 Libet and Free Will Revisited
One of the best known of all neuroscience studies is the 'free will experiment' conducted by Benjamin Libet and colleagues in 1983.
Libet et al. asked volunteers to tap their fingers at will, freely choosing the time of each action. EEG revealed an electrical potential occuring "several hundred milliseconds" before people reported a conscious decision to perform each tap.
This "Readiness Potential" or Bereitschaftspotential threatened to debunk the very existence of human volitio
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 How to Quit Opioids
Dr. Ellen Hendriksen dives into the history of the epidemic and asks behavior coach Eric Zimmer for his most vital advice on addiction recovery
-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
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Cultivating Emotion Regulation and Mental Health
Susanne Schweizer is a neuroscientist investigating the development of emotional regulatory processes and their role in mental health across the life span
-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
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 Per Aspera Ad Astra
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Sep 21, 2019
I have always known what the phrase "Per Aspera Ad Astra" meant, and in my work in the Aerospace arena, I have come to appreciate its significance.
And so, any film that would attempt a title as such has to live up to my expectations and Ad Astra the movie does.
Actor Brad Pitt and the cast masterfully demonstrate what a near-future voyage to the Moon, Mars and outer solar system mig
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 Climate change study finds that maple syrup season may come earlier
Once winter nights dip below freezing and the days warm up above freezing sap begins to flow in sugar maples marking the start of the syrup season. With climate change, daily temperatures are on the rise, which affects sap flow and sugar content. By 2100, the maple syrup season in eastern North America may be one month earlier than it was during 1950 and 2017, according to a new study.
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Water may be scarce for new power plants in Asia
Climate change and over-tapped waterways could leave developing parts of Asia without enough water to cool power plants in the near future, new research indicates. The study found that existing and planned power plants that burn coal for energy could be vulnerable.
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How Old Are Saturn's Rings?
A recently captured view of Saturn's rings shows them glowing brightly on June 20, 2019. Hubble took this stunning shot as part of the Outer Planets Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) project.
(Credit: NASA, ESA, A. Simon (GSFC), M.H. Wong (University of California, Berkeley) and the OPAL Team)
Saturn's rings are one of the most striking celestial features in our solar system. The Pioneer and Voyager probes gave us our first close-up look. More recently, NASA's Cassini mission spent more ...
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Short Sleeper Syndrome: When You Can Get By on Just a Few Hours of Sleep
A small segment of the population are born with superhuman sleep needs. They're called natural short sleepers, and they wake up refreshed and wide awake on very little sleep. And these individuals share a few other quirks, too. (Credit: Shutterstock)
What do Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and Martha Stewart have in common? They're part of the 1 percent.
No, not that one percent. Instead, we're referring to the one percent of people who thrive on far less sleep than what is recomm...
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World's first gene therapy for glycogen storage disease produces remarkable results
The rare and deadly genetic liver disorder, GSD type Ia, affects children from infancy through adulthood, causing dangerously low blood sugar levels and constant dependence on glucose consumption in the form of cornstarch every few hours for survival. If a cornstarch dose is missed, the disease can lead to seizures and even death. A clinical trial originally set out to simply test the safety and dosage of the gene therapy for three patients with GSD Type Ia. The dramatic improvement in their liv
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The brain may actively forget during dream sleep
In a study of mice, researchers show that REM sleep may be a time when the brain actively forgets. Their results suggest that forgetting during sleep may be controlled by neurons found deep inside the brain that were previously known for making an appetite stimulating hormone.
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Alzheimer's drug also treats parasitic Chagas disease
The drugs currently used to treat Chagas disease, a neglected tropical disease, have serious side effects and limited use in those with chronic disease. Now, researchers have reported that memantine, a drug currently used to treat Alzheimer's disease, can diminish the number of parasites in mice with Chagas disease, and increase the survival rate of the animals.
