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Broad's Scientist Introduce a Machine Learning Model to Identify Genetic Factors for Cardiovascular Diseases

A machine learning model has been introduced by Broad's Scientists to identify genetic factors associated with cardiovascular diseases.

Using the heart as an investigational model, scientists at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard have designed an autoencoder-based machine-learning pipeline that can effectively predict a patient’s heart condition based on image data from ECGs and MRIs. The approach could also be used to detect markers related to cardiovascular diseases.

Nearly all areas of medical science have utilized artificial intelligence (AI) over the years. It has been effectively diagnosing diseases and predicting their transmission and prognosis. AI has been used to design therapeutic approaches effectively and has been helpful in the field of drug design. The use of AI in studying cardiovascular diseases has come a long way, especially machine learning-based systems. AI-based algorithms can be trained to predict cardiovascular disease outcomes using available diagnostic imaging technology.

Currently, the field of cardiology uses a variety of imaging technologies, such as ultrasound imaging, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), etc. The Electrocardiogram (ECG) is a widely used test to monitor the heart’s rhythm. These technologies generate a lot of data that can be utilized to analyze the condition of a person’s heart. The availability of several diagnostic modalities has raised the need for standardized tools for analyzing imaging data effectively. A multi-modal framework built on machine learning techniques has been suggested by researchers from The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. The proposed system can help doctors to understand the cardiovascular state of a person using data from MRIs and ECGs. In practice, clinicians can use data generated from the machine learning program to diagnose a patient appropriately.

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FOTD #071 : red coral fungus! (ramaria araiospora)

red coral is a coral mushroom in the family gomphaceae. :-) it is found in the himalaya & north america. it grows either in clusters or singularly, & prefers western hemlock & tanoak. it likely forms a mycorrhizal association !!

the big question : can i bite it?? it is edible & sold as food in mexico :-) though, overconsumption can cause stomach upset.

r. ariospora description :

"the fruit bodies of ramaria araiospora typically measure 5–14 cm (2–5+1⁄2 in) tall by 2–10 cm (3⁄4–3+7⁄8 in) wide. there is a single, somewhat bulbous stipe measuring 2–3 cm (3⁄4–1+1⁄8 in) long by 1.5–2 cm (5⁄8–3⁄4 in) thick, which is branched up to six times. the branches are slender, usually about 1–5 mm (1⁄16–3⁄16 in) in diameter, while branches near the base are thicker, up to 4 cm (1+5⁄8 in) thick. the terminal branches are forked or finely divided into sharp tips. the trama is fleshy to fibrous in young specimens, but becomes brittle when dried. the branches are red initially, fading to a lighter red in maturity, while the base, including the stipe, is white to yellowish-white. branch tips are yellow."

[images : source & source] [fungus description : source]

"i love this fungus so much<3 she's SO pretty. i only learnt about it recently."

ChemistryViews

Silkworms Produce Spider Silk for the First Time - ChemistryViews

Spider silk by silkworms offers a green alternative to synthetic fibers

With the fast fashion industry… how it is… finding sustainable ways to make fabric is super important.  Fibers from synthetic fabrics make up 35% of the microplastics that make their way to the ocean.  Natural fibers sourced from plants or animals are much more environmentally sound options, including silk.

Currently, the only way to get natural silk on a large scale is to harvest it from silkworms.  You’ve probably heard about the strength and durability of spider silk (it is 6x stronger than Kevlar!) but as of yet there hasn’t been a good way of getting it.  Raising spiders the way people do silkworms isn’t really an option.  Spiders need a lot of room to build their webs compared to silkworms, and individual spiders don’t produce that much silk.  Plus, when you put a whole bunch of spiders in captivity together, they tend to start eating each other.

Attempts to artificially recreate spider silk have also been less than successful.  Spider silk has a surface layer of glycoproteins and lipids on it that works as a sort of anti-aging “skin”- allowing the silk to withstand conditions such as sunlight and humidity.  But this layer has been very tricky to reproduce.

However, as scientists in China realized, silkworms produce that same kind of layer on their silk.  So what if we just genetically modified silkworms to produce spider silk?

