Mourning responses in Asian elephants observed on public YouTube videos

Amazing stuff! The fascinating, complex behavior of elephants.

"... Using videos uploaded on YouTube, we document and construct a tentative repertoire of thanatological responses (death-related behaviours) in Asian elephants (Elephas maximus). The most frequently observed thanatological responses included postural changes, guarding/keeping vigil, touching, investigating the carcass, epimeletic behaviours and vocalizations. We also describe some infrequently observed behaviours, including carrying dead calves by adult females, re-assurance-like behaviours and attempts to support dying or dead conspecifics, some of which were only known anecdotally in Asian elephants. Our observations indicate the significance of open-source video data on digital platforms for gaining insights into rarely observed behaviours and support the accumulating evidence for higher cognitive abilities of Asian elephants in the context of comparative thanatology."

Viewing the rare through public lenses: insights into dead calf carrying and other thanatological responses in Asian elephants using YouTube videos | Royal Society Open Science (open access)

A brain circuit in the thalamus helps us hold spatial working memory information in mind

Recommendable! Stopping or reversing the decline of working memory in older people!

"As people age, their working memory often declines, making it more difficult to perform everyday tasks. One key brain region linked to this type of memory is the anterior thalamus, which is primarily involved in spatial memory — memory of our surroundings and how to navigate them. ...
This region could offer a promising target for treatments that could help reverse memory loss in older people, without affecting other parts of the brain, the researchers say. ...
They found that the AD thalamus is involved in creating mental maps of physical spaces, while the AV thalamus helps the brain to distinguish these memories from other memories of similar spaces. ..."

"Anterior thalamus exhibits significant functional changes with increasing age. While it has been associated with cognitive functions, the specific circuitry relevant for working memory remains unknown. The significance of this study is threefold: First, the anteroventral subdivision of anterior thalamic nuclei is necessary for working memory maintenance; second, aged mice showed a decrease in the excitability of anteroventral thalamic neurons, which correlated with a working memory impairment; and third, activating anteroventral thalamic neurons in aged mice was sufficient to improve their working memory."

From the abstract:

"Alterations in the structure and functional connectivity of anterior thalamic nuclei (ATN) have been linked to reduced cognition during aging. ... Activation of AV neurons or the AV→PaS circuit in aged mice was sufficient to rescue their working memory performance. ... These results suggest that targeting AV thalamus in aging may not only be beneficial for cognitive functions but that this approach may have fewer unintended effects compared to direct PFC manipulations."

A brain circuit in the thalamus helps us hold information in mind | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology This circuit, which weakens with age, could offer a target to help prevent age-related decline in spatial memory.

Anterior thalamic circuits crucial for working memory

A new topological materials database

Good news! Let the discovery of new materials and properties begin!

About 100,000 known materials could not be processed for lack of sufficient records etc.

"... In a paper published today in Science, the team, led by Nicolas Regnault of Princeton University and the École Normale Supérieure Paris, reports harnessing the power of multiple supercomputers to map the electronic structure of more than 96,000 natural and synthetic crystalline materials. They applied sophisticated filters to determine whether and what kind of topological traits exist in each structure.
Overall, they found that 90 percent of all known crystalline structures contain at least one topological property, and more than 50 percent of all naturally occurring materials exhibit some sort of topological behavior. ...

The ICSD is currently the largest materials database in the world, containing over 193,000 crystals whose structures have been mapped and characterized.

The team downloaded the entire ICSD, and after performing some data cleaning to weed out structures with corrupted files or incomplete data, the researchers were left with just over 96,000 processable structures. ... "

From the abstract:

"Topological quantum chemistry and symmetry-based indicators have facilitated large-scale searches for materials with topological properties at the Fermi energy (EF). We report the implementation of a publicly accessible catalog of stable and fragile topology in all of the bands both at and away from EF in the 96,196 processable entries in the Inorganic Crystal Structure Database. Our calculations, which represent the completion of the symmetry-indicated band topology of known nonmagnetic materials, have enabled the discovery of repeat-topological and supertopological materials, including rhombohedral bismuth and Bi2Mg3. We find that 52.65% of all materials are topological at EF, roughly two-thirds of bands across all materials exhibit symmetry-indicated stable topology, and 87.99% of all materials contain at least one stable or fragile topological band."

Is it topological? A new materials database has the answer | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

All topological bands of all nonmagnetic stoichiometric materials (no public access)

Russische Konzertbesucher protestieren gegen Putins Krieg in St. Petersburg

Hoffentlich wird es bald mehr Proteste von russischen Bürgern geben! Der russische Angriffskrieg in der Ukraine dauert schon fast 100 Tage an!

Leaked data offers significant new insights into China's Uyghur detention camps

The horrors of a totalitarian dictatorship! There are many other victims of Chinese Communist Party repression, e.g. Tibetans

Sri Lanka’s crisis is a ‘green cautionary tale’: Andrew Bolt

Recommendable!

Someone built a programmed wifi-equipped water gun to shoot the pigeons on his balcony

This will work until pigeons begin to like the harmless refreshment especially on hot summer days! 😄💦

The overengineered Solution to my Pigeon Problem :: Max Nagy

Credits: PyCoders Weekly

Vulnerable Bird Species Harmed by Wind and Solar Energy

Anybody who believes that wind and solar power are environmentally friendly is a fool! We humans should not have any illusions about wind and solar power!

From the abstract:

"Renewable energy production can kill individual birds, but little is known about how it affects avian populations. We assessed the vulnerability of populations for 23 priority bird species killed at wind and solar facilities in California, USA. Bayesian hierarchical models suggested that 48% of these species were vulnerable to population-level effects from added fatalities caused by renewables and other sources. Effects of renewables extended far beyond the location of energy production to impact bird populations in distant regions across continental migration networks. Populations of species associated with grasslands where turbines were located were most vulnerable to wind. Populations of nocturnal migrant species were most vulnerable to solar, despite not typically being associated with deserts where the solar facilities we evaluated were located. ..."

"... Multiple studies published in 2013 and 2014 found that somewhere between 140,000 and 679,000 birds are killed by wind turbines annually [in the U.S. alone?]. However, the American Bird Conservatory estimates at a minimum 681,000 birds are killed annually by turbines, thanks to an 86 percent increase in wind energy capacity in the United States from 2012 to 2021. ...

The Ivanpah Solar Power Facility in the Mojave Desert, for example, is responsible for incinerating around 6,000 birds annually. ...

