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- Natural resources: stardust in ice and bacteria dangerous to the heart
Natural resources: stardust in ice and bacteria dangerous to the heart
American scientists used data on the concentration of stardust in the Arctic ice to estimate how the snow cover in this region has changed over the course of 30 thousand years. Researchers from South Korea have discovered 15 types of intestinal bacteria, the activity of which contributes to the development of coronary heart disease. Experiments have shown that even beneficial microbes in the gut can have a bad effect on the heart under certain conditions. Russian scientists have figured out how to deal with phobias using the scent of an African stone, and also cured AI of "dementia." Izvestia has selected the most interesting news from the world of science for the week.
Scientists have found a way to overcome "dementia" in AI
MIPT specialists have proposed an original way to combat the so—called dementia of artificial intelligence, a typical problem in which AI, learning new tasks, "forgets" previously learned information. To solve this problem, scientists have developed a new memory architecture, the mechanism of which they "peeped" into the human brain. Now it is implemented in the form of a computer model, but work is already underway on neuromorphic processors, where this principle will be implemented physically.
— Perhaps we have found the answer to one of the main mysteries of the brain.: how does he manage to learn new things without erasing the old "files". It's all about the constant restructuring of neural connections — rewiring. It is he who transforms fragile short—term memory into durable long-term memories," said Sergey Lobov, a leading researcher at the Laboratory of Neurobiomorphic Technologies at MIPT.
The scientists explained that the neural network of the brain, like a computer neural network, works on the principle of a map. In the process of learning, "memory traces" are formed in it, similar to well-trodden paths in the forest. But if new routes are laid, the old trail will quickly blur and become invisible. The same thing happens inside neural networks: absorbing information, they constantly rewrite their parameters and forget the old ones. This effect, when memory becomes unstable due to adaptation to new conditions, is called "catastrophic forgetting."
Scientists create "therapeutic perfumes" for fear of doctors
Scientists at the Moscow State University Center for Artificial Intelligence, together with colleagues from the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia, Skoltech, and the Herzen Russian State Pedagogical University, tested how the familiar scent of lavender and the exotic aroma of an African stone (chiraceum) affect anxiety levels. As the university told Izvestia, this condition is especially often aggravated in a medical setting, for example, during a visit to the dentist. One way to reduce stress is through exposure to aromas, but there is still little objective data on how odors affect the brain and cardiovascular system.
The pilot study involved 20 healthy volunteers. The subjects, sitting in a dental chair, alternately inhaled three odors — water (as a control), lavender oil and the aroma of an African stone. Each session lasted about five minutes. At that time, specialists recorded an electroencephalogram (EEG), an electrocardiogram (ECG), and the level of subjective anxiety on the standard STAI scale.
It turned out that the scent of lavender did reduce the subjective feeling of anxiety, but it had almost no effect on the indicators of brain and heart activity. The exotic smell of the African stone, on the contrary, did not affect the assessment of anxiety, but caused shifts in the electroencephalogram (EEG) and heart rate variability, indicating increased physiological arousal. These data show that the subjective perception of the calming effect of a smell does not always coincide with the objective reactions of the brain and heart, the scientists explained to Izvestia.
Cosmic dust has helped to track the change of ice in the Arctic for 30 thousand years.
Small dust particles from space are constantly falling to Earth and accumulating in oceanic sediments. A study by American scientists has shown that determining the locations of the appearance and disappearance of this cosmic dust allows us to understand how the Arctic sea ice cover has changed over thousands of years.
Since 1979, when satellites first began providing objective data, Arctic sea ice has decreased by more than 42%. It is extremely important for science to understand how this process develops and what consequences await the Earth in the future.
"If we can predict the timing and spatial patterns of ice sheet shrinkage in the future, it will help us understand warming, predict changes in food chains and fisheries, and prepare for geopolitical changes," said Frankie Pavia, associate professor of oceanography at the University of Washington, who led the study.
When the sea surface is covered with ice, dust cannot settle on the seabed. Thanks to this, by measuring the amount of cosmic dust in sedimentary rocks, the researchers were able to recreate the history of sea ice over the past 30 thousand years.
The scientists found that the periods of stable ice cover coincided with periods when there was very little cosmic dust in the precipitation. This was observed during the last ice Age about 20 thousand years ago. As the planet warmed further, cosmic dust began to appear in sediment samples again.
Scientists have found intestinal bacteria that cause heart problems
Korean scientists have discovered 15 types of intestinal bacteria, the activity of which is associated with the development of coronary heart disease. The results of the analysis showed that these microbes can affect heart health not only through digestion. Various changes in the work of the intestinal microflora, such as, for example, the loss of certain species and increased activity of metabolic pathways, can contribute to the progression of heart disease. Interestingly, even "beneficial" bacteria can become harmful under certain conditions.
"We not only identified which bacteria live in the intestines, but also found out how they affect the interaction of the heart and intestines," said Han—Na Kim, a researcher at the University of Songyungwan.
The experimental results indicate that the intestinal ecosystem in people with coronary heart disease is highly altered, which contributes to inflammation and disrupts normal metabolic processes. These changes may help explain why the gut microbiome plays such an important role in the development of cardiovascular diseases.
The researchers plan to combine this data with genetic information and metabolic indicators to better understand how intestinal microflora affects cardiovascular diseases. Their long—term goal is to develop new treatments based on microbiological analysis data to prevent these diseases at an early stage.
The best Russian AI teachers received awards
On Thursday, November 13, the winners of the Yandex ML Prize were announced. They were representatives of leading Russian universities and educational centers, where modern approaches to training specialists in the field of AI are being formed. According to the organizers, it is these people who are laying the foundation for the technological future of the country. Among the scientists who received prizes are developers of chatbots, data libraries, voice assistants, AI for the task of synthesizing nanomaterials, databases of scientific knowledge and other developments. But the main thing is that they all work as teachers and teach artificial intelligence to students and research teams.
— Since this year, we have focused on teachers, as their contribution to the development of AI remains underestimated today. It is difficult to understand the scale of this work: the results become visible only when graduates enter the industry and begin to create new technologies," said Alexander Krainov, Director of Artificial Intelligence Technology Development at the company.
The award ceremony also included the awarding of the "Hall of Fame" laureates for the first time. This is an honorary award that is awarded to people who have had a significant impact on the development of ML (machine learning) as an educational direction and training of highly qualified experts in IT. This year's laureates were Andrey Raigorodsky from MIPT, Konstantin Vorontsov from Moscow State University, MIPT), and Dmitry Vetrov from the Higher School of Economics.
The winners received prizes from 500 thousand to 1 million rubles, depending on the nomination.
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