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May 1, 2023

A megaprotein brake for aging and insulin-mTOR signaling

Posted by in category: life extension

Insulin-mTOR signaling drives anabolic growth in organismal development, while its late-life antagonistic pleiotropy affects aging and compromises lifespan across animal phylogeny. Here we identify LPD-3 as a megaprotein that orchestrates the tempo of insulin-mTOR signaling during C. elegans aging. We find that an agonist insulin INS-7 is drastically over-produced and shortens lifespan in lpd-3 mutants, a C. elegans model of human Alkuraya-Kučinskas syndrome. LPD-3 forms a bridge-like tunnel megaprotein to facilitate phospholipid trafficking to plasma membrane. Lipidomic profiling reveals increased abundance of hexaceramide species in lpd-3 mutants, accompanied by up-regulation of hexaceramide biosynthetic enzymes, including HYL-1 (Homolog of Yeast Longevity). Reducing HYL-1 activity decreases INS-7 levels and rescues the shortened lifespan of lpd-3 mutants through insulin receptor/DAF-2 and mTOR/LET-363. LPD-3 antagonizes SINH-1, a key mTORC2 component, and reduces protein abundance with age in wild type animals. We propose that LPD-3 acts as a megaprotein brake for aging and its age-dependent decline restricts lifespan through the sphingolipid-hexaceramide and insulin-mTOR pathways.

The authors have declared no competing interest.

May 1, 2023

MIT Professor Compares Ignoring AGI to “Don’t Look Up”

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

MIT professor Max Tegmark is stressed about the potential impact of artificial general intelligence (AGI) — and thinks you should be, too.

May 1, 2023

4 tech giants mentioned AI a total of 168 times on earnings calls, showing just how much attention the tech is attracting

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

Alphabet cited artificial intelligence the most often on its investor call last week, followed by Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon.

May 1, 2023

Human Metabolome Reference Database in a Biracial Cohort across the Adult Lifespan

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, chemistry, life extension, sex

As one of the OMICS in systems biology, metabolomics defines the metabolome and simultaneously quantifies numerous metabolites that are final or intermediate products and effectors of upstream biological processes. Metabolomics provides accurate information that helps determine the physiological steady state and biochemical changes during the aging process. To date, reference values of metabolites across the adult lifespan, especially among ethnicity groups, are lacking. The “normal” reference values according to age, sex, and race allow the characterization of whether an individual or a group deviates metabolically from normal aging, encompass a fundamental element in any study aimed at understanding mechanisms at the interface between aging and diseases.

May 1, 2023

Forget AI; Organoid Intelligence May Soon Power Our Computers

Posted by in categories: bioengineering, biotech/medical, genetics, robotics/AI

While the world has been captivated by recent advances in artificial intelligence, researchers at Johns Hopkins University have identified a new form of intelligence: organoid intelligence. A future where computers are powered by lab-grown brain cells may be closer than we could ever have imagined.

What is an organoid? Organoids are three-dimensional tissue cultures commonly derived from human pluripotent stem cells. What looks like a clump of cells can be engineered to function like a human organ, mirroring its key structural and biological characteristics. Under the right laboratory conditions, genetic instructions from donated stem cells allow organoids to self-organize and grow into any type of organ tissue, including the human brain.

Although this may sound like science-fiction, brain organoids have been used to model and study neurodegenerative diseases for nearly a decade. Emerging studies now reveal that these lab grown brain cells may be capable of learning. In fact, a research team from Melbourne recently reported that they trained 800,000 brain cells to perform the computer game, Pong (see video). As this field of research continues to grow, researchers speculate that this so-called “intelligence in a dish” may be able to outcompete artificial intelligence.

May 1, 2023

Elon Musk’s Latest Statements On The Tesla Cybertruck

Posted by in categories: climatology, Elon Musk, sustainability

The first deliveries of the Tesla Cybertruck are expected to take place later this year, and there are still a handful of unknowns about the futuristic truck. In recent weeks, however, Tesla CEO Elon Musk shared some details about the vehicle, alongside some included in the automaker’s latest Master Plan.

In its Master Plan 3 unveiled on April 5, Tesla stated that the Cybertruck will have a 100 kWh battery pack. However, it’s not clear if this refers to a base model or another specific variant, as reported by The Street. The battery pack size is the same as those of the Model S and X, Tesla’s premium-level sedan and SUV, despite the truck being a wider and heavier vehicle than these.

Cybertruck rivals in the electric pickup sector include the Rivian R1T and the Ford F-150 Lightning, which feature 135 kWh and 131 kWh battery packs, respectively. The Cybertruck will also include a 3,500-pound payload capacity, adjustable air suspension, and lockable exterior storage measuring about 100 cubic feet.

May 1, 2023

This artist is dominating AI-generated art. And he’s not happy about it

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

Greg Rutkowski is a more popular prompt for text-to-image AI art generators than Picasso.

May 1, 2023

How Generative AI Will Change Sales

Posted by in categories: business, robotics/AI

Sales teams have typically not been early adopters of technology, but generative AI may be an exception to that. Sales work typically requires administrative work, routine interactions with clients, and management attention to tasks such as forecasting. AI can help do these tasks more quickly, which is why Microsoft and Salesforce have already rolled out sales-focused versions of this powerful tool.

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Microsoft and Salesforce have already rolled out sales-focused versions of this powerful tool.

Apr 30, 2023

Investigating the Importance of Investing in Vaccine Manufacturing

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, economics, health

The protective effects of vaccines have particularly been highlighted during the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Countries able to offer the vaccine demonstrate lowered infection rates and have kick-started the recovery of their economies.

The COVID-19 pandemic has also highlighted the need to proactively develop medical countermeasures to novel pathogens, in addition to advancing supply and manufacturing capacities to meet global demands.

Investing in vaccine manufacturing has both economic and societal benefits, in addition to protecting human health and limiting infection spread.

Apr 30, 2023

The Optimal Angle for Cleaning with Bubbles

Posted by in category: bioengineering

A stream of air bubbles can be most effective at cleaning produce or industrial equipment if it strikes at the correct angle.

Researchers believe that washing vegetables and food-processing equipment with flowing liquids filled with air bubbles could be effective, but little is known about how to optimize the process. Now engineers, using experiments and simulations, have shown that bubbles exert an optimal cleaning effect if they strike a surface at an angle of about 22.5° [1]. The researchers hope that this insight will help improve methods for the gentle cleaning of fruits and vegetables, potentially leading to a commercial food-cleaning device that they call a “fruit Jacuzzi.”

As bioengineer Sunghwan “Sunny” Jung of Cornell University points out, bubbles injected into fluid have long been used to clean biofilm-encrusted surfaces in settings such as wastewater treatment facilities. Experts generally believe that the technique works because bubbles flowing over a surface exert a shear force, parallel to the surface, which tends to remove attached contaminants. “It’s similar to how you move your hand along the surface of your skin when you’re cleaning your body, applying a shearing force at the surface,” says Jung. Even so, he says, little is known about the basic science behind the effect and in particular about how the motions of bubbles within the liquid might optimize the cleaning.