Welcome to this years first Blendini Tutorial? Well, Blender has gotten really good at rendering brushstrokes with its Grease Pencil system and Chris wants to have that functionality for his Houdini setups as well! So in this video, were first going to build or own paint system in Houdini and then find a way to bring this data into Blender and render our brushstrokes there.Mushroom Asset from AixteriorBranch Asset from PolyHaven

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Shenzhen-based 3D printer manufacturer Bambu Lab has launched a new firmware for its X1 Series of 3D printers. The optional security update introduces authorization and authentication controls for key 3D printing operations, altering how third-party software interacts with the 3D printer.Some in the 3D printing community have not received the news well, leading to Bambu Lab refuting claims that the firmware, currently undergoing beta testing, restricts third-party tools or forces users into a closed ecosystem. Those who choose not to install the update can continue using external software without any changes. The company has also introduced a new tool called Bambu Connect, designed to integrate third-party software with updated printers. Bambu Lab is collaborating with software developers, including Orca Slicer, to ensure a seamless connection with external tools.According to the leading desktop 3D printing company, this new authorization and authentication protection mechanism will combat remote hackers and printer exposure issues. It will also help defend against abnormal traffic and cyberattacks, which have previously targeted Bambu Lab systems.The earlier announcement has drawn vocal criticism from individuals who view it as an attack on open-source 3D printing. This philosophy was central to many desktop 3D printing pioneers and remains a core ethos within the community.Nick Sonnentag, Founder and CEO of concrete 3D printing firm Sunnyday Technologies, called the move a big disappointment for me because I view open-source as necessary for innovation from the larger community. Josef Prusa, CEO of competing desktop 3D printer manufacturer Prusa Research, also responded on LinkedIn, stating it is Quite scary where the 3DP industry is moving control of your data.Amid this backlash, Bambu Lab has directly challenged what it calls unfortunate misinformation circulating online. In a blog post, it addressed false accusations head-on, countering baseless allegations about the update.The Bambu Lab X1-Carbon 3D printer. Image via Bambu Lab.Bambu Lab announces new Firmware updateOnce installed, the new firmware introduces authorization controls for key 3D printer operations. These include firmware upgrades, printer binding and unbinding, remote video access, 3D print job initiation via LAN or cloud mode, and control of key 3D printer parameters like temperature and AMS settings.Actions not impacted by the new firmware include 3D printing from SD cards, sending status information updates, and other general operations outside the listed controls. Notably, users who continue with outdated firmware will still be able to use both old and future versions of the Bambu Studio slicer and Bambu Handy application.The new Bambu Connect tool offers a pathway for those wanting to leverage third-party software alongside the new Firmware. It serves as a replacement for Bambu Labs API network plugin. According to the company, Bambu Connect has been designed as a streamlined tool with improved security protocols.The platform, now in beta mode, acts as a direct interface for third-party software. Bambu Lab has reportedly worked with third-party developers, including Orca Slicer, to ensure its workflow minimizes disruption to existing user processes.Through Bambu Connect, external software can access printer functionality, while a new network plugin provides a secure interface for 3D printer control and monitoring. All printer commands pass through secured and verified channels. Significantly, LAN mode does not require internet access or a user account.The tool is activated only when handling 3D printer communications, with users retaining full access to print progress updates, including live monitoring of temperatures, 3D print status, and parameters. Through Bambu Connect, users can manage print jobs, discover and connect to 3D printers in LAN mode, send sliced files for 3D printing, and access control features like axis movement. Third-party software can also be programmed to open Bambu Connect and import specific G-code or 3MF files for 3D printing.Following feedback from 3D print farms, the Bambu Lab has added an optional LAN Developer Mode. This allows users to manage their network setup by keeping MQTT channels, video live streams, and File Transfer Protocol (FTP) open.Users wishing to access this must manually enable it on their 3D printer. Once selected, the operator assumes full responsibility for securing their local network. Additionally, customer support isnt available for this mode, as the communication protocols are not officially supported.All future Bambu Lab 3D printers are set to integrate the firmwares authorization control technology as standard to ensure the highest levels of user security and printer protection