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• Aquatic Ape Hypothesis (AAH)plugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigAquatic Ape Hypothesis (AAH)
  
  The idea that humans might have had predominantly aquatic origins dates back at least as far as 1942 when German biologist Maximilian Westenhöfer drew attention to the facts that humans are mostly hairless, have large deposits of subcutaneous fat, and that children are sometimes born with 'webbing' between the fingers and toes.
• Limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy (LATE)plugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigLimbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy (LATE)
  
  LATE describes a prevalent age-related medical condition which leads to impaired memory and thinking. It's extremely common in people over 85 - some recent studies putting the rate as high as 60% (
• Achenbach syndromeplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigAchenbach syndrome
  
  Achenbach syndrome (a.k.a. paroxysmal finger hematoma and ‘blue finger’ syndrome ) is a benign condition which features spontaneous episodic pain and swelling in the joints of one or more fingers, along with the subsequent appearance of a bruise on the palm side of the affected finger joints.
• Travelling Salesman Problemplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigTravelling Salesman Problem
  
  As of Sept 2024, this page has been moved to the Computer Science category, here.
• Travelling Salesman Problemplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigTravelling Salesman Problem
  
  The Travelling Salesman (TSP) is a problem of Theoretical Computer Science and Graph Optimization.
  
  "Given a list of cities and the distances between each pair of cities, what is the shortest possible route that visits each city just once and returns to the origin city?"
• Is the Universe a Computer Simulation?plugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigIs the Universe a Computer Simulation?
  
  unfalsifiable
  
  The Simulation Hypothesis was first published by Hans Moravec (of the Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, US) in 1998. See Simulation, Consciousness, Existence
  
  Then, in 2003, Professor Nick Bostrom, Director of the Future of Humanity Institute, Faculty of Philosophy & James Martin 21st Century School, Oxford University, published his paper
• The 'P versus NP' problemplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigThe 'P versus NP' problem
  
  The 'P versus NP' problem is a major unsolved enigma in mathematical computer science,
  
  It was first described in 1971 by mathematician Stephen Cook in his paper entitled 'The complexity of theorem-proving procedures' Proceedings of the Third Annual ACM Symposium on Theory of Computing
• Neural Networksplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigNeural Networks
  
  functionality_unexplained
  
  ""Multilayer neural networks are among the most powerful models in machine learning, yet the fundamental reasons for this success defy mathematical understanding."
  
  Source : Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences [open access]2018 115 (33)"
  
  'Artificial Intelligence' (AI) systems predominantly use
• Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)plugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigArtificial General Intelligence (AGI)
  
  undefined
  
  Research into computer-based Artificial Intelligence (AI) began over sixty years ago with the development of Expert Systems (ref.) but AI only began to (appear to) show some parallels with human intelligence with the deployment of workable
• Causalityplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigCausality
  
  On a simple level, the 'laws' of 'cause and effect' seem to be straightforward and self-evident - if you drop a 'priceless' ceramic vase onto a concrete floor, it will very probably break. (ref.) But examined in greater detail, and on larger timescales, causality reveals many levels of uncertainty and vagueness.
• Retroperitoneal fibrosisplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigRetroperitoneal fibrosis
  
  Retroperitoneal fibrosis (RPF) - also known as Ormond's disease - is a rare progressive disease which features fibrosis (fibrous thickening) of the tissues of the lower body cavity.
  
  It was first noted in 1905, and was subsequently 're-discovered' by Dr. J.K. Ormond in 1948. For many years it was notoriously difficult to diagnose, but now shows up clearly on MRI scans. It can sometimes be alleviated with steroid-type drugs, or by surgery.

• Aquatic Ape Hypothesis (AAH)plugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigAquatic Ape Hypothesis (AAH)
  
  The idea that humans might have had predominantly aquatic origins dates back at least as far as 1942 when German biologist Maximilian Westenhöfer drew attention to the facts that humans are mostly hairless, have large deposits of subcutaneous fat, and that children are sometimes born with 'webbing' between the fingers and toes.
• Gamma-ray burstsplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigGamma-ray bursts
  
  Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) were first discovered by satellites originally intended to scan for nuclear weapon detonations.They range from bursts of ten milliseconds to several hours, and also have differing energy levels. They are generally unexplained.
• Microbiome interactionsplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigMicrobiome interactions
  
  "The human gut harbors trillions of invisible microbial inhabitants, referred to as the microbiota, that collectively produce thousands of unique small molecules. The sources and biological functions of the vast majority of these molecules are unknown.
• Limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy (LATE)plugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigLimbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy (LATE)
  
  LATE describes a prevalent age-related medical condition which leads to impaired memory and thinking. It's extremely common in people over 85 - some recent studies putting the rate as high as 60% (
• Venus Flytrap mechanismplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigVenus Flytrap mechanism
  
  The Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) is a well-known carnivorous plant native to the sub-tropical wetlands of the US.
  
