Lifeboat Foundation

To make a gene-editing tool more precise and easier to control, Rice University engineers split it into two pieces that only come back together when a third small molecule is added.

Researchers in the lab of chemical and biomolecular engineer Xue Sherry Gao created a CRISPR-based gene editor designed to target adenine ⎯ one of the four main DNA building blocks ⎯ that remains inactive when disassembled but kicks into gear once the binding molecule is added.

Compared to the intact original, the split editor is more precise and stays active for a narrower window of time, which is important for avoiding off-target edits. Moreover, the activating small molecule used to bind the two pieces of the tool together is already being used as an anticancer and immunosuppressive drug.

I wondered when this would happen. Reminds me of the video game “The Last of Us” and there’s a TV series as well. I’m sure they’ll stop it though.

Silver leaf disease is a curse for a variety of botanicals, from pears to roses to rhododendron. Infecting their leaves and branches, the fungus Chondrostereum purpureum can be fatal for the plant if not quickly treated.

Aside from the risk of losing the occasional rose bush, the fungal disease has never been considered a problem for humans. Until this year.

Continue reading “Plant Fungus Infected a Human in First Reported Case of Its Kind” »

In recent years, the world has witnessed an exponential growth in the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies.

Humanity is slowly losing access to the night sky, and astronomers have invented a new term to describe the pain associated with this loss: “noctalgia,” meaning “sky grief.”

Along with our propensity for polluting air and water and the massive amounts of carbon we’re dumping into the atmosphere to trigger climate change, we have created another kind of pollution: light pollution.

The US has embarked on a program to develop electronic-warfare drone swarms, the latest in its multiple projects to master what could potentially be war-winning AI and drone technology, though with significant operational and strategic implications and risks.

This month, Breaking Defense reported that the US Navy is seeking industry and government agencies to participate in a July 2024 exercise called Silent Swarm 2024, which aims to demonstrate early-stage unmanned systems’ capabilities to fight on the electromagnetic battlefield.

Breaking Defense notes that the event, hosted by Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane, will showcase “swarming, small, attritable” unmanned systems capable of distributed electromagnetic attack, deception, and digital payload delivery, with the tech must be within readiness levels (TRL) two to five, with higher numbers indicating more advanced systems.

Table of Contents:

0) — Intro : 0:00 — 1:49
1) — Ionopocalypse : 1:49 — 7:32
2) — Petrocalypse : 7:32 — 17:03
3) — Ecocalypse : 17:03 — 25:43
4) — Nuclear Apocalypse : 25:43 — 31:06
5) — Biopocalypse : 31:06 — 35:39
6) — Nanopocalypse : 35:40 — 40:15
6) — Infopocalypse : 40:15 — 52:57
7) — Geopocalypse : 52:58 — 58:59
8) — Astropocalypse : 58:59 — 1:04:14
9) — Xenopocalypse1:04:14 — 1:13:10

Continue reading “Preventing Human Extinction” »

Jason Shawhan, Tesla’s director of manufacturing at Giga Texas, recently gave a rare talk about the facility’s existing operations and the company’s plans for the future. The executive shared the information during a keynote address at the State of Manufacturing conference and expo, which was held by the Austin Regional Manufacturers Association.

Tesla is the world’s most valuable automaker by market cap, and its CEO, Elon Musk, is one of the most visible chief executives in the auto industry. Despite this, Tesla has a reputation for being tight-lipped when it comes to the details of its operations. Rare appearances from high-ranking executives such as Shawhan, who serves as director of manufacturing at Gigafactory Texas, are therefore very interesting.

Shawhan did not disappoint, as he did share a number of important insights about the facility. As noted in a report from the Austin Business Journal, the executive confirmed that Giga Texas has become the second-largest private employer in the region because the factory currently employs over 20,000 workers today. This is a notable increase from the 12,277 employees that Tesla confirmed at the end of 2022. Considering Gigafactory Texas’ growth so far, it would appear that the facility would be outpacing Musk’s estimates.

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson reacts to so-called alien bodies brought out in front of Mexico’s Congress.

#CNN #News

It could be a new way to treat one of the more common and more frustrating symptoms of Alzheimer’s. A team at Johns Hopkins is leading a study on the drug, and you can get involved.