... powered by wind and solar would “necessitate an unprecedented worldwide expansion in mining,” ... “And those mining operations would rely primarily on fossil-fuel-powered heavy equipment, since battery-powered equipment for enormous industrial operations does not exist.”

These mining operations would also involve “removing and crushing hundreds of billions of tons of rock and ore, causing major habitat losses and widespread pollution,” ... “It would also create serious human health impacts, especially in countries that do not have modern equipment and health and safety protections.” ...
The cobalt needed for these batteries is mostly mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where more than 40,000 children currently labor in mining operations for pittance wages in unsafe and unhealthy conditions. Copper mining would also have to be dramatically expanded to meet the demand for 100 percent renewable generation, even though it takes roughly 125,000 pounds of mined, crushed, and refined ore to produce 1,000 pounds of finished copper. ..."

Vulnerable Bird Species Harmed by Wind and Solar Energy

Vulnerability of avian populations to renewable energy production (open access)

Finland Forges Nuclear Path to Energy Freedom

Bravo Finland! Good to know there are some countries where common sense prevails over demagoguery and hysteria with respect to power generation!

"Finland took a giant step toward energy independence with the startup of a new nuclear reactor.

The Oikiluoto 3 (OL3) is expected to meet 14 percent of Finland’s total electricity demand when fully operational. ...

“We now have large 3,000 MW nuclear power plants available, but we also have new generations of small modular reactors that will generate 100 to 300 MW of electricity.” ...
Finnish wholesale power prices are also expected to drop to 60 euro per megawatt hour (MWh) in 2023 from a predicted average price of 70 euros/MWh in 2022. ...

“What is important is a proper costing over a proper life cycle,” ... “Modern nuclear power is designed for a 60-year lifetime but will likely last 80 years with no trouble, two to three lifetimes for a wind or solar system.

“Nuclear power has a high upfront cost for construction but the low amount of fuel and much longer plant life, make it often cheaper than most other sources of energy,” ... "

Finland Forges Nuclear Path to Energy Freedom

Decoy nanoparticles soak up SARS-CoV-2

Seems to be a promising approach and not only for Covid-19 viral infections!

"... they designed and manufactured various nanoparticles, each with 500 to 2000 ACE2 molecules. SARS-CoV-2 readily bound to these ACE2-bearing nanoparticles. Overall, the nanoparticles were up to 50 times more effective at inhibiting naturally occurring SARS-CoV-2 mutants when compared with soluble recombinant ACE2, which is similar to antibody drugs that are also recombinant proteins. ..."

From the abstract:

"... Decoy nanoparticles—cell-mimicking particles that bind and inhibit virions—are an emerging class of therapeutics that may overcome such drug resistance challenges. ... To address this gap, this study presents a systematic, comparative evaluation of various biologically derived nanoscale vesicles, which may be particularly well suited to sustained or repeated administration in the clinic due to low toxicity, and investigates their potential to inhibit multiple classes of model SARS-CoV-2 virions. A key finding is that such particles exhibit potent antiviral efficacy across multiple manufacturing methods, vesicle subclasses, and virus-decoy binding affinities. In addition, these cell-mimicking vesicles effectively inhibit model SARS-CoV-2 variants that evade mAbs and recombinant protein-based decoy inhibitors. This study provides a foundation of knowledge that may guide the design of decoy nanoparticle inhibitors for SARS-CoV-2 and other viral infections."

Decoy nanoparticles soak up SARS-CoV-2 – Physics World

Elucidating Design Principles for Engineering Cell-Derived Vesicles to Inhibit SARS-CoV-2 Infection (open access)

Solar panels will become mandatory on all new EU buildings by 2029

What a waste of taxpayers money! Nuclear power? Not mentioned!

Lot's of government central planning and dictatorship!

"As part of the plan, the EU introduced several measures, ranging from the doubling of the rate of deployment of heat pumps to establishing ‘go-to’ areas for renewables. Among these measures, the European Commission has also |introduced the “solar rooftop initiative” which would make it mandatory to install solar panels on new public and commercial buildings, as well as new residential buildings by 2029. ..."

"... tackling the climate crisis ...
Therefore the Commission also published today an ‘EU Save Energy Communication' detailing short-term behavioural changes which could cut gas and oil demand by 5% and encouraging Member States to start specific communication campaigns targeting households and industry. ...
A massive scaling-up and speeding-up of renewable energy in power generation, industry, buildings and transport will accelerate our independence, give a boost to the green transition, and reduce prices over time. The Commission proposes to increase the headline 2030 target for renewables from 40% to 45% ..."

Solar panels will become mandatory on all new EU buildings

REPowerEU: A plan to rapidly reduce dependence on Russian fossil fuels and fast forward the green transition

Ultrathin fuel cell uses the body’s own sugar to generate electricity for future medical implants

Amazing stuff! Good news!

"Engineers at MIT and the Technical University of Munich ... have designed a new kind of glucose fuel cell that converts glucose directly into electricity. The device is smaller than other proposed glucose fuel cells, measuring just 400 nanometers thick, or about 1/100 the diameter of a human hair. The sugary power source generates about 43 microwatts per square centimeter of electricity, achieving the highest power density of any glucose fuel cell to date under ambient conditions. ...
The team is not the first to conceive of a glucose fuel cell, which was initially introduced in the 1960s and showed potential for converting glucose’s chemical energy into electrical energy. But glucose fuel cells at the time were based on soft polymers and were quickly eclipsed by lithium-iodide batteries, which would become the standard power source for medical implants, most notably the cardiac pacemaker. ..."

From the abstract:

"Next-generation implantable devices such as sensors, drug-delivery systems, and electroceuticals require efficient, reliable, and highly miniaturized power sources. Existing power sources such as the Li–I2 pacemaker battery exhibit limited scale-down potential without sacrificing capacity, and therefore, alternatives are needed to power miniaturized implants. This work shows that ceramic electrolytes can be used in potentially implantable glucose fuel cells with unprecedented miniaturization. Specifically, a ceramic glucose fuel cell—based on the proton-conducting electrolyte ceria—that is composed of a freestanding membrane of thickness below 400 nm and fully integrated into silicon for easy integration into bioelectronics is demonstrated. In contrast to polymeric membranes, all materials used are highly temperature stable, making thermal sterilization for implantation trivial. A peak power density of 43 µW cm−2, and an unusually high statistical verification of successful fabrication and electrochemical function across 150 devices for open-circuit voltage and 12 devices for power density, enabled by a specifically designed testing apparatus and protocol, is demonstrated. The findings demonstrate that ceramic-based micro-glucose-fuel-cells constitute the smallest potentially implantable power sources to date and are viable options to power the next generation of highly miniaturized implantable medical devices."

