(editor's note: Two stories today caught my attention. The first one finds the mechanism in our brain that helps us forget. These may be the very same neurotransmitters that were stimulated in humanity to force us to "forget" so much of our own powerful Divinity. Now that we know where the switch is, turning it back on may be very simple...
The second story may be the beginning link to the ever-renewable abundant free energy just on our horizon. Scientists have created the first "practical" artificial leaf. Think it through with me for a moment -photosynthesis, turning water and sunlight into energy... yes! You see it too!!
In my daily treks through the news files of the world I'm amazed at the depth and scope of emerging science technologies! In the bigger picture of our changing world, we understand that these are stepping stones towards joining our Galactic community of scientists.
I'm so excited as each month passes to see the tremendous advances in our world. Soon, all of this information will be public knowledge, no more secrets, no more hiding and I will be moving on to yet another project :)
~All my Love, Boo)
Scientists Identify Neurotranmitters That Lead to Forgetting
The results showed that a small subset of dopamine neurons actively regulate the acquisition of memories and the forgetting of these memories after learning, using a pair of dopamine receptors in the brain. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that plays an important role in a number of processes including punishment and reward, memory, learning and cognition.
But how can a single neurotransmitter, dopamine, have two seemingly opposite roles in both forming and eliminating memories? And how can these two dopamine receptors serve acquiring memory on the one hand, and forgetting on the other?
The study shows that specific neurons in the brain release dopamine to two different receptors known as dDA1 and DAMB, located on what are called mushroom bodies because of their shape; these densely packed networks of neurons are vital for memory and learning in insects. The study found the dDA1 receptor is responsible for memory acquisition, while DAMB is required for forgetting.
Secrets of the First Practical Artificial Leaf
A detailed description of development of the first practical artificial leaf -- a milestone in the drive for sustainable energy that mimics the process, photosynthesis, that green plants use to convert water and sunlight into energy -- appears in the ACS journal Accounts of Chemical Research. The article notes that unlike earlier devices, which used costly ingredients, the new device is made from inexpensive materials and employs low-cost engineering and manufacturing processes.
Daniel G. Nocera points out that the artificial leaf responds to the vision of a famous Italian chemist who, in 1912, predicted that scientists one day would uncover the "guarded secret of plants." The most important of those, Nocera says, is the process that splits water into hydrogen and oxygen. The artificial leaf has a sunlight collector sandwiched between two films that generate oxygen and hydrogen gas. When dropped into a jar of water in the sunlight, it bubbles away, releasing hydrogen that can be used in fuel cells to make electricity.
