- 4 hours ago
In a series of stunning revelations, scientists have made strides in technology, biology, and human health. From creating ultra-powerful computers using human cells to uncovering evidence of species mixing and reversing gray hair, these discoveries promise to reshape our future.
Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:00You know, artificial intelligence is so advanced now that it can assist doctors with diagnoses,
00:06translate texts from any language in real time, and create art.
00:10But it still works using the same kind of computer parts made from silicon that have been around since the
00:161950s.
00:17Some scientists and companies decided it's time to step forward and build computers out of living things instead.
00:24Ouch!
00:24This new field is called biocomputing, and it uses things like tiny clusters of lab-grown cells called organoids to
00:32create new kinds of computers.
00:34One company in Switzerland called FinalSpark has created a special computer platform using human brain organoids to help process information.
00:43You can rent this platform online for $500 a month if you're a scientist and want to do some research.
00:51The main goal of the company that made the computer is to create AI that uses 100,000 times less
00:57energy than the powerful artificial intelligence systems we have today.
01:01Each brain organoid the computer uses is very small, only a half a millimeter wide, and there are four of
01:08them in each processing unit.
01:09These organoids are connected to eight tiny wires, called electrodes, that can send signals to the neurons inside the organoids.
01:17These electrodes also connect the organoids to regular computer systems.
01:22The neurons in the organoids are given a small amount of dopamine, a chemical that makes us feel good, to
01:28encourage them to learn.
01:30So, it's just like what your brain does when you learn something new.
01:33Thanks to electrical signals and dopamine rewards, the neurons in the organoids can form new connections.
01:39Again, much like how your brain works.
01:42And mine too.
01:43Sometimes.
01:43If this process works well, these organoids could one day act like the processors in today's computers.
01:50Except, they would do the same kinds of jobs in a much more energy-efficient way.
01:55If you want to check out how it all works yourself, the tiny brain-like organoids are being live-streamed
02:0124-7 so anyone can watch what they're doing.
02:04The big task for researchers is to figure out how to make the neurons in these organoids do what we
02:09want them to do.
02:10Scientists from 34 universities have asked to use Final Sparks biocomputers.
02:16And the company has already allowed scientists from 9 schools to start working with them.
02:21Each team is studying something different about biocomputing.
02:25For example, the team at the University of Michigan is exploring how to use electrical and chemical signals to control
02:31the organoids,
02:32which could help create a special language just for these biocomputers.
02:36Scientists at Lancaster University in Leipzig, Germany, are trying to figure out how to make the organoids work with different
02:43types of AI learning models.
02:45Organoid computers aren't as powerful as the regular silicon ones we use today.
02:50There isn't a standard technology to manufacture these tiny brain-like organoids yet.
02:55Also, since they're made of living cells, they don't live forever.
02:58Right now, Final Sparks organized last about 100 days, which is a big improvement from the first experiments.
03:05They used to only live for a few hours.
03:07But the process of creating organoids has become much smoother.
03:11The lab currently has between 2,000 and 3,000 organoids.
03:15Now, Final Spark isn't the only company trying to find new alternatives to the usual silicon chips.
03:21The scientist in Spain studies another kind of biocomputing called cellular computing.
03:27It involves using specially modified living cells to create systems that can remember things, make decisions, and work like basic
03:35computers do today.
03:36The scientists believe that because cellular computers can react to changes in their environment, they could help fix damaged ecosystems.
03:44Regular computers can't do much of this, but a biocomputer made of bacteria could be placed in a lake, for
03:50example, to give detailed information about the water's health.
03:54It would react to different chemicals and conditions.
03:57Another scientist from the University of the West of England is exploring how fungi could be used in computing.
04:04Fungi have long, thread-like structures called mycelia that can send out tiny electrical signals similar to how our brain
04:11cells work.
04:11The scientist thinks that these fungal networks could be used to create a brain-like computer system that can learn,
04:18recognize patterns, and do other smart things.
04:21His team has already taught fungal networks to help computers do certain math problems.
04:26They believe that using fungi for computing could be better than using brain cells, because it's easier, cheaper, more ethical,
04:33and works well with current technology.