moving forward.How Orca Slicer will work with Bambu Connect and Network Plugin. Image via Bambu Lab.Bambu Lab firmware update prompts backlashFor a vocal number in the desktop 3D printing community, Bambu Labs update goes against the inherent open-source principles that informed early 3D printing pioneers.The community that coalesced around Dr. Adrian Bowyers RepRap project viewed open source as the key to democratizing 3D printing, making FDM technology accessible to anyone. Boweyers community-led project inspired the likes of Prusa Research, UltiMaker, and MakerBot. Many also believe that once a 3D printer has been purchased, users should be able to run and tweak their hardware as they please.As such, Bambu Labs firmware update has been met with community criticism, with many sharing their displeasure on social media and online forums. Some have taken things further, with efforts to hack Bambu Connect and unlock open-source connectivity, reflecting even stronger opposition to the move. As reported by Hackaday, Reddit user hWuxH successfully extracted Bambu Connects X.509 certificate and private key, which prevent third-party software from communicating with authentication-protected 3D printers.Sonnentage noted that the new firmware update is not compatible with Sunnydays 3rd-party job management software, preventing connectivity with the companys other open-source machines. This is no small problem, added the CEO in a LinkedIn post. The capability to remotely monitor and stop the print not only saves money in wasted material but potentially ruined equipment.Prusa also highlighted concerns regarding Bambu Labs relationship with Chinese investor IDG Capital. The firm, which names Bambu Lab in its investment portfolio, was previously included on the US Department of Defenses list of companies with Chinese military ties. IDG was removed from the Pentagons list in December 2024.Additionally, Prusa pointed to Article 7 of Chinas National Intelligence Law, which instructs all organizations and citizens to support, assist, and cooperate with national intelligence efforts in accordance with law, and shall protect national intelligence work secrets they are aware of. He also questioned whether financial support from the Chinese government reflects more nefarious motivations. Massive subsidies makes the situation even more spicy. China designated 3D printing industry as strategic. One has to think about the motives, Prusa added. A potential reference to the Made in China 2025 Action Plan published in 2017.Bambu Labs new X1E 3D printer. Image via Bambu Lab.Cyber security and manufacturingAfter announcing its new firmware, Bambu Lab reported seeing a mix of valuable feedback and unfortunate misinformation circulating online. These include claims that Bambu Lab will remotely disable 3D printers, firmware updates will block the ability to print, AMS functionality will be restricted and third-party filaments disabled, and that the update contains trojans or backdoors for unauthorized remote control. Claims that Bambu 3D printers have a timed killswitch, 3D print files are monitored and stolen, and a subscription will be required to use Bambu Lab 3D printers have also been made. The company asserts that all these accusations are entirely false.Bambu Lab also responded to concerns regarding camera feed privacy. The company clarified that its Live View service uses Peer-to-Peer (P2P) connection, meaning video is streamed directly between the users computer device and 3D printer. Server forwarding is used when P2P isnt possible. However, Bambu confirmed that no video is ever stored on any server.The Shenzhen-based company also addressed concerns related to Panda Touch, a third-party Bambu Lab touch screen that utilizes exploited MQTT protocols. Bambu Lab reportedly reached out to the products designer, Big Tree Tech, warning that these protocols are unsustainable and would cause issues following system updates. According to Bambu Lab, this communication occurred before mass shipments of the Panada Touch, with the warning being ignored.Unfortunately, the truth is now being presented in a misleading manner, added Bambu Lab. The same concerns apply to other products they manufacture that rely on these MQTT protocols.The interaction and resulting friction between geopolitics, commerce, and technology is not new. A U.S. ban on TikTok cites data privacy concerns among the reasons given for its removal from app stores. Commentators have suggested a more fundamental rationale is the ongoing race for AI supremacy. In the 3D printing industry, America Makes has sought to tackle issues around cyber security, as this guest post oncyber security risk in manufacturingby the former President and Executive Director of the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining illustrates. Who won the 2024 3D Printing Industry Awards?All the news from Formnext 2024.Subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry newsletter to keep up with the latest 3D printing news.You can also follow us on X, like our Facebook page, and subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry Youtube channel to access more exclusive content.Featured image shows a Bambu Lab X1-Carbon 3D printer. Image via Bambu Lab.

