Scientific Experiments Research Articles

Genopyc: a Python library for investigating the functional effects of genomic variants associated to complex diseases.

Integrative Biomedicl Informatics, Research Program on Biomedical Informatics (IBI - GRIB), Hospital Del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) C/ del Dr. Aiguader 88 Barcelona 08003 Spain.Understanding the genetic basis of complex diseases is one of the main challenges in modern genomics. However, current tools often lack the versatility to efficiently analyze the intricate relationships between genetic variations and disease outcomes. To address this, we introduce Genopyc, a novel Python library designed for comprehensive investigation of how the variants associated to complex diseases affects downstream pathways. Genopyc offers an extensive suite of functions for heterogeneous data mining and visualization, enabling researchers to delve into and integrate biological information from large-scale genomic datasets. In this work, we present the Genopyc library through application to real-world genome wide association studies variants. Using Genopyc to investigate the functional consequences of variants associated to intervertebral disc degeneration enabled a deeper understanding of the potential dysregulated pathways involved in the disease, which can be explored and visualized by exploiting the functionalities featured in the package. Genopyc emerges as a powerful asset for researchers, facilitating the investigation of complex diseases paving the way for more targeted therapeutic interventions. Genopyc is available on pip https://pypi.org/project/genopyc/.The source code of Genopyc is available at https://github.com/freh-g/genopyc. A tutorial notebook is available at https://github.com/freh-g/genopyc/blob/main/tutorials/Genopyc_tutorial_notebook.ipynb. Finally, a detailed documentation is available at: https://genopyc.readthedocs.io/en/latest/.

Higher Education 4.0: The Digital Transformation of Classroom Lectures to Blended Learning

Published by the Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. in 2021, the book entitled “Higher Education 4.0 : The Digital Transformation of Classroom Lectures to Blended Learning” by Kevin Anthony Jones and Ravi S. Sharma presents an enlightening research for seeking out the impact of changing the instructional design from traditional lecturing to blended learning on the students’ academic achievements. As professional teacher and researchers of English in education, we read this book with particular interests, believing that it is a well-timed international publication under the global effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on teaching forms. The book under review exhibits a well-organized research project based on scientific experiment model, indicating the objectives, scope, methodology and findings of the research through 7 chapters. It provides readers with a thrilling opportunity to dig out the influencing factors in academic performances of students due to the teaching design transition. Besides, the significant findings can help improve the blended learning model. We believe this book is an essential guidance for future digital teaching and would appeal to educators and researchers.

Journey over destination: dynamic sensor placement enhances generalization

Reconstructing complex, high-dimensional global fields from limited data points is a challenge across various scientific and industrial domains. This is particularly important for recovering spatio-temporal fields using sensor data from, for example, laboratory-based scientific experiments, weather forecasting, or drone surveys. Given the prohibitive costs of specialized sensors and the inaccessibility of certain regions of the domain, achieving full field coverage is typically not feasible. Therefore, the development of machine learning algorithms trained to reconstruct fields given a limited dataset is of critical importance. In this study, we introduce a general approach that employs moving sensors to enhance data exploitation during the training of an attention based neural network, thereby improving field reconstruction. The training of sensor locations is accomplished using an end-to-end workflow, ensuring differentiability in the interpolation of field values associated to the sensors, and is simple to implement using differentiable programming. Additionally, we have incorporated a correction mechanism to prevent sensors from entering invalid regions within the domain. We evaluated our method using two distinct datasets; the results show that our approach enhances learning, as evidenced by improved test scores.

Micronewton Cold Gas Thruster Based on Silicon-Etched Two-Dimensional Nozzles

The micronewton thruster is one of the essential technologies for providing an ultrastable satellite platform for scientific experiments in space. Particularly, space gravitational wave detection requires a microthruster with continuously adjustable thrust, high resolution, low noise, and fast response. To meet these requirements, we designed a two-dimensional (2D) nozzle and manufactured it using micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS). Compared to the nozzles machined with conventional methods, the nozzles etched by the MEMS can easily reach a micron size and form arrays to create mutual backups and also provide a way to widen the thrust range by switching the number of openings. Based on a single 2D nozzle, a cold gas microthruster prototype is constructed with nitrogen gas as the propellant. The thrust of the prototype is tested by a pendulum, the range can span 0–156 μN, the thrust resolution is better than 0.1 μN, and the thrust noise reaches 0.1 μN/Hz1/2 at 0.1 Hz. The result demonstrates that the scheme has the potential to be applied to gravitational wave detection missions.

