Baby Tortoises Show Up In The Galapagos For The First Time In Over A Century

New Method Aids Search for Dazzling Alien Worlds

Astronomers are hunting for glowing worlds that reflect the light of their parent star.

A group of astronomers is using a new method to search for hard to spot alien planets: By measuring the difference between the amount of light coming from the planets’ daysides and nightsides, astronomers have spotted 60 new worlds thus far.

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The World's Oldest Water Is Even More Ancient Than We Realised

A hidden reservoir deep underground.

Scientists have discovered the world’s oldest known water in an ancient pool in Canada that’s at least 2 billion years old.

Back in 2013 they found water dating back about 1.5 billion years at the Kidd Mine in Ontario, but searching deeper at the site revealed an even older source buried underground.

The initial discovery of the ancient liquid in 2013 came at a depth of around 2.4 kilometres (1.5 miles) in an underground tunnel in the mine. But the extreme depth of the mine – which at 3.1 kilometres (1.9 miles) is the deepest base metal mine in the world – gave researchers the opportunity to keep digging.

“[The 2013 find] really pushed back our understanding of how old flowing water could be and so it really drove us to explore further,” geochemist Barbara Sherwood Lollar from the University of Toronto told Rebecca Morelle at the BBC.

“And we took advantage of the fact that the mine is continuing to explore deeper and deeper into the earth.”

The new source was found at about 3 kilometres (1.9 miles) down, and according to Sherwood Lollar, there’s a lot more of it than you might expect.

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Know Your Cephalopods!

Good news today: the fastest horizontal flyer in the animal kingdom is now a bat.

Free-tailed bats have now been clocked flying horizontally at over 160 kilometers per hour (that’s nearly 100 mph!), toppling the previous record-holder, the swift. The record for speed of diving is still held by the peregrine falcon but we’re coming for you next, feathers.

Source

Source:science dump

Machine Learning: An In-Depth, Non-Technical Guide

A good introductory text in five parts:

Overview, goals, learning types, and algorithms

Data selection, preparation, and modeling

Model evaluation, validation, complexity, and improvement

Model performance and error analysis

Unsupervised learning, related fields, and machine learning in practice

By  Alex Castrounis - {InnoArchiTech}

Timelapse of Europa & Io orbiting Jupiter, shot from Cassini during its flyby of Jupiter

i think the coolest thing would be to see a new color

Absence of Serotonin Alters Development and Function of Brain Circuits

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have created the first complete model to describe the role that serotonin plays in brain development and structure. Serotonin, also called 5-hydroxytryptamine [5-HT], is an important neuromodulator of brain development and the structure and function of neuronal (nerve cell) circuits. The results were published in the current issue of The Journal of Neurophysiology online.

“Our goal in the project was to close the gap in knowledge that exists on role of serotonin in the brain cortex, particularly as it concerns brain circuitry, its electrical activity and function,” said Roberto Fernández Galán, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurosciences at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. “For the first time, we can provide a complete description of an animal model from genes to behavior—including at the level of neuronal network activity, which has been ignored in most studies to date.”

Dr. Galán and his team used high-density multi-electrode arrays in a mouse model of serotonin deficiency to record and analyze neuronal activity. The study supports the importance of the serotonin which is specified and maintained by a specific gene, the Pet-1 gene – for normal functioning of the neurons, synapses and networks in the cortex, as well as proper development of brain circuitry. Serotonin abnormalities have been linked to autism and epilepsy, depression and anxiety. By more fully elucidating the role of serotonin in the brain, this study may contribute to a better understanding of the development or treatment of these conditions.

“By looking at the circuit level of the brain, we now have new insight into how the brain becomes wired and sensitive to changing serotonin levels.” added Dr. Galán.