Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
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Blog – Page 11

Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) are developing a gene-editing therapy — designed to be delivered as a one-time inhalable treatment — that aims to correct the underlying mutations that cause cystic fibrosis (CF).

The team is using tiny fat-based particles to deliver the gene-editing machinery to lung stem cells, where, they believe, gene correction could be permanent. The treatment, according to a university news story, could offer hope to people with the genetic disease who do not benefit from current therapies.

CF is caused by mutations in the CFTR gene, which normally produces a protein of the same name. This CFTR protein helps regulate the flow of water and salt molecules in and out of certain cells, which is essential for the production of mucus. In CF, missing or dysfunctional CFTR instead results in the accumulation of thick and sticky mucus in several organs, particularly the lungs. This, in turn, leads to symptoms like shortness of breath, cough, and frequent lung infections.

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Researchers at the University of Missouri, in collaboration with Novartis Pharmaceuticals, have developed a groundbreaking and environmentally friendly electrochemistry technique. This new method uses engineered “soapy” water, micelles made from natural amino acids and coconut oil, combined with electricity to drive chemical reactions in a safer, more sustainable way.

Unlike traditional electrochemical processes that rely on toxic solvents and electrolytes, this approach offers a non-toxic alternative. Led by Associate Professor Sachin Handa and graduate student Karanjeet Kaur, the team’s innovation could significantly reduce the cost of pharmaceutical manufacturing and advance clean energy technologies. It also shows promise in tackling environmental challenges, such as removing persistent “forever chemicals” like per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from water.

These ball-shaped structures have two sides: one that mixes with water and the other that repels it. Their unique design allowed researchers to make electrochemical reactions more efficient by combining the traditional roles of solvents, electrolytes, and reaction boosters into one simple tool. Bonus: The reactions are highly efficient and selective.

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A study, “Enhanced Majorana stability in a three-site Kitaev chain,” published in Nature Nanotechnology demonstrates significantly enhanced stability of Majorana zero modes (MZMs) in engineered quantum systems.

This research, conducted by a team from the University of Oxford, Delft University of Technology, Eindhoven University of Technology, and Quantum Machines, represents a major step towards fault-tolerant quantum computing.

Majorana zero modes (MZMs) are exotic quasiparticles that are theoretically immune to environmental disturbances that cause decoherence in conventional qubits. This inherent makes them promising candidates for building robust quantum computers. However, achieving sufficiently stable MZMs has been a persistent challenge due to imperfections in traditional materials.

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Large language models (LLMs) show promise in tackling planning problems, but there’s a balance between flexibility and complexity. While LLMs can act as zero-shot planners, they struggle with complex tasks involving multiple constraints or long-term goals.

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Many frameworks that address these challenges require task-specific preparation, such as tailored examples and predefined validators, which limits their ability to adapt to different tasks.

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A crew of astronauts have become the first-ever people to orbit over Earth’s north and south poles and they have done so with an incredible view thanks to the cupola installed on their spacecraft.

The Fram2 mission launched onboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon Resilience spacecraft that has a cupola module allowing the astronauts a 360-degree view of space and Earth. The glass dome is 2,000 square inches making it the largest single window ever flown to space. The window occupies the same space as the docking port meaning if it rendezvous with the International Space Station then the cupola won’t be equipped.

SpaceX shared a video (below) taken from the space window showing the Arctic polar region as well as the Antarctic polar region.

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