Photo: Blackrock Neurotech

For many years neuroscientists have been researching how they can use technology to enhance the lives of people suffering from paralysis and other serious medical issues. Typically, this involves a chip implanted in the patient's brain that can translate thoughts into actions. One company leading the way forward is Blackrock Neurotech. Based in Salt Lake City, they've already implanted 50 chips into patients in an effort to help a wide variety of neurological disorders.

They have several different devices, known as arrays, that can be used to treat everything from hearing loss and epilepsy to paralysis and traumatic brain injury. In 2014, four of its Utah Arrays were implanted into Nathan Copeland. Copeland had been involved in a serious car crash a decade earlier, in which he suffered a serious spinal injury. Two of the arrays were placed in the part of the brain responsible for processing sensory information, and two others were implanted into the area that controls motor functions. The arrays, which are made of hard silicon coated with a conductive metal, look like tiny square hairbrushes fitted with 100 needles.

Copeland is a pioneer in the technology, with his implants lasting well beyond their initial expectancy of five years. In fact, he holds the record for the longest chronic Utah Array implant. According to Blackrock Neurotech, Copeland has achieved sensory feedback due to the technology.

Thanks to the electrodes, he's been able to use a computer, play video games, and move a robotic arm using only his thoughts. “When you have an accident like mine, and you are limited to what you can do, and limited in what you can interact within your environment, doing something like this is very cool and very rewarding,” he shared.

Copeland has been one of the most visible faces of the technology, even sharing a memorable fist bump with then-President Barack Obama in 2016 during a tour of the White House. While there are still many hurdles to cross before these types of implants are available to a wider public, Blackrock Neurotech is making strides.

In 2021, the FDA granted Breakthrough Device destination to one of their MoveAgain Brain Computer Interface (BCI) System. This designation allows for an expedited review process of the technology, which is designed to provide immobile patients the ability to control a mouse cursor, keyboard, mobile device/tablet, wheelchair, or prosthetic device simply by thinking.

While it may seem futuristic, the ability of science to help these patients gain more independence is an incredible step forward in terms of quality of life.

For nearly two decades, scientists have been implanting chips into the brains of paralyzed patients.

Photo: Blackrock Neurotech

These chips, known as arrays, allow thoughts to be transformed into actions.

Watch Nathan Copeland, who suffers from a spinal injury, use the system.

Copeland, who received his implant nearly a decade ago, is an advocate for the technology and the independence it provides.

See him shake hands with President Barack Obama with a robotic hand controlled by his mind.

h/t: [Unilad]

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READ: Scientists Use Brain Implants to Help Patients Regain Their Independence

Photo: GiorgioMagini/Depositphotos

Everyone has their own way of preparing a cup of joe. While some add cream or sugar to their brew, others prefer to keep it black. However, not many know that there's a third option to try out; one that removes almost all of the bitterness. A Twitter user by the name of BirdRespecter shared a fun food hack, whereby adding salt (and not sugar) to your coffee can eliminate the bitter taste.

While this tip is not exactly new, it isn't as well-known as it should be. “Works like a charm, especially on cheap stuff,” BirdRespecter adds. All you need to do is add a pinch of salt to a cup of black coffee, give it a stir, and taste. Suddenly the brew becomes much more palatable without much work.

There's a scientific explanation for why this method is so effective. “Your tongue has a bunch of taste receptors…on it and what it's generally doing is detecting sodium ions crossing a membrane, and you experience saltiness. And with it, though, you also experience some synergistic effects,” James Hoffman, a YouTuber and barista, explains. “Generally, saltiness can amplify sweetness, for example, and it can also mitigate or reduce bitterness.” However, while adding salt can greatly enhance the experience of drinking coffee, it should be used in moderation. People with high blood pressure or other medical issues should consult with their doctor before trying anything new.

Instead of adding sugar to your coffee, there is another food hack you can try. Adding salt.

A tiny pinch of salt in black coffee removes the bitterness almost entirely. I thought this was common knowledge until my coworker looked at me like I had horns for doing this the other day https://t.co/F2M64KC7OY

— The Artist Formerly Known as Steve Pretzel (@BirdRespecter) April 24, 2023

The tip was recently spread on Twitter by BirdRespecter, and people quickly tried it out.

