Menu

Blog

Page 3307

Nov 20, 2022

In First, Scientists Use CRISPR for Personalized Cancer Treatment

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

The “most complicated therapy ever” tailors bespoke, genome-edited immune cells to attack tumors.

Nov 20, 2022

JWST sees a stunning hourglass of light around a still-forming star

Posted by in category: space

About 450 light years away, a star is being born. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has taken an image of a protostar – an object that is massive enough to become a star but hasn’t yet begun the process of nuclear fusion – revealing details that have never been seen before.

This protostar is in an area called the Taurus star-forming region, embedded within a dark cloud of dust and gas called L1527. It is only about 100,000 years old, putting it in the first stage of star formation, in which it is still slightly fluffy and lopsided. Over the next few million years, it will continue to compress under its own gravitational pull and then begin to fuse hydrogen into helium and become a fully fledged star.

Nov 20, 2022

Tumor matrix profiling gives clues to progression of some lung cancers

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

Scientists at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research have identified molecular profiles of the surrounding matrix of a common type of lung cancer that might indicate which patients are likely to develop aggressive tumors.

Squamous cell carcinoma is the second most prevalent type of . Yet treatment options for these patients remain limited and have remained largely unchanged over decades. High rates of recurrence and chemotherapy resistance mean that less than one in five patients will survive more than five years after their diagnosis.

In addition to studying , Garvan researchers have been turning their attention to the environment that surrounds these cancer cells in the tumor. A major component of this environment is the , a 3D meshwork of around 300 core molecules. This matrix is present in all tissues in the body, where it normally provides structural and functional support to hold cells together. But in cancers, this matrix is fundamentally altered and these changes can promote .

Nov 20, 2022

Why This Universe? New Calculation Suggests Our Cosmos Is Typical

Posted by in categories: mathematics, quantum physics

“It’s a novel contribution that uses different methods compared to what most people have been doing,” said Steffen Gielen, a cosmologist at the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom.

The provocative conclusion rests on a mathematical trick involving switching to a clock that ticks with imaginary numbers. Using the imaginary clock, as Hawking did in the ’70s, Turok and Boyle could calculate a quantity, known as entropy, that appears to correspond to our universe. But the imaginary time trick is a roundabout way of calculating entropy, and without a more rigorous method, the meaning of the quantity remains hotly debated. While physicists puzzle over the correct interpretation of the entropy calculation, many view it as a new guidepost on the road to the fundamental, quantum nature of space and time.

Nov 20, 2022

Diabetes Drug Linked to a Decreased Risk of Dementia

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, neuroscience

According to the researchers, these drugs may effectively prevent dementia in high-risk individuals with mild to moderate type 2 diabetes, and it may now be worthwhile to give them priority in future clinical trials to determine whether they can be repurposed.

Researchers have begun to investigate whether diabetes drugs could potentially help prevent or cure dementia since type 2 diabetes and dementia share several physiological patterns. However, the results have been inconsistent thus far.

The researchers compared the incidence of dementia in older adults with type 2 diabetes who were receiving either sulfonylurea or thiazolidinedione (TZD) with those receiving metformin alone in order to shed further light on this.

Nov 20, 2022

Researchers simulated a black hole on Earth, and it actually started to glow

Posted by in category: cosmology

A group of researchers recently simulated the event horizon of a man-made black hole in a lab. The new analog could help us learn more about the elusive radiation that is believed to be emitted by real black holes out in space. Black holes are by far one of the most mysterious objects in space.

Nov 20, 2022

Scientists are finally decoding the secrets within the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole

Posted by in categories: cosmology, evolution

The massive object at the galaxy’s center is invisible. But this year’s picture of the swirling plasma around its edges will help to reveal more about the galaxy’s history and evolution.

Nov 20, 2022

The world’s tallest residential tower in Dubai will have a crown of diamonds

Posted by in category: habitats

Award-winning UAE property developer Binghatti has joined forces with luxury jewelry and watch brand Jacob & Co to introduce the tallest residential tower in the world, as reported by Design Boom.


Burj Binghatti.

In addition, the interior design of the homes will feature details provided by the global brand itself in its unforgettable and incomparable signature style. The structure will also host a few luxury amenities including an infinity pool overlooking downtown Dubai, a gymnasium and a spa with bespoke services.

Nov 20, 2022

Humans to live on the moon

Posted by in category: space travel

The Artemis mission is preparing astronauts for this lofty goal.

Humans are on course to be living and even working on the moon by 2030, a NASA official told BBC’s Sunday.


Howard Hu, the head of the U.S. agency’s Orion lunar spacecraft programme, said astronauts could stay on the celestial object for extended periods of time by the end of this decade.

Nov 20, 2022

Even a small nuclear war could cause global famine — here’s what the data shows

Posted by in categories: climatology, computing, existential risks, geopolitics, military, nuclear weapons, treaties

Nuclear arsenals remain large enough to fundamentally shift the Earth system in the blink of an eye.

The U.S. and Russia have recently agreed to hold talks on the New START Treaty, and the only accord left regulating the two largest nuclear arsenals in the world. While this is undoubtedly good news, we must not allow it to lull us into complacency. Global events this year, most notably in Ukraine, have raised fears of a nuclear conflict to levels not seen since the cold war. More than 10,000 nuclear warheads remain in the world, and the Kremlin’s language regarding weapons of mass destruction has become increasingly threatening in 2022.


Global famine and climate breakdown

Continue reading “Even a small nuclear war could cause global famine — here’s what the data shows” »