hackingbear writes: While the general steps of forming a long-term memory are clear, the details, such as how exactly the molecular signals get shuttled to the command center, which generally has tight security, are unclear. A new study, led by neuroscientist Yi Zhong of Tsinghua University in Beijing, may finally have that answer. In the tiny minds of fruit flies, a protein called importin-7 acts to shuttle the memory-triggering signal into the nucleus with its top-level clearance to the restricted area, researchers report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. With genetic tweaking, the researchers dialed up and down the amount of importin-7 in the flies and then put them through the memory training and test. They found that cranking up levels of the shuttle protein strengthened the long-term memories of the flies, while turning it off weakened their memory. “The current work confirms that [importin-7] is indeed critical at the behavioral level in mediating [long-term memory] consolidation, ” the authors concluded. Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Originally posted here:
Scientists May Have Found Molecular Gatekeeper Of Long-Term Memory
New submitter KGIII writes: “After a recent Steam change, there were more than 1, 900 Steam Linux games listed as Valve ended up including yet-to-be-released Linux game ports. That total including unreleased Linux games is now up to 2, 009! But in terms of released Linux game titles available for download right now, the 1, 900 threshold was crossed tonight to end out February.” It’s getting there. All of you gamers might just be able to make the choice to move to Linux soon. It looks like there are quite a few more games coming down the pipe. This is a good thing as it gives gamers more options for their operating system. I imagine this bodes well for the SteamOS project and for the dedicated SteamOS devices. Read more of this story at Slashdot. 
SlappingOysters writes: Preorders open today for the HTC Vive virtual reality headset and while the device has been well-received by critics, little is known about the games coming to the device. We know that Job Simulator, Fantastic Contraption and Tilt Brush will be bundled in with the HTC Vive for those who preorder it, but Finder has discovered a further 104 games that have also been earmarked by their creators as coming to the device. For those considering a preorder, the site also provides a useful HTC Vive vs. Oculus Rift vs. PlayStation VR comparison table. Read more of this story at Slashdot.