A third of all human disease is related to the nervous system. That’s why President Obama launched the BRAIN Initiative. That’s why the two of us have devoted our lives to studying the brain. We are Karim Oweiss, professor of electrical and computer engineering, biomedical engineering, and neuroscience, and Kevin J. Otto, associate professor of biomedical engineering. We’re both faculty in the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering and members of a campus-wide community at the University of Florida that is working together to understand the structure and function of the brain, and to unlock breakthrough therapies. Last month we were each awarded $4.2 million from the Department of Defense to investigate how applying electrical stimulation to peripheral nerves can strengthen neuronal connections in the brain and accelerate learning. Our research projects – which are actually totally separate – are two of eight projects nationwide selected for the Targeted Neuroplasticity Training program of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA. To the best of our ability we will answer questions about these projects, as well as anything you might want to about emerging neurotechnologies and tools, neurological disorders and diseases, and the effects of aging on the brain. Here’s a little more information about us: Karim Oweiss (@koweiss): My lab is focused on studying the basic mechanisms of sensorimotor integration and learning, and engineering clinically viable brain machine interface (BMI) systems to restore, augment or repair damaged neurological functions like hearing, sight and movement. We focus on mechanisms of neural integration and coordination in executive control areas of the brain such as the prefrontal and sensorimotor cortices. We’re working to understand how ensembles of neurons represent and integrate multiple sensory cues to guide motor action; how neural computations take place at the cellular and population levels with cell-type specificity; how neural ensemble activity can be decoded to actuate artificial devices; and how precise control of cell-type-specific events can perturb and control neural responses to evoke desired behavioral outcomes, as well as long-lasting plastic changes in neural circuits that mediate this behavior. An ultimate goal is to make a quantum leap in machine intelligence by developing bio-inspired smart algorithms for a variety of applications such as autonomous vehicles and Lifelong Learning Machines. I moved my lab to the University of Florida in 2014 after 11 years as faculty at Michigan State University. I am a professor in UF’s Department of Electrical Engineering, with affiliate faculty appointments in the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering and the McKnight Brain Institute. I received my Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering and computer science from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. I’m a senior member of the IEEE, received the excellence in Neural Engineering award from NSF, and am editor of the book: Statistical Signal Processing for Neuroscience and Neurotechnology (2010). Kevin Otto (@OttoKev): My research is focused on engineering neural interfaces for both research purposes as well as treatment options in neurological injuries or disease. In particular, multi-channel implantable microdevices in both the central and peripheral nervous systems. These interfaces are being investigated for many applications including sensory replacement, cognitive functional therapy, and neuromodulation for autonomic therapies. In 2014, I joined the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering at UF as an associate professor after eight years as faculty at Purdue University. My post-doc fellowship at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, was in biomedical engineering and in the department of otolaryngology with a focus on cochlear implants. I earned my Ph.D. in biomedical engineering at Arizona State University. I am the co-chair for this year’s National Biomedical Engineering Society Annual Conference. We will be back at 1 pm ET to answer your questions, ask us anything! Hey everyone, we’re jumping on now to answer your questions until 3pm ET

I work in areas of formal epistemology, philosophy of mathematics, decision theory, and am increasingly interested in issues of social epistemology and collective action, both as they relate to my earlier areas and in other ways. I’ve done work on various paradoxes of the infinite in probability and decision theory, on the foundations of Bayesianism, on the social epistemology of mathematics, and written one weird paper using metaphysics to derive conclusions about physics. Links of Interest: My research website including links and descriptions to most of my papers. My appearance (in 2015) on Julia Galef’s “Rationally Speaking” podcast, discussing Newcomb’s Paradox, its connection to other issues in decision theory and free will, and what I call a “tragedy of rationality”. A discussion (from 2011) with Jonathan Weisberg about the role of accuracy in constraining beliefs and probabilities, and their connection, on Philosophy TV. The idea of this discussion eventually became my Dr. Truthlove paper in Nous (paper available from Philosophers’ Annual - 10 Best Papers of 2015) My paper “Decision Theory without Representation Theorems”, at the open access journal Philosophers’ Imprint. My old blog, Antimeta, which I ran for several years in graduate school, discussing issues in philosophy of mathematics, probability, and occasionally metaphysics. My posts from the period 2005-2009 on Brian Weatherson’s blog, Thoughts, Arguments, and Rants.