Donald Trump Jr landed inNuuk on 7 January 2025 on what was described as a private daytrip to Greenland. His father had just restated an ambition to control the autonomous territory, part of the kingdom of Denmark. Greenland belongs to theGreenlanders, Greenlands Prime Minister Mte Egede laterwrote on Facebook.Credit:Associated Press / AlamyWhen, in 2019, Donald Trump first announced his desire to purchase Greenland, the reaction was laughter. Now that he is threatening to usetariffs and possibly military force against Denmark, a NATO ally, the notion of making America territorially greater again no longer seems so funny. Observers cannot quite decide whether this apparent throwback to an age ofunashamed imperialism is a way to distract frombrewing scandals Trumps manifestly unqualified cabinet picks, his family and cronies exploiting the presidency for selfenrichment or whether it is a smart move by a selfdeclared very stable genius to remake global geopolitics. Journalists have begun earnestly asking experts to calculate the costs of the purchase and assess risks of military invasion. What has been missed is the connection between Trumps expansionism and the settler colonial fantasies long cultivated by the very Silicon Valley figures who today put their financial weight behind MAGA. Trump is not the first US president to want tograb Greenland, nor is he the only Republican in living memory to do so: 1992 presidential candidate Pat Buchanan whose combination ofrelentless culture war and ethnonationalism anticipated MAGA sought an extension to Greenland and Canada. Still, Trumps apparently transactional approach foreign policy as dealmaking in real estate marks a break withpost1945 US strategy. As the winds of decolonisation were blowing around the globe after 1945, Washington relinquished its largest overseas possession, the Philippines; rather thanholding on to territory, it created a global network of military outposts to guard what admirers came to call the liberal international order. Even the instigators of the second Iraq War strenuously denied any desire for colonies: Donald Rumsfeld declared that we dont use our force and go around the world and try to take other peoples real estate. His boss, George W Bush, insisted that were not an imperial power.They were not so obviously wrong: in the 20th century, the US did not acquire any major territory after they purchased what is now the US Virgin Islands during the First World War (from Denmark, as it happens). But Washington still created what historians have called a pointillist empire, the points being the more than 800 USbases around the globe. Qaanaaq (formerly known as Thule) in Greenland was one of them. As the historian Daniel Immerwahr has reminded us, to create the northernmost US base, the Indigenous Inughuit community was removed to a New Thule some 100km north; despite a Danish nuclearfree policy and Soviet threats, the US started flying nucleararmed B52s over Greenland (with tacit consent from Copenhagen).Greenland holds great potential for what the political theorist Tristan Hughes calls technocolonialismIt has not been difficult to rationalise Trumps claims on the worlds largest island: it holds plenty of rare earth elements, but is inhabited bya population of a mere 57,000 people. Some locals immediately voiced support for joining theUS, when one of Trumps sons the least businesssavvy one, but good enough for colonial adventures and a posse of farright grifters took a private day trip to the icy island. As it turned out, the Greenlanders who posed with them in red MAGA hats were unhoused locals bribed with a meal at a nice restaurant in Nuuk. To be sure, there is an intensifying independence movement in Greenland, but the goal is hardly absorption into yet another empire. Some have suggested that the US could move migrants to Greenland; others keep emphasising its sheer strategic importance especially if, as a result of global heating, the Northwest Passage opens up. There is something else, though: Greenland holds great potential for what the political theorist Tristan Hughes calls technocolonialism. The masters of Silicon Valley have long sought space for creating new communities based on libertarian ideals. As long as planetary travel remains a dream, the only options have been sovereign countries ceding parts of their territory resulting in private charter cities such as those in Honduras or setting out for the highseas. Anarchocapitalist Patri Friedman established the Seasteading Institute in 2008, partly financed by tech billionaire Peter Thiel. A company called Praxis, which also gets to play with Thiel money, has promised to set up citycryptostates (none has materialised so far). One of its founders, Dryden Brown, recently tweeted that Praxis would like to support Greenlands development by coordinating talent, companies and capital to help secure the Arctic, extract critical resources, terraform the land with advanced technology to make it more habitable, and build a mythical city in the North.Trump, too, is interested in building what can only be called mythical cities. His 2024 election platform promised the creation of 10 new cities in the US, with flying cars thrown in for good measure. No further details have been announced, but these socalled Freedom Cities would likely follow the template of opportunity zones from Trumps first term: tax breaks and minimal regulations creating a playground for private developers. Greenland could serve the same purpose: revive the frontier spirit make real men go out in the wilderness again give the tech bros a space to experiment (especially withAI), and maybe add a casino. But, above all:make settler colonialism great again.This piece is a preview from AR February 2025: Extensions. Pre-order the issue here2025-01-20Reuben J BrownShare