Ultrathin fuel cell uses the body’s own sugar to generate electricity | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology Engineers have developed a glucose power source that could fuel miniature implants and sensors.

A Ceramic-Electrolyte Glucose Fuel Cell for Implantable Electronics (open access)

One statistical analysis must not rule them all

Recommendable! A critical and sobering assessment of science and statistical methods! Science is quite often anything but certain! To err is human!

Basically, every serious data analysis requires multiple studies to be performed by different teams.

"A typical journal article contains the results of only one analysis pipeline, by one set of analysts. Even in the best of circumstances, there is reason to think that judicious alternative analyses would yield different outcomes.

For example, in 2020, the UK Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling asked nine teams to calculate the reproduction number R for COVID-19 infections. The teams chose from an abundance of data (deaths, hospital admissions, testing rates) and modelling approaches. Despite the clarity of the question, the variability of the estimates across teams was considerable (see ‘Nine teams, nine estimates’).

On 8 October 2020, the most optimistic estimate suggested that every 100 people with COVID-19 would infect 115 others, but perhaps as few as 96, the latter figure implying that the pandemic might actually be retreating. By contrast, the most pessimistic estimate had 100 people with COVID-19 infecting 166 others, with an upper bound of 182, indicating a rapid spread. ...

The dozen or so formal multi-analyst projects completed so far (see Supplementary information) show that levels of uncertainty are much higher than that suggested by any single team. In the 2020 Neuroimaging Analysis Replication and Prediction Study2, 70 teams used the same functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data to test 9 hypotheses about brain activity in a risky-decision task. For example, one hypothesis probed how a brain region is activated when people consider the prospect of a large gain. On average across the hypotheses, about 20% of the analyses constituted a ‘minority report’ with a qualitative conclusion opposite to that of the majority. For the three hypotheses that yielded the most ambiguous outcomes, around one-third of teams reported a statistically significant result, and therefore publishing work from any of one these teams would have hidden considerable uncertainty and the spread of possible conclusions. The study’s coordinators now advocate that multiple analyses of the same data be done routinely. ...

All of these projects have dispelled two myths about applied statistics. The first myth is that, for any data set, there exists a single, uniquely appropriate analysis procedure. In reality, even when there are scores of teams and the data are relatively simple, analysts almost never follow the same analytic procedure.

The second myth is that multiple plausible analyses would reliably yield similar conclusions. We argue that whenever researchers report a single result from a single statistical analysis, a vast amount of uncertainty is hidden from view. And although we endorse recent science-reform efforts, such as large-scale replication studies, preregistration and registered reports, these initiatives are not designed to reveal statistical fragility by exploring the degree to which plausible alternative analyses can alter conclusions. In summary, formal methods, old and new, cannot cure model myopia, because they are firmly rooted in the single-analysis framework. ..."

One statistical analysis must not rule them all Any single analysis hides an iceberg of uncertainty. Multi-team analysis can reveal it.

Erebosis: Another Form of Cell Death May Occur in the Gut

Amazing stuff! And where was it discovered? In the guts of the Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly), one of the most famous lab animals of all times.

"... If erebosis occurs in the human gut, it could go wrong and play a role in certain [gastrointestinal] diseases. ..."

From the abstract:

"Many adult tissues are composed of differentiated cells and stem cells, each working in a coordinated manner to maintain tissue homeostasis during physiological cell turnover. Old differentiated cells are believed to typically die by apoptosis. Here, we discovered a previously uncharacterized, new phenomenon, which we name erebosis based on the ancient Greek word erebos (“complete darkness”), in the gut enterocytes of adult Drosophila. Cells that undergo erebosis lose cytoskeleton, cell adhesion, organelles and fluorescent proteins, but accumulate Angiotensin-converting enzyme (Ance). Their nuclei become flat and occasionally difficult to detect. Erebotic cells do not have characteristic features of apoptosis, necrosis, or autophagic cell death. Inhibition of apoptosis prevents neither the gut cell turnover nor erebosis. We hypothesize that erebosis is a cell death mechanism for the enterocyte flux to mediate tissue homeostasis in the gut."

Move Over Apoptosis: Another Form of Cell Death May Occur in the Gut | The Scientist Magazine®

Erebosis, a new cell death mechanism during homeostatic turnover of gut enterocytes (open access)

The deafening silence on the mass shooting of April 2022 in the NYC subway

It is almost as if this very recent mass shooting event never happened!

To me it is beyond belief that this mass shooting event has completely dropped off from news reporting. Because the shooter is believed to be insane?

For an insane person, he was quite methodical in his approach! However, he could not avail himself to seek medical help before he carried out his crime.

The suspect is an older black American man. We probably have to thank God's grace that not one passenger in this crowded subway car was killed during this horrifying mass shooting incident with smoke grenades and 33 shots fired. However, 10 passengers were injured, some severely!

"James posted dozens of videos ranting about race, violence, and his struggles with mental illness. One video shows a silent shot of a packed NYC subway car in which James raises his finger to point out passengers, one by one." (Source)

That the man pleaded innocence and that his defense attorneys claim his rights were violated, does not mean he is innocent!

All we learn now is about the white American mass shooter from earlier this month (May 2022) in Buffalo, NY!

This is more than strange! This is extreme!

The Top 50 Richest People Have Lost More Than Half a Trillion Dollars This Year

Not to mention the millions of Americans who lost a total hundreds of billions if not trillions of dollars in their retirement savings accounts! Myself included!

With a demented and senile 46th President in the White House what is next?

I pray everyday that Jill Biden will convince her husband that one of the last remaining options to become a great president for him is to resign immediately for health reasons! He would set an example for the ages!
Most everybody in America and abroad would understand and be thankful that this failed presidency came to a fortunate end!

I am afraid, Jill Biden is not up to the job. She is too enamored with the privileges that come with the office of the First Lady!

It then up to the Dimocratic Party to convince the always giggling Vice President, whose few coherent talking points are only about race and feminism, to step down as well!

"$563 billion — The combined losses so far this year of the world’s 50 wealthiest people, including Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. That’s more than the GDP of Sweden or the market caps of all but six companies in the S&P 500. At least one billionaire has bucked the trend: Warren Buffett’s net worth has risen this year by $1.2 billion."

The Top 50 Richest People Have Lost More Than Half a Trillion Dollars This Year - WSJ

Ukraine and Russia’s plummeting wheat exports threaten Egypt’s political stability

India has apparently slowed its exports of wheat!

