“Out of meat, how do you get thought? That’s the grandest question.” So said philosopher Patricia Churchland to Robert Lawrence Kuhn, the producer and host of the acclaimed PBS program, Closer to Truth. Now Kuhn, a member of FQxI’s scientific advisory council, has published a taxonomy of proposed solutions to, and theories regarding, the hard problem of consciousness. Kuhn produced the organizing framework for these diverse theories of consciousness in order to explore their impact on “ultimate questions,” such as meaning, purpose and value (if any), AI consciousness, virtual immortality, survival beyond death, and free will. His 175,000-word ‘landscape of consciousness’ was published in the journal Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology in its August 2024 issue.

Cultured meat is grown from animal muscle cells, and animal serum is required to promote the growth of these cells. However, the use of serum poses significant challenges because of its high cost and associated ethical concerns. Now, researchers have developed a system where growth factor-secreting liver cells and photosynthetic microorganisms can be grown together to create a low cost, environmentally friendly medium to grow muscle cells without the use of animal serum.

Becoming less sociable protects older monkeys from getting ill, new research shows.

The human genetic code is fully mapped out, providing scientists with a blueprint of the DNA to identify genomic regions and their variations responsible for diseases. Traditional statistical tools effectively pinpoint these genetic “needles in the haystack,” yet they face challenges in understanding how many genes contribute to diseases, as seen in diabetes or schizophrenia. A new study from the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), published in PNAS, tackles this problem.

Osaka Metropolitan University researchers have revealed the 3D structure of lab-made light-harvesting complex II (LHCII), a key component in photosynthesis. Using cryo-electron microscopy, they found that artificial LHCII closely mirrors the natural version, advancing research into solar energy harnessing and artificial photosynthesis technologies.

The National University of Singapore (NUS) will be taking a significant leap forward in synthetic biology, leveraging its deep expertise and cutting-edge innovations to usher a new paradigm for green manufacturing, driven by this rapidly evolving field. Over the next six years, the University plans to dedicate substantial resources and efforts – estimated to value around S$120 million (US$90.6 million) - to firmly establish synthetic biology as a foundational pillar of NUS’ innovation ecosystem, driving transformative benefits for Singapore across multiple sectors.