peshkov - stock.adobe.comNewsGovernment plans to revamp digital services to save 45bnLegacy IT and the use of tech contractors is costing taxpayers billions. The government aims to fix the public sector with AI and new digital servicesByCliff Saran,Managing EditorPublished: 20 Jan 2025 14:15 The government is pushing the idea of using more digital tools and artificial intelligence (AI) to improve the efficiency of the public sector.The new digital strategy for public services involves transforming citizens experiences of government services, improving productivity and strengthening the foundations from how data is used. It also includes boosting skills and attracting talent.The adoption of digital technologies has the potential to save taxpayers 45bn, as well as make it easier for people to access government services. The strategy is tied into the governments Plan for Change to drive economic growth by helping businesses get the approvals they need more quickly.Among the technologies being discussed is a new government smartphone app, which could be used to hold a virtual driver licence details, which could be used as a form of national ID, according to The Times.Technology secretary Peter Kyle said that he wants to overhaul public sector technology in a bid to reduce costs and improve the peoples experience when dealing with public sector services. The overhaul of public services is being positioned as an approach that will free public servants and doctors to spend more time helping the people they serve.Technology that sits at the foundation of our country has been left to wither and decay under the hands of the previous government, too often grinding to a halt and stalling essential public services racking up a huge bill for the taxpayer.It doesnt have to be this way and it wont be with our Plan for Change. There is a 45bn jackpot for the public sector if we get technology adoption right, thats twice the size of the black hole we faced when we took office, and its not an opportunity we can let pass us by.According to The State of digital government report, produced for the government by Bain & Company, which is being published later this week, government departments are overspending on IT contractors. The report found that government departments are bringing in contractors and consultants to complete basic IT tasks instead of using full-time staff, due to their inability to compete on salaries and headcount restrictions.However, according to Bain & Company, the bill for contractor is 14.5bn, which is three times higher than if civil servants were to do these IT jobs for government departments.Bain & Companys report also highlights that a quarter of IT systems used by central government are outdated, leading to huge maintenance costs. According to the report, the maintenance cost of these legacy IT systems is three-to-four times more than if the technology was kept up to date.The government said that a growing number of these outdated systems are red-rated for reliability and security risk. The report found that NHS England alone saw 123 critical service outages last year, leading to missed appointments and patients unable to get the care they need because staff were to use paper-based systems.Among the reforms due to be announced later this week is an expanded role for Government Digital Service, which will be responsible for searching for IT vulnerabilities across the public sector that hackers could use to shut down essential services. The role involves support to help the organisations with vulnerable systems fix the issues to make the UK more resilient to cyber attacks.Read more about public sector ITCan AI rescue the public sector and deliver its long-promised digital transformation? The UK government sees artificial intelligence as a tool for national renewal but unless it overhauls its approach to policymaking and delivery for the AI age, its plans are doomed to fail.Artificial intelligence can save UK public services fact or fiction? Sean Green asks whether artificial intelligence can save the UK public sector.In The Current Issue:Interview: Wendy Redshaw, chief digital information officer, NatWest Retail BankPreparing for AI regulation: The EU AI ActDownload Current IssueData engineering - DataStax: Building the Gen-AI stack, how to plan ahead CW Developer NetworkRiverlane points to 2025 as year of quantum CW Developer NetworkView All Blogs

Blue water wave and bubbles to clean drinking watergettyA new study published in the Journal of Health Economics provides compelling evidence that fluoridated community water harmed Americans: Childhood exposure to it reduced high school graduation rates, economic sufficiency, physical ability and health in adulthood. Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends water fluoridation, and many states and local governments mandate it.This study is the doctoral dissertation of Dr. Adam Roberts from Texas A&M University, who is now a financial economist at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency within the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Among many data sources, Dr. Roberts obtained natural fluoride levels for most U.S. communities via a Freedom of Information Act request to the CDC.Using a sample of more than twenty million individuals, he compared those exposed to fluoridated water during childhood with those of the same age in the same county who were not exposed. He found robust evidence that, despite its dental benefits, childhood fluoride exposure led to a net negative effect in adulthood, including lower high school graduation rates, reduced economic sufficiency, poorer physical ability and health.This study exemplifies how economists use rigorous analytical tools and comprehensive data to answer complex medical and health questions. Another example comes from Dr. Todd Elder, an economics professor at Michigan State University, who found that children whose birthdays are in the month prior to their states cutoff date for kindergarten eligibility (i.e., youngest in class) were substantially more likely to be diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) than those whose birthdays fall in the subsequent month (i.e., oldest in class).Dr. Elder concluded that ADHD is often misdiagnosed due to teachers subjective comparative assessments of children within the same grade. The negative consequences are substantial, including adverse health impacts and financial burdens from ADHD treatments and medications.MORE FOR YOUAnother study by six economists, published in the Quarterly Journal of Economics, used supermarket entry and household moving data to find that personal demand explains 90% of the difference in the consumption of healthy vs. unhealthy food. Therefore, policy efforts aiming to equalize the supply of healthy groceries across neighborhoods are wasteful and ineffective.It is no coincidence that economists have been providing compelling evidence on medical and health issues. As the late economist Edward Lazear wrote in his renowned article, Economic Imperialism:Economics is not only a social science; it is a genuine science. Like the physical sciences, economics uses a methodology that produces refutable implications and tests these implications using solid statistical techniques. The goal of economic theory is to unify thought and to provide a language that can be used to understand a variety of social phenomena. The fact that there have been so many successful efforts in so many different directions attests to the power of economics.Robert Kennedy, Jr., the nominee for President Trumps Secretary for Health and Human Services, pledged to return U.S. health agencies to their tradition of gold-standard, evidence-based science and to provide transparency and access to all the data. If evidence-based decision making is enshrined in broad health-related policies and practices, we may look forward to impactful economic research helping to make America healthier.

Editor's take: The energy sector has embraced the term "net-zero hero," which refers to actions consumers take to help the environment, such as installing solar panels or buying an electric car. It's little wonder the sector favors this term because, as new research shows, focusing on consumer actions allows it to downplay its own responsibility for reducing carbon emissions. The energy sector's narrative of individual responsibility in combating climate change is being challenged by new research from the University of Sydney. The study, which analyzed hundreds of public reports and media releases from the Australian energy industry, reveals a pervasive storyline promoting the concept of a "net-zero hero" an individual consumer who can significantly impact climate change through personal choices and actions.Associate Professor Tom van Laer, an expert in the influence of storytelling on behavior at the University of Sydney Business School, led the research. His analysis, spanning 2015 to 2022, examined material from 44 Australian energy market entities, including energy providers, non-governmental organizations, and policymakers.The research uncovered a consistent message across the energy sector: consumers can play a pivotal role in saving the planet by making thoughtful choices. These actions include purchasing eco-friendly vehicles, turning off appliances, using off-peak hot water, and installing solar panels. The narrative suggests that by understanding, monitoring, and managing their energy consumption, individuals can make a meaningful difference.Australia leads developed nations in per-capita greenhouse gas emissions at 14.51 tonnes per person, with the energy sector accounting for nearly half of the country's total emissions. The United States follows closely behind at 13.64 tonnes per person. Globally, the energy sector consumes the largest share of energy, using over one-third of the world's fuel supply.However, van Laer argues that this narrative, while seemingly aspirational, overlooks the broader context of essential corporate and regulatory changes. By creating a "mythical market" of small-scale energy consumers where everyone supposedly contributes equally to total emissions the energy sector minimizes the accountability of larger entities that have a far more substantial environmental impact.He cautions that without adequate support systems, consumers may struggle to fulfill the role of a net-zero hero. Furthermore, the overwhelming responsibility placed on individuals could lead to feelings of helplessness and disengagement rather than empowerment. // Related StoriesAustralia leads developed nations in per-capita greenhouse gas emissions at 14.51 tonnes per person, with the energy sector accounting for nearly half of the country's total emissions. The United States follows closely behind at 13.64 tonnes per person. Globally, the energy sector consumes the largest share of energy, using over one-third of the world's fuel supply.Van Laer argues that instead of placing an unrealistic burden on individual consumers, efforts should focus on addressing the systemic changes necessary for a genuine environmental impact.

