Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
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Blog – Page 16

Coal ash in the U.S. holds substantial rare earth elements, potentially reducing dependence on imports, with ongoing research and pilot projects working to make extraction economically viable.

Coal ash, the powdery residue left after burning coal for fuel, has accumulated across the United States for decades. New research from the University of Texas at Austin reveals that this vast supply contains enough rare earth elements to significantly strengthen the nation’s reserves without the need for additional mining.

“This really exemplifies the ‘trash to treasure’ mantra,” said co-lead author Bridget Scanlon, a research professor at UT’s Bureau of Economic Geology at the Jackson School of Geosciences. “We’re basically trying to close the cycle and use waste and recover resources in the waste, while at the same time reducing environmental impacts.”

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Recent advances in astronomical observations have found a significant number of extrasolar planets that can sustain surface water, and the search for extraterrestrial life on such planets is gaining momentum. A team of astrobiologists has proposed a novel approach for detecting life on ocean planets. By conducting laboratory measurements and satellite remote sensing analyses, they have demonstrated that the reflectance spectrum of floating vegetation could serve as a promising biosignature. Seasonal variations in floating vegetation may provide a particularly effective means for remote detection.

Astronomical surveys have discovered nearly 6,000 exoplanets, including many habitable planets, which may harbor liquid water on their surfaces. The search for life on such planets is one of the most significant scientific endeavors of this century, with direct imaging observation projects currently under development.

On Earth-like planets, the characteristic reflectance spectrum of terrestrial vegetation, known as “vegetation red edge,” is considered as a key biosignature.

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Each year, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), millions of people in the U.S. are affected by spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries, along with neuro-developmental and degenerative diseases such as ADHD, autism, cerebral palsy, Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease.

Assistant Professor Pabitra Sahoo, of Rutgers University-Newark’s Department of Biological Sciences, has made it his life’s work to understand how our neurological system becomes damaged by these injuries and conditions, and when and how neurons in our central and peripheral nervous systems regenerate and heal.

Recently, Sahoo and his RU-N research team made a breakthrough, using a peptide to help nerve cells in both the peripheral and central nervous systems regenerate. They published their findings in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Could lumpy metallic rocks in the deepest, darkest reaches of the ocean be making oxygen in the absence of sunlight?

Some scientists think so, but others have challenged the claim that so-called “dark oxygen” is being produced in the lightless abyss of the seabed.

The discovery—detailed last July in the journal Nature Geoscience —called into question long-held assumptions about the origins of life on Earth, and sparked intense scientific debate.

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From growth hormones to cancer drugs, small molecules play a crucial role in our health. Monitoring them is essential to keeping us healthy; it enables physicians to calculate dosages and patients to monitor their medical conditions at home, for example.

Monitoring small molecules depends on sensing where they are, and in what concentrations. While scientists have developed sensors to detect some small molecules, these sensors are used primarily in research and drug discovery and can only detect a limited range of molecules with particular qualities.

There is a compelling need for sensors that can detect and signal the presence of diverse small molecules of different shapes, sizes, flexibility and polarity.

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A Stanford study shows that electrical charges in sprays of water can cause chemical reactions that form organic molecules from inorganic materials. The findings provide evidence that microlightning may have helped create the building blocks necessary for early life on the planet.

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NTU Singapore’s solar-powered process converts sewage sludge into clean energy and animal feed, reducing waste and carbon emissions while improving resource recovery.

Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), have developed a groundbreaking solar-powered process to convert sewage sludge—a by-product of wastewater treatment—into green hydrogen for clean energy and single-cell protein for animal feed.

Published in Nature Water, this innovative sludge-to-food-and-fuel method addresses two critical global challenges: waste management and sustainable resource generation. It also aligns with NTU’s commitment to tackling major issues like climate change and environmental sustainability.

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Lockheed Martin has secured a contract from the U.S. Department of Defense’s Innovation Unit (DIU) to develop a quantum-enabled Inertial Navigation System (INS) prototype.

This new technology, named QuINS, aims to redefine navigation capabilities for military operations by providing accurate location data even in areas where GPS signals are unreliable or unavailable.

QuINS employs quantum sensing technology to enhance navigation and positioning.

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The spiral pattern is about 15,000 astronomical units wide, or around 1.4 trillion miles from one end to the other. It also appears to have a tilt of roughly 30 degrees relative to the usual plane of our Solar System.

That tilt and the elongated swirl may trace back to the galaxy’s own gravitational pulling, which could have twisted and shaped the inner Oort Cloud soon after the Solar System’s birth.

The simulations suggest that, early in the Solar System’s history, bits of icy debris were scattered and then gradually coaxed into a spiral alignment in the Oort Cloud by galactic forces.

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