Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
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Blog – Page 10

Dark matter constitutes about 27% of the universe, yet it remains one of the greatest mysteries in cosmology. Unlike normal matter, it does not emit, absorb, or reflect light, making it invisible and detectable only through its gravitational effects. Understanding dark matter is crucial for explaining galaxy formation and cosmic structure.

Accounting for approximately 68% of the universe, dark energy is a hypothetical form of energy proposed to explain the accelerated expansion of the universe. Its nature and properties remain unclear. Dark energy challenges our understanding of gravity and the ultimate fate of the cosmos.

Black holes are regions with a gravitational pull so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape. While we have theories describing their behavior, their interiors remain shrouded in mystery. The existence of black holes challenges the boundaries of our understanding of physics, including general relativity and quantum mechanics.

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About a century ago, scientists were struggling to reconcile what seemed a contradiction in Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity.

Published in 1915, and already widely accepted worldwide by physicists and mathematicians, the theory assumed the Universe was static – unchanging, unmoving and immutable. In short, Einstein believed the size and shape of the Universe today was, more or less, the same size and shape it had always been.

But when astronomers looked into the night sky at faraway galaxies with powerful telescopes, they saw hints the Universe was anything but that. These new observations suggested the opposite – that it was, instead, expanding.

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Dr. Eric Topol, a 70-year-old cardiologist, challenges conventional aging perceptions by embracing strength training. Abandoning cardio, he discovered that building muscle mass significantly improves health span. His regimen of simple exercises at home led to increased strength, balance, mental focus, and confidence, proving that aging can be a period of renewal, not decline.

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The technique simulates elastic objects for animation and other applications, with improved reliability compared to other methods. In comparison, many existing simulation techniques can produce elastic animations that become erratic or sluggish or can even break down entirely.

To achieve this improvement, the MIT researchers uncovered a hidden mathematical structure in equations that capture how elastic materials deform on a computer. By leveraging this property, known as convexity, they designed a method that consistently produces accurate, physically faithful simulations.

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Since the time of the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, cancer has been recognized as being sensitive to heat. Today, this principle forms the basis of hyperthermia treatment—a promising cancer therapy that uses controlled heat to kill tumor cells while sparing healthy ones.

Unlike chemotherapy or radiation, hyperthermia works by heating cancerous tissue to temperatures around 50°C, causing cancer while simultaneously activating the body’s immune system against the tumor. This approach holds particular promise when combined with immunotherapy, as heat-killed cancer cells can trigger a stronger anti-tumor immune response.

However, a few major challenges have limited hyperthermia’s clinical success. One of the main hurdles is the limited understanding of the biological mechanisms behind heat sensitivity in cancer cells. Researchers have discovered that some cancer cells—even those from the same organ—react differently to heat shock, with some surprisingly more heat-resistant than others.

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