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Hi, Reddit! Thanks to you all for these insightful questions! I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to discuss our research with so many interested people. I want to thank my lab team (especially Akram Salam, Dr. James Lyles and Dr. Angelle Bullard-Roberts) and the amazing Carol Clark at Emory Communications for their help during this event! Also - thanks to one of my favorite natural products (caffeine) for helping us power through the Reddit AMA marathon! I’m sorry if we did not have time to answer your question but hopefully you can find further information in some of the links posted during the AMA. In addition, please follow the Quave Research Group on Twitter https://twitter.com/QuaveEthnobot, Facebook https://www.facebook.com/QuaveMedicineWoman, Instagram http://instagram.com/quaveethnobot/, and our research group webpage http://etnobotanica.us/. I’m Cassandra Quave, a medical ethnobotanist at Emory University’s Center for Human Health and Department of Dermatology in the School of Medicine. Ethnobotany is the study of human interactions with plants — especially in traditional societies that incorporate wild plants into their daily lives. My lab is focused on studying the botanical ingredients used in traditional medicines for infectious disease to discover new solutions for one of the world’s most pressing medical issues: Antibiotic resistance. Traditional healers in the Amazon, for example, have used the Brazilian peppertree for hundreds of years to treat infections of the skin and soft tissues. We recently discovered that the red berries of this plant — an invasive, noxious weed common in Florida —contain a medicinal mechanism with the power to disarm dangerous antibiotic-resistant staph bacteria known as MRSA. This mechanism works by simply disrupting the ability of MRSA to produce toxins, so the body’s natural immune system can work to better clear the infection. You can read more about this discovery here: http://esciencecommons.blogspot.com/2017/02/brazilian-peppertree-packs-power-to.html And here is a link to my web site: http://etnobotanica.us/ I’ll be back at 1pm EST to answer your questions. Ask me anything!

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Hi reddit! The NanoCar Race is an event organized by the CNRS, the French National Center for Scientific Research, in which molecular machines compete on a nano-sized racetrack. These “NanoCars” or molecule-cars can have real wheels, an actual chassis… and are propelled by the energy of electric pulses! Nothing is visible to the naked eye, however a unique microscope located at the CNRS’s Centre d’élaboration de matériaux et d’études structurales (CEMES) in Toulouse (south-western France) will make it possible to follow the race. The six teams are: -The Green Buggy from Université Paul Sabatier (Toulouse, France): http://nanocar-race.cnrs.fr/equipesen-fr.php -The Swiss Nano Dragster from University of Basel (Switzerland): http://nanocar-race.cnrs.fr/equipesen-ch.php -Dipolar Racer from Rice University (Houston, USA) / Graz Universität (Graz, Austria): http://nanocar-race.cnrs.fr/equipesen-ua.php -Windmil from Technische Universität Dresden (Dresden, Germany): http://nanocar-race.cnrs.fr/equipesen-de.php -NIMS-MANA car from National Institute for Materials Science (Tsukuba, Japan): http://nanocar-race.cnrs.fr/equipesen-jp.php -Ohio Bobcat from Ohio University (Athens, USA): http://nanocar-race.cnrs.fr/equipes-us.php We are also with Claire-Marie Pradier, Scientific Deputy Director at the Institute of Chemistry of the CNRS and with Erik Dujardin, Research Director at CEMES CNRS in Toulouse France, who is heading the group who organized and is hosting the first-ever race of molecular cars. A genuine scientific prowess and an international human adventure, the race is a one-off event, and will be broadcast live on http://nanocar-race.cnrs.fr/indexEnglishLive.php and the NanoCar Race YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/NanoCarRace/live We’ll be back at 11 am EST to answer your questions! AUA! Proof : http://imgur.com/a/1QhWh

Severe weather touches every state in the U.S. Tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, hail, strong winds and floods are real threats to our property and our lives. NOAA Hazardous Weather Testbed works to understand and predict severe weather to help everyone be prepared. We work in the National Weather Center in Norman, Oklahoma, which houses scientists from a variety of organizations, including NOAA’s National Severe Storm Laboratory (NSSL) and Storm Prediction Center, as well as the University of Oklahoma Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies. Spring has arrived and with it come efforts to study and learn to better predict severe weather like tornadoes. Hazardous Weather Testbed and VORTEX-SE (Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes EXperiment-Southeast), which are designed to learn more about storms, help improve our abilities and bring you better forecasts. We are ready to answer your questions today from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. about all of it, so ask us anything!