04:36While a computer made of human neurons is in the testing stages, scientists at UC Davis Health have invented a
04:43new brain-computer interface that could turn brain signals into speech with nearly perfect accuracy, up to 97%.
04:51Scientists put special sensors in the brain of a man who had trouble speaking because of his health condition.
04:56When they turned on the system, the man could start sharing what he wanted to say within minutes.
05:01When someone with a similar condition wants to speak, the new device turns their brain signals into text that appears
05:08on a computer screen.
05:09The computer can then say the words out loud.
05:13To create this system, the team worked with a 45-year-old man who had a condition that made his
05:17arms and legs weak and his speech very difficult to understand, so he needed help to communicate.
05:23A doctor planted a special device into the patient's brain.
05:27He placed tiny sensors in a part of the brain that helps control speech.
05:31These sensors were designed to pick up signals from 256 spots in the brain.
05:36The device detects when the brain is trying to move muscles to talk.
05:40It listens to the brain's signals and turns them into sounds like syllables, which then form the words the person
05:46is trying to say.
05:48This invention is just one example of the latest trend for computers to be part of the clothes we wear,
05:54and even part of our bodies.
05:56We're making new prosthetic limbs that can do more than just help people grab things.
06:00They can also send a message back to the brain, telling them that something has been touched.
06:05This changes how we think about being human, because it means that even a metal limb can connect to our
06:11brain like a real part of us.
06:13According to experts, computers of the future will mix together living things, physical objects, and digital technology.
06:20Things like 3D printing, biotechnology, robots that help people move, smart devices that connect everything, self-driving cars, and different
06:29types of artificial intelligence will be even more widespread than they are now.
06:34Things are changing really fast, so it's hard to make predictions about the computer industry, even as close as 2030.
06:41But experts agree that quantum computing, which brings the science of physics into computers, will be super important.
06:48Computers could become so tiny, they're going to be the size of an atom.
06:53Quantum computing is expected to make huge changes in how we use AI and machine learning and search through big
06:59data.
06:59It means we could get even better shopping suggestions and smarter tools for our home.
07:05In medicine, it could help discover new medicines faster and help people live longer, healthier lives.
07:11Quantum computing will also affect many industries, like privacy, finance, healthcare, entertainment, and technology.
07:19It could change how we work, leading to new breakthroughs in robotics, better surgical tools, and improved digital tools for
07:26our jobs.
07:26It will also make technology better, as it should make supply chains more efficient, improve traffic management, help with financial
07:34planning, and streamline many different processes.
07:38For most of the time we've used computers, everything we do on them happens in 2D, meaning that it's flat,
07:44like looking at a picture or reading on a screen.
07:47Sometimes, special jobs like 3D modeling or design use 3D, but that's not common for most people.
07:54But now, we're starting to move from doing things in 2D to exploring 3D virtual worlds, where things look and
08:02feel more like they do in real life.
08:04VR gadgets are still pretty expensive and not available to everyone, but big companies are working on extended reality headsets,
08:12and this tech will likely become more and more widespread.
08:17Whoa, there could have been more human species throughout history than we used to think.
08:22In one place in East China, Huolongdong, scientists found the remains of a human who lived around 300,000 years
08:30ago.
08:32They found a jawbone and parts of the skull.
08:36They carefully studied these bones to compare them with the bones of other ancient and modern humans.
08:42The remains themselves weren't that unusual.
08:46We know our human family is really diverse and has been around for millions of years.
08:51You know our ancient relative called Australopithecus, right?
08:55These fellas lived in different parts of Africa, and they were known for walking on two legs, just like modern
09:02humans.
09:03But their brains and some other parts of their bodies made them more similar to apes.
09:09Their teeth are a good example of how they were like a mix of apes and modern humans.
09:14Their canine teeth were smaller than those of apes, but their back teeth were still larger than ours.
09:21There were different types of them.
09:23You can recognize some, Paranthropus, because of their big jaws and teeth.
09:29One of the most famous fossils of Australopithecus is Lucy, a lady that's about 3.2 million years old.
09:37She was found in Ethiopia.
09:40So, we know that our family got pretty big from that point, or probably even before it.