Wait for real? I’ll have to try this. I converted to black out of sheer laziness

— DrinkABeer&PlayAGame (@ABeerAndAGame) April 24, 2023

tried it and my coffee is a little smoother. doesn't taste like salt either

— NERV Tech Support (@nervtechsupport) April 24, 2023

Salt in coffee – I have been doing this since 1961 – some people have reacted like I didn't know that I was reaching for the salt. In making coffee at home, I put salt in with the coffee grounds.

— Snstrl62 (@LolaCabaniss) April 25, 2023

The reaction was overwhelmingly positive.

Whoever said to put a pinch salt in coffee to get rid of the bitterness I owe you my life I can actually drink sbux drinks now

— 🦩✦ 🪩 (@toorurii) May 1, 2023

My friend just showed me this like two days ago at a diner and it blew my mind! Will be doing it (at least with diner coffee) from now on

— Batty (@battytheband) April 24, 2023

Watch this video to learn more:

h/t: [IFL Science]

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READ: Here’s Why People Are Adding Salt to Their Coffee Instead of Sugar

Artist's impression of a gas cloud. (Credit: ESO/L. Calçada, M. Kornmesser)

Thanks to the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile, which is run by the European Southern Observatory (ESO), we are one step closer to understanding how our universe was created. Researchers have detected three distant gas clouds that appear to have a chemical composition similar to what is expected in the first stellar explosions. In a study published in the Astrophysical Journal, a team led by Andrea Saccardi, a Ph.D. student at the Observatoire de Paris – PSL, explains their findings.

Thanks to their composition, the team determined that these distant gas clouds were likely formed when the universe was only 10% to 15% of its current age. How do they know this? Generally, scientists believe that the very first stars that appeared 13.5 billion years ago were composed solely of hydrogen and helium. These giant stars quickly exploded in supernovas and enriched the surrounding gas with heavier elements. New stars born in this environment took on more complex elements until they eventually became the stars we are familiar with today. By matching the chemical makeup of a gas cloud, scientists can estimate its age.

In this case, the researchers were looking for gas clouds that lacked heavy elements, like iron. This heavy metal found at the core of stars wasn't expelled in the earliest supernovas, which were much weaker. In these three distant gas clouds, the researchers found just what they were looking for.

Diagram illustrating how astronomers can analyze the chemical composition of distant clouds of gas using a quasar as a beacon.  (Credit: ESO/L. Calçada)

“For the first time ever, we were able to identify the chemical traces of the explosions of the first stars in very distant gas clouds,” shares Saccardi.

How they came to discover the chemical makeup of the clouds is quite interesting, and all boils down to light. They used very bright sources powered by supermassive black holes at the centers of faraway galaxies as beacons of light. Known as quasars, when their light travels through the universe, it travels through the gas clouds. The chemicals in these clouds imprint onto the light, which can then be studied by scientists.

By using an instrument known as an X-shooter, they can split the light into different wavelengths and colors. This then allows them to clearly study the chemical composition of the clouds. With this study, the researchers are paving the way for how to study early star development.

“With ANDES at the ELT we will be able to study many of these rare gas clouds in greater detail, and we will be able to finally uncover the mysterious nature of the first stars,” concludes Valentina D’Odorico, a researcher at the National Institute of Astrophysics in Italy and co-author of the study.

See how researchers used light to discover distant gas clouds that will help us understand more about how our universe was created.

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READ: Scientists Find Distant Gas Clouds That Will Help Reveal How Our Universe Was Created

Photo: Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Researchers have found that some birds love firing up a video call just as much as we do. This shouldn't come as a surprise, as in the wild, birds live in flocks. Loneliness can be a real problem for pet birds, so scientists from Northeastern University wanted to see if video chatting with other birds could improve their quality of life. The results are astounding.

A group of 18 parrots ranging from cockatoos to African grey parrots were trained by their owners to hit a bell when they wished to engage in a call. They were then shown a range of images of different birds in the study and allowed to make up to two five-minute calls during a three-hour window. While treats were used initially to train the birds on the bell, they were not subsequently involved.