That is exactly what the researchers at Donghua University in Shanghai did.  A team of researchers introduced spider silk protein genes to silkworms using CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing and microinjections in silkworm eggs.  In addition to this, they altered the spider silk proteins so that they would interact properly with the other proteins in silkworm glands.  And it worked!  This is the first study ever to produce full length spider silk proteins from silkworms.

The applications of this are incredibly exciting.  In addition to producing comfortable textiles and new, innovative bulletproof vests, silkworm generated spider silk could be used in cutting edge smart materials or even just to create better performing sutures.  In the future, this team intends to research how to modify this new spider silk to be even stronger, and they are confident that “large-scale commercialization is on the horizon."

This is super interesting and discusses how tilling soils destroys the microbiome of soil, with some micro fauna and microbe populations not even fully recovering in disturbed soils for upwards of 10 years.

That's why the best ways to improve soil is through top dressing with mulch!

Scientists make 'disturbing' find on remote island: plastic rocks

A 'plastic rock' found by Brazilian scientists on Trindade Island,one of the most remote places on the planet.

There are few places on Earth as isolated as Trindade island, a volcanic outcrop a three- to four-day boat trip off the coast of Brazil.

So geologist Fernanda Avelar Santos was startled to find an unsettling sign of human impact on the otherwise untouched landscape: rocks formed from the glut of plastic pollution floating in the ocean.

Santos first found the plastic rocks in 2019, when she traveled to the island to research her doctoral thesis on a completely different topic—landslides, erosion and other “geological risks.”

She was working near a protected nature reserve known as Turtle Beach, the world’s largest breeding ground for the endangered green turtle, when she came across a large outcrop of the peculiar-looking blue-green rocks.

Intrigued, she took some back to her lab after her two-month expedition.

Analyzing them, she and her team identified the specimens as a new kind of geological formation, merging the materials and processes the Earth has used to form rocks for billions of years with a new ingredient: plastic trash.

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Was watching an online Mycology lecture, blacked out and came to with this on my screen

*Cryptomycota is a phylum of the Fungi family, but honestly not explaining that kinda makes this post funnier

A microscopic spectacle: these diatoms (Bacillaria paxillifer) slide parallel to each other in large colonies. I can only speculate as to why, but I imagine it is a method to access sunlight for photosynthesis while also providing a quick route to safety. 250x magnification, 4x speed.

Watch what happens to Germs when you wash your hands with Soap at microscopic level. 🔬 The Soap molecules surround germ cells and disrupt their cell walls, causing them to burst.

Germ cells are surrounded by a cell wall that protects them from the environment. This cell wall is made up of a layer of peptidoglycan, which is a polymer of amino acids and sugars. Soap molecules are made up of two parts: a hydrophobic (water-fearing) tail and a hydrophilic (water-loving) head. When soap is added to water, the hydrophobic tails group together and the hydrophilic heads face outward, forming micelles. These micelles can surround germ cells and the hydrophobic tails can then disrupt the cell walls, causing the cells to burst.

The hydrophobic tails of the soap molecules can disrupt the cell wall in two ways. First, they can bind to the peptidoglycan molecules and weaken the bonds between them. Second, they can create holes in the cell wall. Once the cell wall is disrupted, the germ cells lose their internal contents and die.

It is important to note that soap only works to kill germ cells that are surrounded by a cell wall. Germ cells that do not have a cell wall, such as viruses, are not affected by soap.

The size of the soap micelles is important. Micelles that are too small will not be able to surround the germ cells. Micelles that are too large will not be able to penetrate the cell walls.

The concentration of soap is also important. A higher concentration of soap will be more effective at killing germ cells.

The temperature of the water can also affect the effectiveness of soap. Soap is more effective at killing germ cells in warm water than in cold water.

I hope this post has helped you understand the importance of handwashing and why doctors always ask you to do it regularly. Washing your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of germs and stay healthy. So please, wash your hands often and help keep yourself and others safe!

Thank you for reading this post. I hope you found it informative and helpful. Please share it with your friends and family so they can learn about the importance of handwashing too. 😊🙏