Half a century ago, scientists Jim Watson and Alexey Olovnikov independently realized that there was a problem with how our DNA gets copied. A quirk of linear DNA replication dictated that telomeres that protect the ends of chromosomes should have been growing shorter with each round of replication, a phenomenon known as the end-replication problem.
But a solution was forthcoming: Liz Blackburn and Carol Greider discovered telomerase, an enzyme that adds the telomeric repeats to the ends of chromosomes. “Case closed, everybody thought,” says Rockefeller’s Titia de Lange.
Now, research published in Nature suggests that there are two end-replication problems, not one. Further, telomerase is only part of the solution—cells also use the CST–Polα-primase complex, which has been extensively studied in de Lange’s laboratory.
The industrial innovation fund is seeking to invest in start-ups that can support the ecommerce group’s aims of becoming “more efficient, safer for our associates, and increase the speed of delivery to our customers.” Bossart said.
She said the Amazon fund would expand its focus this year, including by seeking to invest in companies involved in the “last mile” of deliveries, when packages arrive with customers, as well as geographically and in later-stage companies. However, Bossart would not be drawn on how much the fund has deployed so far, declining to comment on a report it has invested $110 million as of June.
The focus on the automation of warehouses and logistics was not about cutting people out of them altogether, but would result in a “shift in jobs” as more robots and automated vehicles took on repetitive or dangerous tasks, she said. “We’re also a long way off from replacing all humans,” she added.
In a groundbreaking study published on the arXiv server, a team of Swiss researchers introduces Pedipulate, an innovative controller enabling quadruped robots to perform complex manipulation tasks using their legs. This development marks a significant leap forward in robotics, showcasing the potential for legged robots in maintenance, home support, and exploration activities beyond traditional inspection roles.
The study, titled “Pedipulate: Quadruped Robot Manipulation Using Legs,” challenges the conventional design of legged robots that often rely on additional robotic arms for manipulation, leading to increased power consumption and mechanical complexity. By observing quadrupedal animals, the researchers hypothesized that employing the robot’s legs for locomotion and manipulation could significantly simplify and reduce the cost of robotic systems, particularly in applications where size and efficiency are crucial, such as in space exploration.
Pedipulate is trained through deep reinforcement learning, employing a neural network policy that tracks foot position targets. This policy minimizes the distance between the robot’s foot and the target point while penalizing undesirable movements such as jerky motions or collisions. The controller was tested on the ANYmal D robot, which features 12 torque-controlled joints and force-torque sensors on each foot, proving the feasibility of leg-based manipulation in real-world scenarios.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently shared a number of notable updates for the next-generation Roadster. Apart from stating that Tesla is aiming to unveil the upcoming all-electric supercar later this year, Musk also provided some interesting tidbits about the vehicle. Among these is the fact that the new Roadster would be the product of Musk’s two largest companies — Tesla and SpaceX.
The new Roadster has been pushed far back in the company’s list of projects for years. Initially unveiled in late 2017 during the Tesla Semi’s unveiling, the Roadster was announced with a target availability date of 2020. The year came and went, of course, and the next-generation Roadster has mostly been forgotten, especially with Tesla getting busy with the Cybertruck.
But with the Cybertruck now being produced and the company now working on its next-generation platform, it would appear that Tesla is finally ready to work on releasing the new Roadster. Over the years, Musk’s comments about the vehicle have become wilder, with the CEO noting that the supercar should be able to fly for short “hops” due to a dedicated SpaceX package that would incorporate rocket tech in the car.
Scientists are a step closer to unraveling the mysterious forces of the universe after working out how to measure gravity on a microscopic level.
Experts have never fully understood how the force that was discovered by Isaac Newton works in the tiny quantum world. Even Einstein was baffled by quantum gravity and, in his theory of general relativity, said there is no realistic experiment that could show a quantum version of gravity.
But now physicists at the University of Southampton, working with scientists in Europe, have successfully detected a weak gravitational pull on a tiny particle using a new technique.
Human cells contain ribosomes, a complex machine that produces proteins for the rest of the body. Now the researchers have come closer to understanding how the ribosome works.
“It is amazing that we can visualize the atomic details of the ribosome. Because they are tiny—around 20–30 nanometers,” says Associate Professor Eva Kummer from the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, who is responsible for the new study published in Nature Communications.
The ribosome is a part of the human cell consisting of ribosomal RNA and ribosomal proteins. It is like a factory that builds proteins by following a set of instructions inherent in the genes.
Watch some of the biggest names in physics debate the mysteries of the quantum and its future, including Roger Penrose, Sabine Hossenfelder, Avshalom Elitzur, Michio Kaku, Suchitra Sebastian, Priya Natarajan, Joscha Bach, Erik Verlinde, Hilary Lawson and Bjørn Ekeberg.
From string theory to quantum gravity and quantum computers, the quantum discourse is all the buzz in physics and beyond. But what is possible and what mere fantasy? Can we bring together relativity and quantum mechanics? Will we ever find a unified theory to explain our universe?
00:00 Introduction. 00:45 Why is modern physics in crisis | Roger Penrose, Sabine Hossenfelder, Priya Natarajan, Erik Verlinde. 15:44 Are we at the cusp of a revolution? | Avshalom Elitzur, Michio Kaku, Joscha Bach, Bjørn Ekerberg. 28:06 What is quantum emergence? | Suchitra Sebastian.
A pilot study but possibly concerning. A banned pesticide found in Cheerios and Quaker oats. They suggest sticking to organic. The pesticide got in there by importing ingredients.
This week, the Environmental Working Group, revealed findings from a study that shows that chlormequat chloride, a chemical banned in the U.S. was found in some of our favorite cereals. Here’s what the experts say.
Bitcoin’s rally is turning out to be bad news for Coinbase, the crypto trading app that has just confirmed some of its customers are seeing a zero balance across their Coinbase accounts. “Your assets are safe,” the firm assured the app’s users via a Status page on its website, adding that its team is investigating the issue and will provide an update shortly. [Update: The company has since said the issues are improving but the app is seeing “heightened traffic.”]
The app’s crash today has to do with the recent demand for Bitcoin, the popular cryptocurrency that recently surged to $60,000 — close to its all-time high last seen in 2021. The price of Bitcoin climbed in the wake of U.S. bitcoin spot ETFs, driving a 42% price rally this month. According to Reuters, this was the largest monthly gain the digital asset had seen since December 2020. As of the time of writing, Bitcoin was up above $61,448, or a 7.66% increase today.
The sharp rise has fueled renewed interest in apps like Coinbase, which allows users to buy, sell, and hold crypto products in a digital wallet. This rapid increase in demand, including from more casual crypto investors, have seemingly contributed to the app’s current issues, as Coinbase says the app is experiencing issues from high traffic.
