In Bogota, Colombia, on April 1, 2022, 19-year-old Angel Alvarado achieved the fastest time to solve three rotating puzzle cubes while juggling, setting a new world record of 4 minutes and 31.01 seconds. Angel had previously held the record with a time of 4 minutes and 52.43 seconds, which he set in May 2021. He spent two years training for this achievement during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, with his initial challenge being to solve a...
In the realm of DNA analysis, including forensic science and genetic research, extracting DNA from hair is a crucial process. Hair is an exceptional source of DNA since it holds nucleated cells that contain genetic material. Nevertheless, DNA extraction from hair can be intricate and difficult. This article will explore the method of extracting DNA from hair. Hair is made up of two distinct parts, namely the hair shaft and the hair follicle....
A team of international scientists has sequenced Ludwig van Beethoven's genome using five locks of his hair, which has revealed new insights into the composer's family history and health. Published in Current Biology, the study was led by researchers from the Ira F. Brilliant Center for Beethoven Studies, the American Beethoven Society, KU Leuven, FamilyTreeDNA, the University Hospital Bonn and the University of Bonn, the Beethoven-Haus, Bonn...
Our preference for unhealthy and high-fat foods may be influenced by how our brain learns to like them. This is because when we consume such foods, our brain's reward system is activated, making us crave them again and again. While this preference can also be influenced by genetic factors or being overweight, studies suggest that our brain rewires itself through the consumption of these unhealthy foods. In a study conducted by researchers at Max...
The Candida auris fungus is a rapidly spreading and urgent threat to public health in healthcare centers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States. A new study has shown that cases of C. auris, which is resistant to multiple antifungal drugs, have been increasing annually since 2016, with the most rapid increase occurring between 2020 and 2021, as published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The...
First Republic Bank has been in the news recently due to concerns raised by customers and investors after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank. The bank's share price has collapsed over the last seven days, and it has been frantically trying to shore up its balance sheet with facilities. To address these concerns, a consortium of 11 U.S. banks has provided a deposit facility of $30 billion to First Republic Bank, an unprecedented and highly...
I am a skeptic and a dreamer in the same time. As a skeptic, it's hard to believe that even a single dose of psychedelics can result in lasting changes in beliefs related to the supernatural or non-physical world. However, a recent study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology suggests otherwise. The study found that even for those who had used psychedelics in the past, a single dose could lead to significant changes in beliefs related to...
OpenAI has announced the creation of their latest deep learning model, GPT-4, which is capable of accepting image and text inputs and emitting text outputs. Despite being less capable than humans in real-world scenarios, GPT-4 has shown human-level performance on various academic and professional benchmarks. After six months of iterative alignment using lessons from adversarial testing and ChatGPT, GPT-4 has demonstrated improved factuality,...
Albert Einstein is one of the most well-known and celebrated scientists of all time. Known for his groundbreaking work in physics, he also had an interesting life outside of science. In this article, we’ll explore some fun facts about Albert Einstein that you might not have known. Einstein was a late talker It might be surprising to learn that Einstein did not speak until he was almost four years old. His parents were concerned about his...
In the midst of the American banks plunge on the stock market in 2023, we will try to explain how the banking system works and why it can collapse. The banking system is an integral part of modern economies, serving as a platform for the exchange of money and the management of financial resources. Banks are financial institutions that are licensed to accept deposits, make loans, and provide other financial services. In this article, we will...
Shares of American banks were under pressure ahead of the opening of the New York session. First Republic Bank shares fell by 70%, even after federal regulatory authorities took action to strengthen the banking system following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, according to FT. All major banks have fallen, but the shares of regional creditors have been the most affected. Western Alliance Bancorporation shares fell by over...
As a tech enthusiast, I've been following Microsoft's journey in the search engine market for years now. While I admit that Google still reigns supreme, I'm hopeful that Microsoft's Bing will continue to improve and gain a bigger share of the market. It's exciting to see the new AI-powered features that Bing has been rolling out, especially with the recent launch of the Bing chatbot. I'm particularly impressed with how Microsoft has been using...
