morganisms

[sidd]

Re: (human) education via AI

Wait a minute. We know AI fed on its own output degenerates into garbage. Now we feed AI to humans ?

sidd

[morganism]

(further up i posted a rant about the dental bacteria colonization plan, and how dental group bought patents and locked em up)

The Rise and Impending Fall of the Dental Cavity
(...)
Well there is, and it was discovered around forty years ago.

In 1984, through brute force, Hillman, Johnson and Yaphe isolated a strain of S. mutans that produced a novel bacteriocin—bacterially-produced toxins that inhibit growth in other bacteria nearby. Some variants were deficient in producing this bacteriocin and others produced twofold amounts. The ones that produced more of the bacteriocin proved highly capable of colonizing rat mouths.

Late in the next year, one of the discovered strains—dubbed JH1001—was applied to the mouths of five human subjects. The subjects were exposed to three different infection regimes. Three were infected once per day for four days, a fourth was given a dental prophylaxis (to suppress pre-existing S. mutans) and infected once per day for four days and then once every ten weeks for the next 2.5 years, and the final subject was given a dental prophylaxis and two exposures per day for four days. For one subject, JH1001 simply failed to take hold, whereas for another, it disappeared midway through the first year. For the rest, it was variously persistent, and in one subject, it constituted the only S. mutans still living in their mouth by 2.5 years.

In June of 1987, the Hillman group had two more papers published on their S. mutans specimens
(snip)
If you’ve been on Twitter lately, you might have seen when I made this post:

I’m one of the latest people to have had this wonderful living caries vaccine applied to their teeth. Given the incredible human toll of caries, you might be wondering when you, too, can get this healthier form of S. mutans in your mouth.

BCS3-L1 will soon be home-delivered in the U.S. for the price of a single dental filling, and there are plans to expand to other locations in the works too. The scourge of poor dental health that has wracked humanity for 10,000 years might soon be behind us.

A lucky part of all of this is that we’ll only need to try our hand at eradication once.

Like smallpox, S. mutans doesn’t have some natural reservoir that will crop up to re-infect humans with a wild strain that brings caries back. After we’ve gotten rid of it, it’s likely that caries will simply be diminished to the point of irrelevance for the vast majority of mankind. What’s more, because of the parent-to-child transmission described at this article’s outset, if a would-be parent is colonized, their kids will end up living a life that’s likely to include far fewer or zero caries.

The benefits for the poor, the old, infirm, and incapable of taking care of themselves, and the Third World are so large that there ought to be a public health initiative to spread this around. Such an effort would ultimately save many billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands, millions, or—in the long-enough run—potentially billions of human lives.

If you would like to read more about BCS3-L1 (also known as Lumina or SMaRT), please see Defying Cavity on AstralCodexTen.

And if you want to buy the product, I’ll link it again with this notice: orders are live and you can place them here.20 We now have the tool to make a long-time human plague disappear. Let’s use it.

https://www.cremieux.xyz/p/the-rise-and-impending-fall-of-the

https://www.luminaprobiotic.com/preorder

[morganism]

(Deep Hot Biosphere is locked. Have a 25yr? revisitation study further up in this thread. Thomas Gold rocks....)


How Deep Does Life Go?

Geologist James Powell chronicles the evolution of our understanding of life in the deep-sea biosphere.
(...)
Drilling the Abyss

The detection of life beneath the seafloor was the goal of one of the earliest Deep Sea Drilling Projects (DSDP) voyages, Leg 15 in 1970, led by chief scientist Wallace Broecker of Columbia University. The crew found methane, a byproduct of microbial activity, in sediments 800 meters beneath the seafloor and tens of millions of years old. In October 1986, the crew of DSDP Leg 96 drilled the Mississippi Fan, a submarine pile of sediment in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. They found subsurface microbial activity down to 167 meters beneath the seafloor. By the end of the century, the Ocean Drilling Program had sampled 14 sites for evidence of bacterial activity. A summary of these studies found that although the number of microbes typically decreases with depth beneath the seafloor, living cells are still present down to 700 meters. The authors came to the remarkable conclusion that the biomass in the top 500 meters of seafloor sediments equals 10 percent of that of the total surface biosphere. These early results suggested that living bacteria likely exist at greater depths than drilling had yet reached. This led to the first expedition designed specifically to study subsurface life.

