Stories with Tag Embedding

• Formation of organic glass from a human brain

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  Posted: 2025-02-28 23:54:24

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  Researchers analyzed the unusually well-preserved brain of a victim of the Vesuvius eruption in Herculaneum. They discovered glassy, vitrified material within the skull, which they identified as human brain tissue transformed through extreme heat. This vitrification, likely caused by rapid heating and then cooling, preserved proteins and fatty acids normally destroyed by decay, offering a unique glimpse into ancient human brain biochemistry. This unprecedented finding provides evidence supporting the extreme temperatures reached during the eruption and demonstrates a unique preservation mechanism for organic material in archaeological contexts.

  This scientific report, published in Scientific Reports and titled "Formation of organic glass from a human brain," details the extraordinary and unprecedented discovery of vitrified brain tissue in the skeletal remains of a victim of the 79 CE eruption of Mount Vesuvius at Herculaneum. The eruption, infamous for its rapid pyroclastic flows, entombed the town and its inhabitants in volcanic debris. This particular individual, found at the Collegium Augustalium, was subjected to extreme heat, which, rather than simply incinerating the brain tissue as seen in other Vesuvius victims, triggered a unique process of vitrification.

  The researchers meticulously analyzed the cranial remains using a multidisciplinary approach. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) revealed the presence of glassy, solidified material within the skull cavity. This glassy substance, which retained the original shape and structure of the brain, displayed a unique chemical composition distinct from the surrounding charring. Further investigation using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) identified fatty acids typically associated with human brain tissue, providing compelling evidence that the glassy material was indeed the vitrified remains of the individual's brain.

  The vitrification process itself is hypothesized to be the result of the rapid and intense heat generated by the pyroclastic flow. The extreme temperatures effectively liquefied the brain tissue, which then underwent rapid cooling and solidification, becoming trapped in a vitreous state, analogous to the formation of obsidian from molten lava. This rare phenomenon of brain vitrification offers invaluable insights into the taphonomic processes associated with extreme heat events. Furthermore, the preservation of human brain tissue in such a manner provides a unique opportunity to study ancient biological materials, potentially shedding light on the biochemical composition of human brains in antiquity. The authors emphasize the singularity of this finding, as the preservation of brain tissue through vitrification is exceedingly rare in the archaeological record, making this discovery a remarkable contribution to the fields of archaeology, bioanthropology, and the study of the Vesuvian eruption. This detailed analysis offers not only a fascinating glimpse into the destructive power of the Vesuvian eruption, but also presents an unprecedented opportunity to investigate ancient human neurological tissue in a way never before possible.

  • organic glass
  • Human Brain
  • Vitrification
  • neuropreservation
  • electron microscopy
  • histology
  • brain tissue
  • fixation
  • Embedding
  • ultrastructure
  • biomaterials
  • Material Science

  Summary of Comments ( 1 )
  https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43213563

  Verbose tl;dr

  Hacker News users discuss the ethical implications of the accidental creation of a glassy material from a human brain during routine cremation preparations. Several question the lack of informed consent, particularly since the unusual formation might hold scientific value. Commenters also debate the legal ownership of such a material and express concerns about the potential for future exploitation in similar situations. Some are skeptical of the "accidental" nature, suggesting the preparation deviated from standard procedure, potentially hinting at undiscussed elements of the process. The scientific value of the glassy material is also a point of contention, with some arguing for further research and others dismissing it as an interesting but ultimately unimportant anomaly. A few commenters provide technical insights into the potential mechanisms behind the vitrification, focusing on the high temperatures and phosphate content.

  The Hacker News post "Formation of organic glass from a human brain" (linking to a Nature article about vitrified brain tissue found in victims of the Herculaneum eruption) spawned a moderate discussion with several interesting threads.

  Many commenters focused on the incredible preservation offered by the vitrification process. One user highlighted the rarity and scientific value of such a discovery, emphasizing how unusual it is to find preserved brain tissue from that period, let alone in a vitrified state that could potentially hold more detailed information. Another expressed astonishment at the preservation of neural structures, pondering the implications for future studies of ancient brains. The implications for understanding the nervous system and its evolution over time were a recurring theme, with some speculating on the possibility of extracting meaningful information from such well-preserved tissue.

  A couple of commenters discussed the specifics of the vitrification process, mentioning the rapid heating and cooling involved, and comparing it to similar processes in other materials like glass. One user with expertise in glass formation chimed in, explaining how the high temperatures involved in the eruption would likely have caused the rapid dehydration and vitrification of the brain tissue.

  Several comments centered on the ethical considerations of studying human remains, especially in such a unique and sensitive context. One commenter wondered about the ethical guidelines involved in studying remains from such a disaster, particularly regarding respect for the deceased and their descendants. Another questioned the potential for sensationalism and exploitation in such studies, urging caution and sensitivity.

  Some users offered insightful connections to other fields, such as archaeology and materials science. One commenter drew parallels to the preservation of organic matter in amber, highlighting the different mechanisms but similar outcomes in terms of long-term preservation. Another linked the discussion to recent advances in cryopreservation and the potential for future applications based on similar principles.

  Finally, there was a brief discussion about the title of the Hacker News post, with one commenter suggesting it could be slightly misleading as it implies the entire brain was vitrified, while the article discusses a smaller section of brain tissue.

  Overall, the comments section reflected a mixture of awe at the scientific discovery, curiosity about the process and its implications, and ethical considerations surrounding the study of ancient human remains.

