Lifeboat Foundation

Scientists at University of Florida (UF) Scripps Biomedical Research have developed a potential medicine for a leading cause of ALS and dementia that works by eliminating disease-causing segments of RNA. The compound restored the health of neurons in the lab and rescued mice with the disease.

The potential medication is described this week in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It is designed to be taken as a pill or an injection, said the lead inventor, professor Matthew Disney, Ph.D., chair of the UF Scripps chemistry department. Importantly, experiments showed that the compound is small enough to cross the blood-brain barrier, a hurdle other approaches have failed to clear, he said.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, progressively destroys neurons that control muscles, leading to worsening muscle loss and eventually death. The mutation, a leading cause of inherited ALS, is referred to as “C9 open reading frame 72,” or C9orf72. This mutation also leads to one form of frontotemporal dementia, a brain disease that causes the brain’s frontal and temporal lobes to shrink, resulting in changes in personality, behavior and speech, ultimately resulting in death.

A new technology developed at Tel Aviv University (TAU) makes it possible to destroy cancerous tumors in a targeted manner via a combination of ultrasound and the injection of nanobubbles into the bloodstream.

According to the research team, this latest technology enables the destruction of the tumor in a non-invasive manner, unlike invasive treatment methods or the injection of microbubbles into the tumor itself.

In space — Recent (China Manned Space Agency — No access Chinese mainland) 1. Various of Shenzhou-14 astronaut Cai Xuzhe unpacking packages 2. Various of Shenzhou-14 crew checking facilities, opening boxes and inspecting equipment 3. Shenzhou-14 crew installing and trying out microgravity resistance exercise device 4. Shenzhou-14 astronaut Liu Yang exercising with microgravity resistance exercise device.

The Shenzhou-14 astronauts have completed several missions over the last two weeks, including the installation of equipment in the work area of the Mengtian lab module which they entered for the first time on Nov. 3. Among the scientific and basic living equipment, the astronauts have also set up a small home gym to help them stay fit. The crew members-Chen Dong, Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe can now keep fit in the lab with a special microgravity resistance exercise device similar to a rowing machine with which astronauts can do squats, heel lifts, hard pulls, rowing and shoulder exercise. Resistance exercise is especially important for astronauts living in zero gravity conditions which can rapidly reduce muscle mass and bone density.

On Sunday, the trio entered the Tianzhou-5 cargo craft to fetch supplies for the Tiangong space station.

Workshop supported by the Imperial College Physics of Life Network of Excellence.

https://www.imperial.ac.uk/physics-of-life.

Continue reading “Physics of Emergent Behaviour III: from origin of life to multicellularity, 2nd July 2021 (part 1)” »

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This series looks at devices and concepts we may see in future conflicts, and we will look at both hypothetical technologies and those limitations placed on us by fighting in space, for instance, rather than on the ground.

Check out the on-demand sessions from the Low-Code/No-Code Summit to learn how to successfully innovate and achieve efficiency by upskilling and scaling citizen developers. Watch now.

Quantum computing could be a disruptive technology. It’s founded on exotic-sounding physics and it bears the promise of solving certain classes of problems with unprecedented speed and efficiency. The problem, however, is that to this day, there has been too much promise and not enough delivery in the field, some say. Perhaps with the exception of D-Wave.

The company that helped pioneer quantum computing over 15 years ago has clients such as BASF, Deloitte, Mastercard and GlaxoSmithKline today. Alan Baratz went from running D-Wave’s R&D to becoming its CEO, taking the company public while launching products and pursuing new research directions.

Another look at the Fermi Paradox, and the implication on us as a civilization. Get a razor that will last you a lifetime from Henson Shaving here: https://bit.ly/2YS4SPN To get the 100 pk of blades for free, make sure to add it to your shopping cart, and use the code ASTRUM.

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Continue reading “Why this Solution to the Fermi Paradox Is Terrifying” »

Accidental science is the best. One of the greatest lifesaving drugs in history – penicillin – was discovered purely by accident, and such experiments truly show how intricate and unpredictable science is.

So, when researchers from the University of Pennsylvania began their journey looking for a type 2 diabetes treatment and stumbled across a potentially incredible weight-loss treatment, needless to say, they were more than surprised.

The researchers describe their new results in a paper in the journal Science, in which they applied a treatment to a group of lab mice in the pursuit of counteracting type 2 diabetes. Instead of performing as expected, the experiment took a surprising turn – the mice started secreting a slimy substance through their skin.

Could psychedelics make you more creative? Shift your mind, connect you to others, and help you access a younger, more malleable version of yourself? Activist Rick Doblin, neuroscientist Gül Dölen, and musician Reggie Watts join Brian Greene for a mind-bending and multidisciplinary conversation about the promises and pitfalls of these “magic” molecules and their impact on creativity, connection, and consciousness.

This program is part of the Big Ideas series, supported by the John Templeton Foundation.

Continue reading “Psychedelics: Chemicals, Consciousness, and Creativity” »