In the spring of 2002, Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 201 drilled in two locations, one on the continental margin off Peru and the other in the equatorial Pacific. The subsurface ecosystems turned out to have a great diversity of microbes, including not only the sulfate-reducing bacteria found at the vents but a new type that got its energy from carbon reactions. The microbes were “alive” in that they engaged in metabolic activities such as repairing DNA and undergoing cell division. They included all three domains of life: archaea (one-celled organisms), bacteria, and eukaryotes (cells that have a nucleus). By this time, scientists estimated that subsurface bacterial life could amount to one-third that of Earth’s total living biomass. In 2003, ODP Leg 210 drilled the seafloor off Newfoundland and upped the ante once again. It found living bacterial cells 1,626 meters below the seafloor, in rocks 111 million years old, at temperatures of 113 degrees Celsius. This led the authors to estimate that bacteria in subsurface sediments may make up as much as two-thirds of total bacterial biomass.

    The microbes were “alive” in that they engaged in metabolic activities such as repairing DNA and undergoing cell division.

In October 2010, expedition 329 of the Integrated Ocean Discovery Program (IODP), which followed the ODP, drilled in the South Pacific Gyre, some of the deepest water on Earth. It is the largest of the five giant oceanic systems of rotation that move enormous volumes of seawater. The South Pacific Gyre rotates counterclockwise, bounded by the equator to the north, Australia to the west, South America to the east, and the Antarctic Circumpolar Current to the south. Its center is the “oceanic pole of inaccessibility”: the location farthest from any continent. The South Pacific Gyre has one of the lowest sedimentation rates in the oceans and its bottom sediments have the lowest cell concentrations and the least metabolic activity of any. To discover the most extreme conditions under which life can exist on Earth, this is the place to go.

Aboard the JOIDES Resolution, still hard at work after all these years, in water nearly 6 kilometers deep, the scientists drilled 100 meters into the seafloor. They found microbes all the way to the bottom of the cores, albeit not as many as in the richer areas closer to the surface. The scientists estimated that the deepest microbes were at least 100 million years old, making it seem they could only be fossils. Surely nothing could “survive,” whatever that means exactly, for 100 million years. But when brought back to the lab and offered nutrients, the microbes began to grow and multiply.

This seemingly fantastic discovery raised the question of what the microbes beneath the gyre had been doing for 100 million years. Perhaps the cells had too little food to divide, but enough to repair damaged molecules. But that “seems insane,” said Steven D’Hondt, one of the leading authorities on microbial life in the seafloor, who wondered whether there is not another undiscovered source of energy — possibly radioactivity — that could support slow cell division.

On Expedition 337 of the IODP, the Japanese drilling ship Chikyū (Earth), designed for deep-sea drilling, cored to a depth of 2,466 meters beneath the seafloor off Japan’s Shimokita Peninsula. It found microorganisms in coal and shale that resemble those in the soil of modern tropical forests. These microbial communities are thought to be relics of those that inhabited soils about 20 million years ago, rather than more modern microbes that might have migrated into the coal layers from elsewhere. To explore the upper temperature limit at which microbes can survive, on Leg 370 of the IODP, Chikyū drilled in the Nankai Trough subduction zone off Cape Muroto in south-central Japan. The drill reached 4,776 meters and the deepest core was collected at 1,177 meters, where the temperature measured 120 degrees Celsius. Microbial life was detected all the way to the bottom of the sediment column. The cells at that depth appeared to spend most of their energy repairing the damage caused by the high temperature. Several authorities had written that the temperature limit to life in the subsurface was 80 degrees Celsius, but Gold had predicted that the upper temperature limit on bacterial life would be in the range of 120 to 150 degrees Celsius — and he turned out to be right.
Martians
(more)

https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/how-deep-does-life-go/

[morganism]

(Ars Tech did a deep dive on the oral bacteria posted above )

(...)
The human mouth contains hundreds of species of bacteria that function together in a community—an oral microbiome. A healthy bacterial balance keeps teeth and gums in good shape.

