Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
-
MIT Unravels Evolutionary Secrets of the Nucleolus
MIT biologists discovered that a scaffolding protein called TCOF1 is responsible for the formation of a biomolecular condensate called the fibrillar center, which forms within the cell nucleolus, represented in pink inside the purple nucleus. Credit: iStock A single protein can self-assemble to build the scaffold for a biomolecular condensate that makes up a key…
-
The ‘Everything Shower’ Has Been Trending On TikTok, Here’s What It Is
An “Everything Shower” typically takes two-to-four hours to complete. (Photo: Getty) getty Historically, it’s probably been more common to say that you are going to “jump” in the shower rather than “camp out” or “set up shop” there. But that may not be the case with the “Everything Shower.” This type of shower can last…
-
Air pollution from fires hits world’s poorest hardest: study
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain People in poorer countries are disproportionately suffering from air pollution spewed from the increasing scourge of fires in forests and fields around the world, according to new research published Wednesday. Landscape fires include blazes in forests, shrub, grass, pastures and agricultural lands, whether planned or uncontrolled such as the wildfires that…
-
A tiny device that uses salt to generate clean energy
A new device that is smaller than a human hair can generate electricity from the difference in saltiness between seawater and freshwater. This could be a new source of clean energy along the coastlines of the world. Coulomb drag A team of researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has reported a design for a…
-
Key issues in writers’ case against OpenAI explained
Copyright law expert Rebecca Tushnet. Credit: Jay Mallin There’s been a lot of buzz around ChapGPT, Bard, and other generative AI tools since they burst into public view back in January. But not everyone is pleased with the rise of the chatbots. Many writers, artists, photographers, musicians, and filmmakers say tech firms are using copyrighted…
-
Scientists Expect 2023 To Be the Hottest Year Ever
The climate crisis is intensifying, with 2023 set to be the hottest year on record according to a study using the China global Merged Surface Temperature dataset 2.0 (CMST 2.0). 2023 is projected to be the hottest year ever, with May being the warmest month recorded, based on the CMST 2.0 dataset study. The climate…
-
Why invasive ants are a silent threat to our ecosystems
The yellow crazy ant (Anoplolepis gracilipes) is a notorious invasive ant species. Credit: Lukman_M/Shutterstock Invertebrates are often described by experts as the “little things that run the world,” and ants are certainly one of the top contenders for this role. Ants help ecosystems to function normally and the total weight of all ants on Earth…
-
Sex life discovery raises IVF hope for endangered purple cauliflower soft coral
by Meryl Larkin, David Harasti, Kirsten Benkendorff, Stephen D. A. Smith and Tom R Davis, The Conversation The life cycle of the purple cauliflower coral Dendronephthya australis begins with an egg being fertilised by sperm, proceeds to embryo cell division within 2-4 hours, to fully grown larvae by day 5, to metamorphosis to polyp from…
-
A brief history of abortion—from ancient Egyptian herbs to fighting stigma today
You might be forgiven for thinking of abortion as a particularly modern phenomenon. But there’s plenty of evidence to suggest that abortion has been a constant feature of social life for thousands of years. The history of abortion is often told as a legal one, yet abortion has continued regardless of, perhaps even in spite…
-
Seeking Deorbit Craft for Space Station’s Safe Descent
The International Space Station is pictured from the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour during a fly around of the orbiting lab that took place following its undocking from the Harmony module’s space-facing port on November 8, 2021. The orbital complex was flying 263 miles above the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean when this photograph was…
Got any book recommendations?