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Division by subtraction: Extinction of large mammal species likely drove survivors apart
A new study suggests that the extinctions of mammoths, dire wolves and other large mammal species in North America drove surviving species to distance themselves from their neighbors, reducing interactions as predators and prey, territorial competitors or scavengers. The discovery could preview the ecological effects of future extinctions, the researchers say.
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Untapped resource, or greenhouse gas threat, found below rifting axis off Okinawa coast
Using an automated method to create a high-resolution map of the seismic velocity below the seafloor, researchers found a large-scale gas reservoir in an area where the Earth's upper layers are being separated. This reservoir, the first of its kind, and the potential for others like it could have implications from natural resource or environmental standpoints depending on whether the trapped gas is methane or carbon dioxide and whether it remains trapped.
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Of Animal Germs and Pachyderms
A novel approach for making Africa’s largest transfrontier conservation area a success
-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
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Carbon Dioxide Conversion Challenge could help human explorers live on Mars
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Sep 20, 2019
On Earth, plants convert carbon dioxide (CO2) into carbohydrates and oxygen - food for them and oxygen for us to breathe. There aren't plants on Mars, but there is a lot of CO2. Technology that takes abundant resources, like CO2 found on the Red Planet, and turns them into useful supplies for human explorers could be key to long-term missions on Mars.
Phase 2 of NASA's CO2 Conversion Chall
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Corrosion resistance of steel bars in concrete when mixed with aerobic microorganisms
Dissolved oxygen in pore solution is often a controlling factor determining the rate of the corrosion process of steel bars in concrete. This study reports on the corrosion resistance and polarization properties of steel bars in a mortar specimen mixed with aerobic microorganisms. The addition of the microorganisms in mortar mixtures led to higher corrosion resistance, which was confirmed by the reduced rate of oxygen permeability, based on cathodic polarization properties.
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International space agencies to test-crash spacecraft into asteroid
Paris (Sputnik) Sep 20, 2019
In 2015, the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA announced the creation of the joint Asteroid Impact and Deflection Assessment (AIDA) project, which is designed to potentially deflect a space rock from impacting the Earth.
Scientists are planning to launch and crash NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft into an asteroid to test whether the impact is able to deflect its
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GomSpace and Leaf Space sign MoU to strengthen ground segment collaboration
Aalborg, Danmark (SPX) Sep 20, 2019
Space, provider of ground station services, and GomSpace, manufacturer of nanosatellite solutions and operations services, will ensure that their respective solutions are fully integrated with each other.
The MoU includes:
+ Leaf Space has integrated GomSpace transceivers in its Leaf Line Ground Segment service, which are now available to Leaf Space and GomSpace customers without int
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A bathroom scale could monitor millions with heart failure
Millions of heart failure patients are readmitted to hospitals every few months to adjust medications. It sends medical costs sky-high and patients suffer unnecessarily. A new bathroom scale could give clinicians the data they need to cut hospitalizations and treat patients remotely before they suffer too much.
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New method for the measurement of nano-structured light fields
Physicists and chemists have jointly succeeded in developing a so-called nano-tomographic technique which is able to detect the typically invisible properties of nano-structured fields in the focus of a lens. Such a method may help to establish nano-structured light landscapes as a tool for material machining, optical tweezers, or high-resolution imaging.
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Why is the brain disturbed by harsh sounds?
Neuroscientists have analyzed how people react when they listen to a range of different sounds, the aim being to establish the extent to which repetitive sound frequencies are considered unpleasant. Their results showed that the conventional sound-processing circuit is activated but that the cortical and sub-cortical areas involved in the processing of salience and aversion are also solicited. This explains why the brain goes into a state of alert on hearing this type of sound.
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Engineers create ways to keep stone waste out of landfills
Using polymers and natural stone slurry waste, researchers are manufacturing environmentally friendly stone composites. These new composites are made of previously discarded materials left behind during the cutting of natural structural or ornamental blocks for buildings, construction supplies or monuments. While reusing the waste material of natural stone production is common in cement, tile and concrete, adding the stone slurry to polymers is a new and innovative idea, explains an engineering
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Putin briefed on results of probe into hole in Soyuz MS-09
Moscow (Sputnik) Sep 20, 2019
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been briefed on the results of a probe into the mysterious hole in the hull of Soyuz MS-09 spaceship, a source in the space industry told Sputnik.
