Lifeboat Foundation

Wherever astronomers look, they see life’s raw materials—and hints at answers to one of the great mysteries of science.

But when, where and how that could come to pass is hard to predict — in part, some researchers say, because of guardrails the federal government has placed around gain-of-function research.

The term describes experiments that seek to understand a virus’ potential to adapt to new hosts, spread more easily, survive longer in the environment and cause those infected to become sicker. Though many scientists view the approach as a critical tool for conducting biological research, other experts have long complained that it’s unacceptably risky — a reputation exacerbated by persistent speculation that the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic was created in gain-of-function experiments in a laboratory in Wuhan, China.

The Parker Solar Probe will swoop just 6.1 million kilometers above the sun’s surface on Christmas Eve. Scientists are thrilled at what we might learn.

By Jonathan O’Callaghan edited by Lee Billings

There are some places in the solar system no human will ever go. The surface of Venus, with its thick atmosphere and crushing pressure, is all but inaccessible. The outer worlds, such as Pluto, are too remote to presently consider for anything but robotic exploration. And the sun, our bright burning ball of hydrogen and helium, is far too hot and tumultuous for astronauts to closely approach. In our place, one intrepid robotic explorer, the Parker Solar Probe, has been performing a series of dramatic swoops toward our star, reaching closer than any spacecraft before to unlock its secrets. Now it is about to perform its final, closest passes, skimming inside the solar atmosphere like never before.

A story of how machines learn to think through language.

Energy-efficient AI module for wearables, medical devices, and activity recognition.

Ambient Scientific has unveiled its new AI module, the Sparsh board, which operates on a coin cell battery, making it suitable for a wide array of on-device AI applications.

The module aims to offer solutions for tasks such as human activity recognition, voice control, and acoustic event detection.

Continue reading “AI module capable of months-long operation on coin cell battery unveiled” »

Objective To analyze mortality attributed to Alzheimer’s disease among taxi drivers and ambulance drivers, occupations that demand frequent spatial and navigational processing, compared with other occupations.

Design Population based cross-sectional study.

Setting Use of death certificates from the National Vital Statistics System in the United States, which were linked to occupation, 1 January 2020–31 December 2022.

Grape pairs enhance magnetic fields, advancing compact, cost-effective quantum sensor technology.

In interesting research, insights from ordinary supermarket grapes led researchers to boost quantum sensor performance.

Continue reading “Grapes double sensor magnetic power in an epic quantum breakthrough” »

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This week’s featured image from the Hubble Space Telescope showcases the spiral galaxy NGC 337, located approximately 60 million light-years away in the constellation Cetus, also known as The Whale.

The stunning image merges observations captured in two different wavelengths, revealing the galaxy’s striking features. Its golden-hued center glows with the light of older stars, while its vibrant blue edges shimmer with the energy of young, newly formed stars. Had Hubble captured NGC 337 about a decade ago, it would have witnessed an extraordinary sight among the galaxy’s hot blue stars — a dazzling supernova illuminating its outskirts.

Named SN 2014cx, the supernova is remarkable for having been discovered nearly simultaneously in two vastly different ways: by a prolific supernova hunter, Koichi Itagaki, and by the All Sky Automated Survey for SuperNovae (ASAS-SN). ASAS-SN is a worldwide network of robotic telescopes that scans the sky for sudden events like supernovae.