09:45But it's always great to welcome some new members, which seemed to be the case with this new discovery.
09:52Some parts of these bones look similar to the bones of ancient humans, while other parts look more like the
09:58bones modern humans have.
09:59For example, the person whose bones they found didn't have a real chin.
10:04That means we can't put it in any of the groups we know of, like Neanderthals, or maybe even Homo
10:11sapiens.
10:12So, might we be missing a branch from the human family tree, or an important step in our evolution?
10:20What we're looking at here could be some mix between the creatures that became modern humans like us,
10:26and the ones that turned into what we today know as Denisovans.
10:30It takes time to figure it all out, though.
10:33We hadn't known much about Denisovans either, until we found some of their bones in a cave in the mountains.
10:40These bones are really rare, and we only had a few pieces to analyze.
10:44But their genes told us a lot more about their past than their fossils.
10:50Different kinds of humans lived on this planet, but through time, they spread around.
10:55One group started living in Africa. Those are our kind, Homo sapiens.
11:00Another group went to Europe. That's how we got Neanderthals.
11:04But some of these ancient human groups moved all the way to Asia.
11:08That's where we can trace a new interesting kind, Denisovans.
11:12It seems they're cousins to both modern humans and Neanderthals.
11:17The three species actually shared a common ancestor about 765,000 years ago.
11:23It's still not clear why Neanderthals and Denisovans took different paths,
11:28but one theory says that it was mostly because the Arctic ice sheet expanded southward all the way to the
11:34Black Sea,
11:34cutting off Europe from Asia.
11:36Life, or better yet, the planet, kept them separated for a very long time.
11:42Plus, they kept changing places where they lived all the time,
11:46always looking for something better, like every other human species before and after them.
11:52But this didn't last forever.
11:54Scientists found genes from two groups of Denisovans,
11:58one in mainland Asia and the other in a place called Melanesia.
12:02So, not only did they have different groups within their populations,
12:05but it also seems that, after thousands and thousands of years of developing independently,
12:12the members of these three populations, Neanderthal, Denisovans, and modern humans,
12:18somehow met again and spread all across the land.
12:225% of the Denisovan genome lives on, not in the area where scientists found their bones,
12:28but in people that live thousands of miles away in Southeast Asia,
12:31for instance, in Papua New Guinea.
12:34But scientists believe that the cave where they found the remains of Denisovans
12:38might be as far north as they had lived.
12:41It would have been way too cold for them to survive if they had gone further north.
12:45From there, they traveled as far south as Indonesia.
12:49This was possible because, during their time, sea levels were lower than today,
12:55so Indonesia was connected to mainland Asia.
12:58But they probably didn't make it to Australia since it was still separated by water.
13:04These three groups mixed together, too.
13:06Scientists have found a bone of a girl who had a Neanderthal mom and a Denisovan dad.
13:12It's the only first-generation hybrid human we've discovered.
13:16She even got a cool nickname.
13:19Denny.
13:20One of the mysteries about Denisovans is how they disappeared.
13:24Maybe they mixed so much with other humans that they just blended in.
13:28Or, it's possible that modern humans' ancestors were stronger,
13:32had better tools, or even brought some diseases that didn't affect them,
13:36but they affect Denisovans.
13:38Climate and where they lived might have also played a role.
13:42Denisovans lived in a wide range of environments,
13:45from cold parts of Asia to tropical Indonesia.
13:48Climate changes and the challenges of different habitats
13:51might have been really difficult to survive.
13:55But it's hard to draw strict lines in our family tree.
13:58We're still relatively new at learning about it anyway.
14:01Who knows how many new members we are about to discover.
14:06Half a century ago,
14:07a team of scientists had an idea
14:09that a collection of fossils
14:11they found at the Great Rift Valley in Tanzania
14:14were actually the remains of some new human species.
14:17Yep, that was the time
14:19when we welcomed Homo habilis into the family.
14:22It was a big discovery at that time
14:24since people mostly believed
14:26that the story of our evolution had been really simple.
14:30First, there were Australopiths that looked like apes.
14:33After them, there was Homo erectus, the upright man.
14:38They most likely lived in Africa around 2 million years ago,
14:41but also expanded really quickly across Eurasia.
