A new study revealed that brain cell components began forming around 800 million years ago in shallow seas. Experts from Spain and Germany have discovered characteristics of specialised secretory cells in simple animals called placozoans.&nbsp;

These basic creatures have no organs and are roughly the size of a grain of sand, consisting of little more than a colony of different cell types. Placozoans once hunted microbes and browsed algae in the warm shallows of seas 800 million years ago.

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<h2>Parallels between neurons and 800 million years old cells</h2>

Centre for Genomic Regulation cell biologist Sebastián Najle and colleagues discovered these so-called peptidergic cells have a number of uncannily similar traits to the cells we owe our own smarts.

"We were astounded by the parallels," exclaims Najle.

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"The placozoan peptidergic cells have many similarities to primitive neuronal cells, even if they aren't quite there yet. It's like looking at an evolutionary stepping stone."&nbsp;

After a genetic analysis was carried out, it was found that cells coordinated the tiny animal’s behaviours by releasing peptide signals much as neurons do.&nbsp;

The researchers identified 14 different types of peptide cells in the small marine animals. Comparing the tissues in four known placozoa species as well as with other early animals, the team found these cells even have some of the same genes as our neurons.

But there were a few differences between the two. The placozoan cells were missing specialised components that our neurons have to receive peptide signals or generate electrical signals. Instead, they use receptor proteins (GCPR) to receive the chemical messages, which are common across many animal cell types and not specific to neurons.

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The genes of the peptide-releasing cells were highly conserved in all the placozoans, but absent in other early animals like sponges and comb jellies (ctenophores).

This suggests the peptide-secreting cells may have evolved before other neuron-like cells.

The first known modern neuron arose around 650 million years ago in the common ancestor of jellyfish and the bilaterian group of animals that led to us.

"Cells are the fundamental units of life, so understanding how they come into being or change over time is key to explain the evolutionary story of life. Placozoans, ctenophores, sponges and other non-traditional model animals harbour secrets that we are only just beginning to unlock," concludes evolutionary biologist Arnau Sebé-Pedros.

(With inputs from agencies) 
 
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A new study revealed that brain cell components began forming around 800 million years ago in shallow seas. Experts from Spain and Germany have discovered characteristics of specialised secretory cells in simple animals called placozoans.

A new study revealed that brain cell components began forming around 800 million years ago in shallow seas. Experts from Spain and Germany have discovered characteristics of specialised secretory cells in simple animals called placozoans. These basic creatures have no organs and are roughly the size of a grain of sand, consisting of little more than a colony of different cell types. Placozoans once hunted microbes and browsed algae in the warm shallows of seas 800 million years ago. Also Read | Elon Musk's Neuralink gets OK for human trial of its brain implant for paralysis patients Parallels between neurons and 800 million years old cells Centre for Genomic Regulation cell biologist Sebastián Najle and colleagues discovered these so-called peptidergic cells have a number of uncannily similar traits to the cells we owe our own smarts. "We were astounded by the parallels," exclaims Najle. Also Read | Human brain can work even after death, scientists show in new study "The placozoan peptidergic cells have many similarities to primitive neuronal cells, even if they aren't quite there yet. It's like looking at an evolutionary stepping stone." After a genetic analysis was carried out, it was found that cells coordinated the tiny animal’s behaviours by releasing peptide signals much as neurons do. The researchers identified 14 different types of peptide cells in the small marine animals. Comparing the tissues in four known placozoa species as well as with other early animals, the team found these cells even have some of the same genes as our neurons. But there were a few differences between the two. The placozoan cells were missing specialised components that our neurons have to receive peptide signals or generate electrical signals. Instead, they use receptor proteins (GCPR) to receive the chemical messages, which are common across many animal cell types and not specific to neurons. Also Read | NASA's Curiosity rover reaches Mars ridge to study Red Planet's watery past The genes of the peptide-releasing cells were highly conserved in all the placozoans, but absent in other early animals like sponges and comb jellies (ctenophores). This suggests the peptide-secreting cells may have evolved before other neuron-like cells. The first known modern neuron arose around 650 million years ago in the common ancestor of jellyfish and the bilaterian group of animals that led to us. "Cells are the fundamental units of life, so understanding how they come into being or change over time is key to explain the evolutionary story of life. Placozoans, ctenophores, sponges and other non-traditional model animals harbour secrets that we are only just beginning to unlock," concludes evolutionary biologist Arnau Sebé-Pedros. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Origins of brain cells found in 800 million-year-old creatures

A recent study has revealed how scientists have taught human brain&nbsp;cells to play the famous 1970s video game, Pong.