ACS AMA Hello, Reddit! I’m Prof. James E. Patterson of Brigham Young University. I completed my B.S. and M.S. degrees in chemistry at BYU, and my Ph.D. in physical chemistry at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. After a postdoctoral fellowship at the Institute for Shock Physics at Washington State University, I began my appointment at BYU in 2007. Most of my work has focused on the use of nonlinear optics (sum-frequency generation and second harmonic generation) to the molecular-level investigation of materials and interfaces. A common theme has been to understand the molecular response of materials, such as polymers and metals, to mechanical, thermal and chemical stress. Hi Reddit! My name is Shawn Averett, and I am finishing a Ph.D. in physical chemistry at BYU. As a graduate student I use sum frequency generation spectroscopy to investigate the surface response of materials to mechanical deformation. I am also working to better understand the nature and origin of nonresonant sum frequency generation. Prior to graduate school I taught high school science and engineering for four years. Our team recently presented research about a new laser-based technique we’ve developed to reveal hidden damage in metals at the 253rd American Chemical Society National Meeting & Exposition. Non-destructive testing (or NDT) offers the ability to check the structural integrity of an airplane, ship, or bridge without having to dismantle it or remove any material for testing, which could further compromise the structure. Current NDT techniques include X-ray imaging, which can detect microscopic cracks in metals. This method is expensive, requires shielding from the X-rays, and is difficult to use in the field. Other NDT techniques give less precise results and require highly trained technicians. Our approach uses a spectroscopic method known as second harmonic generation (SHG), which alters the wavelength of the light. We start with shining green laser light onto a metal sample. Through SHG, the metal converts some of the incoming light into ultraviolet light, which bounces back from the metal along with the remaining green light. By measuring this conversion, we can detect if the metals have been changed by some form of stress. We’ve found this technique can distinguish between metal samples that are still sound and those that have been irreversibly damaged and require replacing. Our method can detect damage invisible to current NDT, and because SHG is extremely sensitive to material changes it may give earlier warning of danger for damage that current NDT can detect. You can learn more about this research in this video. Ask us anything about our new approach for non-destructive testing and its applications for detecting damage. We’ll be back at 11am EDT (8am PDT, 3pm UTC) to answer your questions! -acs edit

Hi reddit! My team’s research is focused on measuring spatial disorientation, i.e. getting lost in everyday environments, in dementia. To investigate these symptoms we use virtual reality and real-life tests with the patients, which demonstrates to us what makes patients get lost. We can then use this information to potentially predict which patients are at a high risk of getting lost. Getting lost is not trivial, as every year in the UK alone around 200 dementia patients die of exposure when lost. Investigating the causes of the symptoms and how we can treat them is therefore vital to guarantee the safety of our patients. I look forward to answering lots of interesting questions about dementia and spatial disorientation, including the causes, potential future treatments of the symptoms, and the work that my team is doing at UEA, during this AMA. Thank you everyone for your thoughtful questions today - it’s been a great first AMA experience for me! Unfortunately, I did not have the time to answer all your questions, however if you’re interested in learning more about my research, I hope you’ll consider watching a lecture that I’m giving in London next week. It will be streamed live to the UEA Alumni Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/ueaalumni/videos/1253772841326955 Michael

