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Aug 5, 2022

Do ‘bouncing universes’ have a beginning?

Posted by in categories: singularity, space

In trying to understand the nature of the cosmos, some theorists propose that the universe expands and contracts in endless cycles.

Because this behavior is hypothesized to be perpetual, the should have no beginning and no end—only eternal cycles of growing and shrinking that extend forever into the future, and forever into the past.

It’s an appealing concept in part because it removes the need for a state called a singularity that corresponds to “beginning of time” in other models.

Aug 5, 2022

First electric nanomotor made from DNA material

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics, nanotechnology

A research team led by the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has succeeded for the first time in producing a molecular electric motor using the DNA origami method. The tiny machine made of genetic material self-assembles and converts electrical energy into kinetic energy. The new nanomotors can be switched on and off, and the researchers can control the rotation speed and rotational direction.

Be it in our cars, drills or automatic coffee grinders—motors help us perform work in our everyday lives to accomplish a wide variety of tasks. On a much smaller scale, natural molecular motors perform vital tasks in our bodies. For instance, a protein known as ATP synthase produces the molecule adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which our body uses for short-term storage and transfer of energy.

While natural molecular motors are essential, it has been quite difficult to recreate motors on this scale with roughly similar to those of natural molecular motors like ATP synthase. A research team has now constructed a working nanoscale molecular rotary motor using the DNA origami method and published their results in Nature. The team was led by Hendrik Dietz, Professor of Biomolecular Nanotechnology at TUM, Friedrich Simmel, Professor of Physics of Synthetic Biological Systems at TUM, and Ramin Golestanian, director at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization.

Aug 5, 2022

VIDEO: World’s first international holographic teleportation

Posted by in categories: holograms, space travel

Holographic teleportation is when a hologram is transmitted to a different location instantaneously.

While it is something that was only seen in SciFi movies like Star Wars, on July 27 at the Western Institute for Space Exploration (Western Space), the world’s first-ever international holoport was demonstrated.

Continue reading “VIDEO: World’s first international holographic teleportation” »

Aug 5, 2022

To Better Understand the Brain, Look at the Bigger Picture

Posted by in category: neuroscience

Summary: Zooming out to image larger areas of the brain while using fMRI technology allows researchers to capture additional relevant information, offering a better understanding of neural interplay.

Source: Yale.

Researchers have learned a lot about the human brain through functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), a technique that can yield insight into brain function. But typical fMRI methods may be missing key information and providing only part of the picture, Yale researchers say.

Aug 5, 2022

Cyber Roundup at Tesla’s Global Headquarters, did I meet Elon?

Posted by in category: futurism

Here are my thoughts on attending the 2022 Tesla Annual Shareholders Meeting.

Aug 5, 2022

How many animal species have caught COVID? First global tracker has (partial) answers

Posted by in category: futurism

Just as human counts are incomplete, so are animal counts. But the first worldwide compilation of animal cases is a start at understanding the extent of human-to-animal transmission, scientists say.

Aug 5, 2022

This Nano-Robot Built Out of DNA Will Study Cell Processes Closely

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, nanotechnology, robotics/AI

The researchers wanted to create robots that could pick up and sort molecules within a designated space. This makes it possible for DNA molecules to serve as the building blocks for 3D nanostructures that self-assemble in a predetermined shape. Tiny DNA-based robots and other nanodevices will deliver medicine inside our bodies, detect the presence of deadly pathogens, and help manufacture increasingly smaller electronics.

This enabled the researchers to design a nano-robot composed of three DNA origami structures. To help it maneuver within the designated space, the robot had a “leg” with a pair of feet. An “arm” with a “hand” allowed it to carry cargo, and a third component was added to tell the hand when a specific drop-off point had been reached so it would know to release the cargo. It allows researchers to carry out the entire design truly in 3D. Earlier design tools only allowed creation in 2D, forcing researchers to map their creations into 3D.

The software helps researchers design ways to take tiny strands of DNA and combine them into complex structures with parts like rotors and hinges that can move and complete a variety of tasks, including drug delivery. The robot will also enable researchers to more precisely determine important signaling pathways for a variety of biological and pathological processes that are stimulated at the cellular level during the application of force.

Aug 5, 2022

The world’s first-ever international holographic teleportation has just been conducted

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, holograms

Holographic teleportation could solve the many issues that 2D virtual meetings have these days. Besides, you could simply beam into work while at home.


Researchers at the University of Western Ontario recently completed the world’s first-ever international holographic teleportation.

Continue reading “The world’s first-ever international holographic teleportation has just been conducted” »

Aug 5, 2022

Fort Worth using digital meters to track who’s violating water restrictions

Posted by in category: futurism

In the past, the city relied on complaints to identify people not following the rules, but new digital water meters installed city wide means the city doesn’t have to wait for someone to call.

The meters send water data back wirelessly. Customers can now monitor their daily and hourly water use through an app, alerting them to high usage rates or leaks.

The city though is also able to see high use rates at times when it doesn’t add up. Rates of 300-gallons per hour on a Monday, indicated someone probably had the sprinklers on, triggering a notice.

Aug 5, 2022

Uncrewed surface vehicle makes studying the ocean easy and affordable

Posted by in categories: health, particle physics, transportation

“Pamela” is an uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) developed as an entrepreneurial idea at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) for sampling a variety of surface water particles, from microplastic to plankton to salmon lice. The USV is a joint effort by an interdisciplinary team—Andrea Faltynkova, a Ph.D. candidate at the Department of Biology, and Artur Zolich, a postdoc at the Department of Engineering Cybernetics.

Faltynkova studies microplastics in the ocean. Microplastics are bits of plastic smaller than 5 mm, which is roughly the size of the end of a pencil. While researchers know that microplastics can have negative effects on marine or freshwater organisms, there’s less known about how they affect human health. But studying microplastics is a challenge because of the nature of the substance itself, she says.

“Microplastics are so heterogeneous. It’s a very large, diverse group of particles. Not only that but they are very unevenly distributed. Microplastic is not like other dissolved pollutants that can be detected even in small quantities of water or soil. If you go and you take a liter from the sea, and there’s no plastic in it, can you conclude that there is no plastic in the sea?” she asked.