Lifeboat Foundation

What does it mean to be alive? This question has been haunting us since the beginning of time. Thousands if not millions of novelists, philosophers, scientists have tried to answer.

However, for practical purposes, you don’t really need to know: you just live. You just learn to move in this world according to a certain set of rules, and as long as they work, you keep going.

All things considered this is not much different to the approach to brain-like computers that a Newark, California, based startup named Koniku is taking. Most of the experiments in this field are focused on trying to understand and replicate the infinite complexity of the brain using artificial methods, or on creating interfaces that connect the physical world with machines.

Continue reading “Neuron-Based Chips Will Soon Become Commonplace, This Startup Founder Says” »

For the first time ever, scientists were able to successfully cut out the HIV genes from live animals, and they had over a 50% success rate.

A significant milestone was achieved today in the fight against HIV—scientists led by Kamel Khalili of the Comprehensive NeuroAIDS Center at Temple University just reported that, for the first time, HIV genes have been successfully eliminated from the genomes of animals infected with the virus.

Continue reading “HIV Genes Have Been Cut Out of Live Animals Using CRISPR” »

The physical limitations of existing materials are one of main problems when it comes to flexible electronics, be it wearables, medical or sports tech. If a flexible material breaks, it either stays broken, or if it has some self-healing properties it may continue to work, but not so well. However, a team from Penn State have creating a self-healing, flexible material that could be used inside electronics even after multiple breaks.

The main challenge facing researchers led by Professor Qing Wang, was ensuring that self-healing electronics could restore “a suite of functions”. The example used explains how a component may still retain electrical resistance, but lose the ability to conduct heat, risking overheating in a hypothetical wearable, which is never good. The nano-composite material they came up with was mechanically strong, resistant against electronic surges, thermal conductivity and whilst packing insulating properties. Despite being cut it in half, reconnecting the two parts together and healing at a higher temperature almost completely heals where the cut was made. The thin strip of material could also hold up to 200 grams of weight after recovering.

New method for precisely identifying and treating fractures.

You’ve injured your knee. A doctor straps a listening device to it, and the noises you hear coming out of it are cringe-worthy. “Crackle! Krglkrglkrgl! Snap!”

Continue reading “Acoustic engineering transcribes crackling knee sounds into moving graph” »

Peter Highnam is ushering in a new era for the NGA Research and Development Directorate, restructuring it to focus on seven core areas.

Be careful of the landmines.

What you need to know about visiting the underbelly of the internet.

Invisibilidade do espaço

Os carros já podem ser recarregados à dist ncia, seja na garagem ou na estrada, mas recarregar celulares e outros aparelhos sem fios ainda exige que eles sejam colocados sobre uma base apropriada.

Mas uma solução já está à vista, e poderá permitir que os celulares sejam recarregados sem que nem mesmo precisem ser retirados do bolso.

Continue reading “Metamateriais escondem espaço para recarregamento à distância” »

SAN FRANCISCO, May 23, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Thousands of attendees will convene for the IEEE MTT-S 2016 International Microwave Symposium (IMS) May 22–27 at San Francisco’s Moscone Center to discuss the latest microwave and RF advancements in emerging areas around wireless connectivity. With a theme…

In the last few years, hundreds of contained “nano” satellites known as CubeSats have been launched in low Earth orbit for many purposes, including for collecting targeted scientific data. Federal agencies such as NASA and the National Science Foundation are exploring the potential of these highly affordable satellites in advancing research goals.

A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine concludes that CubeSats have demonstrated usefulness for scientific data gathering and can also augment – but not replace — the capabilities of large satellite missions and ground-based facilities. The report identifies examples of high-priority science goals that could be pursued through the use of CubeSats in areas such as solar and space physics, planetary science, and Earth science.

In order to continue building the capabilities of CubeSats for research, federal support is crucial, the report says, which identifies several steps NASA and NSF should take to ensure that CubeSats reach their full potential.