Cavities are caused by acid-producing bacteria. Several kinds of oral bacteria can make acid, explained Jonathon Baker, an assistant professor of dentistry at Oregon Health & Science University. But one bacterium, Streptococcus mutans, especially wreaks havoc because it can make both acid and biofilms, including dental plaque. That sticky coating traps acid on teeth, eroding tooth enamel and creating cavities.

In the 1980s, Hillman discovered a naturally occurring version of S. mutans that secretes the antibiotic mutacin 1140. Because mutacin broadly kills other species of bacteria, he realized it could potentially outcompete other harmful strains. (It’s not known how many people naturally have mutacin-producing S. mutans in their mouths; Hillman found this version in one sample out of 115.)

To make sure the bacteria wouldn’t cause cavities itself, Hillman genetically altered it to metabolize sugar in such a way that it produces alcohol instead of tooth-damaging lactic acid, like other cavity-causing Streptococcus strains do. Bacteria often swap genetic material, so he also tweaked the strain to prevent it from taking genes from other bacteria; other bacteria can still take genes from the genetically modified Streptococcus.

Hillman announced the new strain, called BCS3-L1, in 2000. Around that same time, Oragenics sought to begin a clinical trial. But due to concerns that the bacteria could be transmitted between people, have unintended consequences, or revert back to a cavity-causing strain, the company told The New York Times in 2004, the Food and Drug Administration put constraints on the trial, which was then never completed.

Hillman continued his research: A 2009 study showed that his bacteria appeared to colonize rats’ mouths and outcompete other Streptococcus strains that can contribute to tooth decay. But studies have been limited since, and Hillman and Oragenics eventually abandoned the project. About 12 years ago, he retired.

    “Without human trials, you really can't determine whether it's safe or efficacious.”

Silverbook picked up where Hillman left off: The genetically modified version of Streptococcus mutans is the basis of Lumina. After considering whether to market it as a cosmetic product, as teeth whiteners are, or as a probiotic, which falls under FDA regulation as a dietary supplement, Silverbook decided to go the cosmetic route. In the US, only drugs and medical devices must go through the strict process for the FDA to deem them safe and effective.
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The FDA did not provide direct comment in response to a list of questions sent by Undark. Courtney Rhodes, an FDA spokesperson, did, however, point to the agency’s website, which notes that drugs are defined by their intended use for “diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease,” and that mismarketing a product is against the law.

Lumina isn’t the first genetically engineered bacteria to hit the market: A company called ZBiotics launched a hangover preventive probiotic in 2019. The small drink contains Bacillus subtilis bacteria, common in other probiotic blends, but with an added gene that helps break down acetaldehyde, a byproduct of alcohol linked to headaches. (There is no published evidence that it helps with hangovers, nor colonizes the gut—there’s only a small toxicity study in rats.)

Lumina is different, though, in that it’s a modified version of what is technically a pathogen that causes dental decay, said Paul Jensen, a biomedical engineering professor who studies oral microbiology at the University of Michigan. Other probiotic supplements are “generally regarded as safe," Jensen said. "They're usually in our food to begin with. We know that they're not pathogens."

When asked about concerns that distributing a modified bacteria could potentially cause harm, Silverbook responded, “I think that this is not the kind of air-quotes pathogen that will make anything worse.”

Hillman’s goal was to make “an affordable product that helps prevent a very painful disease,” he said, “but, you want it to be safe and effective.” When asked if more research is needed to determine its safety and effectiveness, he responded, “I was certainly always planning to do more studies,” but declined to comment further.

