I recorded this new video today from the heart – one take, no cuts. If your life looks okay on the outside but feels off, hollow, uncertain, or disharmonious on the inside, this might speak to you.
If it resonates, you can learn more about Open here:
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Abi has had very mixed results when asking a chatbot for guidance about her health issues.
Ants that consume a sugary treat mixed with caffeine become noticeably better at finding their way back to it. A new study published in iScience shows that these ants take more direct routes to the reward, even though they do not move any faster. This suggests caffeine improves their ability to learn and remember locations. The research focused on Argentine ants (Linepithema humile), a widespread invasive species, and the findings point to a possible new way to improve pest control by making bait more appealing and effective.
“The idea with this project was to find some cognitive way of getting the ants to consume more of the poisonous baits we put in the field,” says the first author and doctoral researcher Henrique Galante, a computational biologist at the University of Regensburg. “We found that intermediate doses of caffeine actually boost learning — when you give them a bit of caffeine, it pushes them into having straighter paths and being able to reach the reward faster.”
Argentine ants are among the most damaging and expensive invasive species worldwide. Efforts to control them typically rely on poisoned bait, but these strategies often fall short. Colonies may ignore the bait or abandon it before it spreads widely. The research team explored whether caffeine, which is already known to enhance learning in bees, could help ants better remember bait locations and lead more nestmates to them.
“We’re trying to make them better at finding these baits, because the faster they go and come back to them, the more pheromone trails they lay, the more ants will come, and, therefore, the faster they will spread the poison in the colony before they realize it’s poison,” says Galante.
Testing Caffeine’s Effects in the Lab
To investigate this idea, the scientists designed a controlled experiment using different caffeine levels. Ants crossed a small Lego drawbridge onto a test surface, which consisted of an A4 sheet placed over acrylic. There, they encountered a drop of sugar solution containing 0, 25 ppm, 250 ppm, or 2,000 ppm of caffeine.
“The lowest dose we used is what you find in natural plants, the intermediate dose is similar to what you would find in some energy drinks, and the highest amount is set to be the LD50 of bees — where half the bees fed this dose die — so it’s likely to be quite toxic for them,” says Galante.
The team tracked each ant’s movement with an automated system, measuring both travel time and how direct their paths were. In total, 142 ants took part, and each one completed four trials. Between trials, the ants could unload their collected food, and the testing surface was replaced to prevent them from following their own pheromone trails.
Straighter Paths, Faster Learning
Ants that received only sugar showed little improvement over time, indicating they were not learning the reward’s location effectively. In contrast, ants given low or moderate amounts of caffeine quickly became more efficient.
For ants exposed to 25 ppm of caffeine, foraging time decreased by 28 percent with each visit. At 250 ppm, the improvement reached 38 percent. For example, an ant that initially took 300 seconds to reach the reward could cut that time to 113 seconds at the lower dose and just 54 seconds at the intermediate dose by the final trial. The highest caffeine level did not produce the same benefit.
Focus Over Speed
The improvement was not due to increased speed. Instead, caffeinated ants followed more direct routes, suggesting stronger focus and better spatial memory. Their pace remained unchanged across all doses, but their paths became less winding at the lower and intermediate levels of caffeine.
“What we see is that they’re not moving faster, they’re just being more focused on where they’re going,” says Galante. “This suggests that they know where they want to go, therefore, they have learned the locations of the reward.”
Caffeine did not affect how efficiently ants returned to their nest (how efficiently they traveled back to the nest), although all ants improved slightly over time regardless of caffeine.
A Potential New Tool for Pest Control
The findings suggest that caffeine could play a role in improving pest control strategies for Argentine ants. By helping ants learn bait locations more quickly and recruit more nestmates, caffeine could increase how effectively poison spreads through a colony before the ants detect it.
The researchers caution that more work is needed before applying this approach in real-world settings. Ongoing studies are testing caffeine-enhanced bait in outdoor environments in Spain and examining how caffeine interacts with the poison itself.
This research was supported by the European Research Council, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, and the University of Regensburg.
Engineers at Northwestern University have created printed artificial neurons that go beyond imitation and can directly interact with real brain cells. These flexible, low-cost devices produce electrical signals that closely resemble those generated by living neurons, allowing them to activate biological brain tissue.
In experiments using slices of mouse brain, the artificial neurons successfully triggered responses in real neurons. This result shows a new level of compatibility between electronic devices and living neural systems.
