Blog – Page 73 – Shamskm: A site to exchange knowledge and solutions

Why do mosquitoes choose us? Lindy McBride is on the case

Few animals specialize as thoroughly as the mosquitoes that carry diseases like Zika, malaria and dengue fever.

In fact, of the more than 3,000 mosquito species in the world, most are opportunistic, said Carolyn “Lindy” McBride, an assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and the Princeton Neuroscience Institute. They may be mammal biters, or bird biters, with a mild preference for various species within those categories, but most mosquitoes are neither totally indiscriminate nor species-specific. But she is most interested in the mosquitoes that scientists call “disease vectors” — carriers of diseases that plague humans — some of which have evolved to bite humans almost exclusively. (more…)

Bindung mit Folgen

Health

Forscher aus Freiburg und Ulm entdecken Mechanismus, mit dem Bakterien weiße Blutkörperchen attackieren

Ein Forschungsteam um Prof. Dr. Winfried Römer und Dr. Elias Hobeika von der Universität Freiburg und dem Universitätsklinikum Ulm hat einen Mechanismus entdeckt, mit dem Bakterien weiße Blutkörperchen aktivieren und damit zugleich das Immunsystem eines Organismus angreifen. Die Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftler haben die Ergebnisse in der Fachzeitschrift Science Signaling veröffentlicht. (more…)

Wild Suburbia: More Mammals Than Expected Live Near People

Nature

It’s a jungle out there in the suburbs, where many wild mammals are thriving near humans. That’s the conclusion of a large-scale study using camera trap images from hundreds of citizen scientists in Washington, D.C., and Raleigh, North Carolina. (more…)

From lotion to ocean liner

Environment

Applications abound for UD startup’s renewable oil

More than 20 million people board cruise ships each year to enjoy a little rest and relaxation. The lucky travelers liberally apply sunscreen before sunning themselves on deck, while the ship’s intricate machinery chugs forward, propelling the vessel toward unknown destinations. (more…)

Die Wirkmacht heiliger Texte

Politics

Mit der politischen Bedeutung religiöser Schriften beschäftigt sich der Bibelwissenschaftler Dominik Markl. Er war im Sommersemester als Gastprofessor an der Uni Innsbruck tätig und hat hier seine Studien zur politischen Wirkmacht heiliger Texte vertieft. Die Quelle dafür ortet er in der besonderen Qualität dieser Texte und zeigt dies am Beispiel des Buches Deuteronomium. (more…)

New AI system developed at UCLA, Stanford mimics how humans visualize and identify objects

Technology

UCLA and Stanford University engineers have demonstrated a computer system that can discover and identify the real-world objects it “sees” based on the same method of visual learning that humans use.

The system is an advance in a type of technology called “computer vision,” which enables computers to read and identify visual images. It could be an important step toward general artificial intelligence systems — computers that learn on their own, are intuitive, make decisions based on reasoning and interact with humans in a much more human-like way. Although current AI computer vision systems are increasingly powerful and capable, they are task-specific, meaning that their ability to identify what they see is limited by how much they’ve been trained and programmed by humans. (more…)

Working Breastfeeding Mothers: Challenges and Social Responsibilities

Health, Small Business

It is becoming increasingly normal for nursing mothers to return to their workplaces after the birth of their child. However, regardless of its “normalcy,” these women still face daily challenges as their needs are not being met when it comes to breast pumping. (more…)

Wie Schlaf das Immunsystem stärkt

Health

Wissenschaftler der Universität Tübingen weisen neuen Mechanismus nach, mit dem unser Abwehrsystem im Schlaf unterstützt wird

Ausreichend Schlaf ist für unser Immunsystem und die Abwehr von Krankheitserregern wichtig ‒ das wird allgemein angenommen und erscheint intuitiv richtig. Wie genau Schlaf jedoch bestimmte Immunfunktionen beeinflusst, ist noch nicht wissenschaftlich geklärt. (more…)