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The combustion of oxygen in our cells takes place in the so-called respiratory chain, which carefully controls the process. Electrons, which come from digestion, are transferred to the oxygen we breathe. The oxygen molecules bind to an enzyme in our mitochondria, the cellular power plant. However, the bound oxygen is not immediately combusted to form water, as in an uncontrolled fire, but is converted to water gradually in a carefully controlled process. Up until now, we only had a very basic knowledge about the mechanism of this process, since the reaction is too rapid to be studied using available techniques. One possibility would be to follow the reactions at low temperatures, at about -50 degrees Celsius, where they would be sufficiently slow. However, this is not practically possible.
In this project, researchers Federica Poiana and Christoph von Ballmoos studied oxygen combustion in a bacterium that lives in hot springs – they thrive in nearly boiling water. When the research group performed their studies at 10 degrees, the bacteria found it extremely cold – comparable to human mitochondria exposed to -40 degrees. The reactions were sufficiently slow to allow studies using available instruments. By combining their experimental studies with theoretical calculations, the researchers could translate their observations to the equivalent processes in human cells.
Putting the extreme heat-loving micro-organisms in a temperature merely cool for humans slowed down the metabolic process enough to be observed.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday June 20 2017, @08:47PM (3 children)
Wasn't there not so long ago an article about how a human voice can be simulated with a few hundred samples. Carl Sagan surely has left us enough samples of his voice. Maybe one day "voice fonts" will be readily available for speech synthesizers that everyone commonly has in all their devices.
Now, on the subject of science in its full majesty. Does it conflict with the prevailing political views? Does it tend to suggest ideas like (gasp!) evolution should be taught in order to understand the narrative?
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 3, Informative) by takyon on Tuesday June 20 2017, @08:59PM (1 child)
https://news.fastcompany.com/listen-to-this-startup-eerily-imitate-the-voices-of-trump-and-obama-with-ai-4035543 [fastcompany.com]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocaloid [wikipedia.org]
Absolutely. I'm surprised the technology is not better than it is in 2017 (the machine learning age).
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by butthurt on Tuesday June 20 2017, @10:58PM
There's also Adobe Voco.
/article.pl?sid=16/11/23/1449252 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by FunkyLich on Tuesday June 20 2017, @09:05PM
So it was? I didn't know it about the voice font thing, it actually is a nice thing.
Teaching evolution? But that could mean more complicated implications than simply understanding a narrative. It might lead to understanding how vaccines work. Or how babies end up forming from piling up cells from zillions of divisions. And then contraceptives could make sense, oh my! God forbid, critical thinking you mean?
On the other hand, science is majestic, however you look at it. Even those who throw dirt at it regularly, will agree that aspirin and antibiotics work and will not refuse them in case of need.