Toward Brain Interfaces and Energy-Efficient AI
This advance moves researchers closer to electronics that can directly interface with the nervous system. Potential uses include brain-machine interfaces and neuroprosthetics, such as implants that could help restore hearing, vision, or movement.
The technology also points toward a new generation of computing systems inspired by the brain. By replicating how neurons communicate, future hardware could perform complex tasks using far less energy. The brain remains the most energy-efficient computing system known, and scientists hope to apply its principles to modern technology.
The study will be published on April 15 in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.
“The world we live in today is dominated by artificial intelligence (AI),” said Northwestern’s Mark C. Hersam, who led the study. “The way you make AI smarter is by training it on more and more data. This data-intensive training leads to a massive power-consumption problem. Therefore, we have to come up with more efficient hardware to handle big data and AI. Because the brain is five orders of magnitude more energy efficient than a digital computer, it makes sense to look to the brain for inspiration for next-generation computing.”
Hersam is an expert in brain-inspired computing and holds multiple roles at Northwestern University, including the Walter P. Murphy Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the McCormick School of Engineering. He also is a professor of medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a professor of chemistry at the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. In addition, he serves as chair of the department of materials science and engineering, director of the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, and a member of the International Institute for Nanotechnology. He co-led the study with Vinod K. Sangwan, a research associate professor at McCormick.
Why the Brain Outperforms Traditional Silicon
Modern computers handle increasing workloads by packing billions of identical transistors onto rigid, two-dimensional silicon chips. Each component behaves the same way, and once manufactured, the system remains fixed.
The brain works very differently. It consists of many types of neurons, each with specialized roles, arranged in soft, three-dimensional networks. These networks are constantly changing, forming and adjusting connections as learning occurs.
“Silicon achieves complexity by having billions of identical devices,” Hersam said. “Everything is the same, rigid and fixed once it’s fabricated. The brain is the opposite. It’s heterogeneous, dynamic and three-dimensional. To move in that direction, we need new materials and new ways to build electronics.”
Although artificial neurons have been developed before, most produce overly simple signals. To achieve more complex behavior, engineers typically need large networks of devices, which increases energy use.
Printable Materials Enable Brain-Like Behavior
To better replicate real neural activity, Hersam’s team built artificial neurons using soft, printable materials that more closely match the brain’s structure. Their approach relies on electronic inks made from nanoscale flakes of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), which acts as a semiconductor, and graphene, which serves as an electrical conductor. These materials were deposited onto flexible polymer surfaces using aerosol jet printing.
Previously, researchers treated the polymer in these inks as a flaw because it interfered with electrical performance. As a result, they removed it after printing. In this work, the team used that same feature to enhance the device.
“Instead of fully removing the polymer, we partially decompose it,” he said. “Then, when we pass current through the device, we drive further decomposition of the polymer. This decomposition occurs in a spatially inhomogeneous manner, leading to formation of a conductive filament, such that all the current is constricted into a narrow region in space.”
That narrow conductive path produces a sudden electrical response similar to a neuron firing. The resulting device can generate a wide variety of signals, including single spikes, continuous firing, and bursting patterns, closely resembling real neural communication.
Because each artificial neuron can produce more complex signals, fewer components are needed to perform advanced tasks. This could significantly improve computing efficiency.
Testing Artificial Neurons on Real Brain Tissue
To evaluate whether the artificial neurons could truly interact with living systems, the researchers partnered with Indira M. Raman, the Bill and Gayle Cook Professor of Neurobiology at Weinberg. Her team applied the artificial signals to slices of mouse cerebellum.
The results showed that the electrical spikes matched key biological properties, including their timing and duration. These signals reliably activated real neurons and triggered neural circuits in a way similar to natural brain activity.
“Other labs have tried to make artificial neurons with organic materials, and they spiked too slowly,” Hersam said. “Or they used metal oxides, which are too fast. We are within a temporal range that was not previously demonstrated for artificial neurons. You can see the living neurons respond to our artificial neuron. So, we’ve demonstrated signals that are not only the right timescale but also the right spike shape to interact directly with living neurons.”
Low-Cost, Sustainable Manufacturing and AI Implications
Beyond performance, the new approach offers environmental and practical advantages. The manufacturing process is simple and inexpensive, and the additive printing method places material only where it is needed, reducing waste.