"The president has been briefed on the results of the investigation," the source said.
Dmitry Rogozin, the head of the state space agency Roscosmos, said Wednesday that the probe found out how the hole
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Researchers find way to kill pathogen resistant to antibiotics
Researchers have demonstrated a new strategy in fighting antibiotics resistance: the use of artificial haem proteins as a Trojan horse to selectively deliver antimicrobials to target bacteria, enabling their specific and effective sterilization. The technique killed 99.9% of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a potentially deadly, antibiotic-resistant bacterium present in hospitals. The strategy should also work for other dangerous bacteria.
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Perception of musical pitch varies across cultures
Unlike US residents, people in a remote area of the Bolivian rain forest usually do not perceive the similarities between two versions of the same note played at different registers, an octave apart. This discovery may help scientists tease out elements of perception that cannot be seen when examining only a single, homogenous group.
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Kleos Space wins first South American contract
Luxembourg (SPX) Sep 20, 2019
Kleos Space S.A. (ASX: KSS, Frankfurt: KS1), a space-powered Radio Frequency Reconnaissance data-as-a-service (DaaS) company, is proud to inform that it has received its first South American pre-order secured by regional expert Pierre Duquesne who was engaged in July 2019.
Pierre Duquesne, a Franco-German executive, was the former Managing Director for Airbus Intelligence in South America
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Researchers hone in on the elusive receptor for sour taste
Sour is the taste of summer, a taste that evokes lemonade stands and vine-ripe tomatoes. Among the five basic tastes -- the others being bitter, sweet, salty and umami -- it is arguably the most subtle. In small amounts, it adds a critical tang to an otherwise bland dish. At higher concentrations and on its own, it's unpleasant or even painful.
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Clarification of a new synthesis mechanism of semiconductor atomic sheet
Researchers have succeeded in clarifying a new synthesis mechanism regarding transition metal dichalcogenides (TMD), which are semiconductor atomic sheets having thickness in atomic order. Because it is difficult to directly observe the aspect of the growing process of TMD in a special environment, the initial growth process remained unclear, and it has been desirable to elucidate a detailed mechanism of synthesis to obtain high-quality TMD.
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Kentucky companies give NASA Artemis missions a boost
Huntsville AL (SPX) Sep 20, 2019
When American astronauts set foot on the Moon's surface in 2024, men and women across Kentucky can say they helped to make it possible.
NASA recognized three Kentucky businesses - Parker Hannifin Corp., American Synthetic Rubber Co., a Michelin company; and Eckart America Corp. - in Lexington and Louisville Sept. 18-19 for their continued support in supplying critical elements and tools fo
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Malawi study confirms lasting impact of life-saving technology
The Malawi Ministry of Health's national adoption of affordable, rugged, neonatal CPAP technology resulted in sustained improvements in the survival of babies with respiratory illness. The three-year study was conducted at 26 Malawi government hospitals that adopted Pumani CPAP devices as a part of routine hospital care between 2013 and 2016.
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The next agricultural revolution is here
By using modern gene-editing technologies to learn key insights about past agricultural revolutions, two plant scientists are suggesting that the next agricultural revolution could be at hand.
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Antimicrobial resistance is drastically rising
Researchers have shown that antimicrobial-resistant infections are rapidly increasing in animals in low and middle income countries. They produced the first global of resistance rates, and identified regions where interventions are urgently needed.
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China's lunar rover discovers mysterious material on far side of Moon
Beijing (Sputnik) Sep 20, 2019
Yutu-2, the lunar rover for China's Chang'e-4 mission, grabbed attention last month after its drive team spotted some unusual "gel-like" material while roving close to a small crater.