Collins’s Heart: Childlike Sympathy and Coincidence in late-Victorian Literature and Science Debates

ABSTRACT: Wilkie Collins’s Heart and Science: A Story of the Present Time (1882– 1883) channels the controversy that surrounded debates on vivisection and animal rights at the Victorian fin de siècle . Initial reviewers homed in on Collins’s oversimplified arguments against vivisection, which villainized experimental science and scientists; modern critics emphasize the negative associations casting women of science as absurd practitioners and hysterical patients. This analysis explores how Heart and Science encourages sympathetic dialogue between the arts and science; communicates anxiety in depictions of vivisection and women; and draws meaning and hope from narratives driven by music and children. Through metaphors of acoustic science and plots shaped by border-crossing children, the novel stresses listening as a necessary and healing component in discourses of difference.

Collins’s Heart: Childlike Sympathy and Coincidence in late-Victorian Literature and Science Debates

ABSTRACT: Wilkie Collins’s Heart and Science: A Story of the Present Time (1882– 1883) channels the controversy that surrounded debates on vivisection and animal rights at the Victorian fin de siècle . Initial reviewers homed in on Collins’s oversimplified arguments against vivisection, which villainized experimental science and scientists; modern critics emphasize the negative associations casting women of science as absurd practitioners and hysterical patients. This analysis explores how Heart and Science encourages sympathetic dialogue between the arts and science; communicates anxiety in depictions of vivisection and women; and draws meaning and hope from narratives driven by music and children. Through metaphors of acoustic science and plots shaped by border-crossing children, the novel stresses listening as a necessary and healing component in discourses of difference.

Mesoscale and Large-Eddy Simulation of the Boundary Layer Process of Cumulus Development over Naqu, Tibetan Plateau Part A: Comparison Between Simulation and Observation

Cumulus clouds are of great interest in numerical weather prediction. However, the scarcity of observed data on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) has not allowed a correct interpretation of their development. The Third TP Atmospheric Science Experiment provided experimental data to address this challenge. The objective of this study was to ascertain the effective utilization of observation-nudging techniques for the implementation of combined weather research and forecasting large-eddy simulation (WRF-LES) for further experimental designs. This study simulated cumulus clouds over southern TP on July 19, 2014, using the WRF-LES model and final reanalysis data from the Global Forecast System. We applied observation nudging and one-way nesting strategies to influence the optimality of WRF-LES runs. The study performed simulations with six different scenarios in comparison with observational data. The findings demonstrated that, despite being locally initiated and growing upscale, cumulus clouds were nonetheless subject to large-scale forcing. Simulations with observation nudging produced more accurate and trustworthy results than simulations without nudging when compared to observations. While the observed time series were misleading, LES with mesoscale forcing produced a microphysical evolution that was consistent with the observations and an accurate water vapor profile. Without mesoscale forcing, LES provided the best ABL water vapor and sensible heat flux; however, it failed to provide a good microphysics field. In this aspect, large-scale forcing played an important role in cumulus development during the model experiment. The study recommended focusing on the model's response to the boundary conditions to improve the application of one-way nesting in separate iterations and observational nudging techniques

The possibility of knowing the essence of bodies through scientific experiments in Spinoza’s controversy with Boyle

ABSTRACT In this paper, I argue for a novel reading of Spinoza’s position in his exchange with Boyle about Boyle’s experiment with nitre. Boyle claimed to have shown through experiments that nitre ceased to be nitre after heating. Spinoza disagreed and proposed the alternative hypothesis that nitre has changed its state and not its nature. Spinoza’s position was construed in the literature as rational scepticism denying that experiments can yield knowledge of essences because all sensory experience is underdetermined and open to multiple interpretations. I argue for an alternative reading of Spinoza’s position which focuses on Bacon’s notion of crucial instance. According to this reading, Spinoza did not deny the possibility of knowing by experimentation whether nitre has changed its nature, he asked for a crucial instance, i.e. an experiment that would refute the hypothesis that nitre has changed merely its state. Spinoza’s argumentative strategy shows that, contrary to the mainstream reading, the representational content of sensory ideas can be determined even if it does not represent the essence of the object: we can know with absolute, rather than merely moral, certainty whether nitre ceased to be nitre without knowing what nitre is.

