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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on October 20, 2026 at 12:23pm

When LLMs are trained on frivolous online content, they can get brain rot like humans do

As humans and AI models roam the internet, they encounter lots of junk: clickbait headlines, misinformation, hashtags. Research indicates that this junk-filled environment could be a cause for concern.
"Brain rot" has emerged as a term to describe cognitive changes—like diminished attention spans—in humans who engage with an abundance of frivolous, attention-grabbing content.

Training four LLMs on low-quality, attention-grabbing Twitter posts impaired reasoning and memory, increased skipped reasoning steps, and weakened ethical safeguards. Subsequent training on higher-quality data did not fully restore performance, underscoring the importance of training data quality.
The main message from this research is that the language models can pick up some bad cognitive habits from the low-quality information from social media, similar to how people can be influenced by trivial, clickbait content.
Junk data is popular, short and written to grab attention rather than inspire deep thought. Posts that are considered junk data may include words like "WOW" or "TODAY ONLY" written in all caps, or they may focus on superficial lifestyle content, unsupported claims or conspiracy theories.

In addition to diminished attention spans, prior research has linked brain rot in humans to changes in memory processes and personality. Similarly, the researchers in this study found the main cognitive change in LLMs trained on junk data was thought-skipping, meaning the model will skip steps, or not "think" at all, before providing an answer.

The researchers also found that once brain rot takes hold, it is difficult to root out. "Even after we use some higher-quality data to train the model or deploy some techniques to improve the model's response, it is very hard to recover the model's performance.
Their findings highlight the importance of data quality when training LLMs.

Shuo Xing et al., LLMs Can Get "Brain Rot": A Pilot Study on Twitter/X, arXiv (2025). DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2510.13928

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on October 20, 2026 at 12:08pm

Who really made China's Terracotta Army? Fingerprints reveal new clues

The Terracotta Army near Xi'an, China, is a breathtaking sight: thousands of life-size terracotta figures created in the third century B.C. to guard the tomb of Emperor Qin Shihuang. They were discovered in 1974, and people have assumed they were built exclusively by men. But new research on this underground army and its chariots, horses and weapons suggests women and children lent a helping hand.
To find out who really did the work, researchers led by Xiaoxi Li at the Mausoleum Site Museum in Xi'an searched for clues on the figures themselves.

The team studied 79 fingerprints from 36 figures in a single excavation pit. These prints were pressed into the clay in different parts of the statues, including the arms, body armor and heads. The scientists photographed them and measured the distance between the fingerprint ridges, which tends to increase as children grow older.

Previous studies struggled to tell the difference between adult women and teenage boys based on the fingerprints they left behind. So in this research, the scientists turned to a clever statistical model.

Called a Bayesian mixture model, the technique analyzes the entire group of prints at once rather than trying to classify every single mark individually. And it compares ancient prints with modern fingerprint data for different ages and sexes.

The results, published in the Journal of Cultural Heritage, suggested a far more diverse workforce than expected. "The model results indicate that the artisan community was not exclusively composed of adult males," the study authors wrote in their paper.

In fact, the model estimated that adult men accounted for only about 45% of the fingerprints. Adult women made up nearly 33%, while juveniles under 15 were estimated to have left 22%.

While these results suggest the involvement of women and children, they may not tell the whole story for the entire site. The sample size is small and only from a single spot within this vast burial complex. Additionally, multiple prints could belong to a single individual, which could skew the overall demographic results.

"Unit T23 represents only a localized area of Pit 1, so the results may reflect the labour structure of a specific phase or production group rather than the entire project."

But even with all these caveats, the findings challenge long-held assumptions about the labour force at this historic site.

Xiaoxi Li et al., Who produced Emperor Qin Shihuang's Terracotta Army, China? A Bayesian mixture model approach to fingerprint age and sex determination, Journal of Cultural Heritage (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.culher.2026.09.014

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on October 20, 2026 at 12:02pm

Second-ever case of rare fungus resistant to four antifungal drug classes detected in Kenya

Candidozyma auris is a yeast that can cause invasive infections and has been flagged in World Health Organization lists as a top-priority threat, as it spreads easily in hospitals. This notorious fungus survives for long periods on surfaces and often resists major classes of antifungal medications used to treat fungal infections.

A recent study uncovered an extremely rare fungal strain that can withstand all four major classes of antifungal drugs—azoles, echinocandins, polyenes and flucytosine.

Researchers isolated the pan-drug-resistant strain from a 28-year-old patient who developed a surgical wound infection while hospitalized in Nairobi, Kenya. This is the first time a pan-drug-resistant strain of the fungus has been identified in Africa and only the second documented case worldwide. The first case was reported in New York.

Genetic testing traced the fungus to a lineage already circulating in Kenya and identified a specific combination of drug-resistance mutations that could explain why the antifungal medicines failed.