• Embedding Python in Elixir, It's Fine

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  Posted: 2025-02-25 12:53:15

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  The Dashbit blog post explores the practicality of embedding Python within an Elixir application using the erlport library. It demonstrates how to establish a connection to a Python process, execute Python code, and handle the results within Elixir. The author highlights the ease of setup and basic interaction, while acknowledging the performance limitations inherent in this approach, particularly the serialization overhead. While suitable for specific use cases like leveraging existing Python libraries or integrating with Python-based services, the post cautions against using it for performance-critical tasks. Instead, it recommends exploring alternative solutions like dedicated Python services or rewriting performance-sensitive code in Elixir for optimal integration.

  The blog post "Embedding Python in Elixir, It's Fine" by José Valim explores the practicality and nuances of integrating Python code within an Elixir application. Valim begins by acknowledging the common scenario where an existing Python library, offering specific functionality not readily available in Elixir, needs to be leveraged. He emphasizes that rewriting such a library in Elixir, while potentially desirable, might be impractical due to time or resource constraints.

  Valim then introduces the erlport library, a mechanism that enables communication between Erlang and Python, and by extension, Elixir and Python. He elaborates on the setup process, detailing how to install the necessary Python packages and establish a connection between the two languages. He highlights the importance of establishing this connection outside of the supervision tree due to the potential for Python crashes to impact the Elixir application's stability. This external process approach isolates the Python component and protects the main Elixir application from unforeseen issues.

  The core of the blog post revolves around practical examples demonstrating the interaction between Elixir and Python. Valim provides clear, concise code snippets illustrating how to call Python functions from Elixir and retrieve the results. He thoroughly explains the data conversion process, emphasizing that erlport handles the serialization and deserialization of data between the two languages. He specifically showcases how Elixir terms are converted into their Python equivalents, and vice versa, facilitating seamless data exchange.

  Further, the post addresses more advanced scenarios, like handling Python exceptions. Valim explains how Python errors are propagated back to Elixir and can be caught and managed using standard Elixir exception handling mechanisms. This allows developers to gracefully handle errors originating from the Python code within their Elixir application.

  Finally, the blog post acknowledges the performance implications of using erlport. While acknowledging that inter-process communication introduces some overhead, Valim argues that in many practical scenarios, the benefits of leveraging existing Python libraries outweigh the performance cost. He concludes by reassuring readers that embedding Python in Elixir is a viable and often efficient solution for integrating with existing Python codebases, providing a pragmatic approach to polyglot programming when rewriting entire libraries isn't feasible. He reiterates the importance of the external, supervised process approach for robust system design.

  • Elixir
  • Python
  • Interoperability
  • Embedding
  • Foreign Function Interface (FFI)
  • performance
  • Integration
  • Web Development
  • Backend Development
  • Software Development
  • Programming Languages

  Summary of Comments ( 29 )
  https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43171239

  Verbose tl;dr

  Hacker News users discuss the practicality and potential benefits of embedding Python within Elixir applications. Several commenters highlight the performance implications, questioning whether the overhead introduced by the bridge outweighs the advantages of using Python libraries. One user suggests that using a separate Python service accessed via HTTP might be a simpler and more performant solution in many cases. Another points out that the real advantage lies in gradually integrating Python for specific tasks within an existing Elixir application, rather than building an entire system around this approach. Some discuss the potential usefulness for data science tasks, leveraging existing Python tools and libraries within an Elixir system. The maintainability and debugging aspects of such hybrid systems are also brought up as potential challenges. Several commenters also share their experiences with similar integration approaches using other languages.

  The Hacker News post "Embedding Python in Elixir, It's Fine" generated several comments discussing the merits and drawbacks of integrating Python and Elixir.

  One commenter questioned the long-term viability of such an approach, expressing concern about the added complexity of managing two different runtime environments and the potential difficulties in debugging and profiling. They argued that if a project requires significant Python integration, it might be more sensible to simply use Python for the entire project.

  Another commenter pointed out that Python's rich ecosystem of scientific and machine learning libraries is often the primary motivator for such integrations. They highlighted the benefit of leveraging existing Python code and tools within an Elixir application, especially in domains where Python excels.

  A counterpoint to this argument arose from a commenter who suggested that rewriting Python code in Elixir, while potentially time-consuming, could lead to better performance and maintainability in the long run. They acknowledged the initial investment required but emphasized the potential benefits of a unified codebase and the ability to fully leverage Elixir's concurrency features.

  Several commenters shared their own experiences with integrating Python and other languages into Elixir applications. One user recounted their successful implementation using Ports, a mechanism in Elixir for inter-process communication. Another commenter mentioned using a similar strategy for integrating R with Elixir, demonstrating that this concept is applicable beyond just Python.

  The discussion also touched on the performance implications of embedding Python. Some users cautioned that the overhead of inter-process communication could negate the performance advantages of Elixir, especially for high-throughput applications. Others suggested that the impact would vary depending on the specific use case and the nature of the interaction between Elixir and Python.

  One commenter mentioned alternative approaches to language integration, such as using a message queue like RabbitMQ. This approach could decouple the Elixir and Python components, potentially simplifying development and deployment, while also offering scalability benefits.

  Finally, there was some discussion around the tooling available for debugging and profiling mixed-language applications. One commenter lamented the relative lack of mature tools in this area, emphasizing the importance of robust logging and monitoring strategies when working with such integrations.

  Overall, the comments on Hacker News reflected a nuanced perspective on embedding Python in Elixir. While acknowledging the potential benefits of leveraging Python's libraries and existing code, commenters also highlighted the potential challenges related to complexity, performance, and debugging. The discussion emphasized the importance of carefully considering the trade-offs involved and choosing the right approach for each specific situation.