Pong was released in 1972, where two players use paddles to bat a ball back and forth. The game was so simple and, back in those days, so successful.

The study published in Neuron gave details about this. For the study, cells were taken from humans and mice and were made to learn and then play the game. The human cells were taken from stem cells and the mice from embryonic cells.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/is-playing-in-mud-good-for-kids-heres-what-studies-have-to-say-525230">Also read |&nbsp;Is playing in mud good for kids? Here’s what studies have to say</a>

Approximately 800,000 brain cells were used in the experiment. The brain cells mastered the game, played longer rallies, and aced less often.

The scientists during the experiment attached "DishBrain," a multi-electrode array used to detect active cells and their activities when they strike the ball.

The experiment was successful, and the cells learned to play the game in just five minutes using a shared electric language activity.

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The cells played over 400 games, which were used to utilise the reactions, especially if their behaviour affects the environment. It was found that the cells could not learn how their behaviours affected the environment.&nbsp;

The scientists are now aiming to test if the cells can perform if they are drunk. The scientists hope to use the same method to learn more about dementia and more.&nbsp;

One of the lead authors, Dr. Brett Kagan, said, "This is the new way to think about what a neuron is." He added, "It’s not necessarily a computer, but it’s a small biological device that can process information and respond intelligently with incredible speed, low power consumption, and flexibility," The Guardian.

(With inputs from agencies)

A recent study has revealed how scientists have taught human brain cells to play the famous 1970s video game, Pong. Pong was released in 1972, where two players use paddles to bat a ball back and forth.

A recent study has revealed how scientists have taught human brain cells to play the famous 1970s video game, Pong. Pong was released in 1972, where two players use paddles to bat a ball back and forth. The game was so simple and, back in those days, so successful. The study published in Neuron gave details about this. For the study, cells were taken from humans and mice and were made to learn and then play the game. The human cells were taken from stem cells and the mice from embryonic cells. Also read | Is playing in mud good for kids? Here’s what studies have to say Approximately 800,000 brain cells were used in the experiment. The brain cells mastered the game, played longer rallies, and aced less often. The scientists during the experiment attached "DishBrain," a multi-electrode array used to detect active cells and their activities when they strike the ball. The experiment was successful, and the cells learned to play the game in just five minutes using a shared electric language activity. Also read | Signs of dementia can be detected at least nine years prior to official diagnosis, says study The cells played over 400 games, which were used to utilise the reactions, especially if their behaviour affects the environment. It was found that the cells could not learn how their behaviours affected the environment. The scientists are now aiming to test if the cells can perform if they are drunk. The scientists hope to use the same method to learn more about dementia and more. One of the lead authors, Dr. Brett Kagan, said, "This is the new way to think about what a neuron is." He added, "It’s not necessarily a computer, but it’s a small biological device that can process information and respond intelligently with incredible speed, low power consumption, and flexibility," The Guardian. (With inputs from agencies)

Scientists just taught human brain cells to play 'Pong'. This is how

Merriam-Webster’s defines a time warp as a “discontinuity, suspension or anomaly” in the otherwise normal passage of time; this year all three terms could apply. It seems like March happened 10 years ago; everyday may as well be Wednesday, and still, somehow, here come the holidays — fast, just like every year.

Some bard or novelist may yet come forth to help explain the paradoxes of pandemic time, both its Groundhog Days and the blurs of stress and fear for those on the front lines, or who had infectious people in their household. But brain science also has something to say about the relationship between perceived time and the Greenwich Mean variety, and why the two may slip out of sync.

In a new study, a research team based in Dallas reported the first strong evidence to date of so-called “time cells” in the human brain. The finding, posted by the journal PNAS, was not unexpected: In recent years, several research groups have isolated neurons in rodents that track time intervals. It’s where the scientists look for these cells, and how they identified them, that provide some insight into the subjective experiences of time.

“The first thing to say is that, strictly speaking, there is no such thing as ‘time cells’ in the brain,” said Gyorgy Buzsaki, a neuroscientist at New York University who was not involved in the new research. “There is no neural clock. What happens in the brain is neurons change in response to other neurons.”

He added, “Having said that, it’s a useful concept to talk about how this neural substrate represents the passage of what we call time.”

In the new study, a team led by Dr. Bradley Lega, a neurosurgeon at UT Southwestern Medical Center, analyzed the firing of cells in the medial temporal area, a region deep in the brain that is essential for memory formation and retrieval. It’s a natural place to look: Memories must be somehow “time-stamped” to retain some semblance of sequence, or chronological order.