14:44It was the first human species that we know about
14:48to have traveled such long distances
14:50to find a better place for life.
14:52They looked and behaved like humans.
14:55Plus, they were probably the first of our ancient ancestors
14:58who learned how to deal with fire.
15:00Maybe they were the first to cook food as well.
15:03And that's what we're definitely thankful for.
15:06Cooking food was an innovation
15:07that made the human diet more nutritive
15:09and we could grow bigger and smarter brains.
15:14So, yeah, Homo habilis made things more... complicated.
15:19They could walk on two legs,
15:20but they could also be better at climbing trees
15:23than walking on the ground like us.
15:25Plus, their brains were smaller
15:27than what a human should probably have.
15:30At first, it seemed these fossils
15:33could be from a completely different side of the family,
15:35related to other creatures,
15:38Australopithecus africanus,
15:39that looked like apes.
15:40But more and more diggings showed that
15:42even though its jaws and teeth were similar,
15:45Homo habilis was still bigger
15:47and a bit different.
15:49The name means handyman
15:51because they were probably able to make
15:53and use simple tools.
15:56Searching for more fossils in Africa
15:58wasn't easy
15:59because a team of researchers
16:01had to deal with wild animals
16:02and tough conditions all the time.
16:04But eventually,
16:06they managed to find some teeth
16:07and a strange skull that was,
16:10again,
16:11something different
16:11from the ancestors we knew about.
16:14The teeth were really big,
16:16so this new fella
16:17got the nickname of
16:18Nutcracker Man.
16:20For a long time,
16:22everyone believed
16:22this kind had evolved
16:24to eat hard foods.
16:25But the fossil teeth
16:27didn't show much damage,
16:29so they might have been eating food
16:30that was softer than we thought.
16:32This finding might help us understand
16:34how our teeth
16:35have been evolving
16:36through time, too.
16:38And right there,
16:39in the same layers of soil
16:41where Nutcracker Man was lying,
16:43they found ancient stone tools.
16:46At first,
16:47they thought those had belonged
16:48to Nutcracker.
16:49But as they kept digging,
16:51they found more fossils
16:52that didn't match Nutcracker Man.
16:54It means that someone else
16:56must be the real toolmaker.
16:58But that's another story
16:59for another time.
17:01Guess what?
17:02Your hair might be able
17:03to time travel.
17:04Now, let me explain.
17:05It's not going to use
17:06a time machine
17:07and go back to the 1800s
17:09to speak with your
17:09great-grandparents.
17:11But do you know
17:12that moment when you spot
17:14a strand of gray hair
17:15and think,
17:16oh, I'm getting older?
17:17Well, scientists have
17:18some exciting news.
17:20They might have found a way
17:21to turn things around
17:22and bring some color
17:23back into your luscious locks,
17:25at least for a while.
17:26A study from the 70s
17:28talked about a man
17:29who had three hair strands
17:31that were lighter at the tips
17:32but darker near the scalp.
17:34This might mean
17:35that the typical process
17:36of hair turning gray,
17:38which starts at the roots,
17:39might have done a U-turn.
17:43Now, a new piece of research
17:44has found even stronger evidence
17:46that this can happen.
17:47Specialists look at hair
17:49from a bunch of people
17:50of different ages and backgrounds.
17:52What they discovered
17:53might sound a bit surprising.
17:54It seems that our graying
17:56might be linked
17:57to our stress levels.
17:58How we feel inside
18:00might be showing up
18:01on our heads.
18:02This new approach suggests
18:04that there could be
18:05a time frame
18:05during which our hair
18:07turning gray
18:07might be more switchable
18:09than we once believed.
18:12Some years back,
18:14an expert from Columbia University
18:15was wondering about
18:17the whole aging process.
18:18He thought that,
18:19just like some parts
18:20of our body age before others,
18:22the hair on our heads
18:23doesn't go all gray at once.
18:25Maybe the hairs
18:26that turn white first
18:27are like the weak links
18:29in the chain.
18:30While chatting with his partner,
18:31he had this eureka moment.
18:33If they could find a hair
18:35that's half gray
18:35and figure out
18:36how quickly it was growing,
18:38they might find out
18:39when it started
18:40to lose color.