The Chinese-language science outreach publication Our Space, which announced the findings on August 17, used the term "jiao zhuang wu", which can be translated as "gel-like," Space.com reported. This notion s
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New insight as to how cells maintain their identity
In the body's cells, some proteins are of vital importance as to which genes are active or turned off. Now, researchers have discovered which proteins are necessary in order to maintain the proper genetic regulation.
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Super-resolution microscopy better than ever
They can make tiny cell structures visible: cutting-edge light microscopes offer resolutions of a few tenths of a nanometer -- in other words, a millionth of a millimeter. Until now, super-resolution microscopes were much slower than conventional methods, because more or finer image data had to be recorded.
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Researchers alter mouse gut microbiomes by feeding good bacteria their preferred fibers
Humans choose food based on the way it looks, smells, and tastes. But the microbes in our guts use a different classification system -- one that is based on the molecular components that make up different fibers. Investigators found particular components of dietary fiber that encourage growth and metabolic action of beneficial microbes in the mouse gut.
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Rethinking how cholesterol is integrated into cells
Cholesterol is best known in connection with cardiovascular disease, but cholesterol is also vital for many fundamental processes in the body. Researchers have now presented a completely new, ground-breaking model for the integration and incorporation of cholesterol into cells, with great impact on our understanding of this important process.
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New study opens the door to flood resistant crops
Of the major food crops, only rice is currently able to survive flooding. Thanks to new research, that could soon change -- good news for a world in which rains are increasing in both frequency and intensity.
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Descendants of early Europeans and Africans in US carry Native American genetic legacy
Many people in the US do not belong to Native American communities but still carry bits of Native American DNA, inherited from European and African ancestors who had children with indigenous individuals during colonization and settlement. In a new study researchers investigate this genetic legacy and what it can tell us about how non-natives migrated across the US.
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Low on Juice: How Phone Batteries Shape the Rhythms of Our Daily Lives
Feeling stressed yet? (Credit: boyhey/Shutterstock)
It's happened to all of us. You're out and about when you notice that your phone is running low on battery. For many, the realization sparks a sense of urgency, and lends new meaning to plans we may have already laid. Edging that battery icon back up becomes a goal of singular urgency, a task that lends a frisson of unease to our everyday lives.
At least, that's what two researchers in Europe found when they surveyed a small gro
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Drones probe dust devils to understand Mars's atmosphere
Geneva, Switzerland (SPX) Sep 20, 2019
Dust devils, small dusty whirlwinds, have been studied for decades. But, says Brian Jackson, an associate professor in the Department of Physics at Boise State University, the ability of dust devils to lift dust into the atmosphere remains murky. "When we compare theoretical predictions of how much dust a devil should lift to how much it does lift, the numbers just don't add up," says Jackson.
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Surface melting causes Antarctic glaciers to slip faster towards the ocean
Study shows for the first time a direct link between surface melting and short bursts of glacier acceleration in Antarctica. During these events, Antarctic Peninsula glaciers move up to 100% faster than average. Scientists call for these findings to be accounted for in sea level rise predictions.
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Evolution of learning is key to better artificial intelligence
Since "2001: A Space Odyssey," people have wondered: could machines like HAL 9000 eventually exist that can process information with human-like intelligence? Researchers say that true, human-level intelligence remains a long way off, but a new article explores how computers could begin to evolve learning in the same way as natural organisms did -- with implications for many fields, including artificial intelligence.
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Alcohol-producing gut bacteria could cause liver damage even in people who don't drink
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the build-up of fat in the liver due to factors other than alcohol, but its cause remains unknown. Now, researchers have linked NAFLD to gut bacteria that produce a large amount of alcohol in the body, finding these bacteria in over 60% of NAFLD patients. Their findings could help develop a screening method for early diagnosis and treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver.
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Personality feature could predict how often you exercise
Individuals who make concrete plans to meet their goals may engage in more physical activity, including visits to the gym, compared to those who don't plan quite so far ahead, research shows. These findings suggest that self-reported levels of a trait called 'planfulness' may translate into real world differences in behavior.