Your ultimate reward for overcoming all the challenges and tribulations of a game is the final cutscene. The best games of all-time all have amazing endings that leave you with a strong impression one way or another, or perhaps set itself up for an eventual sequel. But for almost as long as games have had actual endings, there have been secret endings. From the best NES games to the best PS5 games, more and more titles have hidden away extra content that players could unlock if they put in a little extra effort. Typically, this means meeting specific requirements like collecting every item, doing every task, or a combination of the two. Theyre not usually easy, but some games take that to a ridiculous level. These games have hidden endings so hard to get, youre better off just watching them on YouTube.Recommended VideosRelatedEditors Recommendations

The former German chancellor governed in turbulent times: the financial crisis, Russian aggression in Ukraine, Covid and beyond.

Cleanup on aisle cerebellum Sleeping pills stop the brains system for cleaning out waste A specialized system sends pulses of pressure through the fluids in our brain. Jacek Krywko Jan 20, 2025 11:54 am | 30 Credit: https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/sleeping-pills-in-bedroom-royalty-free-image/819748064? Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreOur bodies rely on their lymphatic system to drain excessive fluids and remove waste from tissues, feeding those back into the blood stream. Its a complex yet efficient cleaning mechanism that works in every organ except the brain. When cells are active, they produce waste metabolites, and this also happens in the brain. Since there are no lymphatic vessels in the brain, the question was what was it that cleaned the brain, Natalie Hauglund, a neuroscientist at Oxford University who led a recent study on the brain-clearing mechanism, told Ars.Earlier studies done mostly on mice discovered that the brain had a system that flushed its tissues with cerebrospinal fluid, which carried away waste products in a process called glymphatic clearance. Scientists noticed that this only happened during sleep, but it was unknown what it was about sleep that initiated this cleaning process, Hauglund explains.Her study found the glymphatic clearance was mediated by a hormone called norepinephrine and happened almost exclusively during the NREM sleep phase. But it only worked when sleep was natural. Anesthesia and sleeping pills shut this process down nearly completely.Taking it slowlyThe glymphatic system in the brain was discovered back in 2013 by Dr. Maiken Nedergaard, a Danish neuroscientist and a coauthor of Hauglunds paper. Since then, there have been numerous studies aimed at figuring out how it worked, but most of them had one problem: they were done on anesthetized mice.What makes anesthesia useful is that you can have a very controlled setting, Hauglund says.Most brain imaging techniques require a subject, an animal or a human, to be still. In mouse experiments, that meant immobilizing their heads so the research team could get clear scans. But anesthesia also shuts down some of the mechanisms in the brain, Hauglund argues.So, her team designed a study to see how the brain-clearing mechanism works in mice that could move freely in their cages and sleep naturally whenever they felt like it. It turned out that with the glymphatic system, we didnt really see the full picture when we used anesthesia, Hauglund says.Looking into the brain of a mouse that runs around and wiggles during sleep, though, wasnt easy. The team pulled it off by using a technique called flow fiber photometry which works by imaging fluids tagged with fluorescent markers using a probe implanted in the brain. So, the mice got the optical fibers implanted in their brains. Once that was done, the team put fluorescent tags in the mices blood, cerebrospinal fluid, and on the norepinephrine hormone. Fluorescent molecules in the cerebrospinal fluid had one wavelength, blood had another wavelength, and norepinephrine had yet another wavelength, Hauglund says.This way, her team could get a fairly precise idea about the brain fluid dynamics when mice were awake and asleep. And it turned out that the glymphatic system basically turned brain tissues into a slowly moving pump.Pumping upNorepinephrine is released from a small area of the brain in the brain stem, Hauglund says. It is mainly