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Submission Summary: 0 pending, 19 declined, 15 accepted (34 total, 44.12% accepted)

Submission + - Romans made 'self-healing' concrete, and now we know how (sciencealert.com) 2

Submitted by Rick Schumann
Rick Schumann writes: The method used by ancient Romans to make their concrete has apparently been misunderstood, but now modern researchers have unraveled the mystery of how structures, like the Pantheon, for instance, has survived all these centuries without collapsing: the method they used to mix their 'pozzolanic' concrete yielded a 'self-healing' type, in which, if cracks developed and later got water in them, would through an inherent chemical process fill and seal the cracks.
The researchers are currently exploring ways to commercially produce this type of concrete as a more environmentally-friendly type for modern use.

Submission + - 'Broken heart syndrome' (cnn.com)

Submitted by Rick Schumann
Rick Schumann writes: Researchers at a Cleaveland clinic performed a study with 1914 patients into a phenomenon called 'Broken Heart Syndrome', where someone can be experiencing heart attack-like symptoms, but it's not a heart attack or anything related to blocked blood flow to the heart.

Turns out that it seems likely that the aggregate stresses of the pandemic (so-called 'social distancing', lack of contact with fellow humans, enforced isolation, and so on) appear to create emotional stresses that manifest with physical symptoms that mimic a heart attack.

From the CNN article on the subject:

"The pandemic has created a parallel environment which is not healthy," said Dr. Ankur Kalra, the cardiologist who led the study. "Emotional distancing is not healthy. The economic impact is not healthy. We've seen that as an increase in non-coronavirus deaths, and our study says that stress cardiomyopathy has gone up because of the stress that the pandemic has created."

The study didn't examine whether or not there could be a medical link between this phenomenon and the coronavirus, but all the participants in the study were tested for infection and were found to be free of the virus.

Submission + - Gigantic New 3D Map Traces Every Neuron In A Tiny Mouse Brain (livescience.com) 1

Submitted by Rick Schumann
Rick Schumann writes: Researchers at the Allen Institute for Brain Science, a Seattle nonprofit dedicated to neuroscience, have been painstakingly recording every brain cell and every connection between those neurons in mice for the past several years. The result represents major progress since an earlier, simpler map they released in 2016. The now-complete map encompasses about 100 million cells, the institute reported in a paper published today (May 7) in the journal Cell.

Mice are common "model organisms" in neuroscience. Their brains have fairly similar structures to humans', they can be trained, they breed easily, and researchers have already developed robust understandings of how their brains work. The hope is that the map will bring that understanding to a new level, the Allen Institute said. In doing so, neuroscientists will have a tool with which to develop new research programs and accelerate research already underway.

Submission + - Cerebellum More Involved In Cognition Than Previously Believed (npr.org)

Submitted by Rick Schumann
Rick Schumann writes: A team of neuroscientists from Washington University in St. Louis, performing fMRI tests on 10 people to quantify the various connections between the cerebellum and the rest of the brain, are now being led to believe that the cerebellum actually plays a role in conscious thought, whereas previously it was believed it was only involved in sensory-motor function. What they found is that it appears that only 20 percent of the cerebellum was dedicated to physical motion, while the other 80 percent serves as an 'editor' of the conscious thought process, refining and filtering thoughts in a sort of background process. This discovery may lead to changes in the way psychiatric patients are treated for disorders like schizophrenia, depression, and obsessive-compulsive behaviors.

Submission + - Jeff Bezos Announces "Day One Fund" To Help Solve Homeless Problem (nbcnews.com)

Submitted by Rick Schumann
Rick Schumann writes: Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and his wife MacKenzie on Thursday announced on Twitter a $2 billion philanthropic effort aimed at helping homeless families and starting preschools in low-income communities.

The fund will be split between the Day 1 Families Fund, which Bezos wrote will "issue annual leadership awards to organizations and civic groups doing compassionate, needle-moving work to provide shelter and hunger support to address the immediate needs of young families."

Submission + - Antenna sales are rising, in another sign of churn in TV watching (startribune.com)

Submitted by Rick Schumann
Rick Schumann writes: Twenty percent of homes in the U.S. use a digital antenna to access live TV, up from 16 percent just two years ago, according to Parks Associates market research in Texas. The Twin Cities has an even higher antenna percentage. It’s the eighth largest broadcast-only market in the country, with more than 22 percent of homes using antennas to get local TV, according to TVb.org, a local broadcast trade association.

Submission + - Should We Welcome Our Weed-Killing Robotic Overlords? (reuters.com)

Submitted by Rick Schumann
Rick Schumann writes: A Swiss company called EcoRobotix is betting the agricultural industry will be willing to welcome their solar-powered weed-killing autonomous robot, in an effort to reduce the use of herbicides by up to a factor of 10 and perhaps even eliminate the need for herbicide-resistant GMO crops entirely. The 'see-and-spray' robot goes from plant to plant, visually differentiating the actual crops and weeds, and squirting the weeds selectively and precisely with weed killer, as opposed to the current technique of using large quantities of weed killer like Monsantos' Roundup to spray entire crops.

Submission + - U.S. Senate Now Up To 40 Co-Sponsors Of Bill To Block FCC NN Repeal (thehill.com)

Submitted by Rick Schumann
Rick Schumann writes: UPDATE: The senate bill to block the FCC repeal of Obama-era Internet Net Neutrality rules is now up to 40 co-sponsors, from it's original 30 co-sponsors. The bill, being driven by Senate minority Democrats, requires only a simple majority vote in order to be passed, although Washington insiders are currently predicting the bill will fail. The bill would use authority under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to block the FCC’s repeal from going into effect. And with more than 30 senators on board, the legislation will be able to bypass the committee approval process and Democrats will be able to force a vote on the floor.

Submission + - California Considers Banning ICE Automobiles (sacbee.com)

Submitted by Rick Schumann
Rick Schumann writes: The ban on internal-combustion engine automobiles would be at least 10 years away, and it's unclear at this early stage if it would ban only sales and use of new cars, or ban existing cars as well, and no mention of two (or three) wheeled vehicles at this stage, but the California Air Resoures Board (CARB) is nevertheless considering this seriously, in order to meet it's ambitious emissions reduction goals.

Submission + - Walmart Wants To Invade Your Home -- To Deliver Groceries (consumerist.com)

Submitted by Rick Schumann
Rick Schumann writes: Walmart has a new marketing idea: "Going to the store? No one has time for that anymore", Walmart says. They want to partner with a company called August Home, who makes smart locks, so a delivery service can literally deliver groceries right into your refrigerator — while you watch remotely on your phone. Great, time-saving idea, or super-creepy invasion of your privacy? You decide.

Submission + - As If Facebook Wasn't Creepy Enough, Now They Want To Watch You, Too (consumerist.com)

Submitted by Rick Schumann
Rick Schumann writes: As if it wasn't bad enough that Facebook scrapes every bit of data they possibly can from your posts, your comments, your 'Likes', and whatever else they can get away with, back in 2014 Facebook applied for a patent, which was recently granted, for technology to watch you through the camera(s) connected to your computer, and automatically judge your mood using facial recognition. While it's pointed out that just having a patent doesn't mean you intend to use the technology, it's still rather creepy thinking that something like this might be rolled out.

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