Lifeboat Foundation

A new study from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research shows how rises in core body temperature may trigger the inflammatory flares in people with a rare genetic autoinflammatory disease.

The recessive disorder, called mevalonate kinase deficiency (MKD), is caused by mutations in the gene for mevalonate kinase, an essential enzyme present in all cells in the body. Lack of this enzyme leads to a build-up of abnormal proteins, which causes cells of the immune system to malfunction and trigger inflammation.

Continue reading “Higher body temperature alters key protein in autoinflammatory disorder” »

Tesla’s AI Day 2022 was mainly a recruiting event, according to CEO Elon Musk.

The saga of Elon Musk and the abandoned Twitter acquisition has a little bit of everything–except for a clear protagonist. Maybe that’s finally changing. But first…

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has thrown out an idea about building a video game that uses Tesla’s Simulation to reconstruct a playable version of your neighborhood.

The leading maker of electric vehicles is trying to satisfy strong worldwide demand for its cars.

Researchers recently demonstrated artificial wombs keeping embryonic-stem-cell-derived mice alive for almost half their gestational period.

For Immediate Release.

IDTechEx Asks if Tesla’s Humanoid Robot “Optimus” Will Really Be Able to Serve People

IDTechEx.

Oxytocin, sometimes called the “love hormone,” may help heal broken hearts — literally. In a new study of zebrafish and human cells, scientists found that the brain-made hormone may help heart tissue regenerate after injury and, in theory, could someday be used in the treatment of heart attacks, according to the researchers.

Because the new study was conducted in fish tanks and lab dishes, however, this theoretical treatment is still far from realization.

I’m not a robotics expert, so I’ve been particularly keen to hear what robotics experts think of Tesla’s Optimus presentation the other day. The core arguments from Elon Musk and many Tesla fans regarding why Optimus is such a big deal are: Tesla will find a way to mass produce it at relatively low cost, Tesla is adding a brain to the robot, and it needs to be in the form of a human so that it can perform tasks designed to be done by humans. I don’t see any strong arguments against those things, but I know they are broad-brushed claims and quite vague. What about the details that I can’t see, that a common Tesla fan can’t see, and that perhaps even an engineer working on Optimus can’t see?

Let’s start with Dennis Hong. Dennis is a professor of mechanical & aerospace engineering at UCLA. He’s Director of RoMeLa: Robotics & Mechanisms Laboratory. With this title and being an independent expert in the separate world of academia, I was particularly interested to see his opinion. He was clearly excited as AI Day 2 arrived, but not in a sycophantic way. Luckily, he put his thoughts in a good little 13-post Twitter thread.