Science

Scientists conducted an experiment involving more than 700 people. Volunteers recorded their dreams for a week and answered the experts’ questions.

In the course of the study, experts divided the thoughts of the subjects into 4 groups: spontaneous; those that depend on the fulfilment of goals, but have no connection with stimuli; caused by stimuli, but not related to tasks; caused by both tasks and stimuli.

The results revealed similarities between dreams and daytime reflections that were not task-related. In addition, participants saw images in dreams that they had thought about during the day with no connection to the stimulus. The dreams were characterised by vividness but lacked meaningfulness, volunteers admitted.

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Australian researchers have found that frequent use of electronic devices has a negative impact on intelligence. A meta-analysis of 34 studies looking at different forms of gadget use, including internet surfing, virtual games and social networking, was conducted.

Those who spent more time in front of screens showed lower intellectual abilities than those who were independent of electronic devices. As the researchers found, these users have a decreased ability to focus on a fixed stimulus for long periods of time. They also began to have less control over their own automatic reactions.

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Researchers at the Technical University of Munich have used an innovative non-invasive technique to image blood vessels under the skin in people suffering from diabetes, and thanks to artificial intelligence (AI) they have been able to provide an ‘assessment’ that can characterise the severity of the patients’ ailment. According to a publication in Nature Biomedical Engineering, once this technology becomes portable, it could be used to track the effectiveness of treatments.

The technique developed by German scientists is called optoacoustic imaging, which harnesses light pulses to create ultrasound directly inside tissues. Tiny tissue expansions and contractions that surround molecules absorb light and create signals that are recorded by sensors and converted into high-resolution images. It is noted that oxygen-carrying haemoglobin represents one such molecule, and because it is concentrated in blood vessels, optoacoustic imaging provides detailed images not available from other non-invasive techniques. Moreover, it is fast and does not involve radiation.

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For this purpose, the data of 465 thousand people from 37 to 73 years old from the British Biobank were analysed. They were divided into 4 categories: those who did not salt their food at all, those who did it rarely, often and constantly. Initially, all subjects did not suffer from chronic kidney disease, and the experts observed the changes in their condition for several years.

Years later, experts studied the group’s performance and recorded more than 22,000 cases of chronic kidney disease. Those who liked to salt their food had an 11 per cent higher risk of kidney disease. In addition, they had an increased body weight and reduced rate of glomerular filtration – the most important indicator of kidney function.

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Experts from the USA have concluded that sparkling wines, also known to us by the name “champagne”, may soon disappear altogether due to climate change.

For example, global warming is threatening a number of grape varieties used in the production of the fizzy drink, in particular Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier. These varieties are already on the brink of extinction.

According to Will Kletter, one of the researchers, true champagne, being a truly unique drink, requires several conditions to develop its characteristic flavour and proper acidity: warm and sunny days, as well as cool nights.

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