Lifeboat Foundation

Cornell chemists have discovered a class of nonprecious metal derivatives that can catalyze fuel cell reactions about as well as platinum, at a fraction of the cost.

This finding brings closer a future where hydrogen fuel cells efficiently power cars, generators and even spacecraft with minimal greenhouse gas emissions.

“These less expensive metals will enable wider deployment of hydrogen fuel cells,” said Héctor D. Abruña, the Émile M. Chamot Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology in the College of Arts and Sciences. “They will push us away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy sources.”

A Martian biosphere may not be hiding only in the deep subsurface.

But let’s not forget habitable niches in salts, ices, and caves!

Fundamental constants like e and π are ubiquitous in diverse fields of science, including physics, biology, chemistry, geometry, and abstract mathematics. Nevertheless, for centuries new mathematical formulas relating fundamental constants are scarce and are usually discovered sporadically by mathematical intuition or ingenuity.

Our algorithms search for new mathematical formulas. The community can suggest proofs for the conjectures or even propose or develop new algorithms. Any new conjecture, proof, or algorithm suggested will be named after you.

Tae Seok Moon, associate professor of energy, environmental and chemical engineering at the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, has taken a big step forward in his quest to design a modular, genetically engineered kill switch that integrates into any genetically engineered microbe, causing it to self-destruct under certain defined conditions.

His research was published Feb. 3 in the journal Nature Communications.

In this episode of UpOnly, the creator of Ethereum Vitalik Buterin talks origin stories, his motivation, the future of Ethereum, and even biological sciences.

Presented by FTX: https://uponyl.tv/ftx.

Continue reading “Vitalik Buterin on Ethereum and immortality” »

Circa 2021

A ruby that formed in Earth’s crust 2.5 billion years ago encases evidence for early life, wriggling around in the planet’s mud.

Trapped within the precious stone, geologists have identified residue of a form of pure carbon called graphite that, they say, is most likely biological in origin, the remains of some ancient microorganism from the time before multicellular life emerged on Earth.

Continue reading “For The First Time Ever, Evidence of Ancient Life Was Discovered Inside a Ruby” »

An alien biosphere may be harmful to us in many ways, thus adequate planetary protections measures are essential.

Probably — that’s why planetary protection guidelines need to be enforced.

Continue reading “The Science of Aliens, Part 10: Will an Alien Biosphere be Toxic?” »

Efforts to mimic the brain in silicon—a field known as neuromorphic computing—have a long pedigree, and have seen significant investments from computing powerhouses like Intel and IBM. So far, most research has focused on replicating the functionality and connectivity of biological neurons and synapses in the hope of replicating the brain’s incredible learning efficiency.

One feature of neurons that has received less attention is the way they’re able to reorganize themselves in response to experience. This powerful capability allows the brain to change both its structure and function as it learns, optimizing its underlying hardware to new challenges on the fly.

Now though, a team led by engineers from Purdue University has demonstrated new circuit components whose functions can be reconfigured with simple electronic pulses. This allows them to seamlessly switch between acting as resistors, memory capacitors, artificial neurons, and artificial synapses. The breakthrough opens the door to creating dynamic neural networks in hardware that can rewire themselves as they learn—just like the brain.

Hibernating astronauts could be the best way to save mission costs, reduce the size of spacecraft by a third and keep crew healthy on their way to Mars. An ESA-led investigation suggests that human hibernation goes beyond the realm of science-fiction and may become a game-changing technique for space travel.

When packing for a return flight to the Red Planet, space engineers account for around two years’ worth of food and water for the crew.

Continue reading “Hibernate for a trip to Mars, the bear way” »