  The 'trap' structure snaps shut when insects or spiders repeatedly touch specialised 'trigger hairs' on the trap's upper surface.
• General Anaestheticsplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigGeneral Anaesthetics
  
  A general anaesthetic is a drug that brings about a reversible loss of consciousness.* [ see note below ]
  
  In formal use since 1842 - the first public demonstration used Diethyl ether to carry out surgery. (Though it's likely that alcohol, another chemical classed as an anaesthetic, was previously used, extensively, for similar purposes).
• Perfect Cuboidsplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigPerfect Cuboids
  
  A 'Perfect Cuboid' (also called a Perfect Euler Brick) is a (proposed) cuboid whose space diagonal also has integer length. That's to say a2 + b2 + c2 = g2 (where a, b, c are the sides and g is the diagonal).
  
  The problem of their existence (or not) goes back at least as far as mathematiciian Paul Halcke, 300 years or so ago.
• Triboluminescent tapeplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigTriboluminescent tape
  
  When rolls of transparent adhesive tape are peeled, the relative motion between the two separating surfaces can produce electromagnetic radiation - an example of triboluminescence.
  
  In a darkened room, it can be seen as visible light, but the peeling action can also emit high energy photons in the x-ray band -
• Sexual reproductionplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigSexual reproduction
  
  "The maintenance of sexual reproduction in a highly competitive world has long been one of the major mysteries of biology given that asexual reproduction can reproduce much more quickly as 50% of offspring in sexual reproduction are males, unable to produce offspring themselves."
• Forgettingplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigForgetting
  
  "Although it is commonly accepted that learning and memory occur via enduring changes in neuronal properties such as synaptic strength within a network of neurons, many details of these processes remain unknown, including the mechanisms responsible for the persistence and maintenance of memory over long periods of time."
• Dark Matterplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigDark Matter
  
  "The nature of the dominant component of galaxies and clusters remains unknown."
  
  Source : Measuring the dark matter equation of state (Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 415, L74–L77)"
  
  In the 1930s, astronomical observations of galaxy rotations showed that the outer regions were rotating (about the galaxy's 'centre') at the same speed, or faster, than the central regions. Subsequent calculations referring to the galaxy's mass, and thus its internal gravitational attractions, showed that i…
• Achenbach syndromeplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigAchenbach syndrome
  
  Achenbach syndrome (a.k.a. paroxysmal finger hematoma and ‘blue finger’ syndrome ) is a benign condition which features spontaneous episodic pain and swelling in the joints of one or more fingers, along with the subsequent appearance of a bruise on the palm side of the affected finger joints.
• Spasmodic dysphoniaplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigSpasmodic dysphonia
  
  "Spasmodic dysphonia, also known as laryngeal dystonia, is a disorder in which the muscles that generate a person's voice go into periods of spasm This results in breaks or interruptions in the voice, often every few sentences, which can make a person difficult to understand. The person's voice may also sound strained or they may be nearly unable to speak. Onset is often gradual and the condition is lifelong.
• Travelling Salesman Problemplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigTravelling Salesman Problem
  
  The Travelling Salesman (TSP) is a problem of Theoretical Computer Science and Graph Optimization.
  
  "Given a list of cities and the distances between each pair of cities, what is the shortest possible route that visits each city just once and returns to the origin city?"
• Kimura diseaseplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigKimura disease
  
  "Kimura disease is a benign rare chronic inflammatory disorder of unknown etiology that involves the lymph nodes and subcutaneous tissue of the head and neck regions. Elevated serum immunoglobulin E levels and peripheral blood eosinophilia are also common. This disease is most common in middle-aged Asian men. Although the etiology is unknown, it most probably represents an aberrant chronic immune response."