Nuclear fission—when the nucleus of an atom splits in two, releasing energy—may seem like a process that is fully understood. First discovered in 1939 and thoroughly studied ever since, fission is a constant factor in modern life, used in everything from nuclear medicine to power-generating nuclear reactors. However, it is a force of nature that still contains mysteries yet to be solved.
Researchers from the University of Washington, Seattle, or UW, and Los Alamos National Laboratory have used the Summit supercomputer at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory to answer one of fission’s biggest questions: What exactly happens during the nucleus’s “neck rupture” as it splits in two?
The resulting paper is published in the journal Physical Review Letters.
Researchers Takuma Nakamura, Kazuki Hashimoto, and Takuro Ideguchi of the Institute for Photon Science and Technology at the University of Tokyo have increased by 100-fold the measurement rate of Raman spectroscopy, a common technique for measuring the “vibrational fingerprint” of molecules in order to identify them.
As the measurement rate has been a major limiting factor, this improvement contributes to advancements in many fields that rely on identifying molecules and cells, such as biomedical diagnostics and material analytics. The findings were published in the journal Ultrafast Science.
Identifying various types of molecules and cells is a crucial step in both basic and applied science. Raman spectroscopy is a widely used measurement technique for this purpose. When a laser beam is projected onto molecules, the light interacts with the vibrations and rotations of molecular bonds, shifting the frequency of the scattering light. The scattering spectra thus measured is a molecule’s unique “vibrational fingerprint.”
Co-written by Chuck Brooks and Dr. Thomas A. Cellucci, MBA
Verticals that will be most impacted by innovative developments in technology and science are the disciplines of medicine, biotechnology, and health. Those industry verticals will see a profound growth of technological innovation in the near future.
Twenty years ago, Craig Venter and Daniel Cohen remarked, “If the 20th century was the century of physics, the 21st century will be the century of biology.” Since then, there have been some amazing advances in the fields of biotechnology and bioscience, with the promise of even more astounding breakthroughs to come. Over the past decade, we have seen significant strides in artificial intelligence, with radical long-term implications for every human endeavor. And now the convergence of the fields of physics, biology, and AI promises a far greater impact on humanity than any one of these fields alone. Even though a path to successfully integrating these fields exists, it is neither easy nor clear cut—but if done correctly, will revolutionize medicine and human health.
Researchers have identified genes influencing muscle aging, including USP54, using AI analysis of gene expression data. These findings may lead to drug discovery and exercise-based interventions targeting muscle mass preservation.
I believe that the next generation of AI turing machines will be conscious turing machines that no longer read just tape but have their own consciousness that allows them to fix code or even be aware of its own code and fix it if it gets a virus.
Protecting Human And Animal Health — Dr. Tristan Colonius, DVM — Chief Veterinary Officer & Deputy Director for Science Policy, Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Dr. Tristan Colonius, DVM is the Chief Veterinary Officer and Deputy Director for Science Policy at FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM — https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary).
Dr. Colonius previously worked in various positions at FDA, including as Deputy Chief of Staff to Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf and as an International Policy Analyst.
During his career at FDA, Dr. Colonius has been working on numerous initiatives including the Animal and Veterinary Innovation Agenda, One Health, Intentional Genomic Alterations in animals, and zootechnical animal feed substances (ZAFS) among many other programs at CVM.
Prior to joining FDA, Dr. Colonius held positions in the US Senate and US Department of Agriculture.
Mike Kelly is President & Chief Executive Officer of NervGen Pharma Corp. (https://nervgen.com/), a clinical-stage biotech company dedicated to developing innovative treatments to enable nervous system repair in the settings of traumatic injury and disease.
NervGen’s lead drug candidate, NVG-291, is being evaluated in a Phase 1b/2a clinical trial in an initial target indication, spinal cord injury. NervGen has initiated preclinical evaluation of a new development candidate, NVG-300, in models of ischemic stroke, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and spinal cord injury.
Mr. Kelly brings three decades of pharmaceutical experience playing instrumental roles in the creation, development and strengthening of several companies.
Most recently, Mr. Kelly served as President of US Operations for Adapt Pharma, Inc. from March 2016 to June 2019, and played a key leadership role in the development and commercialization of NARCAN (naloxone HCl) Nasal Spray in the US and Canada and in the eventual sale to Emergent BioSolutions for US$735 million.
Prior to his tenure at Adapt Pharma, Inc., Mr. Kelly served as the Chief Executive Officer and a Director of Covis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., where, along with its European affiliate, grew and sold the company assets for US$1.2 billion. Mr. Kelly was also a member of the founding management team of Azur Pharma Limited, a specialty pharmaceutical company, and later, following a strategic merger, served as the Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Jazz Pharmaceuticals Inc. Mr. Kelly has also held various commercial and medical roles at Guilford Pharmaceuticals Inc., ViroPharma Incorporated and TAP Pharmaceuticals Inc. and has been a Director of ARS Pharmaceuticals Inc. since May 2019.
Mr. Kelly holds a Bachelor of Science in business administration from The College of New Jersey and a Master of Business Administration from Rider University.
The great George Church takes us through the revolutionary journey of DNA sequencing from his early groundbreaking work to the latest advancements. He discusses the evolution of sequencing methods, including molecular multiplexing, and their implications for understanding and combating aging.
We talk about the rise of biotech startups, potential future directions in genome sequencing, the role of precise gene therapies, the ongoing integration of nanotechnology and biology, the potential of biological engineering in accelerating evolution, transhumanism, the Human Genome Project, and the importance of intellectual property in biotechnology.
The episode concludes with reflections on future technologies, the importance of academia in fostering innovation, and the need for scalable developments in biotech.
00:00 Introduction to Longevity and DNA Sequencing. 01:43 George Church’s Early Work in Genomic Sequencing. 02:38 Innovations in DNA Sequencing. 03:15 The Evolution of Sequencing Methods. 07:41 Longevity and Aging Reversal. 12:12 Biotech Startups and Commercial Endeavors. 17:38 Future Directions in Genome Sequencing. 28:10 Humanity’s Role and Transhumanism. 37:23 Exploring the Connectome and Neural Networks. 38:29 The Mystery of Life: From Atoms to Living Systems. 39:35 Accelerating Evolution and Biological Engineering. 41:37 Merging Nanotechnology and Biology. 45:00 The Future of Biotech and Young Innovators. 47:16 The Human Genome Project: Successes and Shortcomings. 01:01:10 Intellectual Property in Biotechnology. 01:06:30 Future Technologies and Final Thoughts.
A team of scientists has discovered surprising connections among gene activity, genome packing, and genome-wide motions, revealing aspects of the genome’s organization that directly affect gene regulation and expression.
New research has found that a mineral found in Brazil nuts could be the key to stopping the spread of triple negative breast cancer.
Triple negative breast cancer can be hard to treat but is often manageable through therapy and surgery, unless it spreads to other parts of the body when it can become inoperable.
The study, funded by Cancer Research UK, suggests that limiting the antioxidant effects of selenium, a popular ingredient of multivitamin supplements found in everyday foods such as nuts, meat, mushrooms and cereals, could be the secret to controlling this form of the disease.
