Menu

Blog

Page 4350

May 20, 2022

Dr. George Church—Gene Therapy and Aging

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

In this episode of Longevity by Design, our hosts, Dr. Gil Blander and Ashley Reaver, MS, RD, CSSD, are joined by Dr. George Church, Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School. Tune in as Dr. George Church discusses the many roles of gene therapy, including its ability to reverse age-related diseases.

For science-backed ways to live a healthier, longer life, download InsideTracker’s InnerAge eBook at insidetracker.com/podcast.

Continue reading “Dr. George Church—Gene Therapy and Aging” »

May 20, 2022

NASA Says Space Debris Will Definitely Slam Into the James Webb Space Telescope

Posted by in category: space

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is “fully deployed,” according to the agency’s science administrator Thomas Zurbuchen — and that’s certainly a reason to celebrate after decades of hard work and a ten billion dollar price tag.

But the massive space observatory isn’t out of the woods just yet. As it spins around the Sun in a chaotic orbit, it will likely encounter plenty of space debris along the way — and an impact, its team says, is likely inevitable.

Continue reading “NASA Says Space Debris Will Definitely Slam Into the James Webb Space Telescope” »

May 20, 2022

Scientists Puzzled by “Spooky” Object Sending Radio Signals Every 18 Minutes From Deep Space

Posted by in categories: energy, space

Astronomers are flummoxed by a mysterious celestial object that appears to be releasing massive bursts of energy at regular 18 minute intervals.

Like a lighthouse, the beacon is sending out radiation three times an hour at such an intensity that it’s one of the brightest points in the sky — and, researchers say, it could turn out to be an entirely new class of celestial object.

A team, led by astrophysicist Natasha Hurley-Walker from the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, had a closer look at the object after it was discovered by Curtin University student Tyrone O’Doherty, who used the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) telescope in outback Western Australia.

May 20, 2022

Fast-growing Austin-area motor maker Infinitum Electric looks to jump into EV market

Posted by in categories: business, finance, sustainability, transportation

Round Rock-based motor company Infinitum Electric is expanding as it steps up production and breaks into the electric vehicle business.

The company is growing its footprint and workforce on the back of an $80 million funding round, which it announced this week. The financial infusion brings the company’s funding to date to $135 million.

Infinitum Electric was founded in 2016 in Austin by CEO Ben Schuler and moved to Round Rock in 2019. The motors include circuit boards that cut down on some of the costly equipment required in traditional motors, making Infinitum’s motors more efficient, smaller and quieter than traditional motors, according to the company.

May 20, 2022

Scientists discover ‘ghost’ fossils beneath a microscope

Posted by in categories: climatology, sustainability

The unexpected discovery of “ghost” fossils belonging to tiny, ancient organisms could provide insights about how life reacts to climate change in Earth’s oceans.

Looking through a powerful microscope, researchers were stunned to see the impressions left by single-celled plankton, or fossilized nannoplankton, that lived millions of years ago – especially since they were analyzing something else.

A study detailing the findings published Thursday in the journal Science.

May 20, 2022

Quantum engineering research makes waves at Virginia Tech’s Blacksburg and Northern Virginia campuses

Posted by in categories: computing, engineering, quantum physics

Virginia Tech researchers are exploring quantum applications to improve communications systems, bring new methods for securing data, make devices more energy efficient, and make computers smaller.

May 20, 2022

AI programs can tell race from X-rays, but scientists don’t know how. Here’s why that’s bad

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

Scientists created an AI that can detect someone’s race from their x-rays with over 90% accuracy. Problem is, they don’t know how it works.

May 19, 2022

Holographic Chocolates Look As Beautiful As They Taste

Posted by in categories: holograms, security

Circa 2014


For most of us, even one bite of chocolate is enough to send our taste buds into ecstasy. Now, scientists have concocted a process to make these dark, dulcet morsels look as decadent as they taste.

Switzerland-based company Morphotonix has given traditional Swiss chocolate-making a colorful twist: It’s devised a method to imprint shiny holograms onto the sweet surfaces — sans harmful additives. Which means when you tilt the goodies from side to side, rainbow stars and swirly patterns on the chocolate’s surface dance and shimmer in the light.

Continue reading “Holographic Chocolates Look As Beautiful As They Taste” »

May 19, 2022

UbiQD’s Quantum Dot Tech Is an Electricity Free Lighting Option for Greenhouses

Posted by in categories: food, nanotechnology, particle physics, quantum physics

Circa 2020 Electricity free grow lights using quantum dot leds.


While costs are coming down for controlled environment agriculture, electricity remains one of the highest because it has to power the LEDs that provide the lighting formula for plant growth. But a materials science company called UbiQD wants to change that by replacing electricity with a more efficient means of lighting: quantum dots.

Quantum dots are semiconductor nanoparticles that can transport electrons. When exposed to UV lighting, these particles emit lights of various colors, and can be adjusted in size to emit a specific color. For example, larger particles emit redder wavelengths, while smaller ones shift to blue.

Continue reading “UbiQD’s Quantum Dot Tech Is an Electricity Free Lighting Option for Greenhouses” »

May 19, 2022

World-first quantum dot LED lights made from discarded rice husks

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, computing, food, nanotechnology, quantum physics, solar power

From TVs, to solar cells, to cutting-edge cancer treatments, quantum dots are beginning to exhibit their unique potential in many fields, but manufacturing them at scale would raise some issues concerning the environment. Scientists at Japan’s Hiroshima University have demonstrated a greener path forward in this area, by using discarded rice husks to produce the world’s first silicon quantum dot LED light.

“Since typical quantum dots often involve toxic material, such as cadmium, lead, or other heavy metals, environmental concerns have been frequently deliberated when using nanomaterials,” said Ken-ichi Saitow, lead study author and a professor of chemistry at Hiroshima University. “Our proposed process and fabrication method for quantum dots minimizes these concerns.”

The type of quantum dots pursued by Saitow and his team are silicon quantum dots, which eschew heavy metals and offer some other benefits, too. Their stability and higher operating temperatures makes them one of the leading candidates for use in quantum computing, while their non-toxic nature also makes them suitable for use in medical applications.