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The best of two worlds: Magnetism and Weyl semimetals
Imagine a world in which electricity could flow through the grid without any losses or where all the data in the world could be stored in the cloud without the need for power stations. This seems unimaginable but a path towards such a dream has opened with the discovery of a new family of materials with magical properties.
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NanoRacks to make space more accessible to the world from the United Arab Emirates
Abu Dhabi UAE (SPX) Sep 20, 2019
NanoRacks, the world's leading provider of commercial access to space, is pleased to announce that it's opening and staffing its first office in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Abu Dhabi's Hub71, a global tech ecosystem driven by Mubadala Investment Company, backed by the Abu Dhabi Government's Ghadan 21 program. This expansion highlights NanoRacks commitment to the growing space sector in the
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Sponge-like action of circular RNA aids heart attack recovery
Circular RNAs, like other noncoding RNAs, were thought to be nonfunctional, but recent evidence suggests otherwise. Circular RNAs may in fact act like sponges to 'soak up,' or bind, other molecules, including microRNAs and proteins, and new work supports this idea. They describe, for the first time, a circular RNA that fills a critical role in tissue repair after heart attack, thanks to its ability to soak up harmful molecules.
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Real-Life Zombies
A zombie takeover is science fiction, right? Well, it turns out some zombies already exist in nature and “life” after brain death might not be so far-fetched
-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
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Researchers investigate key component in bacteria
A protective protein that detects newly-made incomplete protein chains in higher cells is found to have a relative in bacteria. There, the protein also plays a central role in quality control which ensures that defective proteins are degraded. The functional mechanism of these Rqc2 proteins must therefore have already existed several billion years ago in the so-called last universal common ancestor. Scientists have experimentally investigated the bacterial Rqc2 relative's function.
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Even short-lived solar panels can be economically viable
A new study shows that, contrary to widespread belief within the solar power industry, new kinds of solar cells and panels don't necessarily have to last for 25 to 30 years in order to be economically viable in today's market.
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How people with psychopathic traits control their 'dark impulses'
How do people with psychopathic traits control their 'dark impulses?' A team of researchers are finding answers in levels of gray matter density in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, a region of the brain involved in the regulation of emotions, including fear and anger.
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Genetic variants with possible positive implications for lifestyle
A research team has examined the interplay between genetics, cardiovascular disease and educational attainment in a major population study. Genetic variants which had been linked to educational attainment in other studies were observed in the subjects. The researchers found that these variants also had implications for a more health-conscious lifestyle and thus a lower risk of cardiovascular disease - in some cases regardless of the level of education.
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Giant Volcano on Jupiter's Moon Could Erupt Any Second
A true color approximation of Jupiter's moon Io taken by the Galileo spacecraft in 1999. (credit: PIRL/University of Arizona)
A volcano spread across an area greater than Lake Michigan could erupt any day. Located on Jupiter's moon Io scientists predict that Loki, named after the Norse trickster god, is due to explode sometime in mid-September. The volcano last erupted in May 2018, an event also predicted by scientists.Â
"Loki volcano is huge — 200 kilometers across. Itâ€...
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AAN recommends people 65+ be screened yearly for memory problems
To help physicians provide the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care, the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) is recommending physicians measure how frequently they complete annual assessments of people age 65 and older for thinking and memory problems.
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Medications underused in treating opioid addiction
Though research shows that medication-assisted treatment can help people who are addicted to opioids, the three drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are underused, according to a review of current medical data on opioid addiction in the U.S.
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Appreciating the classical elegance of time crystals
Structures known as 'time crystals' -- which repeat in time as conventional crystals repeat in space -- have recently captured the interest and imagination of researchers across disciplines. The concept has emerged from the context of quantum many-body systems, but physicists have now developed a versatile framework that clarifies connections to classical works dating back nearly two centuries, thus providing a unifying platform to explore seemingly dissimilar phenomena.
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