Erick Odoyo et al., Emergence of pan-drug resistant Candidozyma auris in Kenya, the second globally documented case, Scientific Reports (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-70653-9

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on October 20, 2026 at 11:54am

The team then analyzed the activity of neurons in the claustrum, anterior cingulate cortex and the amygdala in conjunction with the changing conditions in the game and the participants' ability to avoid asteroids. Using a mathematical model of how expectations are updated with new evidence, they estimated participants' uncertainty and prediction error at specific moments.

"Claustrum and anterior cingulate neurons displayed structured, task-related responses," wrote the authors. "Distinct subpopulations encoded stimulus onset and action-contingent outcomes, with outcome representations diverging between regions."

Essentially, the researchers found that different neurons responded to distinct events. Some changed their activity when a stimulus (i.e., an asteroid belt) appeared on the screen, while others appeared to respond to outcomes associated with a participant's actions in the game.
The team's findings suggest that neurons in both the claustrum and the anterior cingulate cortex track hidden quantities, or more specifically, estimated uncertainty and prediction error. However, during the experiment, signals in the two regions appeared at different stages of the task.

"Critically, both regions encoded model-derived latent variables, including uncertainty and prediction error, but with different temporal profiles; only the anterior cingulate carried uncertainty signals during the intertrial period, whereas both regions encoded uncertainty and prediction error during the active-avoidance period," wrote the authors. "By contrast, the amygdala showed minimal latent-variable modulation."

The researchers observed that neurons in the anterior cingulate cortex carried uncertainty-related signals between trials as well as during the active-avoidance phase. In the claustrum, however, signals linked to uncertainty and prediction error were evident primarily during the active-avoidance phase.
These findings provide evidence that human claustrum neurons track higher-order cognitive variables not directly observable from sensory input and reveal dissociable roles for the claustrum and anterior cingulate cortex in tracking latent task states," wrote the authors in their research paper.

Mingyue Hu et al., Human claustrum neurons encode uncertainty and prediction errors during aversive learning, Nature Neuroscience (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41593-026-02475-x.

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on October 20, 2026 at 11:52am

A poorly understood brain region tracks the gap between expectations and reality

Adapting to changing situations requires people to continuously revise their expectations about what might happen next when new information becomes available. These expectations are believed to be represented by mental models that help the brain predict outcomes and plan future behaviour.
The contribution of different brain regions to the updating of expectations in changing circumstances has not yet been clearly delineated. One brain region that could play a role and yet remains poorly understood is the claustrum, a thin sheet of nerve cells deep inside the brain.

Researchers recently carried out a study investigating the possible contribution of the claustrum to aversive learning, the process through which humans and other animals learn about unpleasant outcomes in specific situations. Their findings, published in Nature Neuroscience, suggest that neurons in this brain region track uncertainty about outcomes and prediction error (i.e., the difference between an expected outcome and what ultimately happens) during aversive learning.
The claustrum, which is reciprocally connected to nearly the entire neocortex, is uniquely positioned to influence cortical processing.
Researchers recorded the activity of individual neurons using electrodes that had been implanted in the brains of seven patients with epilepsy as part of clinical monitoring to identify where their seizures began. They specifically monitored neurons in the claustrum, the anterior cingulate cortex, which helps to monitor outcomes and guide behaviour, and the amygdala, which contributes to processing emotions and learning about threats. Not every participant had recordings from all three regions.
While they were collecting their recordings, the participants were asked to play a game on the computer.
Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on October 18, 2026 at 10:13am

High-speed video reveals how honey bee stingers keep pumping venom after detachment

A stinger that works independently
After a worker bee lands and thrusts its stinger into the target, it flies away, leaving the stinger behind in a process called "autotomy." The stinger then continues to penetrate the target tissue and inject venom under its own power.

Scientists have used high-speed video to uncover the unique mechanism that allows a honey bee's stinger to continue to pump venom into its target even after it has separated from the bee's body.

Australian scientists have used high-speed video to uncover the unique mechanism that allows a honey bee's stinger to continue to pump venom into its target even after it has separated from the bee's body.

A new study, published in the journal PNAS, reveals for the first time that the tiny 2-millimeter (0.08-inch) stinger of the honey bee (Apis mellifera) works as a sophisticated double-piston micropump.

Detached honey bee stingers deliver venom autonomously using two reciprocating lancets with collapsible valves that act as pistons. The valves seal during pumping strokes and collapse during return strokes, limiting backflow and sustaining continuous flow. High-speed imaging and a scaled-up model confirmed this mechanism.

The stinger contains several different components, including a venom sac and pumping chamber, muscles and nerves. It also has two sharp, pointed lancets that slide backward and forward on a system of rails (called the olistheter) in a motion similar to that of a reciprocating saw; the lancets are responsible for working the stinger deeper into the skin and also pumping the venom.