Incredibly, the researchers found that strong bonds formed between many of the birds, with the parrots displaying preferences for who they wanted to call. Not only did the researchers observe call-and-response vocalizations similar to behavior in the wild, but many owners saw their birds pick up new skills from their friends. This includes foraging, flying, and even new vocalizations. One owner even commented that they saw their bird “come alive” during the chats.

The birds were closely monitored by their humans during the calls, who were instructed to end the video if the birds walked away or showed any signs of distress. Though three birds from the initial group dropped out of the study, the remaining 15 had an overall positive experience. In fact, parrot behaviorist and Northeastern researcher Jennifer Cunha says that her Goffin's cockatoo is still—over a year later—chatting with an African grey from the study.

For Rébecca Kleinberger, assistant professor at Northeastern, the study was a wonderful way to improve the quality of life for these animals. She noted that parrots have only been kept as pets for the past one or two generations and are not domesticated in the same way that cats or dogs are. By keeping them connected with their peers, the owners are enriching their lives.

“We’re not saying you can make them as happy as they would be in the wild,” she says. “We’re trying to serve those who are already [in captivity].”

The researchers note that there are many reasons—including disease—why some parrots in captivity can't live with other birds. For these animals, the videos provide an important outlet that was exemplified by two elderly macaws in the study. These two sickly males were paired together, and their bond was immediate. While they hadn't seen another macaw for most of their lives, they loved dancing and singing together. They would even call out, “Hi! Come Here! Hello!” when one would move off the screen.

“It really speaks to how cognitively complex these birds are and how much ability they have to express themselves,” says  Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas, an assistant professor at the University of Glasgow who collaborated on the study. “It was really beautiful, those two birds, for me.”

Researchers from Northeastern University wanted to see if parrots would be interested in video chatting with other birds.

Photo: Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

The results were overwhelmingly positive, with birds happily chatting away. Many are still in touch even after the study ended.

Parrots are social animals, but there are many reasons why some cannot live in captivity with other birds.

Photo: tehcheesiong/Depositphotos

The study is an interesting look at how parrot loneliness can be tackled thanks to closely supervised calls.

Photo: Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Watch this video to see the full training process and how the birds reacted during their calls.

h/t: [Northeastern Global News]

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READ: Parrots Taught to Video Call Each Other Show Increased Happiness According to New Study

This fungus breaks down polypropylene plastic. (Photo: Amira Farzana Samat/University of Sydney)

Our planet has a plastic problem. Accumulated waste and constant production have resulted in mounds of trash around the globe and bobbing in our oceans. Recycling is a good step, but it is limited by the technology's availability and the condition of the plastic in question. With 175 million tonnes (192.9 million tons) of plastic ending up in landfills or as litter per year of the 400 million tonnes (440 million tons) produced around the globe, it is a massive problem that has stumped society for a long time. As scientists endeavor to generate solutions to break down this non-biodegradable trash, a group of researchers at the University of Sydney discovered two common forms of backyard fungi can breakdown polypropylene completely in 140 days.

In a study published in NPJ Materials Degradation, the researchers detailed the results of using Aspergillus terreus and Engyodontium album on polypropylene plastic. The two species of fungi are common forms of mold. The team selected samples of polypropylene, a plastic that makes up to-go containers, plastic film, and other soft plastics. It is rarely recycled and, like other plastics, takes decades to degrade. The plastics were heated and treated with both UV radiation and Fenton's chemical (a reagent).

Next, the plastics were “fed” to the fungi and allowed to incubate for 90 days. After 90 days, the plastic was 27% degraded. After 140 days, it was completely degraded. Professor Ali Abbas, a paper author, noted to ABC Net Australia, “It's the highest degradation rate reported in the literature that we know in the world.” Within five years, the team hopes the fungi can be breaking down landfills around the country. “It is scaling up which is very much similar to any kind of fermentation process,” Abbas said. “That technology already exists for those processes and we're able to now borrow that learning from chemical process engineering and bring it into this particular process here.”

