Matt Willemsen @Nonog@fedibird.com

Move over, Viagra — this spider's boner-inducing venom could treat people let down by the blue pill
Scientists say a synthetic compound derived from Brazilian wandering spider venom could treat people with erectile dysfunction for whom drugs like Viagra don't work.
https://www.livescience.com/health/medicine-drugs/move-over-viagra-this-spiders-boner-inducing-venom-could-treat-people-let-down-by-the-blue-pill #viagra #erection #erectile #dysfunction #spider #venom

If You Could See Gravitational Waves, the Universe Would Look Like This
Imagine if you could see gravitational waves.
https://www.universetoday.com/163325/if-you-could-see-gravitational-waves-the-universe-would-look-like-this/ #gravitational #waves #universe #image

We're headed into a very scary time as Wisconsin is identified as a top worry for election watchdog
https://www.rawstory.com/we-re-headed-into-a-very-scary-time-as-wisconsin-is-id-d-top-worry-for-election-watchdog/ #wisconsin #election #chaos #GOP

New study looks again at how alcohol influences attraction
Yet another look into how alcohol influences interactions with the desired sex.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/09/new-study-looks-again-at-how-alcohol-influences-attraction/ #aslcohol #attraction #sex #beergoggles #liquidcourage

In situ with Karin Markides
The analytical chemist who runs a preeminent Japanese research institute discusses her childhood in Sweden and how she came to chemistry
https://www.chemistryworld.com/culture/karin-markides-i-didnt-follow-the-rules/4017753.article #KarinMarkides #analytical #chemist #japan #okinawa #OIST

Sunken temple and sanctuary from ancient Egypt found brimming with 'treasures and secrets'
Archaeologists discovered a cache of treasure inside a sunken underwater temple and sanctuary in Egypt.
https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/ancient-egyptians/sunken-temple-and-sanctuary-from-ancient-egypt-found-brimming-with-treasures-and-secrets #underwater #archaeology #egypt #treasure #temple #amun #greek

Synapse Surprise: Two Sisters’ Misfortune Leads to Unsettling Parkinson’s Discovery
Previously, the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons was thought to trigger the disease. This new research suggests that the real instigators are dysfunctions in the neuron’s synapses, which occur even before neuronal degradation.
https://scitechdaily.com/synapse-surprise-two-sisters-misfortune-leads-to-unsettling-parkinsons-discovery/ #parkinsons #dopamine #neurons #dysfunction #neurodegeneration

Love and Sex in the Nursing Home? Ethicist Says, 'Why Not?'
Commentary
A complaint that someone's mom, who was in a nursing home and had mild dementia, had taken up with one of the male patients and they were having sex.
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/994662?src=rss #nursing #home #sex #MildDementia #romance #capacitated

Solar Sails Could Reach Mars in Just 26 Days
A recent study submitted to Acta Astronautica explores the potential for using aerographite solar sails for traveling to Mars and interstellar space, which could dramatically reduce both the time and fuel required for such missions.
https://www.universetoday.com/163333/solar-sails-could-reach-mars-in-just-26-days/ #solar #sail #mars #aerographite

An Ancient Love Story – How Climate Shifts Drove Early Human Species Together
A new study published in the journal Science by an international team reveals that historical fluctuations in atmospheric CO2 levels and the subsequent alterations in climate and vegetation were significant factors influencing when and where early human species interbred.
https://scitechdaily.com/an-ancient-love-story-how-climate-shifts-drove-early-human-species-together/ #Evolution #Neanderthals #Paleoclimatology #Supercomputing #human #species #interbreeding

Cup crafted from prehistoric human skull discovered in cave in Spain
A new study suggests that Spain's ancient peoples shared complex beliefs about death and the afterlife.
https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/cup-crafted-from-prehistoric-human-skull-discovered-in-cave-in-spain #cup #human #skull #cave #Spain

This Bill Would Revive The Worst Patents On Software—And Human Genes
Rather than taking the problem of patent trolling seriously, politicians want to encourage more bad patents, and make life easier—and more profitable—for the worst patent abusers.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/09/bill-would-boost-worst-patents-software-and-human-genes #EFF #PatentTrolls #human #genes #profit #abuse

There and Back Again: Asteroid Samples Return to Earth
OSIRIS-REx will help reveal Bennu’s detailed carbon chemistry and history of space weathering and unlock a key piece of the solar system’s early history.
The sample return capsule is scheduled for a soft touchdown via parachute in Utah’s desert on the morning of 24 September.
https://eos.org/articles/there-and-back-again-asteroid-samples-return-to-earth #SampleReturn #OSIRIS-REx #Bennu #carbon #chemistry #SpaceWeathering

Vaccine specialist Peter Hotez: scientists are ‘under attack for someone else’s political gain’
The physician-researcher who spoke out against misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic says attacks against science are formidable — and getting worse.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02981-z #BookReview #PeterHotez #scientists #misinformation #attacks

Paleontologists Detect Traces of Ancient Proteins in Fossil Feathers
Their results show that the protein composition of modern-day feathers was also present in the feathers of dinosaurs and early birds, confirming that the chemistry of feathers originated much earlier than previously thought.
https://www.sci.news/paleontology/fossil-feather-proteins-12287.html #paleontology #protein #feathers #fossil #dinosaurs #chemistry #biomolecules

Japanese fund to create ‘Ivy League’ gives first award to just one university
A plan to create an elite group of institutes has surprised researchers as government makes Tohoku University the sole recipient of grant.
Tohoku University plans to make Japanese and English its official languages and raise the proportion of international researchers and students.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02867-0 #japanese #IvyLeague #elite #tohoku #university #english

Knife blade lodged in a man's belly mysteriously 'floated' to the other side of his body without causing damage
Doctors report an "unusual and spectacular injury" in which a knife blade lodged in a man's belly drifted through his abdomen.
https://www.livescience.com/health/surgery/knife-blade-lodged-in-a-mans-belly-mysteriously-floated-to-the-other-side-of-his-body-without-causing-damage #knife #injury #migrate

“Biological Annihilation” – Stanford Scientists Discover Human-Driven Mass Extinction Is “Mutilating” the Tree of Life
This rapid loss, dubbed “biological annihilation” by scientists, has severe repercussions for human life, ecosystems, and potential medical insights, urging an urgent and large-scale response.
https://scitechdaily.com/biological-annihilation-stanford-scientists-discover-human-driven-mass-extinction-is-mutilating-the-tree-of-life/ #Biodiversity #Conservation #Extinction