It’s the brain like never seen before. A group of researchers – Misha Ahrens, neurobiologist, and Phillipp Keller, microbiologist from Howard Hughes medical Institute’s Janelia Farm Research Campus, have been able to see individual neurons firing in the brain of a larval zebra-fish, recording activities across the entire fish brain.

They have mapped the exact firing pattern for 80% of the 100,000 neurons in the brain, suggesting that, should an upscaling of this mapping be done, the human brain might finally be in the imaging line.

The imaging technique is ingenious, but theoretically simple. The researchers created genetically modified zebrafish, so that the neurons make a protein which fluoresces when there is a change in the concentration of the calcium ions. Calcium ion concentrations change when a neuron fires, meaning that there will be a small fluorescence when a neuron fires.

Now, a thin sheet of light was sent through the brain and this captures any optical activity in the brain and then records it on a screen. This imaging technique is called ‘light-sheet microscopy’ and the Janelia team was able to upgrade it count at a rate tenfold its original rate. The entire brain of the larval fish was mapped every 1.3 seconds. One whole experiment lasted for 10 hours, generating as much a few terabytes of data.

Ahrens commented on his pet method, explaining why it is so much better than conventional techniques. Available techniques allow one to image at most 2000 neurons at one go, but this one can see the entire circuitry in the brain. As Ahrens puts it:
Read more at http://techie-buzz.com/science/zebrafish-brain-map.html#L4pK064y8VK9FjMe.99

Chalk this story up in the “eww gross” category. You know those pesky little parasitic worms that we humans try so hard to avoid? Well, it turns out those little parasites may be more helpful to humans than once thought. A study published recently in Nature Medicine has revealed that these dreaded creatures may indeed play a role in preventing obesity related metabolic disorders. The research was done by a team from the University of Georgia, the Harvard School of Public Health, the Université François Rabelais in Tours, France, and the Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
Hookworms

In a University of Georgia press release, Donald Harn, Georgia Research Alliance Distinguished Investigator in the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Infectious Diseases said, “Prevalence of inflammation-based diseases is extremely low in countries where people are commonly infected with worms… But the minute you start deworming people, it doesn’t take too long for these autoimmune diseases to pop up”. The researchers hypothesized that this might be a result of sugar-based molecule called glycan, which is excreted by these parasitic worms. This molecule helps protect the worms from our body’s immune defenses which in turn, reduces the amount of inflammation present in the tissues that surround them. Apparently, this reduction in inflammation also helps the human host. Harn and his fellow researchers believe this may have implications for treating all sorts of metabolic disorders.

The researchers tested their theory on mice. They fed a control group a high fat diet and the other group they fed a glycan sugar diet. Both groups gained weight, bu the control group experienced all of the common problems that come with obesity such as, insulin resistance and high triglycerides. The mice on the special sugar diet did not experience the negative health effects in spite of their increased weight.
Read more at http://techie-buzz.com/health/could-parasitic-worms-treat-obesity-related-disease.html#wh0ucDAdyFMtwqOs.99

 Enjoy the Smart in 3D Experience Explore Smart TV with Magic Motion

Along with the Galaxy Mega 6.3, Samsung has also launched the much-awaited Galaxy Mega 5.8 in India. This handset packs a disappointing 5.8 inch qHD display, 1.4 GHz dual-core processor, 8 megapixel camera and more. Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 is one of the world’s top performing Dual-SIM smartphones. This handset comes pre-loaded with Samsung WatchON which transforms the device into an IR remote controller for a great TV experience.

    Mr. Vineet Taneja , Country Head , Samsung Mobile and Digital Imaging Business, said,
    “Consumers in India as in other parts of the world are preferring the larger screen displays in their Smartphones owing to the time they spend doing more with their devices – staying connected with their work and friends/family, web browsing, extensive multimedia viewing and more. To meet the varying lifestyles of our consumers, we are very pleased to offer the Galaxy Mega which further enriches the product portfolio of our award-winning Galaxy series.”


Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 features a 5.8 inch qHD TFT display, sporting a resolution of 960 × 540 pixels, 1.4 GHz dual-core processor, Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean) OS, TouchWiz 5.0 user interface, 8 megapixel rear-facing camera with autofocus and LED flash, full HD (1080p) video recording and playback, 1.9 megapixel front-facing camera for video calls, 8 GB internal memory, microSD card slot, 64 GB expandable memory and much more.

Other features include a 3.5 mm headset jack, Stereo FM Radio with RDS, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, 3G Connectivity, Samsung Media Hub, Samsung Social Hub, Samsung Kies Air, Google Play Store, S Translator, Samsung ChatOn, DLNA, HDMI out, Bluetooth 4.0 with EDR, 1.5 GB RAM, Wi-Fi Direct, USB 2.0 and a 2600 mAh battery. This handset measures 162.6 x 82.4 x 9.0 mm and weighs 182g.

Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 comes with a price-tag of Rs.25,100 (approx. $450) in India. Vodafone and Reliance subscribers will get 2 GB of data per month for 3 months with the purchase of this device. This handset will go on sale from next week in India.
(SOURCE)

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie cut the ribbon on Thursday outside Atlantic City’s newest tourist attraction: Margaritaville. The $35 million, 40,000-square-foot complex houses two restaurants, multiple bars, a beach-themed casino, and several breezy, laid-back retail stores—all tucked away in a larger gambling mecca called Resorts. The singer and songwriter of the eponymous song was conspicuously absent from the festivities. For Jimmy Buffett, the grand opening was no special occasion: The Atlantic City outpost is the 27th Margaritaville in the world.

Margaritaville Enterprises, founded in 2006 and based in Orlando, sells everything from beachwear to furniture and also oversees at least one Caribbean island resort, two American resorts, and four casinos. You can buy Margaritaville rum and combine it with a Margaritaville drink mixer in your very own Margaritaville blender that costs $349.99. According to the Orlando Business Journal, the company brought in at least $100 million in revenue in 2007. As a private company, Margaritaville doesn’t release information about its holdings, but by all accounts it has only expanded since then.

To think that all of this poured forth from a goofy, three-chord song—a mere 208 words, roughly half the length of this article—written about being lazy and getting drunk. But as Buffett’s Parrothead empire continues to spread, one can’t help but wonder whether a more lucrative song exists. “If there is anything on the same scale as a Margaritaville, it’s not a song—it’s a motion picture,” says Robert Brauneis, a professor of intellectual property at the George Washington University Law School and author of a research paper on Happy Birthday to You, which continues to generate upwards of $2 million a year. “When you’re talking about hundreds of millions of dollars, you have to think in terms of Star Wars, Winnie the Pooh, or Transformers. That’s probably in the same order of magnitude.”

As a recording, Margaritaville doesn’t post stratospheric numbers. After debuting on Buffett’s 1977 album Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude, it peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard 100 charts. According to the 2012 BBC documentary The Richest Songs in the World, Margaritaville doesn’t crack the top 10, which is populated by three Christmas songs. The two highest-ranking pop songs are You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling, by the Righteous Brothers, and Yesterday, by the Beatles. (No. 1 was Happy Birthday to You.) “If you want to get technical, there are two Margaritavilles,” says Brauneis. “There’s the copyright that protects the song, which is valuable because of the stream of income. Then there’s the trademark that has developed out of the song’s title, and legally that’s a different piece of intellectual property.”

Olivia Wilde and fiance Jason Sudeikis stripped down to soak up the sun in Maui (May 26). The couple was certainly basking in their engagement glow as they strolled in the surf before rinsing off in an outdoor shower.

Talk about an oops moment: George Clooney's prettier half, Stacy Keibler, suffered a wardrobe malfunction this weekend at Monaco Grand Prix when the zipper on her romper came undone. Lucky for Keibler, the zipper didn't hold up the entire ensemble and thus didn't leave her completely in the nude, but it did give us a little peek into what she usually reserves for Clooney's eyes only -- her stringy pink underwear.

The 33-year-old beauty was her usual stylish self in a short red romper, a thin black belt, giant sunglasses and studded sandals. And from the looks of things, she didn't even notice the zipper on her lower half had come undone.

Back in March, rumors started swirling that Keibler and her A-list boyfriend were about to split, citing the couple's noticeable age difference as cause. Days later though, the former wrestler was spotted visiting her hunky man Clooney in Berlin, where he was filming "The Monuments Men."

A Washington state man accused of putting his infant daughter inside a freezer long enough for her body temperature to drop to 84 degrees was charged Tuesday with first-degree child assault, first-degree criminal mistreatment and interfering with the reporting of a domestic violence incident.

His bail was set at $1 million, NBC station KING5 of Seattle reported.

Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist said the 6-week-old baby also suffered a broken arm and leg and a head injury.

Tyler James Deutsch, 25, and the baby's mother live together in a trailer in the city of Roy. The mother left the child alone with Deutsch from about 1:30 until 3:30 p.m. Saturday, KING5 reported.

The prosecutor’s office said Deutsch told detectives he was tired and the baby was crying, so he put her in the freezer and closed the door, according to KING5.

The man then fell asleep and only woke up when the mother returned home.

According to the prosecutor's office, Deutsch did not remove the baby from the freezer until the mother returned to the trailer. The baby was only wearing a diaper, KING5 reported.

The mother tried to call 911, but Deutsch wouldn't allow it because he didn't want to get in trouble  the prosecutor's office said. She then left the trailer and alerted the neighbors, who called for help.