Commercial applications could be even faster with funding and political will. The mold solution could be pivotal for isolated areas which produce waste but lack infrastructure or space to house the waste. This potential solution adds to others such as plastic-eating worms to attack our waste. However, the world also needs to reduce its plastic use, even if full degradation becomes widespread. Plastic production, as well as recycling, produce carbon in large amounts. Degrading through mold will also release carbon. While such solutions are particularly valuable for existing waste, the first R in “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” is still the most valuable.

Researchers have used common backyard fungi to destroy some of the toughest plastics.

The fungi sets to work. (Photo: University of Sydney)

The molds can destroy polypropylene when activated by heat.

University of Sydney scientists Ali Abbas (left) and Amira Farzana Samat (right). (Photo: University of Sydney)

As accumulating plastics are a key environmental problem, the search for solutions is critical.

Photo: KANVAG/Depositphotos

h/t: [ABC.Net.Au]

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READ: Scientists Discover Fungi That Can Eat Plastic in Just 140 Days

Strewn field estimate calculated from radar signatures by NASA. The green line is the fall path. (Photo: NASA)

Meteorites are fascinating. These space rocks plummet through our atmosphere, burning away, and often shatter on impact. The remaining rock can hold materials not found on Earth and even early evidence of the beginnings of life in the universe. For all they can teach us, finding and properly collecting meteorites is critical to astronomy and other scientific fields. The Maine Mineral & Gem Museum is doing its part to advance our knowledge of space by offering a hefty reward for a meteorite piece recovered from a remote portion of Maine on April 8, 2023.

On April 8, at 11:57 a.m. EDT, some observers in Maine caught a glimpse of a bright fireball above them. The meteorite was detected by NASA's Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) Lab. American Meteor Society eyewitnesses also note the event, the 2,002nd of 2023. Despite the frequency of meteorites being sited, very few (around 10) are recovered each year. NASA calculated the strewn field where particles are likely to be found along the Canadian border near Calais, Maine. The area is heavily wooded, and the fragments are likely to be dark and charred. None have been recovered so far, but the museum would like to change that.

Darryl Pitt, head of the meteorite department, is interested in studying the pieces. “Finding meteorites in woods of Maine. It’s not the simplest of the environments,” Pitt told CNN. “It’s a sparsely populated area but not as sparsely populated as where most meteorites fall—the ocean.” To incentivize this tricky search, the museum is offering a reward of $25,000 for the first meteorite piece weighing 2.2 pounds or more. They may be willing to pay for smaller fractions, too. Pitt noted he was “guardedly optimistic” that intrepid amateurs would find remnants.

For those interested in trying their hand at meteorite hunting, it's important to follow all wilderness safety protocols. Be sure to check out guides from NASA on finding and handling meteorites properly.

The Maine Mineral & Gem Museum is doing their part to advance our knowledge of space by offering a $25,000 reward for the first piece weighing 2.2 pounds (or more) from a meteorite that landed in a remote portion of Maine on April 8, 2023.

A meteorite from a strewn field in Algeria. (Photo: thor H. Raab via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)

h/t: [CNN, Design Taxi]

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READ: Maine Mineral Museum Is Offering a $25K Reward for a Lost Meteorite

SpaceX has been in the news for their failed Starship rocket launch on April 20, but a few days earlier, they were in the news for something much different. While astrophotographers have been getting images of SpaceX launches for years, photographer Todd Salat captured something really special over the Donnelly Dome in Alaska. Also known as the Aurora Hunter, Salat was out taking photos of the aurora on April 15 when a mysterious spiral appeared.

“I was utterly surprised and mystified when I first spotted a distant bright light coming toward me from the northern horizon,” he shared. “At first, I thought it was a jet airliner flying through some clouds. Then it took on the spiral shape and grew big fast!”

Salat couldn't believe what he was seeing and was left feeling a bit confused about what had taken place. Luckily, he was able to act quickly and capture the event so that he could share it with the world.

“I was shooting frantically with two camera/tripod set-ups knowing that this was a unique event, and within about seven minutes, the ‘apparition' swept by and disappeared. It was spellbinding! For the past two nights, I had been photographing auroras over this dome (Donnelly Dome) and hoping to catch something special. I got my wish!”