18:41Luckily, his partner
18:42found such hair on her head
18:44and their project began.
18:46They soon found
18:47around 14 people,
18:48from youngsters
18:49to grandparents,
18:50with such two-toned
18:51strands of hair.
18:52They even developed
18:53a method to see
18:54the tiny color changes
18:55in these hair strands.
18:57And the results
18:58were astounding.
18:59Some grays
19:00turned back
19:00to their original colors
19:01and not just on the head,
19:03but all over the body.
19:07Now, most of us
19:08notice gray hair
19:09creeping in
19:10during our 30s.
19:11These scientists believe
19:12that's the best time
19:14to hope for a reversal.
19:15And even if your head's
19:16full of grays,
19:17some of those
19:18might still be open to change.
19:20You see,
19:21even other types
19:22of experts
19:22find this study promising.
19:24They believe
19:25it might show
19:25how age-related changes
19:27in our bodies
19:27might be flipped around.
19:29Sure,
19:30we're only looking
19:30at hair for now,
19:32but who knows?
19:33One day,
19:34perhaps,
19:34we'll be able
19:35to reverse signs of aging
19:36in our skin
19:37or muscles too.
19:38There's more
19:39to this research
19:40than just hair color.
19:41These scientists
19:42wanted to see
19:43if stress
19:43could play a role
19:44in hair growing.
19:45Everyone's heard stories
19:47about people's hair
19:48turning white overnight
19:49when facing stressful events.
19:51The researchers
19:52asked participants
19:53to share
19:53their most stressful moments
19:55over a period of a year.
19:57By matching these events
19:58to when hair color changed,
20:00they found that
20:01big stress
20:01or relaxation moments
20:03aligned with hair color shifts.
20:05Like one guy's hair
20:06started to revert
20:07during his relaxing vacation,
20:09and another woman
20:10had a patch of gray
20:11that matched
20:12a super challenging period
20:14in her life.
20:17Sure,
20:17while scientists
20:18admire the research,
20:19they still feel
20:20the need to remind us
20:21that this project
20:22is still in the early days.
20:24More work needs to be done
20:25so we can totally
20:26rely on these findings.
20:28So,
20:29what's next?
20:29The researchers
20:30are now diving deeper
20:32into the link
20:33between stress
20:33and gray hair.
20:34They're hoping
20:35to track people
20:36over time
20:36to see how their hair
20:38and stress levels change.
20:39In the future,
20:40some say our hair
20:42could be a window
20:42into our past experiences.
20:44Just like trees
20:45have rings
20:46that show their age,
20:47our hair might hold secrets
20:49about our life events.
20:51Well,
20:51stress or no stress,
20:53what's the process
20:54behind hair turning gray?
20:56First off,
20:57let's tackle a common myth.
20:58It turns out
20:59that hair
20:59doesn't really switch to gray.
21:01It switches
21:02to not having
21:03any color at all.
21:05Once your hair
21:05sprouts with a certain color,
21:07be it brown,
21:08black,
21:08blonde,
21:09or even fiery red,
21:10it sticks to that shade
21:12for life.
21:13Well,
21:13unless you decide
21:14to give it a colorful makeover
21:15with some dye.
21:17As we grow older,
21:18our hair gets a little forgetful
21:20and produces less color.
21:21So,
21:22after celebrating
21:23a certain number
21:24of birthdays,
21:25when old hairs fall out
21:26and new ones pop up,
21:28there's a higher chance
21:29of them being gray.
21:30If you're wondering
21:31when you'll see
21:32your first gray hair,
21:33browse through
21:34your family albums.
21:35Your genes,
21:36passed down
21:37from your ancestors,
21:38usually decide
21:39when it's time.
21:42Also,
21:43why do we have
21:44more hair on our heads
21:45compared to the rest
21:46of our bodies,
21:47anyway?
21:47We first must figure out
21:49why most animals
21:50have fur.
21:51It turns out
21:52that animals
21:53wear their coats
21:54because it keeps them snug
21:55when the temperatures drop,
21:56and it shields them
21:57from the harsh sun.