Analisis Korelasi Kemampuan Berpikir Divergen dengan Kreativitas Ilmiah pada Mahasiswa Calon Guru IPA

This research aims to analyze the relationship between divergent thinking abilities and scientific creativity. That creativity is stated to originate from divergent and convergent thinking. Quantitative descriptive methods with a correlation approach were used in the research. A total of 100 prospective science teacher students were research subjects using random sampling techniques. Measuring divergent thinking abilities uses an instrument that adapts Graphic Convergent Thinking (GCT), consisting of the Gestalt Completion Test (GCT) and Snowy Picture Test (SPT). The scientific creativity instrument adapts the Scientific Creativity Test (SCT), which contains the dimensions of unusual use, problem finding, product improvement, creative imagination, problem solving, science experimentation, and product design. Correlation analysis was carried out using the Pearson correlation test. The results of the correlation test analysis obtained a Pearson correlation index of 0.932 with a significance of 0.000. These results state that divergent thinking has a very strong correlation with scientific creativity. Divergent thinking gives individuals the ability to produce many solutions with many ways of solving problems. The accuracy of the solution provided depends on the initial knowledge or information that the individual already has. Divergent thinking does not always produce new solutions.

How to optimize communication about animal and animal-free research methods.

There is a long-standing debate about experimental non-human animals and animal-free methods in scientific research. Among the various stakeholders involved in the debate are the scientists. During media broadcasts we, animal researchers and animal-free methods researchers, were positioned as 'opponents'. In this essay we describe our initial rational thoughts and emotions after these events, and how we came together to explore our common ground on animal(-free) experimentation. Realizing that all models have advantages and limitations, our common ground lies in the principles of good scientific research and responsible experimentation. Our communication emanating from the broadcasts has been instrumental in improving communication on animal(-free) experimentation issues by teaming up. We strongly believe that this is essential for making well-informed decisions for the methods we are using now and will be using in the future.

A global map of gullied hillslopes on Mars

The distribution of gullies on Mars has been used to support different modes of formation involving CO2, H2O or entirely dry processes. We mapped the extent of gullied hillslope using a global mosaic of ConTeXt camera (CTX) at 6 m/pixel and High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) browse products at ∼3 m/pixel. Our new global catalog of gullied hillslopes allows for quantitative, area-based analysis of gullies both at global and regional scale, which was not possible with point-based or more localized previous datasets. We analyzed aspect and gradient information derived from MOLA topography for every mapped gullied hillslope. We have confirmed the trends identified in previous works, which are that the mean gradient of gullied hillslopes is lower than 30°, the angle of repose of dry material on Mars, and that the preferred aspect of gullied hillslopes is latitude-dependent, with a shift between pole-facing to equator-facing happening around 40° in both hemispheres. We established a hierarchy of factors that can explain the global distribution of gullied hillslopes: Latitude is the strictest control because gullies are constrained between 26°-83°S and 28°-76°N. The availability of steep slopes is a strong control over gully distribution, and we observed that gullied hillslopes aspect reflects the orientation of large regional reliefs, which implies that hillslope aspect is less of a factor than the hillslope gradient in explaining gully distribution. We analyzed the correlation of gully distribution with a subsurface water ice consistency map, and we found that gullies are preferentially distributed on areas with some ground ice rather than no ice at all. We identified for the first time a bias toward an east-facing trend for southern hemisphere gullies poleward of ∼40° of latitude. We also linked our gullied hillslopes dataset with a global crater morphometry dataset: 63% of the gullied area on Mars is found in craters, and we find that the area covered by gullies in a given crater is positively correlated with the depth and diameter ratio of this crater.Our observations point toward a complex interplay between local slope, insolation, and thermal properties of the substrate to explain the spatial distribution of the current population of gullies. Finally, we have assessed the very high resolution (sub-meter) imagery coverage of gullies to be 36% and that the repeated coverage reaches 21% of gullies, hence this would need expanding to better understand the spatial trends in active gullies.

