Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
Toggle light / dark theme

Blog

Category: biotech/medical – Page 2,073

Scientists Discover That a Squid Can Edit Its Own Genetic Code

The longfin inshore squid can edit the RNA inside its nerve cells, Wired reports, meaning that it can drastically alter the behavior of its biological machinery as needed — perhaps to help the animal rapidly adapt to new environments. It’s a bizarre discovery, and one that could potentially lead to better genetic treatments for humans.

Neat Trick

Researchers from the Marine Biological Laboratory found that the squid alters the RNA within its axons instead of the DNA within its nuclei, according to research published Monday in the journal Nucleic Acids Research. Thus far, it’s the only animal known to do so.

Man who died on bus in China tests positive for ‘hantavirus’

O,.,o.

A passenger who died on a bus in China has tested positive for a completely different virus than COVID-19 — one more fatal that often produces very similar symptoms, according to state-run media.

The unidentified victim from Yunnan province died while on a chartered bus heading to his workplace in Shandong province, the state-run Global Times announced in a tweet Monday.

It Takes Two: COVID-19 Coronavirus Possibly ‘Chimera’ of Two Distinct Viruses

;-; They say now it could be a bioweapon possibly like the chimera virus that is why it spread so fast. Many weird reports from god having a battle with the borg to even an alien entity in London but rationally this was a bioweapon as it spread so fast and evolved so fast. Still undecided the origin bit it seems patient zero was in china originally from a bat.

The COVID-19 coronavirus may be a chimera created from the presence of two pre-existing distinct viruses.

Scientists ‘Reset’ The Age of Stem Cells From a Supercentenarian Who Lived to 114

For the first time, scientists have reprogrammed the stem cells of a 114-year-old woman, the oldest donor to date.

After first transforming cells from her blood sample into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), the researchers then generated mesenchymal stem cells, which help to maintain and repair tissues like bone, cartilage and fat.

“We set out to answer a big question: Can you reprogram cells this old?” says stem cell biologist Evan Snyder at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute in California.

Coronavirus: Nobel Prize winner predicts US will get through crisis sooner than expected

A Nobel Prize winning biology professor has provided a bit of good news amidst the coronavirus gloom; the US may see a downturn in new cases sooner than some models have predicted.

Michael Levitt, a Stanford University biology professor and a 2013 Nobel Prize winner in chemistry, said his models predict the virus is not likely to dwindle on for months or years and – most importantly – is not likely to cause millions of deaths.

Mr Levitt previously predicted – correctly – when China would experience and endure the worst of its coronavirus crisis.

UPS partners with Wingcopter to develop new multipurpose drone delivery fleet

UPS is working with German startup Wingcopter to develop a new type of delivery drone, to be used for the logistics company’s growing commercial drone delivery efforts both in the U.S. and globally. Wingcopter has already designed an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft that has a range of up to 75 miles and can achieve speeds as high as 150 miles per hour in conditions that include wind speeds of up to 45 miles per hour.

Wingcopter will be working closely with UPS’ Flight Forward subsidiary, the dedicated drone delivery unit that UPS developed last year in July to house its commercial drone delivery program. In October, Flight Forward received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval to effectively operate a full-scale “drone airline” at scale for the purpose of package delivery.

Wingcopter has already demonstrated how its drones could operate in commercial settings, including during a demonstration with Merck earlier this year that saw its autonomous eVTOLs carry small packages between the drug company’s various office locations in Darmstadt in Germany. It also used its aircraft to deliver critical medical supplies and life-saving equipment to hard to reach areas, including through partnerships with UNICEF and other relief organizations.

Social Distancing Scoreboard

Social distancing is seen as the most effective way of slowing the spread of the virus causing COVID-19, and is strongly advised by the World Health Organization and the CDC. At Unacast, we wanted to understand which areas of the country are best at exhibiting social distancing behavior. Our hope is that these insights will empower organizations and companies to understand and measure social distancing initiatives and ultimately, save lives.

FDA Grants Experimental Coronavirus Drug Benefits For Rare Disease Treatments

The agency’s decision would provide lucrative incentives to the drug’s maker, Gilead Sciences, and could keep lower-priced generic versions of the medicine off the market for several years if remdesivir is approved for use, public health advocates say.

Remdesivir Gets Rare Disease Perks From FDA : Shots — Health News Gilead Science’s remdesivir, an antiviral medicine being tested for treatment of COVID-19, would get a seven-year monopoly if approved by the Food and Drug Administration.