Charles Choi

1 week ago | thetransmitter.org | Calli McMurray |Jill Adams |Holly Barker |Charles Choi

Twenty mouse models of autism can be sorted into two subtypes based on functional connectivity across the entire brain, a new preprint reports. The subtypes reflect changes in different molecular pathways and map on to nearly one-quarter of autistic people represented in a large dataset.

1 week ago | spectrum.ieee.org | Charles Choi

A microchip with nearly 6,000 transistors, each only three atoms thick, is the most complex microprocessor made from a two-dimensional material to date, scientists in China say. The new device was made using the semiconductor molybdenum disulfide, which consists of a sheet of molybdenum atoms sandwiched between two layers of sulfur atoms. Scientists hope 2D materials such as molybdenum disulfide will allow Moore’s Law to continue once it becomes impossible to make further progress using silicon.

2 weeks ago | space.com | Charles Choi

Gamma-ray bursts, the most powerful kinds of explosions known in the cosmos, may help provide a piece of the puzzle when it comes to one of the most challenging open problems in all of physics — how the universe's heaviest elements are forged. A new study's findings suggest that extraordinarily powerful light from gamma-ray bursts might help produce these elements from the outer shells of dying stars.

2 weeks ago | yahoo.com | Charles Choi

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. An illustration of a gamma-ray burst. | Credit: NASA, ESA and M. KornmesserGamma-ray bursts, the most powerful kinds of explosions known in the cosmos, may help provide a piece of the puzzle when it comes to one of the most challenging open problems in all of physics — how the universe's heaviest elements are forged.

3 weeks ago | thetransmitter.org | Holly Barker |Jill Adams |Charles Choi

Genetic changes that damage PTEN, a gene strongly linked to autism, cause a buildup of brain fluid by prompting neural stem cells to proliferate and block a channel that drains the ventricles, a new mouse study finds. Loss of PTEN protein—a key regulator of cell division—also drives a surplus of inhibitory interneurons that impairs cortical function in mice. Blocking the signaling pathway underlying this proliferation decreases these brain changes in mice, the study shows.