The team took recordings from 27 people with epilepsy, who were being monitored for surgery; the monitoring requires a few weeks’ stay in the hospital, with electrodes implanted through the skull and into the brain, to get a reading on where seizures originate. And the medial temporal lobes, located about an inch in from the ears, are almost always monitored, as they are a common source of those seizures.

These patients played computer games that test thinking and memory, while researchers watched what happened to the firing patterns of cells. In this experiment, the subjects tried to memorize lists of words, presented one at a time, a second or so apart. The subjects then had 30 seconds to freely recall as many as they could.

The researchers found that certain neurons fired during a specific window of the free-recall period — from two to five seconds in, depending on the person. This firing was related only to time, not to anything else, such as the kinds of words being memorized and retrieved. And when those particular cells fired more precisely in a person’s temporal sweet spot, he or she did well on the recall, and remembered words in close to the order in which they were originally presented.

“These cells are encoding information related to time, and this information is clearly important for memory,” Lega said.

In effect, Lega said, the cells representing time fired to support an activity, in this case to track the passage of the 30-second interval. There is no constant rhythm or background beat; the time signal is conjured as needed. “There’s no internal metronome, or clock,” he said. The time cells are “firing to support what you’re doing.”

That is, time cells adjust to the demands being made on the brain, in real time, moment to moment. Another group of nearby neurons, called ramping cells, accelerates its firing as a task begins and decelerates or decays as the job winds down, marking off chunks of time. “As these cells are sensitive to contextual changes during experience, they could represent the slowly evolving nature of contextual information,” the authors write.

The coordinated activity of time cells and ramping cells, on its own, is far too basic to encompass the weirdness of pandemic time. This mechanism counts out time in seconds and minutes, not days and weeks. Our perception of those longer intervals seems to be shaped much more by the quantity and content of the memories that fill them, and by the emotions that help imprint them.

Starting in March, people had to absorb an enormous amount of news and information about the virus, the symptoms and various interventions, on top of work and child demands. But with stay-at-home orders, the context flattened. Each day looked a whole lot like the last, and the next, and the next. Like being lost at sea, we have floated in place while the Earth turned underfoot.

Pandemic time, the subjective kind, will likely feel warped for a while — until we make landfall, however that comes to pass.

Merriam-Webster’s defines a time warp as a “discontinuity, suspension or anomaly” in the otherwise normal passage of time; this year all three terms could apply.

Merriam-Webster’s defines a time warp as a “discontinuity, suspension or anomaly” in the otherwise normal passage of time; this year all three terms could apply. It seems like March happened 10 years ago; everyday may as well be Wednesday, and still, somehow, here come the holidays — fast, just like every year. Some bard or novelist may yet come forth to help explain the paradoxes of pandemic time, both its Groundhog Days and the blurs of stress and fear for those on the front lines, or who had infectious people in their household. But brain science also has something to say about the relationship between perceived time and the Greenwich Mean variety, and why the two may slip out of sync. In a new study, a research team based in Dallas reported the first strong evidence to date of so-called “time cells” in the human brain. The finding, posted by the journal PNAS, was not unexpected: In recent years, several research groups have isolated neurons in rodents that track time intervals. It’s where the scientists look for these cells, and how they identified them, that provide some insight into the subjective experiences of time. “The first thing to say is that, strictly speaking, there is no such thing as ‘time cells’ in the brain,” said Gyorgy Buzsaki, a neuroscientist at New York University who was not involved in the new research. “There is no neural clock. What happens in the brain is neurons change in response to other neurons.” He added, “Having said that, it’s a useful concept to talk about how this neural substrate represents the passage of what we call time.” In the new study, a team led by Dr. Bradley Lega, a neurosurgeon at UT Southwestern Medical Center, analyzed the firing of cells in the medial temporal area, a region deep in the brain that is essential for memory formation and retrieval. It’s a natural place to look: Memories must be somehow “time-stamped” to retain some semblance of sequence, or chronological order. The team took recordings from 27 people with epilepsy, who were being monitored for surgery; the monitoring requires a few weeks’ stay in the hospital, with electrodes implanted through the skull and into the brain, to get a reading on where seizures originate. And the medial temporal lobes, located about an inch in from the ears, are almost always monitored, as they are a common source of those seizures. These patients played computer games that test thinking and memory, while researchers watched what happened to the firing patterns of cells. In this experiment, the subjects tried to memorize lists of words, presented one at a time, a second or so apart. The subjects then had 30 seconds to freely recall as many as they could. The researchers found that certain neurons fired during a specific window of the free-recall period — from two to five seconds in, depending on the person. This firing was related only to time, not to anything else, such as the kinds of words being memorized and retrieved. And when those particular cells fired more precisely in a person’s temporal sweet spot, he or she did well on the recall, and remembered words in close to the order in which they were originally presented. “These cells are encoding information related to time, and this information is clearly important for memory,” Lega said. In effect, Lega said, the cells representing time fired to support an activity, in this case to track the passage of the 30-second interval. There is no constant rhythm or background beat; the time signal is conjured as needed. “There’s no internal metronome, or clock,” he said. The time cells are “firing to support what you’re doing.” That is, time cells adjust to the demands being made on the brain, in real time, moment to moment. Another group of nearby neurons, called ramping cells, accelerates its firing as a task begins and decelerates or decays as the job winds down, marking off chunks of time. “As these cells are sensitive to contextual changes during experience, they could represent the slowly evolving nature of contextual information,” the authors write. The coordinated activity of time cells and ramping cells, on its own, is far too basic to encompass the weirdness of pandemic time. This mechanism counts out time in seconds and minutes, not days and weeks. Our perception of those longer intervals seems to be shaped much more by the quantity and content of the memories that fill them, and by the emotions that help imprint them. Starting in March, people had to absorb an enormous amount of news and information about the virus, the symptoms and various interventions, on top of work and child demands. But with stay-at-home orders, the context flattened. Each day looked a whole lot like the last, and the next, and the next. Like being lost at sea, we have floated in place while the Earth turned underfoot. Pandemic time, the subjective kind, will likely feel warped for a while — until we make landfall, however that comes to pass.

