Lifeboat Foundation

U.S. researchers developed CheekAge, a tool that reliably estimates mortality risk.

Researchers in the United States have created a next-generation tool named CheekAge, which uses methylation patterns found in easily obtainable cheek cells.

In a groundbreaking discovery, the team has demonstrated that CheekAge can reliably estimate mortality risk, even when epigenetic data from different tissues are utilized for analysis.

Continue reading “US scientist reveal mouth swab that can gauge your risk of death” »

Like atoms coming together to release their power, fusion researchers worldwide are joining forces to solve the world’s energy crisis. Harnessing the power of fusing plasma as a reliable energy source for the power grid is no easy task, requiring global contributions.

The improved accuracy of MNT reaction predictions provided by this model could facilitate the production of isotopes that are difficult to generate using other methods. These isotopes are valuable for scientific research and medical applications, such as diagnostics and treatments. According to Prof. Zhang, the goal is to keep the model comprehensive yet practical for experimental use.

This development represents a step forward in nuclear physics, contributing to the understanding of exotic nuclei production through MNT reactions. Further refinement of the model may enhance its utility in guiding future research and improving rare isotope production processes.

This research was conducted in collaboration with Beijing Normal University, Beijing Academy of Science and Technology, and the National Laboratory of Heavy Ion Accelerator of Lanzhou.

A team of researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of USC and California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have developed a potential new way to measure a person’s stroke risk that is cost-effective and noninvasive, akin to a cardiac stress test. If validated through further tests, the device could transform stroke care, making early detection of increased risk a standard part of medical exams around the world.

Anyone familiar with optics labs is familiar with the extremes of light coherence: laser beams are highly coherent, producing clear interference patterns used for precise applications like atomic manipulation or precise sensing. In contrast, light from sources like flashlights is incoherent, typically unable to produce such patterns without considerable effort, or at the cost of considerable optical power losses.

Europe’s physics lab CERN said Sunday that some 500 scientists linked to Russian institutes will be affected when it stops cooperation with Russia in late November as planned.

We know that beneath its crater-pocked silicate crust, the moon has an olivine mantle and a metallic core. Some research has also suggested that a partially molten layer may lie at the base of the otherwise solid mantle, sandwiched between it and the solid core. But other evidence disagrees.

Its abundance of sunlight and heavy investment in solar cell technology has positioned Saudi Arabia well in its transition to becoming a leading exporter of renewable energy. Indeed, solar energy currently makes up more than 80% of the Kingdom’s green energy capacity. However, these cells bring a twisted irony, as their operation exposes them to overheating risks. Cooling systems are therefore necessary, but many depend on electricity.

An international research team led by KAUST Professor Qiaoqiang Gan has designed a potential solution. Their device needs no electricity, as it extracts water from the air using nothing more than gravity and relies on cheap, readily available materials.

Along with keeping the solar cells and other semiconductor technologies cool, the water can be repurposed for irrigation, washing, cooling buildings on which the solar cells are placed, and other applications.

New steps have been taken towards a better understanding of the immediate and long-term impact of COVID-19 on the brain in the UK’s largest study to date.

Published in Nature Medicine, the study from researchers led by the University of Liverpool alongside King’s College London and the University of Cambridge as part of the COVID-CNS Consortium shows that 12–18 months after hospitalisation due to COVID-19, patients have worse cognitive function than matched control participants. Importantly, these findings correlate with reduced brain volume in key areas on MRI scans as well as evidence of abnormally high levels of brain injury proteins in the blood.

Strikingly, the post-COVID cognitive deficits seen in this study were equivalent to twenty years of normal ageing. It is important to emphasise that these were patients who had experienced COVID, requiring hospitalisation, and these results shouldn’t be too widely generalised to all people with lived experience of COVID. However, the scale of deficit in all the cognitive skills tested, and the links to brain injury in the brain scans and blood tests, provide the clearest evidence to date that COVID can have significant impacts on brain and mind health long after recovery from respiratory problems.