21:59In that case,
22:00why did our ancestors
22:01decide to let go
22:02of most of their fur?
22:04Because
22:04they got creative.
22:06They figured out
22:07new ways to stay warm
22:08and protected
22:09using fire,
22:10building shelters,
22:11and dressing up.
22:12However,
22:13just because
22:14they could survive
22:14without a fur coat
22:15doesn't mean
22:16they just magically
22:17lost all their hair.
22:19There must have been
22:19a good reason
22:20to go hairless.
22:21There are many theories
22:22on this subject, too.
22:24One suggests
22:25that it might have
22:25gotten too hot
22:26for us at some point.
22:28Another one indicates
22:29some of our ancestors
22:30might have spent
22:31a considerable amount
22:32of time in the water.
22:33Having that much hair
22:35over their bodies
22:36could have weighed them down.
22:37Obviously,
22:38scientists have yet
22:39to pinpoint the exact reason.
22:43What about the hair
22:44on our heads?
22:45Why is it still here?
22:47The explanation
22:48is quite simple.
22:49Humans evolved
22:50to walk on our two feet.
22:52This means our heads
22:53became like these
22:54sunflower tops,
22:55always facing up.
22:56And we know
22:57how the sun
22:58can be super intense,
22:59especially in some regions
23:00of our planet.
23:01So our head hair
23:03acts like a built-in cap.
23:05There's more to the subject.
23:06Our heads,
23:07though not that big
23:08compared with the rest
23:09of our bodies,
23:10are busy.
23:11Since they're always active,
23:12they create warmth.
23:14Our head hair
23:15keeps that warmth
23:16from escaping,
23:16like a natural
23:17built-in beanie.
23:19Gray or not,
23:20our strands of hair
23:21might become
23:22more useful in the future.
23:23Every time you get a haircut,
23:25ever wonder
23:26where all that hair goes?
23:27For now,
23:28it's thrown away.
23:30Thankfully,
23:30some ingenious minds
23:32from Queensland
23:32had an amazing idea.
23:34Instead of just seeing
23:35leftover hair as trash,
23:37they saw potential energy.
23:39They gently burned the hair
23:41and extracted carbon,
23:43turning it into these
23:44teeny-tiny dots.
23:45Think highfalutin pixie dust.
23:48Now,
23:48here's where the magic happens.
23:49They sprinkled these nanodots
23:51onto solar panels.
23:53What this did
23:54is it made the solar panels
23:55work better
23:56and they were more stable.
24:00Your hair also has this pigment
24:02called melanin.
24:03I'll spare you
24:04the complicated details,
24:05but this chemical
24:06is sensitive to light.
24:08A Nepali teenager
24:09found out about this
24:10and thought,
24:11why not use hair
24:12instead of expensive
24:13silicon in solar panels?
24:15Imagine replacing
24:17pricey silicon
24:17with affordable hair,
24:19giving loads of people
24:20a chance to use
24:21cheaper energy.
24:22This might just be
24:24the next important thing
24:25in making solar energy
24:26more accessible
24:27and affordable.
24:29Next up,
24:30imagine this.
24:31You're munching
24:31on your delicious
24:32lunch salad.
24:33Ever thought hair
24:34could help grow that?
24:36Thanks to scientists
24:37at the university
24:38in Singapore,
24:39this might soon
24:40become a reality.
24:41They've developed
24:42a way to grow crops,
24:43especially in cities,
24:44using a method
24:45called hydroponics.
24:47No soil required.
24:50Instead,
24:51they use a special mix
24:53made from hair.
24:54Let's break down
24:55the process.
24:55The researchers
24:57collected hair
24:57from places like
24:58hair salons,
24:59and from this hair,
25:00they extracted
25:01something called keratin.
25:03They mixed this keratin
25:04with cellulose fibers,
25:06making it stronger.
25:07When dried,
25:08it turned into
25:09a squishy base
25:10that's perfect
25:10for growing things.
25:11They chose to experiment
25:13with microgreens
25:14and even delicious veggies
25:15like bok choy
25:16and arugula.
25:17Okay, that's enough.
25:18I'm heading
25:19for the salad bar.
25:20All right.
Comments