Discovery advances development of new therapeutic options for cancer and other diseases. A research team led by the University of California, Irvine has engineered an efficient new enzyme that can produce a synthetic genetic material called threose nucleic acid. The ability to synthesize artificial chains of TNA, which is inherently more stable than DNA, advances the discovery of potentially more powerful, precise therapeutic options to treat cancer and autoimmune, metabolic and infectious diseases.
A paper recently published in Nature Catalysis describes how the team created an enzyme called 10–92 that achieves faithful and fast TNA synthesis, overcoming key challenges in previous enzyme design strategies.
Inching ever closer to the capability of natural DNA synthesis, the 10–92 TNA polymerase facilitates the development of future TNA drugs.
A new method developed by Penn State biologists allows them to turn stripped-down plant cells into other types of cells, similar to the way stem cells differentiate into different cell types. Using this method, the research team explored the banding patterns that increase the stability of plant cell walls—much like the corrugated patterns in cardboard—and how they are created. Additionally, the researchers revealed how the assembly of these structures can go astray in different mutant plant cells, which they said could ultimately inform methods to break down plant cells for biofuels.
EngineAI’s SE01 humanoid robot redefines robotics with its smooth, human-like movement powered by advanced AI neural networks, showcasing a new level of realism in robotic technology. Clone Robotics pushes the boundaries further, creating a lifelike torso with synthetic muscles and joints that replicate the human musculoskeletal system, setting a new standard in AI-driven, realistic robotics. These innovations from EngineAI and Clone Robotics are transforming the future of humanoid robots, bringing AI and robotics closer to lifelike androids capable of human-like behavior, movement, and dexterity.
🔍 Key Topics Covered: EngineAI’s groundbreaking humanoid robot, SE01, with AI-driven natural movement that mimics human gait. Clone Robotics’ advanced torso robot, featuring synthetic muscles and joints for lifelike movement. Real-world applications and implications for humanoid robots in industries, education, and daily life.
🎥 What You’ll Learn: How EngineAI achieved smooth, human-like movement in SE01 through a unique neural network approach. Clone Robotics’ development of a lifelike torso that mirrors the human musculoskeletal structure. The future of humanoid robots as they move beyond warehouses, with potential roles in schools, hospitals, and even homes.
📊 Why This Matters: This video dives into the latest advancements in humanoid robotics, revealing how companies like EngineAI and Clone Robotics are pushing the limits of AI and robotics. As robots grow more human-like, their potential to revolutionize industries and daily life becomes increasingly real.
DISCLAIMER: This video explores EngineAI’s SE01 and Clone Robotics’ torso robot, highlighting their remarkable strides in lifelike robotics. Anyone curious about AI, robotics, and the future of humanoid technology will find this information insightful.
“This research marks the first time that we have been able to identify a specific chemical change that is unique to the development of Huntington’s disease, which opens the possibility of developing new tests to study the early changes of the disease before irreversible damage occurs.”
U.K. and German researchers are hopeful that their discovery of a key biochemical change involved in the development of Huntington’s disease could lead to its early detection and treatment.
Alzheimer’s disease, fronto temporal dementia and progressive supra nuclear palsy. Using this study design, the investigators found four genes that marked vulnerable neurons across all three disorders, highlighting pathways that could be used to develop new therapeutic approaches.
The discovery of genes that marked vulnerable neurons could open options for therapeutic approaches.
At some point in your life, you must’ve experienced a lightbulb moment when an amazing idea just popped into your head out of nowhere. But what is your brain doing during these brief periods of creativity?
Researchers from the University of Utah Health and Baylor College of Medicine looked into the origin of creative thinking in the brain. They found that different parts of the brain work together to produce creative ideas, not just one particular area.
“Unlike motor function or vision, they’re not dependent on one specific location in the brain,” Ben Shofty, the senior author of the study and an assistant professor of neurosurgery at the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine, said. “There’s not a creativity cortex.”
Few drugs are available to treat heavy metals that enter the body, either from lead poisoning or nuclear fallout. A UC Berkeley startup hopes to change that.
Chip-based tractor beam Integrated optical tweezers use an intensely focused beam of light to capture and manipulate biological particles without damaging the cells.
Optical manipulation techniques are garnering increased interest for biological applications.
Optical manipulation techniques are garnering increased interest for biological applications. Researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have now developed a miniature, chip-based optical trap that acts as a “tractor beam” for studying DNA, classifying cells and investigating disease mechanisms. The device – which is small enough to fit in your hand – is made from a silicon-photonics chip and can manipulate particles up to 5 mm away from the chip surface, while maintaining a sterile environment for cells.
The promise of integrated optical tweezers
Integrated optical trapping provides a compact route to accessible optical manipulation compared with bulk optical tweezers, and has already been demonstrated using planar waveguides, optical resonators and plasmonic devices. However, many such tweezers can only trap particles directly on (or within several microns of) the chip’s surface and only offer passive trapping.
Recorded on Oct 18th, 2024 Views are my own thoughts; not Financial, Medical, or Legal Advice.
In this episode, Ray and Peter discuss 2025 predictions, Job loss in the coming years, and Ray’s thoughts on nanotech taking over the world.
Ray Kurzweil is a world-class inventor, thinker, and futurist, with a thirty-five-year track record of accurate predictions. He has been a leading developer in artificial intelligence for 61 years – longer than any other living person. He was the principal inventor of the first CCD flat-bed scanner, omni-font optical character recognition, print-to-speech reading machine for the blind, text-to-speech synthesizer, music synthesizer capable of recreating the grand piano and other orchestral instruments, and commercially marketed large-vocabulary speech recognition software. Ray received a Grammy Award for outstanding achievement in music technology; he is the recipient of the National Medal of Technology, was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame, and holds twenty-one honorary Doctorates. He has written five best-selling books including The Singularity Is Near and How To Create A Mind, both New York Times bestsellers, and Danielle: Chronicles of a Superheroine, winner of multiple young adult fiction awards. His new book, The Singularity Is Nearer was released on June 25th and debuted at #4 on the New York Times Best Seller list. He is a Principal Researcher and AI Visionary at Google.
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