Top 10 Most Uncomfortable Physics Facts

Fuck Up

Why do I always fuck up? No matter how much I try I always fuck up in some way, and I'm sure that everyone around me is getting sick of it... I should have just stayed up late, that way I wouldn't have missed the flight...I'm sure she's getting sick of me, who wouldn't? I'm a goddamed failure. What do I do? What if I don't get to see her? I'm going crazy about her, and yet I couldn't muster the strength to wake up at 2:30?? What the fuck is wrong with me?? She probably feels the same way, God, I just hate myself sometimes... I know self pity isn't attractive, but what else can I do when I can't even fix this on my own? She probably thinks I don't love her... but I do, I'm so crazy about her, and yet I missed the goddamed flight. I don't deserve her.

The Way brothers 

When you wake up from a long nap and don’t know what year it is.

Video by Barnaby

The bassoon causing new brain disorder

Mutations have been found in the bassoon (BSN) gene, which is involved with the central nervous system, in patients with symptoms similar to, but different from, a rare brain disorder called progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP).

PSP, a form of Parkinson’s disease, is often difficult to diagnose because it can affect people in different ways. Serious problems often include difficulty with walking and balance in addition to a decline in cognitive abilities such as frontal lobe dysfunction.

A team of Japanese researchers investigated patients whose symptoms resembled not only PSP but also Alzheimer’s disease. Despite similarities in the symptoms, detailed pathological analyses showed no resemblance to either disease, which prompted the team to further research the new disease’s underlying mechanism.

They first analyzed the genomes of a Japanese family with several members displaying PSP-like symptoms. They identified a mutation in the BSN gene only in family members with symptoms. These individuals did not have mutations in the 52 other genes associated with PSP and other neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. This was the first time BSN gene is associated with a neurological disorder.

(Image caption: MRI analysis of a patient with PSP-like symptoms showed severe atrophy of the bilateral hippocampus, mesencephalic tegmentum, cerebellum, and brainstem. Credit: Yabe I. et al., Scientific Reports, January 16, 2018)

The researchers also detected three other mutations in the BSN gene in four out of 41 other patients displaying sporadic, or non-familial, PSP-like symptoms. None of the BSN mutations were detected in a random sample of 100 healthy individuals, underscoring the strong involvement of BSN mutations in the disease.

An autopsy done on one of the family members with the BSN mutation showed an accumulation of a protein called tau in the brain, which is not seen in a normal brain. The researchers believe that the BSN mutation is involved in the tau accumulation, which could cause the development of PSP-like symptoms. An experiment introducing a mutated rat BSN gene to cultured cells also suggested that the mutation causes the accumulation of tau. Communication between nerve fibres could also be affected, as BSN protein play a role in it.

(Image caption: Tau proteins accumulated in the brain of a patient with PSP-like symptoms. Credit: Yabe I. et al., Scientific Reports, January 16, 2018)

“This is a peculiar neurodegenerative disorder which involves mutations in the BSN gene and tau accumulation, but differs from any known disease, including dementia, Parkinson’s, and even PSP,” says Associate Professor Ichiro Yabe of Hokkaido University who led the study. “Patients with PSP-like symptoms and other neurodegenerative disorders should be analyzed for BSN mutations to fine-tune their diagnoses.”

Most animals with a well-known white morph (lions, tigers, domestic cats, peacocks) are leucistic, not albinistic. True albinos are much rarer and are usually only bred-for in indoor pets (mice, rats, snakes).

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You are a space traveler from Earth. One day you land on a seemingly advanced planet where the aliens are friendly. You decide to live there and learn their language, and with their technology it takes barely a day. However, you soon offend the wrong person by accident and become arrested. It is decided that your punishment is death, and you are brought a vial of liquid that you are told is of the deadliest kind. Terrified, you drink it only to find out it’s water. Turns out that the very substance keeping you alive is deadly to these creatures. Write what happens following this discovery.

“remember that time in 7th grade when you-“

via @extramadness

I’ll say it again: Scientists have created a synthetic stingray that’s propelled by living muscle cells and controlled by light.

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But the ultimate goal isn’t a cyborg sea monster - it’s a human heart.

“I want to build an artificial heart, but you’re not going to go from zero to a whole heart overnight,” says Kit Parker, a bioengineer and physicist at Harvard University’s Wyss Institute. “This is a training exercise.”

Full, fascinating story here.