Lifeboat Foundation

Stellar nurseries are a hotbed for heists.

These stellar nurseries are densely populated places, where hundreds of thousands of stars often reside in the same volume of space that the Sun inhabits on its own. Violent interactions, in which stars exchange energy, occur frequently, but not for long. After a few million years, the groups of stars dissipate, populating the Milky Way with more stars.

Our new paper, published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, shows how massive stars in such stellar nurseries can steal planets away from each other — and what the signs of such theft are.

Continue reading “Astronomers discover how naughty baby stars steal each others’ planets” »

The real-world applications are limitless.

A group of researchers from the University of Washington has engineered a new AI tool that can identify and design new proteins. This could lead to more efficient vaccines, better cures for cancer, or new materials, according to a report published by MIT Technology Review.

University of Washington scientists have invented an AI tool called ProteinMPNN that allows them to design any proteins they can conceive of. The tool could lead to new cures and new materials.

Continue reading “Protein-designing AI could discover new cures and materials unknown to science” »

‘The way it works is similar to how a robotic arm might reach out and clean a surface.’

The future of dental care could have new robotic allies. A group of researchers from the University of Pennsylvania has developed an automated, hands-free oral hygiene system that adapts to the shape of your teeth.

The researchers claim this system can clean teeth more efficiently than the toothbrush and dental floss, according to an article published by the university in July.

Continue reading “These shape-shifting microrobots can brush and floss your teeth” »

They are hard to spot underneath all the space dust.

Astronomers today understand the basics of how planets are born but have struggled to witness the process thus far, even with the use of advanced tools. Now, a group of astronomers at the Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian have engineered a new way to detect these elusive newborn planets, according to a press release by the institution published Thursday.

The findings are described in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Continue reading “Astronomer develops new method for spotting elusive newborn planets” »

Researcher are now looking to make the most of this new discovery.

Did you know that bacteria in the natural world breathe by exhaling excess electrons, causing an intrinsic electrical grid? In a new study, Yale University researchers discovered that light could supercharge this electronic activity within biofilm bacteria, yielding an up to a 100-fold increase in electrical conductivity, according to a press release published by the institution earlier this month.

Yale researchers have found that bacteria buried underground have developed a way to respire by “breathing minerals” through tiny protein filaments called nanowires. This process can be amplified by light producing electricity.

Continue reading “Scientists discover bacteria that can use light to ‘breathe’ electricity” »

The algorithm correctly associated a whoop bout with its hyena around 54 percent of the time.

Scientists from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, U.S. have discovered that Hyenas’ whoops have specific signals unique to each individual animal.

The researchers determined that hyena whoops have specific characteristics that can be attributed to each individual animal by using machine learning on audio files collected from a field trip, according to a press release published by EurekAlert on Saturday.

The loss of life would be equivalent to six planes, each carrying 200 passengers, killing everyone on board, every year.

Reducing air pollution from road transport will save thousands of lives and improve the health.

In our published research we evaluated the costs and benefits of a rapid transition. In one scenario, Australia matches the pace of transition of world leaders such as Norway. The modeling estimates this would save around 24,000 lives by 2042. Over time, the resulting greenhouse emission reductions would almost equal Australia’s current total annual emissions from all sources.

Continue reading “Rapid adoption of electric vehicles could save money and avoid 24,000 deaths over 20 years” »

Somebody wormed their way into the tech giant’s systems, though it’s hard to say how bad the damage is yet.

The device costs $60 to make and can be applied in the lab in minutes.