Assessment of the risk of contamination by heavy metals and correlation analysis of the content of toxicants in animal feed and organic waste

Pollution of agroecosystems by heavy metals posesa signifcant threat to agricultural production in various countries of the world, including Ukraine. In the postwar period, the environmental situation will be even more complicated. Timely assessment of environmental risk using the results of laboratory analysis of the feed of dairy cows and their organic waste for the content of ecotoxicants such as cadmium and lead obtained in scientific experiments is important. Correlation analysis is one of the methods of statistical data processing that, when properly applied using modern computer software, allows you to quickly establish the strength of the relationship between indicators and its statistical signifcance. Such research methods are used by scientists from the countries of the European Union, the USA, China, and other countries. Previous studies have focused directly on the concentrations of contamination with heavy metals Cd, Pb, and other animal feed and organic waste, but have not investigated the relationship between them. Scientifc and economic experiments were conducted on dairy cows with different types of feeding. The animals were selected by the method of analogues for live weight and productivity. The diet included feed with an excess of cadmium and lead. The high biological activity of pollutants influenced their transition from ration fodder to products and organic waste. The aim of the research was to analyze the correlation dependence between the content of Cd and Pb in cow feed and their organic waste with an assessment of the risk of soil contamination by hazardous toxicants in the area of activity of agro-enterprises producing milk after the introduction of organic waste as organic fertilizer. With the help of the STATISTICA version 10.0 computer program, the Shapiro-Wilk's W test, the conformity of the obtained data of laboratory analyzes of feed and organic waste with the concentration of heavy metals, the law of "normal" distribution (Gaussian), and then the non-parametric Spearman rank correlation coefcient necessary in this case is selected for calculation. The analysis established a high r=0.66-0.75 (Cd) (р<0.05), r=0.66-0.77 (Pb) (р<0.05) and a very high r=0.83 (Cd) (р<0.05), r=0.83 (Pb) (р<0.05) correlation dependence between the content of toxicants in feed and organic waste, which allows specialists to act quickly and efectively in production conditions, confdently use the method of environmental monitoring, forecast the environmental situation, assessenvironmental risks, including those related to organic and biological farming and avoid disturbing the ecological balance of agroecosystems. Further research is aimed at correlational and regression analysis, but on other important indicators of environmental safety in veterinary, zootechnical and ecological practice, with an assessment of the relevant risks of running the livestock industry in the forest-steppe zone of Ukraine. Key words: feed, organic waste, organic fertilizers, heavy metals, cadmium, lead, correlation, ecological risk, dairy cows.

New IEC standards for the measurement of sheet resistance on large-area graphene using the van der Pauw and the in-line four-point probe methods

Graphene has evolved from a scientific research subject to an industrial product, in need of a normative basis for its key control characteristics. Recently two new IEC technical specifications that establish standardized procedures for assessing the sheet resistance RS of monolayer graphene have been published. These new standards, part of the IEC TS 62607-6-xx series, outline protocols for employing two contact methods: i) van der Pauw, and ii) in-line four-point probe. In the following we present and discuss illustrative examples of the scientific experiments designed and performed to inform the standardization process behind the presented standards. In particular we report about the investigation of mechanical contacting of chemical-vapor-deposited monolayer graphene and the measurement of the RS in cm2 area graphene samples with non uniform resistivity distributions. This paper includes an overview of the broader IEC context, detailing the key steps in the development of the standards themselves.

The Charged Particle Detection System of the SRD Module onboard the China Space Station

The radiation field environment outside the Earth varies greatly with space location and the cycle of solar activity, and the radiation environment near the space station’s orbit is much more complex than that on the Earth’s surface. Various high-energy cosmic ray particles and secondary particles produced by them and the bulkhead of the space station greatly impact the health of astronauts and the working conditions of instruments. Each aircraft is always equipped with some dedicated radiation monitoring instruments to assess the exposure risk for astronauts, and to analyze the causes of instrument failures. The Space Radiation Detector Module (SRDM) is working in the China Space Station (CSS) to measure the radiation environment inside, including two parts: the Charged Particle Detection System (CPDS) and the Neutron Detection System (NDS). The CPDS, which is the main content of this paper, contains a detector unit, that consists of three silicon detectors a BGO calorimeter, and the corresponding readout electronics unit of the detector unit. Ground test results show that the detection system can detect various charged particles from hydrogen to nitrogen ions with an energy resolution of less than 15%. The actual measurement results for a period in orbit show that the main types of charged particles in the cabin are protons and α particles, with measured energies ranging from 0.8 to 265.2 MeV for protons and from 1.0 to 61.6 MeV/A for α particles(where A is the mass number), and linear energy density (LET) range mainly from 1.0 to 612.4 keV/μm. The radiation environment data measured in CSS can provide an important reference value for the exposure risk, life science experiments, and the status of instruments on board.

