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Critical viewing – The maturation of inhibitory synapses in the visual cortex is modulated by visual experience

. Sensory experience changes the way humans see the world during early postnatal development. Now, an international team of researchers, including Tadaharu Tsumoto from the RIKEN Brain Science Institute in Wako, may have an explanation. They report in the journal Neuron that visual experience drives the maturation of inhibitory synapses in the visual cortex during …

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Clogging up the plumbing – A specific gene is regulating the formation of water-transporting vessels, In plants

. Vascular development in plants is controlled by a newly identified gene regulator that can block the formation of water-transporting vessels . Every vascular plant contains an extensive network of xylem and phloem, specialized tissues that respectively transport water and nutrients throughout the plant body. Untangling the processes that determine how these two types of …

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Neural Stem Cells Attack Glioblastoma Cells

. In their latest research, scientists of the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch, Germany, have demonstrated how the brain’s own stem cells and precursor cells control the growth of glioblastomas. Of all brain tumors, glioblastomas are among the most common and most aggressive. Dr. Sridhar Reddy Chirasani, Professor Helmut Kettenmann and Dr. …

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Measuring unconventionality – Interference of wave-like electrons reveal: atomic magnets are critical to superconductors

. Achieving superconductivity at room temperature has represented one of the holy grails of physics for decades. A practical material with zero electrical resistance would not only represent a major advance in physics, but also revolutionize technologies from power grids to electric motors. However, the mechanism behind so-called ‘high-temperature’ superconductors, which are superconducting above approximately …

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A cosmic show-down – The interaction between dense galaxy clusters and large-scale cosmic structures

. . . By studying the growth and dynamics of galaxy clusters, researchers from the RIKEN Advanced Science Institute, Wako, and the Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Taiwan, have provided valuable clues on the evolution of the universe. . Huge numbers of stars are not the only distinctive feature of galaxy clusters. Another …

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Decoding monkey movements – recording neuronal activity

. Producing accurate and stable, long-term readings of neuronal activity using a brain–machine interface (BMI) is now possible thanks to work by Naotaka Fujii and his colleagues at the RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Wako1. Their results could help researchers to develop durable and versatile neural prostheses for rehabilitation patients. . BMIs read neural activity associated …

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