Silverbook sees his product as a way to save people time and money: Dental care costs $136 billion a year in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Untreated dental infections can also be dangerous, “and there's plenty of people who, for whatever reason, have a lot of trouble going to the dentist at all,” he said. “It would be really nice to have something that helps with that.”

Silverbook stressed that he is not making a medical claim—a key strategy, he said, in terms of regulation. “A lot of our regulatory system is based on claims, and if you're really careful about not making a disease treatment claim, then you can get around the drug safety and efficacy trials,” said Kuzma, the North Carolina State University professor.

Clinical trials in the US are especially difficult to carry out, said Jeff Banas, a professor and microbiology researcher at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry, because they are expensive, take time, and face stricter guidelines.

    If you're really careful about not making a disease treatment claim, then you can get around the drug safety and efficacy trials.”

“If we do a clinical trial, then we are a drug and we cannot sell it unless I have half a billion dollars and 10 years,” Silverbook said.

Scott Aaronson, a theoretical computer scientist and professor at the University of Texas at Austin, volunteered to take Lumina after reading about it on a blog, and got it during a trip to Berkeley, California. He had lost trust in the FDA during the pandemic, such as when the agency delayed the rollout of COVID tests. When he heard that Lumina might help with cavities, Aaronson “was completely ready to believe that if something like this existed, then it would not have been approved by the FDA.”

“I gave this a try simply because it was fast and easy,” he wrote in an email to Undark. “And the downside risk seemed negligible.”

Jensen, the biomedical engineering professor, cautions that more research is needed to show that genetically engineered microbes can improve oral health and don’t have unintended side effects.

The antibiotic in Lumina, he noted, could potentially wipe out other Streptococcus species that are associated with good oral health. And there are other microbes at play that determine gum health. “They're not the same bacteria that cause tooth decay,” he said. “But you have to be worried about messing up those communities at the same time.”

Additionally, people swallow about a liter of saliva every day, meaning the S. mutans’ antibiotic could end up in the intestine, potentially disrupting the gut microbiome, Jensen said. And because Lumina produces alcohol as a byproduct, it’s possible that might have an impact, too, though the amounts are tiny, and it’s hard to know without more research, he added.
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In an email to Undark, Silverbook wrote that the company has been following the “fifty or so” people who have volunteered to take Lumina, and that no adverse events have been noted so far. Their follow-ups, according to Silverbook, consist of a self-reported survey and taking swabs to track whether S. mutans has successfully colonized the mouth. “We haven't yet decided how long the follow up will be,” Silverbook wrote in another email, “but we anticipate colonization of the mouth to take about two years.” Regarding concerns about the gut microbiome, he wrote that Lumina “isn't especially intended to be swallowed.”

Given the lack of evidence, Jensen said, “I don't think I would take it.”

Quite a few oral probiotics have been tested in clinical trials as a solution for better oral health, though none of those are genetically modified. These products aim to add beneficial bacteria to the mouth. For instance, ProBiora, a chewable oral probiotic already available in the US, showed a modest reduction in cavities in children in one clinical trial. (ProBiora3, the bacterial blend in the tablets, was developed by Hillman at Oragenics.)

The Lumina microbe, though, was intended to be a kind of oral replacement therapy, so that the genetically modified bacteria would fight and overtake bad bacteria. Replacement therapy, Hillman said, “is doing what nature would eventually do given enough time. Pathogens, especially organisms that live with us on a day-to-day basis, do not want to harm their host. It’s contrary to their own self-interest.”
(more)

https://arstechnica.com/health/2024/04/the-gmo-tooth-microbe-that-is-supposed-to-prevent-cavities/#p3

[morganism]

(and the counter of aphantasia, is hyperphantasia)

William Blake’s imagination is thought to have burned with such intensity that, when creating his great artworks, he needed little reference to the physical world. While drawing historical or mythical figures, for instance, he would wait until the “spirit” appeared in his mind’s eye. The visions were apparently so detailed that Blake could sketch as if a real person were sitting before him.

