Science

A recent study reveals that age plays a significant role in the outcomes of intermittent fasting. Researchers discovered that chronic intermittent fasting disrupted the development of insulin-producing beta cells in young mice. The findings raise concerns about potential risks for humans, especially teenagers.

Ocean science for sustainability: Insights from the ISC Muscat Global Knowledge Dialogue

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https://council.science/blog/ocean-science-for-sustainability-isc-muscat-gkd/?utm%5C_source=rss&utm%5C_medium=rss&utm%5C_campaign=ocean-science-for-sustainability-isc-muscat-gkd

Andisearch Writeup

A new study published in Science reveals that humpback whale songs share statistical structures with human language, specifically Zipfian distribution and Zipf's law of brevity. Researchers analyzed eight years of humpback whale song recordings from New Caledonia using methods typically used to evaluate infant speech. Key findings: * Whale songs exhibit statistically coherent subsequences conforming to Zipfian distribution, similar to human language. * The lengths of these subsequences adhere to Zipf's law of brevity. * This suggests that cultural transmission and learning play a significant role in shaping communication systems across species. The study highlights the importance of cultural transmission in learning complex communication systems and challenges the idea that such structural properties are exclusive to human language. Researchers suggest that humpback whales may learn their songs by tracking transitional probabilities between sound elements, similar to how human babies learn language. The research team was led by Inbal Arnon, Emma Carroll, and Jenny Allen.

N=133,000 over 40 year time period

Observational study so limitations may apply but the findings do hold after adjusting for a large list of factors I will quote here:

educational attainments, family history of dementia, menopausal status with hormone use status, total energy intake, regular antidepressant drug use, history of depression, BMI, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, neighborhood SES [socioeconomic status], marital status, living arrangement, smoking status, histories of hypertension, diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia and intakes of sugar-sweetened beverages, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts and legumes, low-fat dairy products, high-fat dairy products, and alcohol

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/25907293

Constructing artificial intelligence that aligns with human values is a crucial challenge, with political values playing a distinctive role among various human value systems. In this study, we adapted the Political Compass Test and combined it with rigorous bootstrapping techniques to create a standardized method for testing political values in AI. This approach was applied to multiple versions of ChatGPT, utilizing a dataset of over 3000 tests to ensure robustness. Our findings reveal that while newer versions of ChatGPT consistently maintain values within the libertarian-left quadrant, there is a statistically significant rightward shift in political values over time, a phenomenon we term a ‘value shift’ in large language models. This shift is particularly noteworthy given the widespread use of LLMs and their potential influence on societal values. Importantly, our study controlled for factors such as user interaction and language, and the observed shifts were not directly linked to changes in training datasets. While this research provides valuable insights into the dynamic nature of value alignment in AI, it also underscores limitations, including the challenge of isolating all external variables that may contribute to these shifts. These findings suggest a need for continuous monitoring of AI systems to ensure ethical value alignment, particularly as they increasingly integrate into human decision-making and knowledge systems.

International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2025

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https://council.science/blog/international-day-of-women-and-girls-in-science-2025/?utm%5C_source=rss&utm%5C_medium=rss&utm%5C_campaign=international-day-of-women-and-girls-in-science-2025

https://archive.ph/xnmVU

Researchers have unveiled the precise brain mechanisms that enable animals to overcome instinctive fears. The study in mice could have implications for developing therapeutics for fear-related disorders such as phobias, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Call for nominations of experts for second global assessment of biodiversity and ecosystem services | deadline: 28 March

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https://council.science/news/call-for-experts-second-ipbes-global-assessment-biodiversity-ecosystem-services/?utm%5C_source=rss&utm%5C_medium=rss&utm%5C_campaign=call-for-experts-second-ipbes-global-assessment-biodiversity-ecosystem-services

China’s CAST to host next ISC mid-term meeting in 2026

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https://council.science/news/chinas-cast-mid-term-meeting-2026/?utm%5C_source=rss&utm%5C_medium=rss&utm%5C_campaign=chinas-cast-mid-term-meeting-2026

Science, ethics, and power: The need for a global commons approach to emerging technologies

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https://council.science/blog/science-ethics-and-power-the-need-for-a-global-commons-approach-to-emerging-technologies/?utm%5C_source=rss&utm%5C_medium=rss&utm%5C_campaign=science-ethics-and-power-the-need-for-a-global-commons-approach-to-emerging-technologies

A research group at Umeå University has developed new advanced light-controlled tools that enable precise control of proteins in real time in living cells. This groundbreaking research opens doors to new methods for studying complex processes in cells and could pave the way for significant advances in medicine and synthetic biology.

“Cellular processes are complex and constantly change depending on when and where in the cell they occur. Our new chemical tool with light switches will make it easier to control processes in the cell and study how cells function in real time. We can also determine where we make such regulation with a resolution of micrometres within a cell or tissue”, says Yaowen Wu, professor at the Department of Chemistry and SciLifeLab Group leader at Umeå University.

Robbert Dijkgraaf, renowned mathematical physicist, named President-Elect of the International Science Council

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https://council.science/news/robbert-dijkgraaf-president-elect-international-science-council/?utm%5C_source=rss&utm%5C_medium=rss&utm%5C_campaign=robbert-dijkgraaf-president-elect-international-science-council

ISC General Assembly 2025 concludes with strategic vision for global science

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https://council.science/news/isc-general-assembly-2025-concludes-with-strategic-vision-for-global-science/?utm%5C_source=rss&utm%5C_medium=rss&utm%5C_campaign=isc-general-assembly-2025-concludes-with-strategic-vision-for-global-science