The Nature Podcast: Discovering the Complete Genomes of Six Ape Species via a Relativistic Plasma Particle Accelerator

The complete genomes of six ape species have been mapped, which will help uncover the evolutionary history of our closest relatives and provide insights into what makes humans human. Many gaps have been filled in the genomes of orangutans, bonobo, gorilla, Bornean orangutan and siamang.

After decades of research, physicists have demonstrated that, in principle, an alternative kind of particle accelerator can work just as well as more conventional designs. Many particle accelerators that power huge experiments like the Large Hadron Collider at CERN are radio-frequency accelerators, but they are large and limited in how strong their magnetic fields can be. The new work shows that accelerators that instead use plasma to accelerate particles could be a viable alternative and could be built at much smaller scales.

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How can we reduce the environmental footprint of our dogs? A survey of the UK and EU on artificial intelligence systems, published in the Nature of Dogs and apes

Reducing our dogs environmental footprint is something we can do. The complete genome of six ape species is included, as well as the most detailed wiring diagram of a mammal brain to date.

Human brain cells engineered to evade detection by the immune system have successfully restored muscle control in a rat model of Parkinson’s disease. Human stem cells with altered genes acted as an immune ‘invisibility cloak’. The cells then differentiated into nerve cells suitable for treating Parkinson’s disease. A cell line that can be used for transplant in humans is a step towards the development of a universal cell line that can be used to cure a wide range of diseases.

Artificial intelligence will bring more benefits to society than risks, according to a survey of 4,260 global researchers. That makes them seemingly a lot more optimistic than the general public: for example, in a similar survey just 13% of the UK public shared the same rosy view. The two groups’ views were more aligned on the technology’s role in disinformation, data use and cybercrime: 77% of researchers and 68% of the UK public said that AI makes misinformation a problem. The survey’s most striking finding is that fewer than one-third of AI scientists think that the technologies should be developed as quickly as possible, says Robert Trager, director of the Oxford Martin AI Governance Initiative. They seem to want a more considered approach.

The estimated energy that data centres will use in 2030 — roughly equivalent to the current annual electricity consumption of Japan and more than twice as much as today — mostly because of power-hungry artificial intelligence systems. 3 min read.

Source: Daily briefing: Dogs have a serious environmental impact — but owners can mitigate it

DORA for dogs can mitigate the environmental impacts of animals and humans: Rachel Nuwer tells us about what dogs can do to help the environment

The past decade has seen the development of drugs that induce sleep with less side effects and a lower risk of dependence compared with other sleep aids. suvorexant is sold as Belsomra in the United States, as is lemborexant and daridorexant. “The beauty of it is it does nothing but block the stimulation of wakefulness,” says neurologist Joe Herring.

But DORA therapies are available only in a few countries, and their high cost keeps them out of reach of many people who could benefit from them. The journalist Rachel Nuwer who is trying the treatment after she learned about it was aware that the pill cost the same as a fancy cocktail.

Bill and Lauren wrote that their pets have a more threatening effect on the environment than we would like it to be. Pets attack wildlife, destroy habitats with their scent and droppings, excrete toxic flea treatments, consume huge amount of meat and produce tons of waste. But dog owners can do a lot to ameliorate these downsides, Bateman says. Follow leash laws, don’t let your pooch chase animals, always pick up its poo and consider buying sustainable dog food, he suggests.

Source: Daily briefing: Dogs have a serious environmental impact — but owners can mitigate it

The MICrONS brain mapping project: 3D brain cells and synapses map of a mammal brain tissue block

The biggest and the most detailed wiring diagram of a mammal brain has been created by researchers by mapping cells in a small amount of brain tissue. The high-resolution 3D map contains more than 200,000 brain cells, around 82,000 of which are neurons. It also includes more than 500 million of the neuronal connection points called synapses and more than 4 kilometres of neuronal wiring, all found in a tiny block of tissue in a brain region involved in vision. 5 min read.

The map is the result of the Machine Intelligence from Cortical Networks (MICrONS) project, who described their work in a package of eight papers published in Nature and Nature Methods.