Improving energy efficiency is especially important as artificial intelligence systems grow more demanding. Large data centers already consume vast amounts of power and require significant water for cooling.
“To meet the energy demands of AI, tech companies are building gigawatt data centers powered by dedicated nuclear power plants,” Hersam said. “It is evident that this massive power consumption will limit further scaling of computing since it’s hard to imagine a next-generation data center requiring 100 nuclear power plants. The other issue is that when you’re dissipating gigawatts of power, there’s a lot of heat. Because data centers are cooled with water, AI is putting severe stress on the water supply. However you look at it, we need to come up with more energy-efficient hardware for AI.”
The study, “Multi-order complexity spiking neurons enabled by printed MoS2 memristive nanosheet networks,” was supported by the National Science Foundation.
A study confirms the vaccine gives excellent protection for babies against life-threatening chest infections.
Last year, the highest proportion of men aged 20-34 were still living at home since at least 2007 as the rising cost of living takes hold.
Young people are to be offered the MenB vaccine after three cases of meningitis were confirmed.
New research led by the University of Warwick shows that forests were already growing across Doggerland, a now-submerged landmass beneath the North Sea, far earlier than scientists once believed. The findings indicate this lost landscape may have served as a welcoming refuge for plants, animals, and possibly humans long before forests became common across Britain and northern Europe.
The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), used sedimentary ancient DNA to uncover evidence of temperate trees such as oak, elm, and hazel more than 16,000 years ago. Researchers also detected DNA from a tree genus thought to have disappeared from the region around 400,000 years ago. In addition, the results suggest that parts of Doggerland persisted through major flooding events, including the Storegga tsunami about 8,150 years ago, with some areas remaining above water until roughly 7,000 years ago.
Professor Robin Allaby at University of Warwick and lead author of this study says: “By analyzing sedaDNA from Southern Doggerland at a scale not seen before, we have reconstructed the environment of this lost land from the end of the last Ice Age until the North Sea arrived. We unexpectedly found trees thousands of years earlier than anyone expected — and evidence that the North Sea fully formed later than previously thought.
“From a human perspective, this is the best evidence that Doggerland’s wooded environment could have supported early Mesolithic communities prior to flooding and may help explain why relatively little early Mesolithic evidence survives on mainland Britain today.”
Reconstructing the Lost Landscape of Doggerland
Doggerland once formed a land bridge connecting Britain to mainland Europe before rising sea levels submerged it, creating the modern North Sea. While scientists have long known the region was eventually forested, the timing of when trees first took hold and how suitable the environment was for early humans has remained uncertain.
To investigate, researchers analyzed sedimentary ancient DNA from 252 samples taken from 41 marine cores along the prehistoric Southern River (chosen for its well-preserved sediments and potential to reveal past habitats). This approach allowed them to trace the ecological history of Doggerland from about 16,000 years ago until it disappeared beneath the sea.
Their findings show that temperate woodland species, including oak, elm, and hazel, were present much earlier than suggested by pollen records from Britain. Lime (Tilia), a tree that prefers warmer conditions, also appeared around 2,000 years earlier than previously recorded in mainland Britain, indicating that parts of Doggerland may have acted as a northern refuge during the last Ice Age.
In another unexpected result, the team identified DNA from Pterocarya, a relative of walnut believed to have vanished from north-western Europe about 400,000 years ago. This suggests the species survived in the region far longer than previously thought.
New Insights Into Ice Age Europe and Early Humans
The findings add to growing evidence that small, protected areas known as “microrefugia” allowed temperate plant species to survive harsh Ice Age conditions in northern Europe. These refuges may help explain Reid’s Paradox — how forests were able to spread so quickly across the region after the last Ice Age ended.
The presence of woodland ecosystems in southern Doggerland 16,000 years ago also suggests the area could have supported abundant wildlife and provided valuable resources for humans, including animals such as boars. This would place a rich environment in the region thousands of years before the appearance of early groups like the Maglemosian culture around 10,300 years ago.
Co-author, Professor Vincent Gaffney at University of Bradford says, “For many years, Doggerland was often described as a land bridge – only significant as a route for prehistoric settlement of the British Isles. Today, we understand that Doggerland was not only a heartland of early human settlement, but also that the presence of the land mass may have provided a refuge for plants and animals and acted as a fulcrum for how prehistoric communities settled and resettled northern Europe over millennia.”
