Links for 2021-11-18
“A vaccine against Alzheimer’s disease could be on the horizon after scientists carried out successful trials in animals. Researchers were able to reverse memory loss in mice and are keen to move quickly to human trials. The vaccine trains the immune system to fight a type of sticky amyloid beta protein in the brain. It accumulates in people with dementia, preventing communication between neurons.” https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/11/15/alzheimers-vaccine-step-closer-new-treatment-reverses-memory/
An open access book on scientific visualization using Python and Matplotlib [scroll down] https://github.com/rougier/scientific-visualization-book
Codex can solve all tested Stats 101 programming problems: Solving Probability and Statistics Problems by Program Synthesis https://arxiv.org/abs/2111.08267
Apparently the textbook knowledge on how to determine the strength of chemical bonds is not accurate: "We reveal that the C–X bond becomes weaker from X = fluorine to iodine because of more steric repulsion, and not by a weakening of the orbital interaction as commonly believed." https://chemistry-europe.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/chem.202103544
Did the studies that showed that Ivermectin worked come from places with a lot of worms in the population? astralcodexten.substack.com/p/ivermectin-much-more-than-you-wanted
Explosive volcanism and the collapse of Chinese dynasties https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-021-00284-7
Daniel Ek’s €1bn Europe tech investment group puts first stake in Helsing: Defence start-up will use AI to build live battlefield maps in ‘ethical, responsible and transparent’ way [WSJ] https://archive.md/SJXUS
“Uncovering the mechanisms of learning via synaptic plasticity is a critical step towards understanding how our brains function and building truly intelligent, adaptive machines. Researchers from the University of Bern propose a new approach in which algorithms mimic biological evolution and learn efficiently through creative evolution.” https://www.unibe.ch/news/media_news/media_relations_e/media_releases/2021/media_releases_2021/when_algorithms_get_creative/index_eng.html
Paradoxical Material a Mashup of Three Different Phases at Once, Quantum Physicists Find https://www.simonsfoundation.org/2021/11/10/paradoxical-material-a-mashup-of-three-different-phases-at-once-quantum-physicists-find/
Laws of Logic Lead to New Restrictions on the Big Bang https://www.quantamagazine.org/cosmologists-close-in-on-logical-laws-for-the-big-bang-20211110/
Norwegian Undersea Surveillance Network Had Its Cables Mysteriously Cut https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/43094/norwegian-undersea-surveillance-network-had-its-cables-mysteriously-cut