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Jun 25, 2022

An Ancient Killer Is Rapidly Becoming Resistant to Antibiotics, Scientists Warn

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

Typhoid fever might be rare in developed countries, but this ancient threat, thought to have been around for millennia, is still very much a danger in our modern world.

According to new research, the bacterium that causes typhoid fever is evolving extensive drug resistance, and it’s rapidly replacing strains that aren’t resistant.

Currently, antibiotics are the only way to effectively treat typhoid, which is caused by the bacterium Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S Typhi). Yet over the past three decades, the bacterium’s resistance to oral antibiotics has been growing and spreading.

Jun 25, 2022

Quantum microphone works even better than a regular one

Posted by in categories: biological, particle physics, quantum physics

View insights.


A quantum microphone can record human speech better than an equivalent classical version, and it could also be adapted for high-resolution biological imaging.

Jun 25, 2022

Satellite Images of our Oceans Reveal Oil Slicks Covering an Area Twice the Size of France

Posted by in category: futurism

Oil slicks like these cover an area of the ocean twice the size of France.


A study in the journal Science points to human activity and not natural occurrences for the vast majority of this surface pollution.

Jun 25, 2022

Retina recordings could be the key to identifying Autism and ADHD in children

Posted by in category: neuroscience

Early diagnosis of neurodevelopmental conditions, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), is critical for treatment and symptom management processes.

Now, a team of researchers from the University of South Australia has found that recordings from the retina may be used to distinguish unique signals for both ADHD and ASD, offering a possible biomarker for each disorder. According to a press release published by the institution, The team used the “electroretinogram” (ERG), a diagnostic test that measures the electrical activity of the retina in response to light, and found out that children with ASD showed less ERG energy while children with ADHD displayed more ERG energy.

Jun 25, 2022

Lipid nanoparticles carry gene-editing cancer drugs past tumor defenses

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

As they grow, solid tumors surround themselves with a thick, hard-to-penetrate wall of molecular defenses. Getting drugs past that barricade is notoriously difficult. Now, scientists at UT Southwestern have developed nanoparticles that can break down the physical barriers around tumors to reach cancer cells. Once inside, the nanoparticles release their payload: a gene editing system that alters DNA inside the tumor, blocking its growth and activating the immune system.

The new , described in Nature Nanotechnology, effectively stopped the growth and spread of ovarian and liver tumors in mice. The system offers a new path forward for the use of the gene editing tool known as CRISPR-Cas9 in , said study leader Daniel Siegwart, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biochemistry at UT Southwestern.

“Although CRISPR offers a new approach for treating , the technology has been severely hindered by the low efficiency of delivering payloads into tumors,” said Dr. Siegwart, a member of the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Jun 25, 2022

Ancient technology that was centuries ahead of its time

Posted by in category: futurism

These astounding examples of ancient technology show that past civilizations were more advanced than we might have thought.

Jun 25, 2022

The New Poem-Making Machinery

Posted by in category: futurism

Shall code-davinci-002 compare thee to a summer’s day?

Jun 25, 2022

JPL & the Space Age: The Pathfinders

Posted by in categories: education, space travel

It started with JPL agreeing to land something on Mars – cheaply – and do it in a radically different way. This is how the era NASA called “Faster, Better, Cheaper” began. The documentary film “The Pathfinders” tells the story of a small group of engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory who did not heed warnings that the audacious challenge of landing on Mars with airbags would likely not be a career-enhancing move.

From relying on a parachute that could not be tested in a way to match the Martian atmosphere to receiving the late addition of an unwanted rover that wouldn’t have looked out of place in a toy store, the Mars Pathfinder mission was a doubter’s dream, taken on by a mostly young group of engineers and scientists guided by a grizzled manager known for his maverick ways.

Continue reading “JPL & the Space Age: The Pathfinders” »

Jun 25, 2022

What’s Going To Happen To The Millions Of Electric Car Batteries After Their Lifespans End?

Posted by in categories: sustainability, transportation

While electric vehicles promise a green future, the batteries that power them don’t boast the same level of sustainability.


While driving electric vehicles is a step towards a greener future, the car batteries that power them are not as sustainable. Though the battery is at the heart of any EV, most are made from lithium-ion and have a limited lifespan that starts to degrade from the first time you charge them. So what happens when they reach capacity?

The cycle of charging and discharging causes them lose energy and power. The more charge cycles a battery goes through, the faster it will degrade. Once batteries reach 70 or 80% of their capacity, which happens around either 5 to 8 years or after 100,000 miles of driving, they have to be replaced, according to Science Direct.

Continue reading “What’s Going To Happen To The Millions Of Electric Car Batteries After Their Lifespans End?” »

Jun 25, 2022

Human Longevity and Freedom Acquisition in merger talks

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, business, life extension

Human Longevity Inc, which was built by the pioneers of the human genome sequencing effort, and Freedom Acquisition Corporation, a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), have announced that they have signed a non-binding letter of intent for a proposed business combination that would result in HLI becoming a publicly listed company. Assuming everything ticks along as planned, the parties currently expect to seek approval from Freedom’s shareholders by the first quarter of 2023.

Longevity. Technology: Unicorns are the stuff of legends and headlines, and while there can be no assurance that a definitive agreement will be entered into or that the proposed transaction will be consummated, the speculation is delicious because longevity start-ups with billion-dollar valuations mean more visible, accelerating progress for the sector.

The proposed transaction values the combined company at approximately $1 billion, providing HLI with funding to pursue growth and technology innovation – watch this space!