Like human models, these imaginary figures could sometimes act temperamentally. According to Blake biographer John Higgs, the artist could become frustrated when the object of his inner gaze casually changed posture or left the scene entirely. “I can’t go on, it is gone! I must wait till it returns,” Blake would declaim.

Such intense and detailed imaginations are thought to reflect a condition known as hyperphantasia, and it may not be nearly as rare as we once thought, with as many as one in 30 people reporting incredibly vivid mind’s eyes.

Just consider the experiences of Mats Holm, a Norwegian hyperphantasic living in Stockholm. “I can essentially zoom out and see the entire city around me, and I can fly around inside that map of it,” Holm tells me. “I have a second space in my mind where I can create any location.”

This once neglected form of neurodiversity is now a topic of scientific study, which could lead to insights into everything from creative inspiration to mental illnesses such as post-traumatic stress disorder and psychosis.

    Theirs is a very different experience from most. It’s extremely immersive, and their imagery affects them emotionally

Reshanne Reeder, Liverpool University

Francis Galton – better known as a racist and the “father of eugenics” – was the first scientist to recognise the enormous variation in people’s visual imagery. In 1880, he asked participants to rate the “illumination, definition and colouring of your breakfast table as you sat down to it this morning”. Some people reported being completely unable to produce an image in the mind’s eye, while others – including his cousin Charles Darwin – could picture it extraordinarily clearly.
(more)

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/apr/20/like-a-film-in-my-mind-hyperphantasia-and-the-quest-to-understand-vivid-imaginations

[morganism]

Sleep paralysis demons - and why they’re different to nightmares

(...)
How do sleep paralysis demons feel to someone who is experiencing them?

“Hallucinations can be classified into three main categories: intruder, incubus, and vestibular-motor (V-M) hallucinations,” explains Betul Rauf, PhD candidate in Sleep Research at Goldsmiths, University of London. “Intruder hallucinations include sensing and/or seeing something threatening in the room.

“Incubus hallucinations, which often tend to co-occur with intruder hallucinations, are marked by sensations of pressure on the chest, along with feelings of suffocation or choking. Unlike intruder and incubus hallucinations, V-M hallucinations are sometimes associated with feelings of bliss. These hallucinations involve ‘illusory movement experiences’, such as sensations of floating, spinning, or flying, as well as perceptions of changes in body position or size.”

These hallucinations are very different from nightmares, as Rauf explains: “Sleep paralysis demons manifest when the body is temporarily immobilised while the mind is awake, whereas nightmares unfold within a dream narrative and lack the physical sensations of paralysis.

“In nightmares, individuals usually maintain the ability to move or respond within the dream scenario, despite potential temporary freezes due to fear. In contrast, during sleep paralysis, they experience a temporary loss of muscle control, a defining feature that sets it apart from nightmares.”
What causes sleep paralysis demons?

Experts believe that there is a link to stress and anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), sleep deprivation and substance abuse. Research indicates that many people report stressful life events or emotional changes before these episodes, and there is also a link to the neurological condition narcolepsy, which interferes with the brain’s ability to control wakefulness.
Dealing with sleep paralysis demons

The best way to banish sleep paralysis demons is to understand that they’re not real – and that the paralysis and hallucinations will dissipate within a few minutes. Learning how to interrupt episodes when they are happening can also be useful.

Betul Rauf recommends “disruption strategies” – such as trying to make small, deliberate movements, such as repetitive blinking or wiggling fingers and toes, to end the paralysis. Some experts believe that practising lucid dreaming – where you learn to take control of your dreams, however fanciful that sounds – can also help sufferers to overcome these frightening hallucinations. Some of these techniques involve waking yourself up with an alarm in the middle of the night or after five hours of sleep and actively telling yourself to remember you are dreaming, known as the “wake back to bed” method, which has proven effective for some.
(more)

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/conquer-sleep-paralysis-demons-080000332.html