"Long the world’s top importer of wheat, Egypt provides subsidized bread nearly free to 72 million people, out of a total population of 103 million."

Egypt’s Bread Crisis Awakens Old Fears of Political Unrest The world’s top wheat importer faces strains to its subsidized food program in wake of Russian invasion of Ukraine

President Biden: US would intervene with military to defend Taiwan

Bad news! Is the demented and senile 46th President becoming outright dangerous! This is apparently not the first time he made such a remark (e.g. in October of 2021). Every time the White House is afterwards correcting the statement of the president. 

I certainly prefer the long lasting status quo of strategic or deliberate ambiguity!

"... The U.S. traditionally has avoided making such an explicit security guarantee to Taiwan, with which it no longer has a mutual defense treaty, instead maintaining a policy of “strategic ambiguity” about how far it would be willing to go. ..."

Biden: US would intervene with military to defend Taiwan | AP News

Robotic bladder cancer surgery is safer and improves patient recovery time

Would you rather like to have a surgery performed by a human being or a robot?

It thought that discussion about open surgery versus minimally invasive surgery (using e.g. laparoscopy) has been resolved decades ago in favor of latter! Why should it be different when robotics is involved?

"... Unlike open surgery, where a surgeon works directly on a patient and involves large incisions in the skin and muscle, robot-assisted surgery allows surgeons to guide minimally invasive instruments remotely using a console and aided by 3D view. It is currently only available in a small number of UK hospitals. ..."

From the abstract:

"Importance  Robot-assisted radical cystectomy is being performed with increasing frequency, but it is unclear whether total intracorporeal surgery improves recovery compared with open radical cystectomy for bladder cancer.

Objectives  To compare recovery and morbidity after robot-assisted radical cystectomy with intracorporeal reconstruction vs open radical cystectomy.

Design, Setting, and Participants  Randomized clinical trial of patients with nonmetastatic bladder cancer recruited at 9 sites in the UK, from March 2017-March 2020. Follow-up was conducted at 90 days, 6 months, and 12 months, with final follow-up on September 23, 2021.

Interventions  Participants were randomized to receive robot-assisted radical cystectomy with intracorporeal reconstruction (n = 169) or open radical cystectomy (n = 169).

Main Outcomes and Measures  The primary outcome was the number of days alive and out of the hospital within 90 days of surgery. There were 20 secondary outcomes, including complications, quality of life, disability, stamina, activity levels, and survival. Analyses were adjusted for the type of diversion and center.

Results  Among 338 randomized participants, 317 underwent radical cystectomy (mean age, 69 years; 67 women [21%]; 107 [34%] received neoadjuvant chemotherapy; 282 [89%] underwent ileal conduit reconstruction); the primary outcome was analyzed in 305 (96%). The median number of days alive and out of the hospital within 90 days of surgery was 82 (IQR, 76-84) for patients undergoing robotic surgery vs 80 (IQR, 72-83) for open surgery (adjusted difference, 2.2 days [95% CI, 0.50-3.85]; P = .01). Thromboembolic complications (1.9% vs 8.3%; difference, –6.5% [95% CI, –11.4% to –1.4%]) and wound complications (5.6% vs 16.0%; difference, –11.7% [95% CI, –18.6% to –4.6%]) were less common with robotic surgery than open surgery. Participants undergoing open surgery reported worse quality of life vs robotic surgery at 5 weeks (difference in mean European Quality of Life 5-Dimension, 5-Level instrument scores, –0.07 [95% CI, –0.11 to –0.03]; P = .003) and greater disability at 5 weeks (difference in World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 scores, 0.48 [95% CI, 0.15-0.73]; P = .003) and at 12 weeks (difference in WHODAS 2.0 scores, 0.38 [95% CI, 0.09-0.68]; P = .01); the differences were not significant after 12 weeks. There were no statistically significant differences in cancer recurrence (29/161 [18%] vs 25/156 [16%] after robotic and open surgery, respectively) and overall mortality (23/161 [14.3%] vs 23/156 [14.7%]), respectively) at median follow-up of 18.4 months (IQR, 12.8-21.1).

Conclusions and Relevance  Among patients with nonmetastatic bladder cancer undergoing radical cystectomy, treatment with robot-assisted radical cystectomy with intracorporeal urinary diversion vs open radical cystectomy resulted in a statistically significant increase in days alive and out of the hospital over 90 days. However, the clinical importance of these findings remains uncertain."

Robotic surgery is safer and improves patient recovery time -- ScienceDaily Robot-assisted surgery used to perform bladder cancer removal and reconstruction enables patients to recover far more quickly and spend significantly (20 per cent) less time in hospital, concludes a first-of-its kind clinical trial led by scientists at UCL and the University of Sheffield.

Effect of Robot-Assisted Radical Cystectomy With Intracorporeal Urinary Diversion vs Open Radical Cystectomy on 90-Day Morbidity and Mortality Among Patients With Bladder Cancer A Randomized Clinical Trial (no public access)

AI unequally predicts Infant Age and Gender Based on Temperament before and after 48 weeks

Not so fast with reaching probably premature conclusions! What about e.g. the behavior of parents towards their baby in the first 1-2 years?

Keep in mind here it is a "meta-analysis", not an original directly on the subject focused study!

And what a hot topic gender is in these times! Scientists may not be immune to reach conclusions more driven by the fashions (dysphoria) of our time than by fact based and unbiased science!

From the abstract:

"Age and gender differences are prominent in the temperament literature, with the former particularly salient in infancy and the latter noted as early as the first year of life. This study represents a meta-analysis utilizing Infant Behavior Questionnaire-Revised (IBQ-R) data collected across multiple laboratories (N = 4438) to overcome limitations of smaller samples in elucidating links among temperament, age, and gender in early childhood. Algorithmic modeling techniques were leveraged to discern the extent to which the 14 IBQ-R subscale scores accurately classified participating children as boys (n = 2,298) and girls (n = 2,093), and into three age groups: youngest (< 24 weeks; n = 1,102), mid-range (24 to 48 weeks; n = 2,557), and oldest (> 48 weeks; n = 779). Additionally, simultaneous classification into age and gender categories was performed, providing an opportunity to consider the extent to which gender differences in temperament are informed by infant age. Results indicated that overall age group classification was more accurate than child gender models, suggesting that age-related changes are more salient than gender differences in early childhood with respect to temperament attributes. However, gender-based classification was superior in the oldest age group, suggesting temperament differences between boys and girls are accentuated with development. Fear emerged as the subscale contributing to accurate classifications most notably overall. This study leads infancy research and meta-analytic investigations more broadly in a new direction as a methodological demonstration, and also provides most optimal comparative data for the IBQ-R based on the largest and most representative dataset to date."

