Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
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The research project was originally based on a new group of viruses that the study authors discovered in the water of the Gossenköllesee in Tyrol, Austria, in 2021.

During a comprehensive study of complex single-celled microbes, scientists from the University of Innsbruck’s Department of Ecology made a groundbreaking discovery. They discovered the DNA of more than 30,000 viruses that were previously unknown, integrated into the microbes’ genome.

The study revealed that some microbes contain a significant proportion of their DNA that is made up of hidden viruses, up to 10 percent.

Kontekbrothers/iStock.

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Critics are not fully convinced though.

Earlier this month, the New York Police Department (NYPD) announced the induction of two robotic dogs into its force, a move that was opposed by rights activists citing surveillance concerns. Now an incident of a garage collapse where a robotic dog was used in search and rescue operations is being hailed by the City Mayor Eric Adams as justification for its use, The New York Times.

The robotic dogs inducted belong to Boston Dynamics, which Interesting Engineering has extensively covered over the years. Their robotic dog, dubbed Spot, has been designed for use in adverse situations and is equipped with abilities and sensors.

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People typically think of food as calories, energy and sustenance. However, the latest evidence suggests that food also “talks” to our genome, which is the genetic blueprint that directs the way the body functions down to the cellular level.

This communication between food and genes may affect your health, physiology and longevity. The idea that food delivers important messages to an animal’s genome is the focus of a field known as nutrigenomics. This is a discipline still in its infancy, and many questions remain cloaked in mystery. Yet already, we researchers have learned a great deal about how food components affect the genome.

I am a molecular biologist who researches the interactions among food, genes and brains in the effort to better understand how food messages affect our biology. The efforts of scientists to decipher this transmission of information could one day result in healthier and happier lives for all of us. But until then, has unmasked at least one important fact: Our relationship with food is far more intimate than we ever imagined.

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Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg says he isn’t abandoning the metaverse, even as the division of the company that manages its virtual and augmented reality projects lost $4 billion in the first quarter.

Recent comments by Zuckerberg and other Meta leaders have suggested that the company is going bullish on AI and switching its strategy away from the metaverse. Top Meta execs are now spending most of their time focused on AI, CTO Andrew Bosworth said earlier this month.

“A narrative has developed that we’re somehow moving away from focusing on the metaverse vision,” Zuckerberg told investors on Wednesday. “So I just want to say upfront that, that’s not accurate. We’ve been focusing on both AI and the Metaverse for years now, and we will continue to focus on both.”

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