Hello reddit! I’m Cathy Spong, and I am deputy director of NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). At NICHD, we focus on the entire life process rather than a specific disease or body system. We support research on physical and intellectual developmental disabilities, rehabilitation, population health, fertility, pregnancy, and childhood conditions. Last year, I hosted an AMA on Zika and its effects on pregnancy. Today, I’d like to discuss Zika’s effects on child development, and how we are at the tip of the iceberg in terms of understanding how the virus affects development. Microcephaly is only one of the many severe complications of Zika exposure in the womb. Children born to Zika-infected mothers can face many other health problems, and what has been reported to date likely represents only the most severe cases. Because Zika is spread by Aedes mosquitoes and through sexual contact, people should pay attention, even if they do not live in a Zika-endemic area. To fully understand the impact on children, including the subtle effects, we need to conduct a full, long-term assessment of the exposed child, including monitoring for physical symptoms, as well as for signs of intellectual and developmental disabilities. Careful monitoring and evaluation of behavior, developmental stages, and achievement of milestones will improve our understanding of prenatal Zika exposure and help us identify potential medical treatments and other interventions, such as physical therapy. I’ve talked about Zika’s threat to child development in a Huffington Post blog. I urge researchers, especially those who do not study infectious diseases or pregnancy, to consider how their work can help. Collaboration across medical specialties will be vital. I will be answering questions starting at 2 p.m. ET (11 a.m. PT). Ask Me Anything! EDIT: Hi, everyone! That wraps our chat up for today. Thank you for your questions – this was a great opportunity to discuss Zika virus and its impact on child development. We will be closing this AMA thread, but if you have follow-up questions, please send us a reddit message, Facebook message, or tweet at us.

Hi reddit! My name is Karen Mifsud. I’m Senior Research Associate at the University of Bristol in the Neuro-Epigenetic Research Group. Our current research is investigating how the brain copes with stress. I am specifically interested in the molecular changes that occur in the brain to facilitate adaptive behavioural responses, as a mechanism for coping with stressful situations. This area of research is really important so we can identify impairments in these processes that may mediate the development of stress-related diseases such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Depression and Anxiety. For more information about our research please look here. Given that April is Stress Awareness month I thought it would be a perfect time to take part in an AMA session. I am happy to answer questions on my research, how animals are used in science, careers in science etc. so ‘Ask me Anything!’ I’ll be back to asnwer your questions at 10am ET/3pm GMT. AMA! This AMA has been organised by Understanding Animal Research and The Physiological Society. Edit 2: Thank you for all the questions and I’m sorry I did not get round to answering you all. Many of you have asked how you can cope better with stressful situations, well, after this hour long increase in my stress levels I will be attacking my easter egg stash to facilitate an appropriate recovery 

Hi Reddit, My name is Rebekah L. Rogers and I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Bioinformatics at UNC Charlotte. My research focuses on genome structure changes and new gene formation. I recently published a study titled “Excess of genomic defects in a woolly mammoth on Wrangel Island” with Montgomery Slatkin. We reanalyzed genome sequences for two woolly mammoths. One specimen came from Siberia at a time when mammoths were happy and healthy. The other comes from a small population that existed on Wrangel Island until 3700 years ago, another 600 years after all mainland mammoths had gone extinct. We found that bad mutations were accumulating in woolly mammoth genomes just before they went extinct. The accumulation of bad mutations is consistent with mathematical theories predicting that natural selection becomes inefficient in small populations. Under these circumstances, bad mutations could accumulate in genomes that normally would be weeded out by competition. The mammoth from Wrangel Island had 50% more of its genes broken compared with the mainland mammoth from much earlier. Several different types of bad mutations had accumulated— large deletions in the DNA, retrogenes (which reflect the action of selfish virus-like DNA sequences), and single letters that would cause genes to terminate early. Many of the broken genes are urinary proteins and the olfactory receptors that detect them — genes important for social signaling. We also discovered that the mammoth from the island had mutations that would give him a shiny satin coat. These results may be important for conservation. They suggest that other very small populations of endangered species might undergo the same type of mutational meltdown. In our mammoths, we found that it required many generations to see a signal as strong as what we observed in the Wrangel Island genome. The sooner we can intervene to bring endangered species back to normal levels, the better off their genomes will be. There are many factors that influence extinction. Climate change, habitat destruction, and hunting were all very important for the mammoths’ demise. Still, these bad mutations certainly did not help them as the struggled to adapt on the island. Listen to the 60 second Science podcast on our work. I will be answering your questions at 1pm ET. Ask me Anything! Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @evolscientist or elsewhere on reddit as rlrogers. Alright! 1pm ET! Ready to go! Ok, thanks for all the fun questions!! I had a great time! Now it’s back to the lab to collect fruit flies!