AI Predicts Infant Age and Gender Based on Temperament - Neuroscience News Summary: Before the 48-week mark of life, it is easier for an AI algorithm to determine the exact age of a baby, but not its gender based on temperament data. After 48 weeks, gender classification improved for all algorithms, suggesting gender differences in infancy become more accentuated at this point in life.

Using machine learning to understand age and gender classification based on infant temperament

DeepMind’s new AI can perform over 600 tasks, from playing games to controlling robots

This is indeed an impressive research paper by Google! Just finished reading it!

A Generalist Agent

DeepMind’s new AI can perform over 600 tasks, from playing games to controlling robots | TechCrunch

Karl Lauterbach: Globaler Pandemievertrag der WHO - Auf dem Weg zur Weltnotstandspolitik

Wie lange und was müssen die deutschen Bürger noch dulden und ertragen bis dieser Kasper und Scharlatan Lauterbach endlich entlassen wird!

Der Mann ist so peinlich wie sein Pendant in den USA Anthony Fauci!

Warum der Bundeskanzler diesen Lauterbach nicht schon längst entlassen hat oder warum er überhaupt Minister geworden ist, ist ein klares Anzeichen von Führungsschwäche!

Globaler Pandemievertrag der WHO - Auf dem Weg zur Weltnotstandspolitik | Cicero Online Karl Lauterbach spricht vom „wichtigsten Projekt“ seines Ministeriums: Der weltweite „Pakt gegen die nächste Pandemie“ stand folglich auch im Mittelpunkt des von Deutschland ausgerichteten G7-Gesundheitsgipfels in Berlin. Ein völkerrechtlicher Vertrag soll die Rolle der Weltgesundheitsorganisation stärken – doch möglicherweise wird die WHO dadurch stärker als ihre demokratischen Mitgliedsländer. Kommen die Lockdowns künftig aus Genf?

Richtungsentscheidung in China - Großmacht am Scheideweg

Der selbsternannte Diktator auf Lebenszeit Xi Jinping wird hoffentlich früher als später dunkle Geschichte sein! 

Wann werden die Chinesischen Bürger endlich die kommunistische Diktatur abschütteln! Warten und Hoffen reicht offensichtlich nicht! Ein bedauerliches Relikt der Menschheitsgeschichte seit nun über 100 Jahren!

"... Bisher ist es Präsident Xi Jinping gelungen, seine Macht so zu konsolidieren, dass er Chinas Herrscher auf Lebenszeit bleiben könnte. Sein Versagen bei der Bewältigung der neuen Herausforderungen hat jedoch Zweifel an Xis Führungskompetenz aufkommen lassen – insbesondere in den Kreisen, auf die es wirklich ankommt: dem Rest der KPC, in dem es zwei Fraktionen mit zwei unterschiedlichen Ansichten über Chinas künftige Beziehungen zum Rest der Welt gibt, insbesondere zum Westen. ..."

Richtungsentscheidung in China - Großmacht am Scheideweg | Cicero Online China steht am Rand einer Wirtschaftskrise, Staatspräsident Xi Jinping gerät deswegen zunehmend in die Kritik: Innerhalb der Kommunistischen Partei hat sich eine immer lauter werdende Opposition gegen ihn und seine Politik herausgebildet. Demnächst entscheidet sich, wer den Machtkampf gewinnt – und wie China sich künftig dem Rest der Welt gegenüber verhält.

Russian diplomat to U.N. Boris Bondarev resigns over Putin's Ukraine war

Bravo! Kudos! What a hero! Hope more Russian officials will follow this example!

"A diplomat at Russia’s mission to the United Nations in Geneva has resigned over the war in Ukraine, writing that he has never been “so ashamed” of his country, in a rare public rebuke of the war from within the Russian government.

In a letter circulated to colleagues in Geneva and posted on a LinkedIn account in his name as well as on Facebook, Boris Bondarev, counselor at the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations, said he had left the civil service Monday. ..."

Russian diplomat to U.N. Boris Bondarev resigns over Putin's Ukraine war - The Washington Post

First pig kidneys transplanted into two humans: what scientists think

Kidney failures has been a very serious medical issue for decades, but does it justify desperate measures. 

"In 2018, 785,883 Americans had kidney failure, and needed dialysis or a kidney transplant to survive (2 in every 1,000 people). 554,038 of these patients received dialysis to replace kidney function and 229,887 lived with a kidney transplant." (Source)

The story about these xenotransplants is a little bit bizarre! This story does not exactly instill confidence in medicine and its practitioners!

These two cases of kidney xenotranspantations raises some serious ethical questions! We do not even learn whether these two patients previously consented to this kind of treatment. We only have to assume.

The two patients, who received the kidney Xenotransplant, were legally dead at the time?

Exactly how long did these two patients survive? Where these two patients monitored for the whole time?

Apparently, up to 54 hours after the xenotransplant was performed things worked out quite well, but what happened after?

"... In their transplant tests, which they performed in September and November 2021, Montgomery and his colleagues used pigs that had been genetically engineered to lack a gene for a protein called alpha-1,3-galactosyltransferase (αGal). The pig version of αGal triggers the human immune system to reject xenotransplants (organs transferred from a different species). With each kidney that the researchers transplanted, they also transplanted a pig thymus, an organ that produces immune cells and helps the body accept the foreign organs.

They tested these “thymokidneys” in two people who had been declared legally dead one to two days earlier because they did not have brain function. ..."

From the abstract:

"... CONCLUSIONS

Genetically modified kidney xenografts from pigs remained viable and functioning in brain-dead human recipients for 54 hours, without signs of hyperacute rejection. (Funded by Lung Biotechnology.)"

First pig kidneys transplanted into people: what scientists think The genetically modified organs seemed to function for more than two days but some researchers are sceptical that the experiments had value.

Results of Two Cases of Pig-to-Human Kidney Xenotransplantation (no public access)

"NAO YOSHIOKA Tokyo Funk Sessions 2022" BLUE NOTE TOKYO Live Streaming

Japanese Jazz & Funk! What do you know! The Japanese lady singer with the reddish hair is jamming! And those Japanese saxophonists and trumpet players!

Roll over Beethoven! 😄

Do you remember the former Prime Minister of Japan Junichiro Koizumi (2001-2006) being a serious Elvis Presley fan and impersonator/singer?

Is Pakistan attempting an Israel outreach?

