your brain power if you follow the tips below:

1. Do new things

When you experience new things, you are stimulating your brain. So, do not fall into the rut and change your way to work or try a new recipe.

2. Exercise regularly

Moverte is fundamental to boost your intelligence since in each exercise you generate new cells in your brain.

3. Train your memory

You have probably heard people who wish to have a better memory but do nothing to achieve it. In these cases it is best to exercise it, memorizing phone numbers or other important data.

4. Be curious

 For this, it would be good to question all the products, services and everything around you. This will help your brain to innovate and create 

5. Think positive

Stress and anxiety kill your neurons and prevent the creation of new ones. To reverse this, think positive.

6. Eat healthy

Your diet has a strong impact on your brain as it consumes more than 20% of the nutrients and oxygen we consume.

7. Read a book

This is a very useful way to encourage your imagination and boost your brain because when you read, you must make an effort to imagine what is between the lines.

8. Get enough rest

When you sleep you remember that you release the toxins of the day.

9. Leave the GPS

This tool has made our life easier but it has also become lazier to our brain.

10. Do the accounts manually

Today it happens that we depend on the calculator to make even the simplest accounts. This is not good for your brain.

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MWC 2017: 9 hottest smartphones launched

The world's biggest mobile industry conference Mobile World Congress (MWC) is underway in Barcelona Spain. Every year, companies launch their flagship smartphones, across categories and price brackets, at the event. MWC 2017 is no different. Some of the world's biggest smartphone brands LG, Huawei, Lenovo, Nokia, Blackberry, Sony and ZTE launched their upcoming smartphones on the sidelines of the event. Here are nine hottest smartphones launched at the event.

1 / 09

Nokia 6

HMD Global announced the global availability of its Nokia 6 smartphone, which was earlier launched in China. In addition, the company launched two more Android-based smartphones - Nokia 5 and Nokia 3. The Nokia 6 will be available in Q2 this year. Some of its key hardware specifications of the handset include a 5.5-inch Full HD display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of expandable storage. For imaging duties, there’s a 16MP rear camera and an 8MP front-facing shooter. Backed by a 3,000mAh battery, the Nokia 6 has a starting price of EUR 229.

2 / 09

Nokia 3310

Apart from three new Android-based smartphones, HMD Global also launched a modern version of Nokia’s iconic 3310 feature phone, which originally came out in 2000. The feature phone, which will be made available in Q2 this year, is priced at EUR 49 (approximately Rs 3,400). In terms of specifications, the new Nokia 3310 features a 2.4-inch QVGA display, 2MP rear camera and microSD card support. It’s claimed to have 22 hours of talktime and one month standby time. The reimagined classic phone even comes with a new, colorized version of the hugely popular game Snake.

3 / 09

Huawei P10 Plus

Huawei launched its duo of P10 and P10 Plus flagship smartphones at MWC 2017. Out of the two, the P10 Plus is the more powerful and is also the company’s first smartphone to support 4.5G LTE connectivity. It has a 5.5-inch Quad HD resolution display and is powered by Huawei’s own octa-core Kirin 960 SoC paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. There’s also another version that comes with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of on-board storage. For imaging duties, the smartphone has a dual-camera setup developed in collaboration with Leica. It includes a 20MP module and a 12MP module. There’s also an 8MP selfie-shooter with f/1.9 aperture. Huawei P10 Plus has a starting price of EUR 699 (roughly Rs 49,200).

4 / 09

LG G6

South Korean tech giant LG launched its newest flagship smartphone - G6, at a pre-MWC 2017 event. The handset sports a 5.7-inch 'FullVision' Quad HD+ display of 1440x2880 pixel resolution. It’s powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 821 SoC paired with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage and comes with a dual camera setup at the back, comprised of two 13MP modules. There’s also a 5MP front-facing shooter for the selfie lovers out there. LG claims that the G6 is the world’s first smartphone to come with Dolby Vision technology. The premium handset is backed by a 3,300mAh battery.

5 / 09

Moto G5 Plus

Lenovo-owned Motorola unveiled its long-rumoured Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus smartphones at the ongoing MWC 2017. Of the two, the more powerful Moto G5 Plus packs in a 5.2-inch Full HD resolution display and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 SoC paired with 2GB/3GB/4GB of RAM. There’s also 32GB/64GB of internal storage, 12MP rear camera, 5MP front-facing snapper and a 3,000mAh battery rounding off the spec sheet. As for the pricing the smartphone is priced at EUR 299.

6 / 09

Sony Xperia XZ Premium

Sony launched the successor to its Xperia XZ smartphone - Xperia XZ Premium, at MWC 2017. The smartphone sports a 5.5-inch 4K resolution display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of expandable storage. For imaging, the smartphone comes with a 19MP rear camera and a 13MP front-facing snapper, with a 3,230mAh battery rounding off the spec sheet. Sony Xperia XZ Premium includes stereo speakers for an enhanced audio experience. That said, the price and availability of the handset have not been announced.

7 / 09

Sony Xperia XZs

Besides the high-end Xperia XZ Premium, the company also launched the compact Xperia XZs. The smartphone has a 5.2-inch Full HD resolution display, a 19MP 1/2.3" primary camera with 'Motion Eye' technology, a 13MP front-shooter, 32GB of internal storage and a 2,900mAh battery. Just like the XZ Premium, the price and availability of the XZs have not been announced either.

8 / 09

BlackBerry KEYone

BlackBerry took the wraps off its new Android smartphone - KEYone, the first handset to be launched after the company collaborated with China-based TCL to manufacture smartphones. The handset will be made available in the US and other selected regions at a price of $549 (roughly Rs 36,500). Some of the key specifications of the smartphone include 4.5-inch Full HD display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 SoC, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage (with microSD card support), 12MP rear camera, 8MP front-facing snapper and a 3,505mAh battery.

09 / 09

ZTE Gigabit Phone

As expected, ZTE launched what it claims to be the first smartphone in the world to come with 5G mobile internet support. Dubbed Gigabit Phone, the smartphone is powered by Qualcomm’s newest Snapdragon 835 chipset and supports download speeds of up to 1Gbps. It can also record 360-degree panoramic VR videos and supports ultra fast downloads of Hi-Fi music and videos.

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