Lifeboat Foundation

Did peptides precede life on Earth? Should we be looking for their biosignatures on Mars?

If you think of DNA in correspondence terms, it writes instructions. RNA picks up the instructions and delivers them to a recipient in the cell. The instructions contain a recipe and what follows is the filling of it producing a protein molecule explicitly designed for the required task.

But before all of the above ever could have happened there had to be something with simpler chemistry. A research team at Rutgers University believes that what first emerged was probably a peptide containing the element nickel. They have named it Nickelback, not to be confused with a Canadian rock band of the same name. This Nickelback peptide consists of two bound nickel atoms which exhibit both stability and activity in terms of reacting with surrounding chemistry. Such a peptide is capable of redox reactions that transfer electrons from one chemical substance to another and is essential as the first stage on the way to life.

Continue reading “How Life First Started Here On Earth With A Peptide” »

The machines could help to “drastically increase the efficiency of the farming industry.”

In farming, weeds can strangle crops and destroy yields. Unfortunately, spraying herbicides to deal with the intrusive plants pollutes the environment and harms human health and there simply aren’t enough workers to tackle all the weeds by hand.

A new startup called FarmWise has come up with a solution: autonomous weeding robots that use artificial intelligence to cut out weeds while leaving crops untouched, according to an MIT report published on Thursday.

It will be a free addition to the Grammarly service.

GrammarlyGO, a contextually aware assistant powered by generative artificial intelligence (AI), has been unveiled by Grammarly, a U.S. cloud-based typing assistant. GrammarlyGO will be increasing productivity by altering the way individuals and organizations communicate and complete work, according to a blog by the company published on Wednesday. “It uses generative AI to help people and businesses succeed with on-demand communication assistance, whether they are starting from scratch or revising an existing piece of writing,” said the press release.

ILexx/iStock.

Continue reading “Grammarly gets on the AI wagon, introduces ChatGPT-inspired GrammarlyGo” »

Miriam-doerr/iStock.

This is according to a press release published by Monash University on Friday.

Nelli Velichko/iStock.

ChatGPT may be used to get information on how to use vehicle features often contained in an owner’s manual, the program features like a garage door code, or integrate schedules from a calendar, according to GM Vice President Scott Miller.

ChatGPT is “going to be a tool, just like the cell phone in your pocket,” says OpenAI’s co-founder.

Greg Brockman, president and co-founder of OpenAI, has suggested that ChatGPT could help enhance the “interactive” entertainment experience.

“Imagine if you could ask your AI to make a new ending that goes a different way and maybe even put yourself in there as a main character or something,” he said during a panel discussion at the 2023 South by Southwest (SXSW) event on Friday.

Continue reading “‘Upset’ with Game of Thrones? ChatGPT could help, says OpenAI co-founder” »

The research could be used to produce repellents for the insects.

Anyone who has ever been bitten by a mosquito has wondered why are these insects attracted to me? Now, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers may have an answer, according to a press release published last month.

“Understanding the molecular biology of mosquito odor-sensing is key to developing new ways to avoid bites and the burdensome diseases they cause,” said Christopher Potter, Ph.D.

Continue reading “Scientists explore mosquitoes’ radar that tells them who to bite” »

Perhaps, human consciousness can be fully understood one day.

Researchers from Johns Hopkins and Cambridge universities have created the first-ever map of the wiring patterns of every neuron in the fruit fly larval brain.

Neurons in an organism’s nervous system, including the brain, are linked to one another by synapses.

Continue reading “Scientists create first detailed map of insect brain with 3,016 neurons” »

European Space Agency’s suggestions were made for implementing time zones on the Moon.

During a meeting at the European Space Agency’s ESTEC technology center, reports Endgadget, in the Netherlands last year, proposals were made to implement a standard time zone for the moon. This is because people are again interested in returning to the nearest celestial body.

At present, public and private bodies are working on returning to the moon in different parts of the world and in different time zones. This can make it harder for people planning their missions to the moon over the next few years to work together.