- Статьи
- Science and technology
- Animal Way: Why did the mouse watch The Matrix and how the direwolves were revived
Animal Way: Why did the mouse watch The Matrix and how the direwolves were revived
American scientists showed a laboratory mouse excerpts from the movie "The Matrix" to record the activity of its neurons, which "turn on" when watching the video. Thanks to this, they managed to create the most detailed map of the mammalian brain in the world at the moment, consisting of 200,000 nerve cells. A research company from the USA is trying to recreate a species of direwolves that became extinct more than 12 thousand years ago. Experts have studied the genome of ancient animals, identified 20 of their most characteristic hereditary traits and made similar changes to the genes of modern predators. That's how three puppies were born. However, experts are arguing whether they can be classified as an extinct species. Izvestia has compiled a rating of science news for the week.
Neural network predicts forest fires
Skoltech specialists have developed an artificial intelligence-based system that predicts the occurrence of forest fires in Russian regions. Most similar developments make similar predictions based on the same type of data. In contrast, the new program takes into account heterogeneous information. Due to this, the accuracy of its forecasts can reach 87%. It depends on the quality of the information that the machine receives. The development is currently being tested in a number of regions, for example, on Sakhalin.
— We used machine learning technology. It was conducted on the basis of archived data for 10 years on whether or not there was a fire in a particular place at a particular time. The algorithm analyzed them and identified patterns by itself, according to which it is already possible to make predictions. Since each region of the country has its own characteristics, it is necessary to train AI for it separately. To begin with, we have selected several pilot regions. It took about one week to train the neural network for each of them," Svetlana Illarionova, head of the research group at the Skoltech Artificial Intelligence Center, told Izvestia.
The forecast is made five days in advance, as it is important for him to have reliable weather data. The developers have achieved a prediction accuracy of 70 to 87%, depending on the region. This is sufficient for the practical use of the system so that the responsible authorities can take measures to prevent fires.
Mice and flies will help flights to the Moon and Mars
The launch of the Bion-M2 mission, a Russian scientific satellite with animals, plants, seeds and microorganisms on board, is scheduled for July 2025. The device is designed for research in the field of space biology, physiology and medicine. It will be launched using a Soyuz-2.1a launch vehicle from site No. 31 of the Baikonur cosmodrome. The satellite will stay in space for 30 days, during which time specialists will conduct more than 20 scientific experiments.
— The satellite will be launched to an altitude of about 400 km into a polar orbit. It passes over the poles of the Earth. Approximately along this trajectory, the Russian Space Station will begin flying in the future. With the help of Bion-M2, scientists will study what dangers await astronauts in these areas of space and how negative impacts can be prevented," Vladimir Sychev, Deputy Director for Scientific Work at the Institute of Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences (the main scientific organization for the project), told Izvestia.
According to the scientist, compared to the current ISS in polar orbit, the radiation level will be a third higher. In addition, there are more high-energy galactic particles that come from outside the Solar System.
New technique will help to find radioactive chicken
Specialists from the Chemical and Physics faculties of Moscow State University have come up with an economical method for calculating the radiation dose received by chicken meat. When using it, a dye is added to the extract of chicken breasts and their color is recorded after the introduction of an oxidizer.
— We mix the aqueous extract of meat and reagents, getting a colored sample. The color of the mixture changes over time depending on the dose of radiation that the chicken breast received. Using machine learning methods, color shades are recognized and compared with the "palette" in doses," explained Anna Shik, a graduate student at the Moscow State University Department of Analytical Chemistry.
According to the IAEA, exposure to food products by radiation increases their shelf life, as it prevents harmful microorganisms from multiplying. With the right radiation intensity, it is not dangerous for humans. However, products are often "overexposed", then they can cause harm. The new technique will make it possible to identify such chicken meat.
According to the developers of the methodology, other approaches are now being used in food production to control radiation safety. However, they require expensive equipment, and classical techniques do not have the required performance. Using chemical reactions instead of complex instrumental technologies will simplify monitoring in the food industry.
Americans breed wolves that became extinct 12 thousand years ago
The American research company Colossal Bioscience is using genetic engineering methods to recreate a species of direwolves that became extinct more than 12 thousand years ago. Scientists identified 20 DNA fragments forming special features in the ancient remains of these animals, and then made similar genetic changes to the genome of gray wolves in order to reproduce these features. As a result, puppies were born — Romulus, Remus and Khaleesi — with some signs of direwolves.
However, experts are not sure if these animals can be considered real ancient predators.
Critics point out that the resulting animals, in fact, remain genetically modified gray wolves, and not exact copies of their extinct relatives. The DNA of ancient animals and modern gray predators differs significantly. And making only 20 changes to 14 genes is not enough to completely recreate an extinct species.
Scientists have created the most detailed map of the brain from 200 thousand cells
American scientists have created the most detailed map of the mammalian brain to date, which includes data on more than 200 thousand cells, about 82 thousand of which are neurons. This is a three-dimensional model of one cubic millimeter of mouse brain tissue. The map includes data on more than 500 million neural connections. The only comparable model of the human brain consists of 16,000 neurons and 150 million synapses.
— The authors of the project have managed to do something that no one among the researchers of nervous systems has ever been able to do. They built a map of the activity of neurons on a very large number of them. There has never been anything like this on such a scale," said Mariela Petkova, a neuroscientist at Harvard University in Cambridge.
To create the map, the researchers first recorded the activity of almost 76,000 neurons in the mouse's visual cortex for two hours while the animal watched various videos, including excerpts from the blockbuster "The Matrix." They then cut a cubic millimeter of her brain into thousands of slices, each about one four hundredth the width of a human hair.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