First public and official visit by a high ranking Pakistani delegation to Israel.

Interesting development! Blessed are the peacemakers! 

Pakistan does not want to be left behind and last to the party! 😄

The moves and shakes caused by the Abraham Accords go on.

Indian Restaurant In Kyiv Provides Free Meals To Ukrainians; 'Will Continue Till War Ends'

What an amazing story! As they say war brings out the worst in humans, but also the best!

Delicious Indian food is available almost anywhere in the world in times of peace and war!

This is food diplomacy at its best!

Why Only 1% Of Japan's Soy Sauce Is Made This Way | Still Standing

Amazing stuff! Your appreciation of soy sauce will likely grow. What is wine to a sommelier in France or what is beer to a beer brewer in Germany, this is soy sauce to a traditional Japanese soy sauce maker.

The Rise and Rise of Government handling a shortage of baby formula

Big government at its best is barely tolerable, at its worst insufferable!

"From SEC enforcement mechanisms, to cargo planes full of baby formula, the week’s news has revolved around our overgrown administrative state. Higgs’s classic book shows how we got a government so bloated and expansive that it has to invoke defense crisis legislation to make up for its other agencies’ misguided economic and safety regulations. Crisis begets big government. And all too often, big government begets crisis, perpetuating the cycle. "

Stagflation and Supply Chain, Inward Musings and Outward Administrative Growth.

Eine Ukrainerin liefert Lebensmittel an die Front jede Woche

Bravo! Mutig!

Eine Ukrainerin liefert Lebensmittel an die Front Jede Woche steuert eine Ukrainerin ihr Auto, beladen mit Fleisch, Eiern und Kartoffeln, von Odessa dort hin, wo die Bomben fallen. Es ist ihre Art zu kämpfen.

FREIE WÄHLER Frauen: ­ Wer hat schon eine Frau in der Geschäftsführung von Familienunternehmen?

Auch bei der Freien Wähler Partei findet man viel dämliches! Der Artikel trieft nur von geringer Einsicht und gender quota Ideologie! 

Vielleicht sollte man schlicht mal daran erinnern, das private Familienunternehmen freie Wahl haben bei der Entscheidung über  Nachfolge und überhaupt was die Geschäftsführung angeht unter Einhaltung des Grundgesetzes und maßgeblicher und verfassungsunwidriger Gesetze.

"In den vergangenen zwei Jahren [immerhin zwei Jahre??? Das ist ein viel zu kurzer Zeitraum für Familienunternehmen und generell für solche Vergleiche] ist kaum eine Topmanagerin in familiengeführten Firmen in die Geschäftsführung berufen worden. Eine Studie (Allbright Stiftung) zeigt, wer damit zum Bremsklotz der deutschen Wirtschaft wird. In den Geschäftsführungen der 100 umsatzstärksten deutschen Familienunternehmen finden sich nur 8,3 Prozent Frauen. Das ist knapp halb so viel wie bei den großen börsennotierten Konzernen. Auch das ist im internationalen Vergleich schon eine bescheidene Quote [Wie bitte Quote??? Was für ein verräterischer Wortmissgriff]. Ein große Stärke der Familienunternehmen ist doch eigentlich, dass sie in Generationen denken und nicht in Quartalen. Gerade deshalb sollten sie Diversität und Chancengleichheit nicht als Zeitgeistthema unterschätzen. Bekannterweise sind Familienunternehmen seit jeher Anpassungskünstler, denn überleben kann nur, wer die Zeichen der Zeit erkannt hat und für sich nutzt.  Die Unternehmen hätten gute Voraussetzungen, jetzt auch diese Herausforderung zu meistern, müssen aber anfangen ihre Prioritäten zu justieren. Denn Diversität zieht TOP-Talente an, ein veraltetes Führungsverständnis tut es nicht."

Freie Wähler: Frühjahrs Newsletter

Harvard University & MIT: Artificial intelligence predicts patients’ race from their medical images scare

Even researchers from a technical & engineering university like the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Harvard University seem obsessed and radicalized with racism ideology! 

Very troubling!

What we are witnessing here and so often now in public discourse borders on the neurotic! The researchers appear almost to be haunted and panicked instead of remaining rational, cool, calm, and collected and to investigate the issue further as you would expect from scientists.

Did AI also contradict the self reported race? Just a thought! It appears, the authors of the Lancet paper below did not even raise this obvious question.

"The miseducation [???] of algorithms is a critical problem; when artificial intelligence mirrors unconscious thoughts, racism, and biases of the humans who generated these algorithms, it can lead to serious harm. ..."

From the abstract:

"... In our study, we show that standard AI deep learning models can be trained to predict race from medical images with high performance across multiple imaging modalities, which was sustained under external validation conditions ... We also showed that this detection is not due to proxies or imaging-related surrogate covariates for race (eg, performance of possible confounders: body-mass index [AUC 0·55], disease distribution [0·61], and breast density [0·61]). Finally, we provide evidence to show that the ability of AI deep learning models persisted over all anatomical regions and frequency spectrums of the images, suggesting the efforts to control this behaviour when it is undesirable will be challenging and demand further study.

Interpretation

The results from our study emphasise that the ability of AI deep learning models to predict self-reported race is itself not the issue of importance. However, our finding that AI can accurately predict self-reported race, even from corrupted, cropped, and noised medical images, often when clinical experts cannot, creates an enormous risk for all model deployments in medical imaging."

Artificial intelligence predicts patients’ race from their medical images | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology Study shows AI can identify self-reported race from medical images that contain no indications of race detectable by human experts.

AI recognition of patient race in medical imaging: a modelling study

Google AI Research releases the 4th-Gen TPU Chips for Machine Learning Acceleration

Google Tensor Processing Units were only introduced in May 2016. This truly a mind boggling breath taking rapid development!

It appears this is not truly a new chip, but it was introduced last summer, but apparently only to a selected group of users and for internal Google  research. 

"... In addition, TPU v4 has enabled breakthroughs at Google Research in the areas of language understanding, computer vision, speech recognition, and much more, including the recently announced Pathways Language Model (PaLM) trained across two TPU v4 Pods. ..."

Google AI Research Showcase The 4th-Gen TPU Chips for Machine Learning Acceleration - MarkTechPost

Google Cloud unveils world’s largest publicly available ML hub with Cloud TPU v4, 90% carbon-free energy

Landesvorsitzende der FREIEN WÄHLER fordern deutliche Senkung von Steuern und Abgaben auf Energie

Bravo! Was die Bananenrepublik D. an Steuern auf Energie (insbesondere auf Benzin) seit Jahrzehnten von den Bürgern abzockt ist obszön und konfiskatorisch!

