Lifeboat Foundation

A new tool called CRISPR is letting scientists cut and snip DNA in better ways, and has led to a slew of new research that touches on many human diseases.

It has been more than a decade since the Concorde was retired from service, and since then no passenger aircraft has exceeded the speed of sound. That might change in the not-too-distant future, thanks to a project from NASA and industry partner Lockheed Martin Corporation. The agency is close to testing its design for Quiet Supersonic Transport, or QueSST, which could lead to passenger jets that can again reach supersonic speeds.

The Concorde was never seen as a major commercial success — more of a vanity project for the few European airlines that operated the planes. The nature of supersonic flight meant the sonic boom at ground level could shatter windows. Thus, the plane could only fly at high speeds over the ocean. The trip between Europe and New York was fast, but other routes were not feasible. When the travel industry took a downturn in 2003, the Concorde was mothballed.

Continue reading “NASA’s Quiet Supersonic Plane Could Soon Take Flight” »

Quantum theory says that stuff doesn’t exist when we’re not looking at it. But weirder-than-weird experiments are resurrecting a long-derided alternative.

By Anil Ananthaswamy

Continue reading “Reality check: The hidden connections behind quantum weirdness” »

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Q2_1_YI4Ads

National Electric Vehicle Sweden, which purchased Saab’s assets back in 2012, is using CES Asia to show its vision of autonomous commuting. Owning a car is out in this particular mobility vision, and vehicles not only pick you up and drop you off autonomously, they change their interiors around your needs and whims. So you enjoy a personalized ride and can make the most of every moment.

Some scientists are thinking about what human space travelers will look like in the future. They might be extra-small and radiation-proof.

The japanese conglomerate betting billions to prepare for the singularity.

Our ultimate user’s guide to fundamental physics – all on one spectacular poster for you to download for free.

Download the poster as a PDF file.

Surgery that severs the link between brain hemispheres reveals that those halves have way different views of the world. We ask a pioneering scientist what that tells us about human consciousness.