Once Salat got home, he began doing some research and that's when he realized that what he'd seen in the sky wasn't natural. Just three hours earlier, in California, a SpaceX Transporter-7 mission launched on the Falcon 9 from the Vandenberg Space Force Base. The spiral is actually frozen rocket engine exhaust. When it catches the sunlight at high altitudes, it glows, and a spiral formation is created.

Salat wasn't the only one to get a glimpse at the rare event. The University of Alaska's Poker Flat Research Range has an all-night camera that also recorded the event. At around 09:50 UT mark, the spiral appears and then mysteriously vanishes just as quickly as it came into view.

Transporter is SpaceX's rideshare mission, and this was its seventh launch. According to SpaceNews, it was carrying 51 satellites. Though the full payload list wasn't available, some of the satellites included were for greenhouse gas monitoring, as well as weather monitoring. This was the first time that a Transporter mission had launched from California, with the previous six missions taking off from Florida's Cape Canaveral.

The spiral caused by a SpaceX rocket was also caught on film. It's visible in the aurora at around 09:50 UT.

Todd Salat: Website | Facebook

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photo by Todd Salat.

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Photo: ILEANA_BT/Depositphotos

Peanut allergies are at the very least inconvenient and at the worst deadly. Over 4.6 million adults in the U.S. are allergic to the legumes. For young children, discovering one's allergy can be a dangerous time. A new study published in ACS Nano might offer a potential cure for peanut allergies by using mRNA lipid nanoparticles to “train” the body out of an allergy.

Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) were inspired by the use of mRNA in the creation of the COVID vaccine. “As far as we can find, mRNA has never been used for an allergic disease,” paper co-author Dr. André Nel said to New Atlas. “We’ve shown that our platform can work to calm peanut allergies, and we believe it may be able to do the same for other allergens, in food and drugs, as well as autoimmune conditions.” Trials have already shown the procedure to reduce allergic reactions to peanuts in mice.

What is the mechanism behind this exciting advance? According to MD/PhD scholar Anna Nowak-Wegrzyn, “Food allergy is defined as an immune system-mediated adverse reaction to food proteins.” In the case of peanut allergies, a protein in the peanuts causes a person's body to react with an immune response to this foreign substance which it identifies as harmful. To prevent this, the team codes the mRNA with an epitope, which the dictionary defines as “the part of an antigen molecule to which an antibody attaches itself.” This can be made peanut specific but in future could be tailored to a different allergy. This mRNA is placed in a lipid nanoparticle, which is sent to the liver. There it influences antigen-presenting cells to tolerate the peanut proteins.

“If you’re lucky enough to choose the correct epitope, there’s an immune mechanism that puts a damper on reactions to all of the other fragments,” says Nel. “That way, you could take care of a whole ensemble of epitopes that play a role in disease.” While you cannot yet cure your peanut allergy, some relief may emerge in the next few years. After the success of the mice trials, the researchers hope their procedure will be tested in human clinical trials within three years. The technique may also in future be used to alleviate other allergies, or even Type 1 diabetes.

An mRNA nanoparticle treatment might offer a new technique for mitigating harmful peanut allergies and their reactions.

Photo: VOLUROL/Depositphotos

h/t: [New Atlas]

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READ: Researchers Develop mRNA Treatment That Could Combat a Peanut Allergy

Eli and his dad, Glenn Morris, discovered this 200-million-year-old ammonite fossil high up in a beachside cliff. (Photo: Glenn Morris)

Imagine strolling down a beautiful beach, enjoying the crisp sea breeze, when all of a sudden you look up and see something strange embedded in a towering rock cliff lining the shore. On closer inspection, it's a large spiral, a shell. In fact, it's the fossil of a 200-year-old ammonite, a mollusk from the Jurassic period. This is exactly how a day at Llantwit Major beach turned into an extraordinary discovery for 9-year-old Eli and his dad Glenn Morris. The Welsh boy's find is rare in that area and exciting for researchers.