Man schaue nur auf die exzessive Mehrwertsteuer (gegenwärtig 19%) in der Bananenrepublik!

Das die Wahlbürger und Lämmer das so viele Jahre haben mit sich machen lassen ist symptomatisch und ungesund!

Pressemitteilungen | Freie Wähler Beim Treffen der Landesvorsitzenden der FREIEN WÄHLER am Wochenende in Hannover forderte das Gremium von der Bundesregierung eine deutliche Senkung von Steuern und Abgaben auf Energie und eine stärkere Rolle des Bundeskartellamts bei der Beobachtung der Mineralölkonzerne. Hubert Aiwanger, Bundesvorsitzender und Landesvorsitzender Bayern der FREIEN WÄHLER, verwies auf die massiven negativen Auswirkungen der hohen Energiepreise in Deutschland auf Verbraucher und Wirtschaft: „Mittlerweile werden Bauvorhaben wegen der Preisexplosion gestoppt, das Heizen der Wohnung, die tägliche Fahrt zur Arbeit oder gar private Autofahrten werden zum finanziellen Problem für breite Schichten der Bevölkerung. Die Bundesregierung lässt die Menschen ins finanzielle Abseits laufen, anstatt zu helfen. Das ist unsozial und wirtschaftsfeindlich!“ 

Microsoft: Neurocompositional computing in human and machine intelligence: A tutorial (in politics)

This is one of the latest machine learning research papers by Microsoft. The last author on this paper is the Vice President of Microsoft Research, a well known  researcher with over 43,000 lifetime citations according to Google Scholar. The first author's citation count is over 34,000 and he is a professor at the distinguished elite Johns Hopkins University!

For some odd reasons, these authors chose Barack Obama, Alan Gore, and Hillary Clinton as an example on pages 38-39. This is not the first time, I encounter Barack Obama used in some kind of example in an AI/machine learning related research paper by well known researchers. I personally find this very annoying and it makes me cringe! There are probably thousands of other examples to choose from to fulfill the purpose and being as insightful etc.. 

Neurocompositional computing in human and machine intelligence: A tutorial - Microsoft Research

Constant monitoring and analyzing urine at home for future health problem alerts

I think, this is an excellent idea! Being proactive, but not paranoid, about your health is so much better!

Nip it in the bud [ah toilet bowl 😄] as they say!

"... Israeli company Olive [not urine] Diagnostics has developed a toilet-mounted passive sensor, which monitors and analyzes urine and provides automatic early detection of diseases, often before we even suspect there is a problem. ...

... done optically through spectroscopy [a very sensitive and well understood powerful form of chemical analysis] ...
The company has initially validated the capabilities of the product in a trial conducted in Hadassah Hospital by the clinical trial company TechnoSTAT. In the trial, the device successfully detected proteins in 900 urine samples with a sensitivity of 98.7% (only 1.3% of patients were missed), and specifically 100% (no healthy patient was identified as ill). ..."

Analyzing urine for future health problem alerts - Globes Israeli company Olive Diagnostics has developed a toilet-mounted sensor to analyze urine and detect illnesses ranging from kidney stones to cancer.

Waymo is expanding its driverless program in Phoenix

What that means for me, I have to be more carefully now to cross the streets of Phoenix as a pedestrian! As a minimum look twice in both directions!
I don't want to be the first casualty! (just kidding) 😃👀🙏

Waymo is expanding its driverless program in Phoenix | TechCrunch Waymo is pulling the human safety driver out of its recently expanded robotaxi operations in downtown Phoenix, Dmitri Dolgov, co-CEO of Waymo, announced ...

‘Why Did You Do This?’ 21 year young Russian man. The Story Behind Ukraine’s First War-Crimes Trial

Update 5/23/2022: I had assumed he was a regular foot soldier. However, today I learn he is tank unit sergeant!

Hopefully, lots of Russian parents are becoming very concerned!

This ought to be a very strong and important signal to any Russian soldier including generals and other officers involved in this war of aggression!

I hope they did not rush, haste, or or do worse in this first war crimes trial! I hope this trial holds up to scrutiny!

The young Russian man probably had only the foggiest idea what he was really getting into!

I hope the outcome of this war crimes trial and others to follow will have a strong impact on the Russian people. May some Russian parents regret and have second thoughts that their sons and daughters in the military were misled, tempted and exposed by Putin the Terrible to potentially commit war crimes. I am confident that Russian parents will not be oblivious to this prospect of one of their children being sentenced as a war criminal who killed innocent civilians!

‘Why Did You Do This?’ The Story Behind Ukraine’s First War-Crimes Trial - WSJ A verdict is expected Monday in the trial of Russian Sgt. Vadim Shishimarin. Witness testimony reconstructed the events leading to his killing of a civilian.

Poland’s President Addresses Ukraine’s Parliament, Calls for Removal of All Russian Troops

This is huge! Tadeusz Kościuszko is smiling!

"In a surprise visit to Kyiv on Sunday, Polish President Andrzej Duda said that only Ukraine should decide any terms upon which it pursues peace with Moscow, and called for a complete removal of all Russian troops in Ukraine, breaking with European leaders who have suggested the partly-occupied country should accede to some of its attacker’s demands. ..."

Poland’s President Addresses Ukraine’s Parliament, Calls for Removal of All Russian Troops - WSJ

Elon Musk challenges the accuser of a 2018 sexual misconduct case, a private jet flight attendant, to describe unique private part

I like his defense though I think the both the news article and Musk miss the point. The accusation is old and the second, new accuser does not need to have first hand knowledge of his privat parts as she was not part of the alleged act.

This what can happen to you if you switch allegiance from the Dimocratic Party to the Republican Party. Politics is a close contact sport, literally! 

The gloves came off immediately after his announcement!

It appears he has also been warned already that his business revenue may suffer now!

Disclaimer: I do not claim to be an expert on this case.

Why would a smart guy like Musk hire an in private jet flight masseuse? This is obviously setting yourself up for trouble especially when you are rich!

Why did Musk choose what appears to be a younger woman to be his in flight masseuse? Why not an older guy (perhaps Japanese)?

The story was in the meantime also picked up by other media news outlets like NYT and CNN.

This is an old case from 2018, but a second woman, who claims the first woman confided the alleged act to her on the same flight has come out with this story. Apparently, both women on this flight were employees of SpaceX.

You have to wonder what the second woman was offered and from whom to come forward with this old allegation at this time?

