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Aug 20, 2015
Cancer breakthrough: MRI scanners can rid body of cancerous tumours, scientists claim
Posted by Sean Brazell in categories: biotech/medical, innovation
SCIENTISTS have discovered MRI scanners, often used to diagnose cancer, can actually help combat the disease and with less side effects than some current treatments.
Aug 20, 2015
NASA: No, There Isn’t a Deadly Asteroid Heading Right For Us
Posted by Sean Brazell in categories: asteroid/comet impacts, existential risks
“EXCLUSIVE: Could this asteroid destroy Earth in just SIX weeks?” According to NASA, the answer is “absolutely not, you imbeciles.”
NASA issued an official statement about the conspiracy-web theory that an asteroid is heading for the Atlantic with an impact on September 23rd. “That’s the rumor that has gone viral–now here are the facts,” the agency writes. “There is no scientific basis–not one shred of evidence–that an asteroid or any other celestial object will impact Earth on those dates,” says the manager of NASA’s Near-Earth Object office, Paul Chodas.
Who could be perpetrating such rumors? The theory has actually been around for years, but it’s picked up steam over the past month or two. Unsurprisingly, a major role has been played by InfoWars, which has built a business out of circulating conspiracy theories about the government, impending apocalypse, and the shadowy machinations of world powers. “We are simply taking a look at what has being said,” says InfoWars’ John Bowne in a video about the forthcoming asteroid strike. Just a simple look! So what’s being said?
Aug 20, 2015
SpaceLiner: Europe-Australia, 90 minutes, Europe-US, one hour
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: futurism, space travel
In aviation circles, the talk of the future involves phrases like “space planes” and “hypersonic atmospheric flight vehicles.” A group presently in the spotlight is from Germany; they are carrying a roadmap for low-cost space access which involves calling upon the air passenger market for fast-travel flights.
Welcome to the world of SpaceLiner, which, when fully developed, could have dramatic impact in global aerospace. The DLR Institute of Space Systems said this suborbital, hypersonic, winged passenger transport idea is under investigation at DLR-SART. (DLR is a German aerospace research agency and it evaluates complex systems of space flight. SART is Space Launcher Systems Analysis.)
SpaceLiner is a rocket-propelled intercontinental passenger transport, described by the institute as a two-stage vehicle powered by rocket propulsion.
Aug 20, 2015
Wormhole Created in Lab Makes Invisible Magnetic Field
Posted by Albert Sanchez in category: physics
Physicists have created a so-called magnetic wormhole that transports a magnetic field from one point to the other without being detected.
Aug 20, 2015
Tech’s Biggest Ideas and How They Take Hold — With Marc Andreessen and Dan Siroker | Andreessen Horowitz
Posted by Odette Bohr Dienel in categories: augmented reality, biotech/medical, cryptocurrencies, encryption, internet, mobile phones, polls, robotics/AI, transparency, virtual reality
Aug 20, 2015
Peto’s Paradox: Why Don’t Larger Animals Get Cancer More Often?
Posted by Roy in categories: biotech/medical, evolution, genetics, life extension
If cancer is predominantly a random process, then why don’t organisms with thousands of times more cells suffer more from cancer? Large species like whales and elephants generally live longer, not shorter lives, so how are they protected against the threat of cancer?
While we have a great deal more to learn when it comes to cancer biology, the general belief is that it arises first from mutation. It’s becoming clear it’s actually an incredibly complicated process, requiring a range of variable factors such as mutation, epigenetic alteration and local environment change (like inflammation). While some students may have spent sleepless nights wondering how many mutated cells they contain after learning the fallibility of our replication mechanisms, the reality is that with such an error rate we should all be ridden with cancer in childhood — but we’re not. Our canine companions sadly often succumb around their 1st decade, but humans are actually comparatively good at dealing with cancer. We live a relatively long time in the mammal kingdom for our size and even in a modern environment, it’s predominantly an age-related disease.
While evolution may have honed replication accuracy, life itself requires ‘imperfection’ to evolve. We needed those occasional errors in germ cells to allow evolution. If keeping the odd error is either preferable or essentially not worth the energy tackling when you’re dealing with tens of trillions of cells, then clearly there is more to the story than mutation. In order to maintain a multi-cellular organism for a long enough period, considering that errors are essentially inevitable, other mechanisms must be in place to remove or quarantine problematic cells.
Aug 20, 2015
How young blood might help reverse aging. Yes, really
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: biotech/medical, life extension, neuroscience
Tony Wyss-Coray studies the impact of aging on the human body and brain. In this eye-opening talk, he shares new research from his Stanford lab and other teams which shows that a solution for some of the less great aspects of old age might actually lie within us all.
Aug 20, 2015
A Vacant Lot In Wyoming Will Become One Of The World’s First Vertical Farms
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: employment, food, sustainability
A unique conveyer belt design allows the three-story greenhouse to be efficient and sustainable, providing jobs and fresh produce to the Jackson community.
Aug 20, 2015
Here’s A Book That Adds a Fascinating New Dimension to Posthuman Space Opera
Posted by Sean Brazell in categories: cyborgs, entertainment, space
By now, the stories of humans transcending their limitations in space have become pretty much ubiquitous. We’ve had space cyborgs, space immortals, and tons of other posthumans in space. But the new novel Edge of Dark by Brenda Cooper still represents a fascinating new approach. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00?tag=lifeboatfound-20…