Karl Schwarzschild

Unusual antibiotic killing mechanism we just published in Nature

Our study about the unusual molecular mechanism behind the antibiotic activity of teixobactin can be read open access here: 

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-05019-y

Figure: The target of teixobactin are bacteria-specific molecules (e.g. they do not exist in human cells) in outer membranes of bacteria. Teixobactin sits on the membrane and aggregates into fibrils, damaging the bacterial membrane and hindering its functions. We got these images by atomic force microscopy that has nanometer resolution. We can see individual teixobactin molecules coming to the bacterial membrane and forming the aggregate.

This is the first star from my research on antibiotics that I started at my postdoc in the Netherlands. More are coming out soon! The very first star was published in Nature, the most read journal in life sciences. I am in scientific heaven!

https://www.marktechpost.com/2024/12/29/researchers-from-mit-sakana-ai-openai-and-swiss-ai-lab-idsia-propose-a-new-algorithm-called-automated-search-for-artificial-life-asal-to-automate-the-discovery-of-artificial-life-using-vision-lang/

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Really interesting part of the book I just started reading

In many ways, scientific analyses of consciousness suffer from the same limitations and constraints as cosmological theories: right right at the outset, certain manipulations and observations cannot be carried out.

The books I'm reading at the moment.

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius - I love this book. It puts you in the perspective of the time and space you occupy, I found a lot of my own thinking and feelings within the pages of this book. A guy born in AD 121 has very clear view on life that is still relevant today.

Great Adaptations by Kenneth Catania - A professor of biological sciences takes you on a journey with him while he studies various animals adaptive abilities. Star nosed moles, electric eels, tentacled snakes... Very interesting insight in how these creatures evolved and adapted.

What we cannot know by Marcus du Sautoy - Explains concepts from the ground up, I like the illustrations that accompany the text and practical examples. Lays foundations to the known and wonders into the future of research and the possibilities that come with it as well as limitations. Covering themes from quantum physics and cosmology to sensory perception and neuroscience.

Labyrinths of reason by William Poundstone - "Blue sky, sunshine, deja vu glazed with dread." How do you know this isn't all a dream? Is anything certain? Ontology, logic, mathematics, deduction, epistemology, memory formation, paradoxes and puzzles.

A brain for numbers by Andreas Nieder - Humans' understanding of numbers is intuitive. How are infants able to perceive numbers even before they learn the words for them? How do our brains process numbers? Can animals count? He shows how it is an adaptive ability and that plenty of animals have the number sense too. There is a variety of research and supporting evidence mentioned which I really like.

TwistedSifter

New Radar Technology Discovers Huge Ancient Maya Civilization That Covers Over 650 Square Miles

This is a major find!

Archaeologists believe that around 417 cities, towns, and villages made up the unified civilization.

Remains of architectural forms and patterns, ceramics, sculptural art, architectural patterns, and unifying causeway constructions.

The magnitude of the labor int he construction of massive platforms, palaces, dams, causeways, and pyramids dating to the Middle and Late Preclassic periods, suggests a power to organize thousands of workers.