Eli lives with his family in Birchgrove, Swansea, in Wales. He is not new to fossil hunting, even at such a young age. He usually goes fossil hunting with his dad. “We're always on the coast somewhere, usually down Gower way, but this was our first time here, so it was beginner's luck really,” Morris told the BBC. “I was a bit of a nerd growing up and liked dinosaurs and rocks and the same things he's into to be honest and I think I've passed it onto him.” Eli has gathered some fossil samples for his own collection through these expeditions. He told the BBC, “They're just interesting and I like their shape and the texture. It's just cool.”

This day, the family had traveled slightly further afield to the charming rocky, cliffside beach. Eli said, “I was just sitting here and looked up and thought ‘Oh my God, that's big!'” He had spotted a spiral-shaped shell peaking from the cliff, a blue lias formation. Dr. Nick Felstead of Swansea University commented on the fossil: “The fossil Eli found is an ammonite, which was a type of mollusk closely related to octopuses, squid, and cuttlefish, which is a rare find at Llantwit Major. We can see that the inner chambers that would have been used for buoyancy of the ammonite have been infilled with quartz during fossilization, which is even rarer, and makes this one especially pretty.” The fossil is an impressive 200 million years old, and is contemporaneous with the dinosaurs.

Young Eli was clearly excited by the find, but the glories of being a paleontologist pale in front of his true life goal—being a footballer (soccer player). If he keeps searching the beaches, however, he may find even more fossils. Average folks in the UK have been known to stumble across important fossils on beaches and dairy farms. Americans can find them too, with enough luck. No one is too young, as shown by Eli, as well as  another 9-year-old in Maryland who discovered a megaladon tooth. These young scientists continue to discover pieces of Earth's history.

9-year-old Eli was walking along a Welsh beach with his dad when he spotted a 200-million-year-old ammonite fossil peaking out from a cliff.

Eli proudly showing a fossil in his collection. (Photo: Glenn Morris)

The ammonite fossil, a large specimen. (Photo: Glenn Morris)

The ancient mollusk is showing from an eroded section of rock on Llantwit Major's beach.

A closer view of the ancient ammonite. (Photo: Glenn Morris)

The young fossil hunter has his own collection of cool fossils, but he wants to be a footballer.

Llantwit Major beach where the pair found the fossil. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)

Watch Eli recount his discovery to BBC:

h/t: [BBC]

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READ: 9-Year-Old Discovers 200-Million-Year-Old Ammonite Fossil in Beach Cliff

Photo: Screenshot from Reddit

It’s not often we get to “see” sound. Perhaps we occasionally notice the digital waves in a voice recording, but watching sound happen—especially in real life—is a rarity. One classic physics experiment, however, allows us to do just that. Called Rubens Tube, or a standing wave flame tube, it displays the relationship between sound waves and sound pressure. A viral post on Reddit demonstrates what this looks like in practice using a Rubens Tube powered by a trumpet. The mesmerizing result is a spectacular display of scientific principles.

The physics experiment was created by German physicist Heinrich Rubens in 1905. The setup involves a piece of pipe that has holes drilled along its top and is sealed on either end. One end is a propane tank (or other supply of flammable gas) and the other is the source of the sound. The pipe is then lit and a standing flame appears. When a sound is made—in this case, the trumpet plays—the oscillating pressure of the sound waves lets gas escape and shapes the sound curve.

The trumpet player shows how quickly sound waves change, and how the various notes in his tune play a role in manipulating the flame. It’s a reminder that even the smallest things in our world are incredible when you stop to consider the physics of it all.

Scroll down to see the trumpet Rubens Tube video that has gone viral as well as more videos featuring the experiment.

A classic physics experiment called Rubens Tube allows us to “see” sound. This viral trumpet performance demonstrates its principles.

Trumpeter shows us an incredible real world expression of audio waveforms
by u/Tchoupitoulas_Street in interestingasfuck

The physics experiment was created by German physicist Heinrich Rubens in 1905. Here's an explanation of how it works and the setup.

This concept has been used in other musical settings.

The oscillating pressure of the sound waves lets gas escape and shapes the sound curve. It can look quite different depending on the sound being made at any given time.

h/t: [Reddit]

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READ: Watch a Trumpeter Play Fire in a Classic Physics Experiments That Lets Us “See Sound”