Virtual and Remote Robotic Laboratory

The Virtual Remote Robotic Laboratory (VRRL) represents a paradigm shift in scientific experimentation, offering researchers unprecedented access to remote laboratory facilities and robotic systems. This paper explores the design, implementation, and benefits of VRRL systems in enhancing access and collaboration in scientific research. VRRL leverages cloud computing, IoT technologies, and advanced user interfaces to enable researchers to remotely control and interact with robotic systems and laboratory equipment from anywhere with an internet connection. Through intuitive user interfaces, researchers can seamlessly navigate virtual environments, manipulate robots, monitor experiments in real- time, and analyze data, all without physical presence in the laboratory. Key features of VRRL include robust security protocols to protect sensitive data, flexible experimentation capabilities to accommodate diverse research needs, and collaboration tools to facilitate knowledge sharing and teamwork among researchers worldwide. By breaking geographical barriers and providing on-demand access to laboratory resources, VRRL empowers researchers to conduct experiments more efficiently, accelerate scientific discovery, and foster interdisciplinary collaboration

Рост и развитие бычков лимузинской породы различных генотипов в постнатальном онтогенезе

The purpose of research is to study the growth and development of Limousin bulls of various genotypes in postnatal ontogenesis. Objectives: to study of weight growth, absolute, average daily gains in live weight and relative growth rate of young animals by age periods and for the entire period of growing and fattening; to study of the linear growth of bulls in postnatal ontogenesis based on the dynamics of body measurements and body composition indices. The objects of the study are bulls of the Limousin breed of various genotypes obtained from the mating of cows of French, Australian and local selection with bulls of local reproduction. The scientific and economic experiment was carried out in 2021–2022 at LLC Meat Union of Bashkir Producers, located in the Kuyurgazinsky District of the Republic of Bashkortostan. Indicators of live weight dynamics, live weight gain, relative growth rate, body measurements and body composition indices in the age aspect were studied. Research of the weight growth of young animals of various genotypes made it possible to identify significant differences in terms of absolute and average daily gain in live weight for the entire period of growing and fattening between bulls of the 1st and 2nd experimental groups, respectively, by 32.5 kg and 59.7 g (in both cases – by 6.2 %). The highest values of measurements, indicating the formation of meat qualities and body shape, were noted in bulls of the 1st group compared with peers of the 2nd and 3rd experimental groups. Breeding animals for a long period under different housing and feeding technologies influences the characteristics of the growth and development of the descendants of local reproduction of Limousin breed cattle.

CNOT7 regulates lipid deposition in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

BackgroundIn recent years, the incidence rate of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has ascended with the increasing number of metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes, which will bring great medical burden to society. At present, multiple scientific experiments have found that the CCR4-NOT complex can participate in regulating obesity and energy metabolism. This study is designed to explore the role and mechanism of CCR4-NOT transcription complex subunit 7 (CNOT7), a subunit of the CCR4-NOT complex in liver lipid deposition. MethodsTo establish the NAFLD cell model, palmitic acid (PA) was utilized to stimulate HepG2 cells and LO2 cells, promoting intracellular lipid deposition. CNOT7 was knockdown by siRNA and lentivirus to evaluate the effect of CNOT7 in NAFLD. ResultsOur results demonstrated that the expression of CNOT7 was increased in the NAFLD cell model. After knocking down CNOT7, the lipid deposition declined in HepG2 or LO2 cells treated by PA reduced. We found the lipid synthesis genes and the lipid uptake and transport factors in the CNOT7 knockdown group were significantly downregulated compared to the non-knockdown group. Furthermore, knockdown of CNOT7 might promote fatty acid oxidation. ConclusionKnocking down CNOT7 can improve lipid deposition and CNOT7 may be a potential therapeutic target for NAFLD.