Brain scientists explore the how of when

The frozen neuronal structures were discovered at the at the archaeological site of Herculaneum, an ancient Roman city, as described by news agency AFP.&nbsp;

"The study of vitrified tissue as the one we found at Herculaneum... may save lives in future," said the study's lead author Pier Paolo Petrone, forensic anthropologist at Naples' University Federico II.

Also read&nbsp;| <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/24-planets-may-have-more-suitable-conditions-for-life-than-earth-study-332631">24 planets may have more suitable conditions for life than Earth: Study</a>

"The experimentation continues on several research fields, and the data and information we are obtaining will allow us to clarify other and newer aspects of what happened 2000 years ago during the most famous eruption of Vesuvius."

Also read&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasas-new-stunning-time-lapse-video-shows-a-gigantic-star-exploding-332599">NASA's new stunning time lapse video shows a gigantic star exploding</a>

It is being said that the man was around the age of 20 when he was killed and his remains were found in the 1960s spread out on a wooden bed.&nbsp;

The lead author of the study published in science journal PLOS ONE explained that the extreme heat and the instant cooling of the eruption transformed the brain material into a glassy material, which froze the neuronal structures. &nbsp;

"The evidence of a rapid drop of temperature -- witnessed by the vitrified brain tissue -- is a unique feature of the volcanic processes occurring during the eruption, as it could provide relevant information for possible interventions by civil protection authorities during the initial stages of a future eruption," said Petrone. 
&nbsp;

The frozen neuronal structures were discovered at the at the archaeological site of Herculaneum, an ancient Roman city, as described by news agency AFP. "The study of vitrified tissue as the one we found at Herculaneum.

The frozen neuronal structures were discovered at the at the archaeological site of Herculaneum, an ancient Roman city, as described by news agency AFP. "The study of vitrified tissue as the one we found at Herculaneum... may save lives in future," said the study's lead author Pier Paolo Petrone, forensic anthropologist at Naples' University Federico II. Also read | 24 planets may have more suitable conditions for life than Earth: Study "The experimentation continues on several research fields, and the data and information we are obtaining will allow us to clarify other and newer aspects of what happened 2000 years ago during the most famous eruption of Vesuvius." Also read | NASA's new stunning time lapse video shows a gigantic star exploding It is being said that the man was around the age of 20 when he was killed and his remains were found in the 1960s spread out on a wooden bed. The lead author of the study published in science journal PLOS ONE explained that the extreme heat and the instant cooling of the eruption transformed the brain material into a glassy material, which froze the neuronal structures. "The evidence of a rapid drop of temperature -- witnessed by the vitrified brain tissue -- is a unique feature of the volcanic processes occurring during the eruption, as it could provide relevant information for possible interventions by civil protection authorities during the initial stages of a future eruption," said Petrone.

Oldest human brain? Cells of man killed 2,000 years ago found