Most glaciers around the world are shrinking as temperatures rise. But a smaller group behaves in a very different way, and their actions can be far more dangerous.
An international team of scientists led by the University of Portsmouth has completed a large global study of these so-called surging glaciers. The research looks at the risks they pose and how climate change is reshaping when and where these sudden events occur.
What Causes Glacier Surges
A glacier surge happens when ice that normally moves slowly suddenly speeds up. During these periods, large amounts of ice are pushed quickly toward the glacier’s front, often causing it to advance. These surges can last for several years, and many glaciers go through repeated cycles, with long quiet periods in between.
The study, published in Nature Reviews Earth and Environment, brought together data on more than 3,100 glaciers that have experienced surges. Instead of being evenly spread around the globe, they are concentrated in specific regions, including the Arctic, High Mountain Asia, and the Andes.
Researchers analyzed how these glaciers work, what conditions lead to surges, and where they are most likely to occur. The study also maps their global distribution and explains why they cluster in certain climates.
“Surge-type glaciers are very unusual and can be troublesome,” said lead author Dr. Harold Lovell, Senior Lecturer and glaciologist from the University of Portsmouth’s School of the Environment and Life Sciences. “As a friend and fellow glaciologist once put it, they save up ice like a savings account and then spend it all very quickly like a Black Friday event. But while they only represent 1 per cent of all glaciers worldwide, they affect just under one-fifth of global glacier area, and their behavior can result in serious and sometimes catastrophic natural disasters that affect thousands of people.”
Why Surging Glaciers Are Vulnerable
The findings show that these glaciers are not protected from climate change. In fact, surging activity can make them more sensitive. During surges, they can lose large amounts of ice, contributing significantly to ice loss in some regions.
Six Major Hazards Linked to Glacier Surges
The study highlights six main dangers that surging glaciers can create for nearby communities, especially in mountainous areas:
Using this information, scientists identified 81 glaciers that present the greatest threat when they surge. Many of these are located in the Karakoram Mountains in High Mountain Asia, where populated valleys and key infrastructure sit directly below them. These glaciers tend to be large, close to people, and prone to repeated surging.
Climate Change Is Increasing Uncertainty
One of the most concerning conclusions is that warming temperatures are changing how glacier surges behave, making them harder to predict at a time when accurate forecasts are critical.
“By drawing on previous studies, we have been able to piece together the growing body of evidence that shows how climate change is affecting glacier surges, including where and how often they happen,” Dr. Lovell said. “This includes instances of extreme weather such as heavy rainfall events or very warm summers triggering earlier than expected surges, suggesting an increasing unpredictability in their behavior.”
The overall picture is complex and varies by region. In some places, surges are happening more often than in the past. In others, they are becoming less frequent. Some glaciers have thinned so much that they may no longer be able to build up enough ice to surge again.
Shifting Patterns Around the World
Surging glaciers are currently concentrated in the Arctic and sub-Arctic (48 percent) and High Mountain Asia (50 percent), where climate conditions support this behavior. However, continued warming could change where surges occur.
In regions like Iceland, where glaciers are shrinking quickly, surges may largely disappear. In contrast, parts of High Mountain Asia and the Canadian and Russian Arctic could see more frequent surges due to warmer conditions and increased meltwater. There is even the possibility that surging glaciers could emerge in new areas, such as the Antarctic Peninsula.
Co-author Professor Gwenn Flowers, from Simon Fraser University in Canada, said: “The challenge we face is that just as we’re starting to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms behind glacier surges, climate change is rewriting the rules. Extreme weather events that might have been rare even 50 years ago could become triggers for unexpected surges. Given that surges cause hazards in some settings, this makes protecting vulnerable communities much more difficult.”
The Need for Better Monitoring and Forecasting
Dr. Lovell added: “This research is extremely important because understanding which regions have concentrations of surging glaciers helps us plan monitoring efforts and understand future behavior. Knowing which specific glaciers pose the greatest risks can help protect communities, especially those most at risk. But the increasing unpredictability means we need much better surveillance and forecasting capabilities.”
The researchers stress that ongoing satellite monitoring, more field observations during surges, improved modeling, and better projections are essential. These efforts will help scientists understand how surging glaciers will respond to continued climate warming and how to reduce the risks they pose to communities around the world.
Key Points
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