Global population growth and migration trends make it increasingly likely that the US Army will find itself fighting in megacities in the future. In order to be prepared for the challenges this will pose, the Army should create a unit manned, equipped, and trained entirely for this purpose.
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Feb 9, 2017
Bizarre new helium compound may rewrite science books
Posted by Carse Peel in categories: chemistry, education, particle physics, science
At school you may have been taught that helium was a noble gas because it was totally unreactive.
But, new research suggests it might not be as virtuous as we first thought.
Continue reading “Bizarre new helium compound may rewrite science books” »
Feb 8, 2017
Marina Biotech Announces a License Agreement to SMARTICLES
Posted by Carse Peel in categories: biotech/medical, nanotechnology
A biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative therapeutics for disease intersections of arthritis, hypertension, and cancer, today announced that they have entered into a license agreement regarding the Company’s SMARTICLES platform for the delivery of nanoparticles including small molecules, peptides, proteins and biologics…
Marina Biotech, Inc. a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative therapeutics for disease intersections of arthritis, hypertension, and cancer, today announced that they have entered into a license agreement regarding the Company’s SMARTICLES platform for the delivery of nanoparticles including small molecules, peptides, proteins and biologics. This represents the first time that the Company’s SMARTICLES technologies have been licensed in connection with nanoparticles delivering small molecules, peptides, proteins and biologics. Under terms of the agreement, Marina could receive up to $90MM in success based milestones. Further details of the agreement were not disclosed.
Feb 8, 2017
French Polynesia signs agreement for Floating Island Project
Posted by Klaus Baldauf in categories: economics, governance, government, law
The French Polynesian government, earlier this year, officially signed an agreement with The Seasteading Institute to cooperate on creating legal framework to allow for the development of The Floating Island Project. The legislation will give the Floating Island Project it’s own “special governing framework” creating an “innovative special economic zone”.
Feb 8, 2017
Engineering Nature: How Improved Photosynthesis Could Feed the World
Posted by Shane Hinshaw in categories: bioengineering, food, genetics
https://youtube.com/watch?v=d6xpQYaxiRc
In Brief
- Researchers were able to increase the weight of tobacco plants by around 14 to 20 percent compared to unmodified plants by adding in genes to improve the process of photosynthesis.
- If successful with other plants, the method could improve the yields of food crops such as cowpeas, rice, and cassava and decrease world hunger.
In terms of plants, the concept of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) often refers to the insertion of genetic information from one species of plant to another so that the recipient plant gains a desirable trait. This process has been used extensively to improve crop yields. For example, one type of rice has been made waterproof so that yields aren’t affected by heavy floods from typhoons.
Continue reading “Engineering Nature: How Improved Photosynthesis Could Feed the World” »
Feb 8, 2017
Translation Technology Will Put Foreign Languages in Your Ear, Allowing Instant Communication
Posted by Zoltan Istvan in categories: futurism, transhumanism
A new story from Inverse with a quote I gave: https://www.inverse.com/article/11766-how-instant-translatio…nd-listens #future
People can save lives when they speak the same language.
Technology has advanced such that we can instantaneously communicate with people in the farthest reaches of the world without breaking a sweat. Furthermore, we can do so in their own languages without even a single credit hour of exploratory language class. When language tools like Google Translate and Yandex. Translate meet communication apps like Skype and Telegram, the world shrinks in the best way.
Feb 8, 2017
World’s First 3D Printed Concrete Pedestrian Bridge Opens in Spain
Posted by Karen Hurst in categories: 3D printing, materials
3D printed bridge in Spain. Could this some day be our answer to reducing costs around US state and county infrastructure costs related to bridges and other structural repairs related to infrastructure?
The pedestrian crossing 3D-printed bridge installed in the urban park of Castilla La Mancha in Madrid, Spain, back in December is now ready to be used.
The 39-foot-long bridge was printed in micro-reinforced concrete at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia.
Continue reading “World’s First 3D Printed Concrete Pedestrian Bridge Opens in Spain” »
Feb 8, 2017
Better 3D-printed scaffolds help scientists study cancer
Posted by Karen Hurst in categories: 3D printing, bioengineering, biotech/medical
Nice.
Testing treatments for bone cancer tumors may get easier with new enhancements to sophisticated support structures that mimic their biological environment, according to Rice University scientists.
A team led by Rice bioengineer Antonios Mikos has enhanced its three-dimensional printed scaffold to see how Ewing’s sarcoma (bone cancer) cells respond to stimuli, especially shear stress, the force experienced by tumors as viscous fluid such as blood flows through bone. The researchers determined the structure of a scaffold, natural or not, has a very real effect on how cells express signaling proteins that help cancer grow.
Continue reading “Better 3D-printed scaffolds help scientists study cancer” »
Feb 8, 2017
Making big sense of big data: The quest to improve human reasoning
Posted by Karen Hurst in categories: information science, policy, robotics/AI
SWARM still only restricts itself to sample sets/ group representation of the population. And, when we place AI in this mix; I get concerned still where daily lives are impacted by decisions coming out from this model. For example, I would hate to see laws and policies rely on SWARM data reasoning as Laws and Policies often have special exceptions that Judges and Policy makers must still have the ability to call not AI with SWARM.
US intelligence is investing millions of dollars in a global research effort to boost analytical thinking by unlocking the reason in crowds.
Feb 8, 2017
Decreased expression of STING predicts poor prognosis in patients with gastric cancer
Posted by Karen Hurst in categories: biotech/medical, chemistry, food
Interesting read on recent Gastric Cancer research. I do a lot of work with the National Esophageal Cancer (EC) Awareness Association; I can tell you that this disease is truly a killer as gastric related cancers are horrible to detect early enough and have a horrible record of reoccurring. Survival rates are some of the worst and today the rates of EC have skyrocketed especially in the younger age groups such as 25 to 35 year olds.
When you work for these foundations, read the stories from patients and their families looking for answers and help with everything from help on what types of food can their love eat and hopefully keep down for nutrition, to how can they get help with transportation to simply go to work or the doctor as meds restrictions on driving, to knowing the end is near and how to prepare, etc. The worst ones are the 27 to 36 yr old fathers and mothers whose love one is saying good bye to the person they married only recently married the year before or spent 7 years with. This is why I work for my foundations as every small step does in the end create a larger impact in the end and hopefully helps us finally beat this disease.
STING (stimulator of interferon genes) has recently been found to play an important role in host defenses against virus and intracellular bacteria via the regulation of type-I IFN signaling and innate immunity. Chronic infection with Helicobacter pylori is identified as the strongest risk factor for gastric cancer. Thus, we aim to explore the function of STING signaling in the development of gastric cancer. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect STING expression in 217 gastric cancer patients who underwent surgical resection. STING protein expression was remarkably decreased in tumor tissues compared to non-tumor tissues, and low STING staining intensity was positively correlated with tumor size, tumor invasion depth, lymph mode metastasis, TNM stage, and reduced patients’ survival. Multivariate analysis identified STING as an independent prognostic factor, which could improve the predictive accuracy for overall survival when incorporated into TNM staging system. In vitro studies revealed that knock-down of STING promoted colony formation, viability, migration and invasion of gastric cancer cells, and also led to a defect in cytosolic DNA sensing. Besides, chronic H. pylori infection up-regulated STING expression and activated STING signaling in mice. In conclusion, STING was proposed as a novel independent prognostic factor and potential immunotherapeutic target for gastric cancer.