Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
Toggle light / dark theme

Blog

Category: food – Page 102

Rates of anxiety and depression have been increasing around the world for decades, a trend that has been sharply exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. New research led by the Boyce Thompson Institute’s Frank Schroeder could ultimately lead to new therapeutics to help relieve this global mental health burden.

First discovered in the 1930s, is a neurotransmitter produced in many animals that mediates myriad behaviors, such as feeding, sleep, mood and cognition. Drugs that alter are the main weapon to treat psychological conditions like anxiety and depression, as well as eating disorders.

As a simple model for neurobiology research, the microscopic roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans has been used extensively to study serotonin’s role in regulating and . For many years, researchers thought that serotonin was made in C. elegans by one specific molecular pathway, and that serotonin was then quickly degraded. Schroeder’s team and colleagues at Columbia University now demonstrated that both of those assumptions were not quite correct.

Read more | >

CarbiCrete.

A key ingredient in concrete has always been cement, the production of which accounts for around 8 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. While it may be tempting to think we are living in the age of plastic—after all, we have generated around 8 billion tonnes of plastic over the past 60 years and it turns out that the cement sector produces more than 30 billion tonnes of concrete each year.

Read more | >

The naturally ‘carbon-eating’ microorganisms could mean the farms will be carbon negative too.

Cultivating marine algae on land-based farms could meet future nutritional demands from society and enhance environmental sustainability, according to a new study published in Oceanography.

Protein-rich microalgae could be the answer to food insecurity.

Charles H. Greene.

Continue reading “These land-based algae farms could feed 10 billion humans by 2050” | >

Engineers from UNSW Sydney have successfully converted a diesel engine to run as a hydrogen-diesel hybrid engine—reducing CO2 emissions by more than 85% in the process.

The team, led by Professor Shawn Kook from the School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, spent around 18 months developing the hydrogen-diesel direct injection dual-fuel system that means existing diesel engines can run using 90% hydrogen as fuel.

The researchers say that any diesel engine used in trucks and power equipment in the transportation, agriculture and mining industries could ultimately be retrofitted to the new hybrid system in just a couple of months.

Read more | >

face_with_colon_three circa 2021.

Think about where our energy comes from: drilling rigs and smokestacks, windmills and solar panels. Lithium-ion battery packs might even come to mind.

We probably don’t think about the farms that comprise over one-third of Earth’s total land area. But farms can also be an energy source. Barcelona-based battery company Bioo is generating electricity from the organic matter in soil and creating biological batteries that can power agricultural sensors, a growing 1.36 billion dollar global market.

Bioo’s tech eliminates the need for single-use chemical batteries, which have to be replaced frequently. The company will work with large players such as Bayer Crop Science to pilot its sensor tech on farms, while also experimenting with using bio-batteries to power lighting installations. Eventually, Bioo envisions a future where biology may even help power our largest cities.

Continue reading “How biological batteries can generate renewable energy from soil” | >

Scientists say that Earth’s trees are facing an unprecedented level of extinction and humanity should be worried. The state of our world’s trees has been an ongoing issue for decades now. But, that issue seems to be getting worse, and now we’re facing a massive extinction level issue that could threaten entire ecosystems.

Trees play an important role in the various ecosystems that cover our planet. Last year, a team of researchers released a paper titled State of the World’s Trees, which looked at how the loss of some tree species has affected entire ecosystems. Now, that same team of researchers has issued a warning as the ongoing issue with Earth’s trees has become even direr.

The research is backed by 45 additional scientists from over 20 different countries and outlines the many impacts that losing any of these tree species could have on the world. It isn’t just the local ecosystems that would be affected by these losses, either. The researchers say these losses will affect our livelihoods, economies, and food.

Read more | >

Rideshare provider Uber has signed a 10-year, multi-market commercial agreement with Motional – a developer of driverless robotaxis. As part of the agreement, Uber will deploy Motional’s IONIQ 5 electric robotaxis in select markets at first, with the potential to reach millions of customers by providing both ride-hailing and delivery services autonomously.

Motional is an autonomous driving technology developer that exists as a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and Aptiv – specialists in advanced safety, electrification, and vehicle connectivity. It is headquartered in Boston with more recent offices in Santa Monica, California, where the company has been testing its driverless robotaxis built upon Hyundai IONIQ 5 EVs.

In 2021, the public got the first glimpse of Motional’s IONIQ 5 robotaxis, which have completed a fully-autonomous cross-country drive in the US, in addition to 100,000 public rides. Prior to today’s news, Motional has already had a working relationship with Uber Technologies ($UBER) that has consisted of autonomous food deliveries in the Los Angeles area.

Read more | >

Keep exploring at https://brilliant.org/APERTURE. Get started for free, and hurry—the first 200 people get 20% off an annual premium subscription.

Read the story: https://aperture.gg/blogs/the-universe/how-big-is-the-universe.
Merch: https://aperture.gg/merch.

Have you ever looked up at the night sky and pondered about your very own existence? Maybe you were camping out with some friends, or all alone marvelling at the big canvas of darkness plastered with countless glowing stars. Well, you’re not alone. Looking above and contemplating the sheer immensity of the Universe is something humans have been doing since the dawn of time.

Stay connected with Aperture:

Continue reading “How Big Is the Universe?” | >

PASADENA, Calif. (Reuters)-Fast-food French fries and onion rings are going high-tech, thanks to a company in Southern California.

Miso Robotics Inc in Pasadena has started rolling out its Flippy 2 robot, which automates the process of deep frying potatoes, onions and other foods.

A big robotic arm like those in auto plants — directed by cameras and artificial intelligence — takes frozen French fries and other foods out of a freezer, dips them into hot oil, then deposits the ready-to-serve product into a tray.

Read more | >