Around the Web 17

🧂Aspartame, 🥊MMA 4 all, and 🥱Why you Yawn

[Talking🗣️points for your next outing📍]

🧂Aspartame is 200 times sweeter than table sugar.

🎥The creator economy could approach half-a-trillion dollars by 2027

💰Ronaldo earns over $2M per post on Instagram.

🥱Why you yawn?

🚀SpaceX Tender Offer Values Company at About $150 Billion.

💻Apple becomes the first company to hit a $3Trillion market cap.

[Long Read 📰 / Watch 🎥]

[I]: Will Open AI kill Startups by Y combinator.

The hosts, Michael Seibel and Dalton Caldwell, believe that OpenAI and its advancements in AI technology, particularly large language models (LLMs), will not "kill" all startups, but rather provide an opportunity for a new wave of innovation. (I couldn’t agree more.)They argue that major technological changes, like the advent of farming, electricity, and the internet, have historically enabled the creation of more businesses and advantaged startups over incumbents. They draw parallels with the emergence of cloud computing and mobile apps, where initial skepticism and hype did not negate the transformative impact these technologies had on businesses. They suggest that AI, specifically LLMs, is now at a similar inflection point. The hosts also differentiate between "cargo culting" AI (using AI superficially or for hype) and genuinely leveraging AI to improve products, increase retention, and create value. They encourage founders to think about how they can use AI to make their users more productive.

[II]: Fighting by Marc Andreessen

Against the backdrop of a question about Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) training, Marc Andreessen explores the significance of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). He traces the origins of MMA back to the ancient Greek Olympic Games, emphasizing its role as a fundamental part of human civilization. Andreessen argues that MMA is more than just a sport; it's a discipline that instills emotional control, respect, and a sense of responsibility. In a world where street violence is increasingly common, he sees MMA as a practical form of self-defense, a sentiment echoed by Zuckerberg and Musk in their public engagement with the sport. Furthermore, Andreessen views MMA as a potential solution to the obesity crisis, promoting physical fitness and self-respect among today's youth. He concludes by expressing his support for the growing popularity of MMA, as exemplified by the interest shown by Zuckerberg and Musk, and its potential to instill a sense of self-worth and purpose in the younger generation.

[III]: Intensive exercise ameliorates motor and cognitive symptoms in Parkinson’s disease by Marino et al 2023, Science.

Intensive physical activity, like treadmill training, can improve motor functions in patients with Parkinson's disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that affects movement and cognition. This study tested the idea that such exercise can counteract changes in the brain's ability to adapt (striatal plasticity) and early motor and cognitive deficits in rats injected with alpha-synuclein (α-syn) preformed fibrils. The lab-made clumps of a protein that, in its misfolded form, is associated with Parkinson's. The exercise improved the rats' motor control and spatial learning. And these improvements were linked to a recovery in the density of dendritic spines - tiny protrusions on neurons that help transmit electrical signals - and a lasting enhancement of long-term potentiation (LTP) - a long-lasting strengthening of the signals between nerve cells that's crucial for learning and memory. The study found that these beneficial effects involve changes in certain receptors and showed that intensive exercise can counteract early changes induced by alpha-synuclein clumps and reduce the spread of these toxic proteins to other vulnerable areas of the brain.

[IV]: Neurons in the gut help explain why chronic stress can cause IBD flare-ups by Amy McDermott

The article describes the study which explores the link between chronic stress and flare-ups in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), a condition that causes inflammation in the digestive tract. Researchers found that stress hormones interact with neurons and glial cells in the gut, leading to intestinal inflammation and bowel problems. The study suggests that while stress alone doesn't cause IBD, it can significantly influence the severity of the disease once it's established. Future treatments for IBD might include drugs that counteract stress hormones, potentially making patients more responsive to treatments.

[V]: Clarity to the Origin of Life Debate by James Tour & Stephen Meyer

I have been following some discourse on the biochemistry of the origin of life research lately. I am sometimes in shock when I hear claims some folks make about the origin of life without really engaging with the science of how this could work. This conversation is about the chemical evolution, that is, an attempt to explain how we get the first living cells from simpler (non-living) chemicals.