Scientists have found that one of the key pillars of theory around how life works – that it depends on carbon – may not be the case on other planets. Here on Earth, life depends on organic compounds which are composed of carbon, and often involve other elements such as sulphur, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen and phosphorus. With organic compounds, life is partly sustained by chemical interactions called autocatalysis, which are self-sustaining. That means they produce molecules which then enable the reaction to happen again, and do not need any outside influence to keep going on. In the new study, scientists looked for autocatalysis in non-organic compounds. The theory is that if autocatalysis helps drive a process called abiogenesis – the origin process for life – then this origin process could also come from non-organic matter. Betül Kaçar, an astrobiologist, bacteriologist and evolutionary biologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told news outlet Space.com: “It's important to explore these possibilities so that we have an idea of what all forms of life can look like, not just Earth life.” "One of the major reasons that origin-of-life researchers care about autocatalysis is because reproduction — a key feature of life — is an example of autocatalysis. “Life catalyses the formation of more life. One cell produces two cells, which can become four and so on. “As the number of cells multiply, the number and diversity of possible interactions multiplies accordingly.” The scientists searched in a huge trove of existing scientific documents for examples of autocatalysis, and found 270 different cycles of the reactions. Most of the 270 examples did not feature organic compounds, but rather elements which are rare in life forms such as mercury, or the radioactive metal thorium. “It was thought that these sorts of reactions are very rare,” Kaçar said in a statement. “We are showing that it's actually far from rare. You just need to look in the right place.” Now, it means scientists can test these cycles to get a better understanding of how autocatalysis can work. “The cycles presented here are an array of basic recipes that can be mixed and matched in ways that haven't been tried before on our planet,” said study author Zhen Peng, also an evolutionary biologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “They might lead to the discovery of completely new examples of complex chemistry that work in conditions where carbon- or even silicon-based cycles are too either combusted or frozen out.” The scientists published their findings in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Barcelona start their tenancy at the Olympic Stadium on Montjuic, the club's temporary home while Camp Nou is being rebuilt, on Sunday against Cadiz without coach Xavi Hernandez after his...

DESTIN, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 1, 2023--

Marina Diamandis, known under her stage name Marina and the Diamonds, has revealed that she was recently diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome. The condition, also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), resulted in symptoms such as “deep fatigue, numbness, tingling, low appetite, brain fog, rashes, insomnia and a feeling of being ‘poisoned’ for so long”, the 37-year-old Welsh singer wrote in an Instagram update. Diamandis shared that she was only diagnosed with ME after “seven years of health issues”, adding that “it’s been hard to remember what healthy feels like”. “My baseline energy has been at 50 to 60 per cent for a long time,” she continued in her post. “Aside from a few periods of remission, the last seven years have consisted of relying on adrenaline and willpower to push me through each day. “Recovery started two months ago after an unusually bad flare-up that involved shooting pains and burning sensations all over my hands, legs and back,” Diamandis revealed. “After seeing countless doctors, I started working with a functional medicine practitioner to find the root cause of the symptoms.” Functional medicine is a form of alternative medicine that focuses on identifying and treating the root cause of a disease. It falls outside of mainstream healthcare and is not offered by the NHS – although the NHS has recommended the use of some alternative medicines like acupressure and manual therapy for a limited number of circumstances. In her post, Diamandis claimed that her symptoms “are a result of a hypersensitive nervous system” that developed in response to “chronic stress”. “My body has felt stuck in ‘fight or flight’ mode and there were many warning signs it gave me before the worst symptoms set in,” she wrote. Amid her treatment, which she claimed helps to “retrain the nervous system to regulate itself again”, the “Primadonna” singer added that she is “feeling better today than I have in a long time”. “My energy levels are around 65 to 70 per cent most days and the dips I have are shorter,” she said. “Healing is demanding a lot of my energy and attention right now, but the better I feel, the sooner I can get back to my creative life again. I worked yesterday for the first time in a while yesterday and it felt so good.” Diamandis also said that living with ME has given her a “deeper empathy for the millions of people who live silently with chronic illness”. “It’s hard to maintain optimism when the world feels like it’s moving on without you, but hope always exists. Answers always exist,” she said. “The body wants to heal – and what I’ve learned is that you have to work with it, not against it.” ME is a long-term condition with a wide range of symptoms, but the most common one is extreme tiredness. It can affect anyone, including children, but tends to develop between a person’s mid-twenties and mid-forties. An estimated 250,000 people in the UK suffer from ME, with around 17 million sufferers around the world. It is more common in women. According to the NHS, there is no cure for ME. Treatments that may help sufferers manage the condition include cognitive behavioural therapy, energy management and medicine to control symptoms such as pain and sleeping problems. Diamandis released her most recent studio album Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land in June 2021. She embarked on a world tour last year to promote the record. Read More I keep forgetting my dog’s birthday – could a luxury pet party make it up to him? From Princess Beatrice to Louis Theroux: Who is in the Royal Box on the 12th day of Wimbledon? Woman requires eye surgery after using social media hack to remove makeup Should I keep my windows closed or open during a heatwave? How to sleep during hot weather, according to experts Father reveals moment he realised he wanted to leave US and raise children in Spain

