Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
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Piezoelectric materials, which generate an electric current when compressed or stretched, are familiar and widely used: think of lighters that spark when you press a switch, but also microphones, sensors, motors and all kinds of other devices. Now a group of physicists has found a material with a similar property, but for magnetism. This “piezomagnetic” material changes its magnetic properties when put under mechanical strain.

“Piezomagnetic materials are rarely found in nature, as far as I’m aware,” said Nicholas Curro, professor of physics at UC Davis and senior author of a paper on the discovery published March 13 in the journal Nature Communications.

Curro and colleagues were studying a barium-iron-arsenic compound, BaFe2As2, that can act as a superconductor at temperatures of about 25 Kelvin when doped with small amounts of other elements. This type of iron-based superconductor is interesting because although it has to be kept pretty cold to work, it could be stretched into wires or cables.

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Summary: Scientists just discovered bacteria that trigger autoimmune conditions and found that a simple antibiotic or vaccination stopped the autoimmune reaction. [This article first appeared on LongevityFacts. Author: Brady Hartman. ]

Yale University researchers discovered a strain of gut bacteria that can travel throughout the body and trigger an autoimmune reaction. More importantly, the scientists say that administering simple antibiotics or vaccines can suppress the autoimmune response, and hold promise as new treatments for chronic autoimmune conditions, such as autoimmune liver disease and systemic lupus.

An autoimmune disease is a condition in which the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue. Up until the new study, scientists weren’t sure what causes autoimmune disease. However, researchers have long suspected that bacteria and viruses play a role.

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Summary: Cholesterol drug alirocumab was linked to a 15% lower risk of dying in a new study released Saturday. [This article first appeared on LongevityFacts. Author: Brady Hartman. ]

The cholesterol-lowering drug alirocumab was linked to a 15% lower risk of death, and an equivalent reduction of cardiovascular events, such as heart attack and stroke, according to a new study.

It’s the first time a cholesterol-lowering drug has reduced deaths since statins such as Crestor and Lipitor came out decades ago.

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Summary: Vitamin D linked to a 20% lower risk of cancer in an extensive 16-year study of over 33,000 people published yesterday in a top journal. [This article first appeared on LongevityFacts. Author: Brady Hartman. ]

Higher levels of vitamin D may be connected to a lower risk of developing cancer, concludes an extensive study of Japanese adults published yesterday.

The scientists say their findings support the theory that vitamin D might help protect against some cancers.

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Summary: A sneak peek of an upcoming documentary takes us inside the minds of the leaders in the life extension field and their recent discoveries to ward off the diseases of aging. [This article has been updated and first appeared on LongevityFacts. Author: Brady Hartman.]

Leaders in the field of longevity research plan to help us live healthier, longer lives with their recent scientific discoveries.

Sixteen of the leading scientists in the field of life extension, called geroscientists, are showcased in a new PBS documentary called “Incredible Aging: Adding Life to Your Years.”

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Scientists are developing heart patches for adults as well. For example, biomedical engineers at Duke University have created a fully functioning lab-grown human heart muscle large enough to patch over the damage typically suffered in a heart attack.

While Duke’s heart patches are still in their early stages, they appear to be a tremendous improvement over existing cell therapies. Clinical trials are currently testing the tactic of injecting stem cells directly into the affected site in an attempt to restore some of the damaged heart muscle. However, it doesn’t help very much. Fewer than 1% of the injected cells survive in the heart, and even fewer become cardiac muscle cells.

On the other hand, heart patches could potentially be implanted over the dead heart muscle and remain active for a long time, strengthening contractions and providing a conductive circuit for the heart’s electrical signals to travel through. These patches also secrete growth factors and enzymes that could help the recovery of damaged tissue that hasn’t yet died.

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