Each of the long lancets has a valve attached that sits inside the pumping chamber. The researchers found these valves dynamically change shape to form a seal during the downstroke and collapse during the upstroke, generating pressure for pumping while minimizing backflow during refilling.
High-speed video showed that the valves inflate like a parachute on the downstroke, functioning as pistons to apply downward pumping pressure on the venom in the chamber, then deflate on the upstroke.
Finally, and perhaps most dramatically, as the valves meet in the middle of the stroke, they change shape again to push past each other.
This is a remarkable strategy to pump fluid since maintaining a seal is vital to effectively transmit pressure.

The unique geometry of the valves is the key; they act as collapsible pistons and—by pumping in opposite directions—they're able to deliver a continuous flow of venom.

The honey bee stinger: An unusual pump with collapsible double pistons, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2026). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2603916123

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on October 18, 2026 at 10:07am

How bionic eyes are becoming a reality

Researchers have developed bionic eyes that can restore some lost vision. These devices' capabilities are currently basic, but they have been steadily improving in recent years.

Bionic retinal implants restore limited vision but face durability and surgical challenges. In a small trial, Prima restored functional central vision in 81% of patients with dry age-related macular degeneration. Cortical implants may bypass retinal and optic nerve damage, but achievable resolution and long-term effectiveness remain uncertain.

 original article

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on October 17, 2026 at 7:00am

Duct tape kept out more floodwater than sandbags in laboratory tests
In laboratory tests, exterior duct tape reduced water leakage through household doors by 97%–98%, compared with a maximum reduction of 70% for sandbags with plastic sheeting. Tape offers temporary protection at door gaps but cannot prevent entry through other routes or replace property-specific flood protection.

https://zenodo.org/records/23220942

original article.

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on October 17, 2026 at 6:40am

As healthy cells divide, they accumulate subtle genetic marks that act like a cellular record of their history. By examining normal tissues from both twins alongside placental samples, researchers can unlock these genetic clues to retrace the earliest cell divisions and uncover how the embryo split to form identical twins.

In this study, the researchers used a genetic method called DNA lineage tracing, which essentially builds an evolutionary family tree for the cells of both twins, their tumors, and the placenta.

The team collected 23 normal tissue samples—six from each twin and 11 from the placenta—and 10 tumor samples from both twins. They then performed high-depth whole-genome sequencing on all samples to map complete DNA sequences, along with RNA sequencing to verify the specific gene fusion driving the sarcoma.

To trace the cancer's evolution, researchers sorted 212 tumour mutations into 13 distinct genetic clusters, revealing the steady pace at which mutations accumulated in the cells.
It spread from A to B
Every tumor sample from both children carried Twin A's distinctive genetic signature, revealing that the soft-tissue sarcoma originated in Twin A before crossing the placenta to Twin B. The genetic evidence pointed to a single transfer of cancer cells, suggesting that this kind of transmission between twins before birth is extremely rare.

In addition, the researchers uncovered evidence of blood-cell exchange during pregnancy, with about 75% of the cells in Twin A's spleen originating from Twin B.

The findings also raised questions about how identical twins begin to form. The traditional view is that twins sharing a placenta develop when an embryo splits around day six after conception, at the blastocyst stage, when it contains roughly 100 cells. The twins, however, shared only one early mutation, while each carried distinct genetic labels. This pointed to a much earlier split, possibly when the embryo contained as few as four cells.

The sequencing also revealed that early embryonic cells contributed unevenly to the placenta and the two twins, with each twin arising almost entirely from a different set of early cell lineages.
The researchers note that this study does more than follow a cancer's path through the womb. It offers a powerful way to reconstruct the earliest moments of life, from a single fertilized egg to the point where two separate twins take shape.

Barbara Walkowiak et al., Embryonic origin of cancer in newborn twins, Nature Communications (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-78178-5

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on October 17, 2026 at 6:38am

A rare cancer spread between twins before birth

Two identical sisters came into the world carrying the same rare cancer. They lost their lives to an undifferentiated sarcoma, a soft-tissue cancer driven by a unique gene fusion (MN1::ZNF341). The story began before they were born, when pregnancy imaging picked up a tumor on Twin A's face. Then came the birth, when cancer deposits were found in both Twin A and Twin B. Researchers now had to work out how the cancer reached both girls. Did the cancer start on its own in each sister, or did it begin in one and pass to the other while they were still in the womb?

The researchers sequenced the entire genetic code of healthy and tumor tissues, along with placental samples, to trace the cancer's journey between the twins. All tumor samples from both twins carried a distinctive genetic signature belonging to Twin A.

The cancer likely began as a facial tumor in Twin A at the end of the first trimester, which was visible on scans before birth. The cancer then crossed the placenta to reach Twin B late in the second trimester.

Beyond tracing the cancer's spread, the findings challenged the classical model of how identical twins develop from an early embryo. These findings are published in Nature Communications.

Identical twins share the same starting point, developing from a single fertilized egg, but it is extremely unusual for both to develop the same cancer. This can happen if each twin develops a tumor independently, particularly when both carry an inherited cancer-causing mutation. In rarer cases, cancer cells from one twin can cross the placenta and establish a tumour in the other while they are still in the womb.

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