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Robert Louis Stevenson ('Treasure Island,' 'Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde') is one of Scotland’s foremost writers—and his life, like his most famous stories, was full of both adventure and misfortune.

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PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 26, 2023--

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Pete Davidson has reportedly checked into a rehabilitation center amid ongoing struggles with his mental health. The Saturday Night Live alum, 29, is receiving treatment for his previously diagnosed borderline personality disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, Page Six initially reported. According to People, sources said Davidson “should be getting out” of the in-patient treatment center “pretty soon”. “Pete will often check himself into rehab to work on these issues,” another source told the outlet. “His friends and family have been supportive during this time.” Davidson has previously been open about his mental health struggles. In 2017, the King of Staten Island actor shared he had been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD) during an appearance on the WTF With Marc Maron podcast. He explained that he had checked into a rehabilitation center in December 2016 after struggling with symptoms of the disorder. “I started having these mental breakdowns where I would, like, freak out and then not remember what happened after. Blind rage,” the comedian said, noting that he originally thought smoking weed caused his extreme mood swings. He stopped smoking weed and entered rehab, though he resumed the habit and soon had a “really bad mental breakdown”. Davidson was eventually diagnosed with BPD several months later. “I found out I have BPD, which is borderline personality disorder,” he said. “One of my psychiatrists… He was always saying before this big meltdown, ‘You’re probably bipolar or borderline, we’re just going to have to figure it out.’” The Bupkis star also admitted that he was “depressed all the time” but praised therapy for improving his mental health. “It is working, slowly but surely,” he said. “I’ve been having a lot of problems. This whole year has been a f***ing nightmare. This has been the worst year of my life, getting diagnosed with this and trying to figure out how to learn with this and live with this.” That same year, he went on SNL’s “Weekend Update” to further discuss his diagnosis and urge others to seek medical treatment if they think they have depression. “As some of you may know, I was recently diagnosed with borderline personality disorder — a form of depression,” Davidson told viewers. “Depression affects more than 16 million people in this country and there’s no cure, per se. But for anyone dealing with it, there are treatments that can help. “First of all, if you think you’re depressed, see a doctor and talk to them about medication. And also be healthy: eating right and exercise can make a huge difference.” Bipolar personality disorder (BPD) is a type of a mental disorder characterised by unstable moods, behaviour, and relationships. It’s estimated that 1.6 per cent of the US population have BPD. In an interview with Variety in 2019, Davidson shared that he’s been “in and out of mental health facilities” since he was nine years old. His father, Scott Matthew Davidson, was a firefighter who died at the World Trade Center during the September 11 attacks in 2001, when Davidson was just seven. Speaking with Jon Bernthal on his Real Ones podcast last March, Davidson said that the event had an impact on his “fear of abandonment” as well as his PTSD. More recently, he underwent “trauma therapy” in April 2022 due to online harassment from Kanye West while Davidson was dating West’s ex-wife Kim Kardashian. “The attention and negativity coming from Kanye and his antics is a trigger for [Pete], and he’s had to seek out help,” a source told People at the time. Pete Davidson’s latest stint in rehab comes after he was charged with reckless driving in connection with a Beverly Hills car accident, in which he and current girlfriend Chase Sui Wonders crashed into the side of a house. He was reportedly driving in the affluent Los Angeles neighbourhood when his vehicle went over the curb, hitting a fire hydrant and collided into the home. He is expected to be arraigned in court on 27 July. The Independent has contacted Pete Davidson for comment. Read More Pete Davidson charged with reckless driving in connection with Beverly Hills car crash Pete Davidson opens up about borderline personality disorder diagnosis: ‘The weight of the world feels lifted’ Pete Davidson says he learned his firefighter dad died on 9/11 while watching TV