Best of Last Week—neutering dogs shortens lifespan, AI emotional support app, exercise reduces Parkinson's symptoms
It was a good week for biology research as a multi-institutional team of evolutionary biologists conducted a genetic study that showed a Stone Age strategy that prevented inbreeding—unrelated families living together. Also, a pair of researchers at James Cook University, one a public health specialist, the other a bioengineer, found evidence that neutering Rottweilers shortens their lifespan. Carolynne Joonè and Dmitry Konovalov found reductions of a year and a half for males, and one year for females. And a team of medical researchers at the University of Alberta uncovered what they describe as a universal DNA code driving the formation of all cell membranes.
In technology news, a team of health scientists at ETH Zurich developed a way to use a food industry byproduct to recover gold from electronic waste. They created a sponge made from a food protein matrix to pull out the precious metal. And a team of materials scientists at RMIT University fabricated a 3D-printed titanium structure with unusual strength. The metamaterial was printed with a unique lattice structure that was 50% stronger than any others of its kind. Also, a team of AI researchers at Hefei University of Technology and Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center created an AI system that offers emotional support via chat—it engages in emotional conversations, the team claims, to offer low-cost and basic psychological support. And a team of chemists at the University of Texas at Austin, working with a colleague from Argonne National Laboratory, developed a fire-resistant sodium battery that balances safety, cost and performance.
In other news, a team of epidemiologists at King's College London conducted a study that found older people taking daily fiber supplements had improved brain function in just 12 weeks. Also, an international team of oceanographers posted a video showing a lone orca killing and eating a great white shark—a possible sign that orcas are adapting to a changing ocean. And finally, a team of medical researchers affiliated with multiple institutions in the U.S. found that high-intensity exercise can reverse neurodegeneration in Parkinson's patients.
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