Attempts to extort rich people is a very old and occasionally lucrative business! Sexploitation accusations against rich males have a long history too!

What seems a bit unusual ist that now two women have come forward with the accusation, both of them working professionally on that same flight.

Certainly, this accusation follows a well known playbook: Introvert or extrovert rich guy and business genius is also sexually depraved and has his female employees perform sex acts. What is more salacious?

Musk defends himself with a valid and tough challenge and that he believes that this is a political hit job. However, this flight attendant only learnt about the alleged act through hearsay and was not an eye witness.

"... SpaceX places a special emphasis on massages, going so far as to employ in-house massage therapists as a perk for executives. ..."

"In 2018, after becoming convinced that her refusal to accept Musk's proposal had diminished her opportunities at SpaceX, the attendant hired a California employment lawyer and sent a complaint to the company's human resources department detailing the episode. Around that time, the attorney's firm contacted the friend and asked her to prepare the declaration corroborating the claims.

The attendant's complaint was resolved quickly after a session with a mediator that Musk personally attended. The matter never reached a court of law or an arbitration proceeding. In November 2018, Musk, SpaceX and the flight attendant entered into a severance agreement granting the attendant a $250,000 payment in exchange for a promise not to sue over the claims.

The agreement also included restrictive non-disclosure and non-disparagement clauses that bar the attendant from ever discussing the severance payment or disclosing any information of any kind about Musk and his businesses, including SpaceX and Tesla.

Musk is currently engaged in a bid to purchase Twitter driven by his professed belief that "free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy." Earlier this month, he wrote on Twitter that "sunlight is the best disinfectant." ...

"When you choose to remain silent, you become part of that system"

The friend told Insider that she decided to come forward without consulting the flight attendant because, as a survivor of sexual assault, she felt an obligation to share what she has been told about Musk. Unlike the flight attendant, her friend is not bound by any non-disclosure agreement. ..."

Elon Musk challenges accuser to describe unique private part - TheBlaze 'She won’t be able to do so, because it never happened'

A SpaceX flight attendant said Elon Musk exposed himself and propositioned her for sex, documents show. The company paid $250,000 for her silence.

Rare Never Before Seen Whitney Houston Concert - 1996

Enjoy! She looks awesome in her red dress. Don't miss the beautiful improvised rendition of I will always love you roughly in the middle of the video. 

Me and her, were borne almost on the same day two years apart! Disclaimer: I do not know how rare this concert footage is.

Joe Biden ‘dazed and confused’ but Kamala Harris ‘ready and capable’

I guess down under in Australia they are having some fun with the leader of the free world! 😄

A Texas-Based Startup is Mapping The Ocean Floor Using A Machine Learning-Backed, Cloud-Based Portal and autonomous submersibles

Surprise, surprise, our oceans are still kind of a terra incognita in the 21st century!

Detailed maps of the ocean floors what a prospect! Very exciting!

The company TerraDepth behind this was apparently influenced by Jacques Cousteau! Of course, I also watched many of his films about the ocean on TV as a teenager!

The company appears to have few women on staff, but several burly and rugged explorer like looking men, what a petty! And there is Ragnar Doodlesson, CFO (Chief Fetch Officer)

From the company's website:

"... FULLY AUTONOMOUS SUBSEA MISSIONS.

Our high-tech unmanned submersibles are changing the way that ocean data is collected. ...

OCEAN-OBSESSED VISIONARIES

Our tight-knit team of engineers, scientists, roboticists, machine learning gurus and US Navy veterans are united by our vision to become the foremost influencer on human interaction with the ocean. Powered by our fleet of autonomous submersibles and revolutionary data collection and interpretation services, we're demonstrating that a deeper understanding of the ocean is on the horizon.

Developing a better relationship with our oceans is critical to the sustainable future of our planet. ..."

"Terradepth ["Discovering the last unexplored frontier on Earth"] is a data-as-a-service firm creating a comprehensive map of the earth’s oceans. Their systems travel farther, deeper, and for longer periods without the need for humans onboard, exploring never-before-seen areas of the sea. They’re building a scalable, cost-effective ... database that will inform and transform various sectors that deal with the oceans. Terradepth is constantly collecting meaningful insights from the ocean data, from anticipating atmospheric weather patterns to creating underwater energy and telecom infrastructures ..."

This Texas-Based Startup is Mapping The Ocean Floor Using A Machine Learning-Backed, Cloud-Based Portal - MarkTechPost

Dolphins wait in queue for rubbing their skin against corals for mucus as self medication

Amazing stuff!

"Thirteen years ago, a scientist named Angela Ziltener and her team were studying bottlenose dolphins dwelling in the Northern Red Sea region when they noticed those creatures rubbing their skin against corals. This type of behavior hadn’t been recorded before, and Ziltener also discovered that the dolphins were very selective about the type of coral they treated their skin with.
This behavior seemed to be methodical and there seemed to be a reason for it — but it wasn’t clear what this reason was. To investigate this unique animal behavior further, the researcher decided to collect more data about the interaction between dolphins and coral polyps. It took more than a decade to analyze and sum up their findings, but finally, they’re here. ..."

"Chimpanzees have learned to eat plants that kill or remove parasitic worms. Wood ants ward off pathogens by incorporating resin into their nests. Various bird species in Mexico City integrate cigarette butts into their nests to prevent tick infestations. Capuchin monkeys bite millipedes and rub the toxins they produce into their fur, keeping mosquitoes away. ..."

From the abstract:

"Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins ... have been observed queueing up in natural environments to rub particular body parts against selected corals ... and sponges ... in the Egyptian Northern Red Sea. It was hypothesized that the presence of bioactive metabolites accounts for this selective rubbing behavior. The three invertebrates preferentially accessed by the dolphins, collected and analyzed by hyphenated high-performance thin-layer chromatography contained seventeen active metabolites, providing evidence of potential self-medication. Repeated rubbing allows these active metabolites to come into contact with the skin of the dolphins, which in turn could help them achieve skin homeostasis and be useful for prophylaxis or auxiliary treatment against microbial infections. ... calls for further vertebrate-invertebrate interaction studies."

Dolphins wait in queue for rubbing their skin against corals These lovable and intelligent animals keep on surprising us with their complex behavior.

Study Suggests Dolphins Use Coral Mucus as Medicine Researchers observe that dolphins in a pod in the Red Sea regularly rub against certain corals and sponges, perhaps to sooth their skin by prompting the invertebrates to release mucus that contains antimicrobial compounds.

Evidence that Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins self-medicate with invertebrates in coral reefs (open access)