The Hera Radio Science Experiment at Didymos

Hera represents the European Space Agency's inaugural planetary defense space mission and plays a pivotal role in the Asteroid Impact and Deflection Assessment international collaboration with NASA DART mission that performed the first asteroid deflection experiment using the kinetic impactor techniques. With the primary objective of conducting a detailed post-impact survey of the Didymos binary asteroid following the DART impact on its small moon called Dimorphos, Hera aims to comprehensively assess and characterize the feasibility of the kinetic impactor technique in asteroid deflection while conducting an in-depth investigation of the asteroid binary, including its physical and compositional properties as well as the effect of the impact on the surface and shape of Dimorphos. In this work, we describe the Hera radio science experiment, which will allow us to precisely estimate critical parameters, including the mass, which is required to determine the momentum enhancement resulting from the DART impact, mass distribution, rotational states, relative orbits, and dynamics of the asteroids Didymos and Dimorphos. Through a multi-arc covariance analysis, we present the achievable accuracy for these parameters, which consider the full expected asteroid phase and are based on ground radiometric, Hera optical images, and Hera to CubeSats InterSatellite Link radiometric measurements. The expected formal uncertainties for Didymos and Dimorphos GM are better than 0.01% and 0.1%, respectively, while their J2 formal uncertainties are better than 0.1% and 10%, respectively. Regarding their rotational state, the absolute spin pole orientations of the bodies can be recovered to better than 1°, and Dimorphos' spin rate to better than 10−3%. Dimorphos reconstructed relative orbit can be estimated at the sub-m level. Preliminary results, using a higher-fidelity dynamical model of the coupled motion between rotational and orbital dynamics, show uncertainties in the main parameters of interest that are comparable to those in standard radio science models. A first-order estimate of the expected uncertainty in the momentum transfer efficiency from DART's impact, obtainable with Hera, yields a value of about 0.25. This represents a significant improvement compared to current estimates. Overall, the retrieved values meet the Hera radio science requirements and goals, and remain valid under the condition that the system is determined to be in an excited but non-chaotic (or tumbling) state. The Hera radio science experiment will play an integral role in the exploration of the Didymos binary asteroid system and will provide unique scientific measurements, which, when combined with other observables such as optical images, altimetry measurements, and satellite-to-satellite tracking of the CubeSats, will support the mission's overarching goals in planetary defense and the deep understanding of binary asteroids.

Electron-induced deposition using Fe(CO)4MA and Fe(CO)5 - effect of MA ligand and process conditions.

The electron-induced decomposition of Fe(CO)4MA (MA = methyl acrylate), which is a potential new precursor for focused electron beam-induced deposition (FEBID), was investigated by surface science experiments under UHV conditions. Auger electron spectroscopy was used to monitor deposit formation. The comparison between Fe(CO)4MA and Fe(CO)5 revealed the effect of the modified ligand architecture on the deposit formation in electron irradiation experiments that mimic FEBID and cryo-FEBID processes. Electron-stimulated desorption and post-irradiation thermal desorption spectrometry were used to obtain insight into the fate of the ligands upon electron irradiation. As a key finding, the deposits obtained from Fe(CO)4MA and Fe(CO)5 were surprisingly similar, and the relative amount of carbon in deposits prepared from Fe(CO)4MA was considerably less than the amount of carbon in the MA ligand. This demonstrates that electron irradiation efficiently cleaves the neutral MA ligand from the precursor. In addition to deposit formation by electron irradiation, the thermal decomposition of Fe(CO)4MA and Fe(CO)5 on an Fe seed layer prepared by EBID was compared. While Fe(CO)5 sustains autocatalytic growth of the deposit, the MA ligand hinders the thermal decomposition in the case of Fe(CO)4MA. The heteroleptic precursor Fe(CO)4MA, thus, offers the possibility to suppress contributions of thermal reactions, which can compromise control over the deposit shape and size in FEBID processes.

Beyond Neural Connections: Using Strathern to Explore Knowledge-making at the Intersections of the Social and Neurosciences

This article considers how Marilyn Strathern’s work on Western knowledge conventions can usefully contribute to debates at the intersection of the social and neurosciences: first, to understanding the nature of work at this intersection; and second, to providing new avenues for interdisciplinary engagement. The neuroscience explosion in the 1990s and the early twenty-first century held out the promise of understanding increasingly complex phenomena in terms of the brain. As the neurosciences ventured into questions of human sociality, social scientists found it difficult to make meaningful contributions within the confines of conventional models of neuroscientific work. This highlighted the need for conceptual and methodological innovation. In this article, we illustrate how Strathern’s concept of the merographic connection, which conceptualizes the link between overlapping parts belonging to separate wholes, is a useful frame for thinking about the shared objects of the social and neurosciences. We show how her consideration of analogy as an apparatus bringing different domains together assists in understanding work in this area. With social science experiments in working with neuroscientists ongoing, Strathern’s work encourages precision about what is being brought into relationship in interdisciplinary encounters and prompts innovative thinking about what might productively be brought into association.