Journalists

In a work published in the journal Nature, two researchers from New York University (USA) and Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona claim to have demonstrated that an artificial neural network can have systematic generalization capabilities similar to human ones, that is, to learn new concepts and combine them with existing ones. This statement calls into question the 35-year-old idea that neural networks are not viable models of the human mind.

Research by researchers in Shanghai, China, suggests that continued practice of tai chi can slow the progression of Parkinson's disease symptoms and delay the need for increased doses of medication. The study compared 143 people who underwent tai chi training with 187 non-trainees who served as a control group. The results are published in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry.

The prions have made headlines after El País reported that a researcher working with them at a Catalan research center died in 2022 with symptoms compatible with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a type of prion disease.

Based on a defense protein of the strawberry anemone, researchers from the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, CSIC and the Complutense University of Madrid have designed, through artificial intelligence and the use of supercomputers, an artificial protein capable of degrading PET micro and nanoplastics, such as those used in bottles. According to the authors, its efficiency is between 5 and 10 times higher than that of the proteins currently used and it works at room temperature. The results are published in the journal Nature Catalysis.

A review examines the role of domestic and semi-domestic animals, such as cats, in the emergence of potential zoonoses due to their close contact with humans. The paper, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, concludes that companion animal health risks will become increasingly problematic with climate change and rapid urbanisation.

An international group of scientists has studied epidemiological data since 2005 and more than 10,000 viral genomes to conclude that the epicentre of H5 avian influenza has shifted from Asia to parts of Africa and Europe. New lineages have emerged from these regions between 2020 and 2022, which evolved by genetic reassortment with low pathogenic viral variants as they spread. According to the authors, who publish their findings in the journal Nature, the increasing persistence of avian influenza in wild bird populations may be driving the evolution and spread of new strains.

A meta-analysis, pooling the results of 40 previous studies - involving more than 310,000 children and adolescents in total - concludes that treatment rates for mental disorders in these age groups are "generally low, especially for depression and anxiety". The research, published in JAMA Network Open, shows that the treatment rate for any mental disorder is 38%, ranging from 31% for anxiety, 36% for depression, 49% for conduct disorders and 58% for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Spermidine is a naturally occurring compound that has been linked to increased longevity in some organisms. New research shows that supplementation with this compound improves oocyte quality and fertility in older female mice. If its action and safety in humans is confirmed, the authors argue that it could serve as a therapeutic strategy to "improve the reproductive outcome of older women, either through natural pregnancy or assisted reproductive technologies". The results are published in the journal Nature Aging.
 

The Science group of journals publishes several parts of a high-resolution atlas of human brain cells, the largest 'map' of its kind to date. It is a series of papers from an international mega-project, the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative - Cell Census Network (BICCN), launched in 2017 to study brain cell types and their functions in humans, non-human primates and rodents. The data "will now allow researchers to address fundamental scientific questions about the human brain and its genetic organisation," states the introduction to the journal's special issue.