known as a response to stressful situations. For example, in fight or flight scenarios, you see norepinephrine levels increasing. Its main effect is causing blood vessels to contract. Still, in more recent research, people found out that during sleep, norepinephrine is released in slow waves that roll over the brain roughly once a minute. This oscillatory norepinephrine release proved crucial to the operation of the glymphatic system.When we used the flow fiber photometry method to look into the brains of mice, we saw these slow waves of norepinephrine, but we also saw how it works in synchrony with fluctuation in the blood volume, Hauglund says.Every time the norepinephrine level went up, it caused the contraction of the blood vessels in the brain, and the blood volume went down. At the same time, the contraction increased the volume of the perivascular spaces around the blood vessels, which were immediately filled with the cerebrospinal fluid.When the norepinephrine level went down, the process worked in reverse: the blood vessels dilated, letting the blood in and pushing the cerebrospinal fluid out. What we found was that norepinephrine worked a little bit like a conductor of an orchestra and makes the blood and cerebrospinal fluid move in synchrony in these slow waves, Hauglund says.And because the study was designed to monitor this process in freely moving, undisturbed mice, the team learned exactly when all this was going on. When mice were awake, the norepinephrine levels were much higher but relatively steady. The team observed the opposite during the REM sleep phase, where the norepinephrine levels were consistently low. The oscillatory behavior was present exclusively during the NREM sleep phase.So, the team wanted to check how the glymphatic clearance would work when they gave the mice zolpidem, a sleeping drug that had been proven to increase NREM sleep time. In theory, zolpidem should have boosted brain-clearing. But it turned it off instead.Non-sleeping pillsWhen we looked at the mice after giving them zolpidem, we saw they all fell asleep very quickly. That was expectedwe take zolpidem because it makes it easier for us to sleep, Hauglund says. But then we saw those slow fluctuations in norepinephrine, blood volume, and cerebrospinal fluid almost completely stopped.No fluctuations meant the glymphatic system didnt remove any waste. This was a serious issue, because one of the cellular waste products it is supposed to remove is amyloid beta, found in the brains of patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease.Hauglund speculates it could be possible zolpidem induces a state very similar to sleep but at the same time it shuts down important processes that happen during sleep. While heavy zolpidem use has been associated with increased risk of the Alzheimer disease, it is not clear if this increased risk was there because the drug was inhibiting oscillatory norepinephrine release in the brain. To better understand this, Hauglund wants to get a closer look into how the glymphatic system works in humans.We know we have the same wave-like fluid dynamics in the brain, so this could also drive the brain clearance in humans, Haugland told Ars. Still, its very hard to look at norepinephrine in the human brain because we need an invasive technique to get to the tissue.But she said norepinephrine levels in people can be estimated based on indirect clues. One of them is pupil dilation and contraction, which work in in synchrony with the norepinephrine levels. Another other clue may lay in microarousalsvery brief, imperceivable awakenings which, Hauglund thinks, can be correlated with the brain clearing mechanism. I am currently interested in this phenomenon []. Right now we have no idea why microarousals are there or what function they have Hauglund says.But the last step she has on her roadmap is making better sleeping pills. We need sleeping drugs that dont have this inhibitory effect on the norepinephrine waves. If we can have a sleeping pill that helps people sleep without disrupting their sleep at the same time it will be very important, Hauglund concludes.Cell, 2025. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.11.027Jacek KrywkoAssociate WriterJacek KrywkoAssociate Writer Jacek Krywko is a freelance science and technology writer who covers space exploration, artificial intelligence research, computer science, and all sorts of engineering wizardry. 30 Comments