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On August 5 (Monday), a well-known foreignscienceThe main contents of the website are as follows:

Science website (www.science.org)

Sleep deprivation changes brain cell connections, mouse study finds

Not only does sleep deprivation impair our ability to learn, it also disrupts memory, and current research in mice suggests these effects may stem from changes in the way nerve cells connect in the brain.

In a recent paper published in the journal Current Biology, the researchers showed that just a few hours of sleep deprivation is enough to reduce the number of different types of synapses in areas of the brain associated with learning and memory.NeuronsThe team says the findings suggest a previously unknown way sleep helps keep the brain sharp.

Neurons contact and communicate through chemicals at synapses, which transmit signals in the nervous system. There are trillions of these connections in the human brain, which form neuronal circuits that capture and store information. Various theories have attempted to explain the connection between sleep and memory. A popular view in the early 21st century was that the strength of synapses in the brain decreases during sleep, which helps save energy and prepare for encoding new information the next day.

These theories often assume that synapses are uniform, says Seth Grant, a neuroscientist at the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom. Yet in recent years his team and others have made surprising discoveries about the diversity of synapses, both in the types of chemicals, or neurotransmitters, that transmit signals and in the structure and composition of proteins in the neurons that surround them.

The technology developed by Grant and his colleagues is able to take snapshots of synaptic diversity in the brain. Overall, his findings highlight the importance of sleep in maintaining synaptic diversity in memory-related brain regions, which may help explain why our memory suffers when we are sleep-deprived.

Science Daily website (www.sciencedaily.com)

1. Scientists determine how the moon's thin atmosphere was formed

Although the moon has no breathable air, it does have an extremely thin atmosphere. Since the 1980s, astronomers have observed the presence of a very thin layer of atomic gas on the lunar surface. This thin atmosphere, technically called an "exosphere," is likely the product of some kind of space weathering phenomenon. But the exact process of its formation has never been determined.

Recently, a team of scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Chicago announced that they have found the main process that forms and maintains the lunar atmosphere. Their research report published in the journal Science Advances stated that the lunar atmosphere is mainly produced by the phenomenon of "impact vaporization."

By analyzing lunar soil samples collected by astronauts during NASA's Apollo missions, researchers pointed out that in the approximately 4.5 billion years of the moon's history, its surface has been constantly hit by impacts from the universe, including huge meteorites in the early days and later, smaller dust-sized "micrometeoroids." These continuous impacts caused atoms on the surface of the moon to be vibrated and evaporated during the impact, and thus thrown into the air. Some atoms were ejected into space, while others formed a thin atmosphere suspended above the moon. This atmosphere is constantly replenished as more meteorites hit.

"We provide a clear answer that meteorite impact evaporation is the dominant process in the formation of the lunar atmosphere," said the study's lead author. "This process has occurred continuously over the Moon's nearly 4.5 billion years of history, and our study suggests that this thin atmosphere eventually reached a stable state as small impacts continually replenished it."

2. Cutting-edge brain engineering reveals the brain'sDopaminePhysiology

A research team from Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) in South Korea has discovered a new link between brain neural signals and dopamine signaling in the brain's striatum.

The human brain needs to process a large number of neural signals quickly in less than a second. It is well known that dopamine plays a key role in influencing brain neural signals, but the research team used the newly developed "multi-brain signal monitoring technology based on optical neural chips" and found that within the normal physiological range, changes in dopamine signals do not affect the processing efficiency of neural signals.

Dopamine is a chemical neurotransmitter widely distributed in the brain, which is critically involved in regulating behaviors such as learning, movement, motivation and decision-making. It is associated with a variety of diseases, including Parkinson's disease, addiction and depression.

The research team used optogenetics to simultaneously monitor dopamine and neuronal activity in the brain's ventral striatum and found that even without dopamine release, the brain's neural signal processing showed no abnormalities. When dopamine was released under normal physiological conditions (such as when eating), only slight or inconsistent changes in neuronal activity were observed.

However, when dopamine release was artificially increased to five times above normal physiological levels, an effect on the brain's neural signal processing was clearly observed.

The finding suggests that, contrary to current theory, other factors may be more critical than dopamine signaling in certain brain neural signaling processes.

The research results have been published in the online version of the journal Nature Neuroscience.

Scitech Daily website (https://scitechdaily.com)

1. Groundbreaking research center aims to develop 'virtually unbreakable'quantuminternet

Heriot-Watt University has been selected to lead an innovative new quantum research centre, which aims to develop technologies to advance the future ultra-secure "quantum internet". The research institute, called the Integrated Quantum Network (IQN) Centre, is one of five new quantum technology centres as part of the UK government's £160 million (about RMB 1.46 billion) investment plan to ensure that the UK is at the forefront of these revolutionary technologies.

Quantum technology exploits the unique properties of atoms and subatomic particles to achieve functions that are impossible with conventional technology. Despite its inherent complexity, the application of quantum technology is expected to revolutionize many aspects of our daily lives.

The IQN center will focus on creating a large-scale quantum network capable of distributing quantum entanglement, which could lead to the development of secure communication networks to protect the internet from hacker attacks. A key motivation for quantum networks is to connect the next generation of quantum processors, thereby generating enormous computing power. In addition, these quantum networks could eventually be used to connect quantum sensors for ultra-low noise precision measurements.

With cybercrime costing billions of dollars each year, the quantum internet promises unprecedented security. Unlike current encryption technology, a quantum network would use the principles of quantum mechanics to create unbreakable encryption keys that are impervious to hackers.

In addition to improving security, the quantum internet will also enable secure connections between quantum computing resources, which will revolutionize fields such as healthcare, accelerate drug discovery and the implementation of personalized treatment plans. It will also promote the development of artificial intelligence, the accuracy of environmental monitoring, and the improvement of navigation systems.

2. The evolutionary secrets behind endurance: New research reveals that humans are naturally good at long-distance running

Summer 2024Olympic GamesThe most challenging event is undoubtedly the marathon, which is an extreme test of the athletes' physical fitness and endurance.

When it comes to endurance running, humans are among the most athletic mammals. While we may not be the fastest sprinters, we can run long distances consistently in hot weather. Our athletic muscles are composed primarily of fatigue-resistant slow-twitch fibers, and our unique ability to sweat helps us dissipate heat efficiently.

Why humans seem to be born good at long-distance running. But why?

In 1984, American biologist David Carrier proposed the endurance pursuit hypothesis, arguing that humans have evolved the ability to run for long periods of time, which allows us to continuously track and hunt large prey.

However, the endurance pursuit hypothesis has been controversial.

A recent study published in Nature Human Behaviour, conducted jointly by researchers from the University of California, Davis, and Trent University in Canada, used mathematical models and years of ethnic historical surveys to support the endurance pursuit hypothesis.

According to the researchers, they used recently available thousands of digitized historical records written by explorers, missionaries and officials and analytical software to find evidence of historical endurance hunting.

Thanks to these techniques, the researchers found 391 descriptions of hunts consistent with endurance hunting tactics from 1527 to the early 20th century. These records, from 272 different sites around the world, suggest that endurance hunting was widely practiced in a variety of environments.

This cooperative behavior during endurance hunting suggests a social element to human running. The researchers believe that displaying this athletic ability may be a way for males to improve their social status in the community or increase their chances of finding a mate.