Lifeboat Foundation

DNA codes for life as we know it, but in recent years, scientists have discovered more uses for the molecule. Because DNA is foldable and “sticky,” they’ve begun making microscopic shapes called DNA origami. Over the last decade or so, researchers have improved at this DNA art, and now, Caltech scientists say they used DNA to sketch a glowing masterpiece — a replica of Vincent van Gogh’s famous painting “The Starry Night”— on a canvas the size of a dime.

While the mini-van Gogh is neat — if a little fuzzy and monochromatic — the demonstration shows the technique may be approaching more practical uses. One of the difficulties of making technologies ever-smaller is figuring out how to precisely place components. As it turns out, our fingers are just a little too fat to build on scales far thinner than a human hair.

Researchers hope DNA origami can be like surrogate hands on the tiniest scales, and if successful, the technology may be used to build useful devices smaller than any yet in existence.

Continue reading “How to Make Molecular Devices? Microscopic DNA Tools May Be Key” »

Say hi to the ARmKeypad Air, which uses ‘smart glasses’ to turn the arm of a wearer into a virtual keyboard, allowing for contact-free use.

Interesting story on VR.

How did a traditional gaming software company end up creating arguably the most cutting-edge VR hardware on the market, the HTC Vive?

Elite athletes need never miss an opportunity to train again, even when they’re 40,000 feet above the ground.

A new luxury private plane for sports teams aims to keep athletes in top shape while travelling to and from events, thanks to on-board training facilities including exercise bikes and massage tables.

Russian luxury jet firm Sukhoi unveiled its concept SportJet at the Farnborough International Airshow in Hampshire this week.

Continue reading “Meet the Russian luxury hi-tech jet designed for sports teams” »

Hate your head; don’t worry Russian scientist knows how to correct that problem.

Russian programmer Valery Spiridonov is scheduled to have head transplant surgery in December 2017. This unique and highly complex operation will utilize Russian technology and know-how.

New drones and fighters could fry enemy hardware from a distance.

Michael Peck

Have a lot of corporate corruption; take your executives on a tour inside the local Federal Prison. China believes this is the best option to prevent corruption.

Shanghai’s online finance association showed its member executives a taste of life behind bars on Tuesday as part of an effort to nip crime in the bud in a sector that has been dogged by scandal.

Continue reading “China takes finance executives on prison tour to curb scandals” »

Alfred G. Knudson Jr., a medical researcher who helped decode a mystery of cancer — using genetics, mathematics and intuition to explain how and why certain forms of the disease attack — died July 10 at his home in Philadelphia. He was 93.

His death was announced by the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, where Dr. Knudson had served as president, scientific director and in other capacities since joining the institution in 1976. He had heart ailments and dementia, said his wife, Anna Meadows, a pediatric oncologist.

Dr. Knudson was among the most renowned researchers in his field, with honors including a 1998 Lasker Award, commonly known as the American Nobel, and a 2004 Kyoto Prize recognizing him for a discovery that “opened a new horizon in modern cancer genetics and played a pivotal role in the major developments” in cancer research.

Continue reading “Alfred G. Knudson Jr., geneticist who decoded a mystery of cancer, dies at 93” »

Imagine your chest tightening as you struggle for for breath. There’s no cure for it, and it will most likely be a hindrance to your day-to-day life.

This feeling is familiar to the 300 million people worldwide who suffer from asthma. In the US alone, one in 14 people has asthma, and ten of them die from asthma every day.

For children, relying on symptoms to determine whether an asthma attack is about to happen is particularly difficult. Not only is it harder for them to articulate their discomfort, it’s less likely that they will be able to attribute it to asthmatic symptoms.

Continue reading “This Mobile Game Helps Children Prevent Asthma Attacks” »