A new 450-million-year-old arthropod fossil, Lomankus edgecombei, has been uncovered in New York, revealing crucial evolutionary shifts in appendage function from predation to environmental sensing among ancient arthropods. A new 450-million-year-old fossil arthropod, preserved in 3D by iron py.
When considering the potential for life on exoplanets, scientists often focus on the habitable zone, the region around a star where conditions might allow liquid water to exist. However, new research suggests that this concept alone oversimplifies the dangers these planets face. It’s not just about being in the right place; it’s also about avoiding interstellar chaos.
While identifying exoplanets in the habitable zone is a crucial step in the search for extraterrestrial life, their environments can be treacherous. In a study soon to be published in The Astronomical Journal, researchers led by Tisyagupta Pyne from Visva-Bharati University highlight the threats lurking in dense stellar neighborhoods. Stellar flybys and catastrophic supernovae explosions have the power to disrupt entire planetary systems, stripping atmospheres or ejecting planets into interstellar space.
Advancements in nuclear physics may soon enable the creation of stable, superheavy nuclei, paving the way for new materials and insights into atomic stability.
A team of scientists has made significant advancements in the quest to create new, long-lasting superheavy nuclei. These double magic nuclei, which have a precise number of protons and neutrons that form a highly stable configuration, are exceptionally resistant to decay. Their research could deepen our understanding of the forces that bind atoms and pave the way for the development of new materials with unique properties. This work brings us a step closer to the so-called “Island of Stability,” a theoretical region in the nuclei chart where it’s believed some nuclei could exist far longer than those created so far.
The study, led by Professor Feng-Shou Zhang, has predicted promising reactions between different elements that could be used in experiments to create double magic nuclei. One key discovery involves a reaction between a special type of radioactive calcium isotope and a plutonium target, which could produce the predicted double magic nuclei 298 Fl. Another potential double magic nuclei, 304 120, could be created by combining vanadium and berkelium, although this reaction is currently less likely to succeed.
This development comes from…
Researchers have designed a high-speed 3D bioprinter to accurately print human tissues.
Interestingly, this advanced bioprinter is capable of fabricating a diverse array of tissues, including both soft brain tissue and harder materials such as cartilage and bone.
Remember to watch part 1: https://youtu.be/tANAl15CCLE
Welcome to the year 2,324, where humanity has transcended its Earthly origins to build civilizations across the solar system. Mars, Titan, and even the clouds of Venus are now home to more than 2.5 billion people, thanks to anti-aging technologies and AI-driven advancements. But how did we get here? And what does life look like in this brave new world? In this continuation of my speculative future series, I explore the political structures, societal shifts, and technological innovations that define our interplanetary existence. Get ready for a journey through a transformed solar system!
The discovery of pyrene in this far-off cloud, which is similar to the collection of dust…
A team led by researchers at MIT has discovered that a distant interstellar cloud contains an abundance of pyrene, a type of large, carbon-containing molecule known as a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH).
The discovery of pyrene in this far-off cloud, which is similar to the collection of dust and gas that eventually became our own solar system, suggests that pyrene may have been the source of much of the carbon in our solar system. That hypothesis is also supported by a recent finding that samples returned from the near-Earth asteroid Ryugu contain large quantities of pyrene.
“One of the big questions in star and planet formation is: How much of the chemical inventory from that early molecular cloud is inherited and forms the base components of the solar system? What we’re looking at is the start and the end, and they’re showing the same thing. That’s pretty strong evidence that this material from the early molecular cloud finds its way into the ice, dust, and rocky bodies that make up our solar system,” says Brett McGuire, an assistant professor of chemistry at MIT.
MIT researchers have developed a battery-free, subcellular-sized device made of polymer designed to measure and modulate a neuron’s electrical and metabolic activity. When the device is activated by light, it can gently wrap around the neuron cell’s axons and dendrites without damaging the cells.
Scientists want to inject thousands of these tiny wireless devices into a patient’s central nervous system and then actuate them noninvasively using light. The light would penetrate the tissue and allow precise control of the devices, and thereby restore function in cases of neuronal degradation like multiple sclerosis (MS).
The MIT researchers developed these thin-film devices from a azobenzene, a soft polymer that readily reacts to light. Thin sheets of azobenzene roll into a cylinder when exposed to light, which enables them to wrap around cells. Researchers can control the direction and diameter of the rolling by changing the intensity and polarization of the light, producing a microtube with a diameter smaller than one micrometer.
Posted in bioengineering, biotech/medical, genetics, life extension | Leave a Comment on Gene therapy Improves Eye Health and Reduces the Need for Anti-VEGF Injections in Age-Related Macular Degeneration
RegenxBio, a publicly-traded biotech firm, released data this week from a Phase 2 clinical trial designed to test its leading genetic therapy product in patients with bilateral wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD). AMD is characterized by abnormal growth of blood vessels in the retina, and is a leading cause of loss of vision in elderly populations globally.
ABBV-RGX-314, developed in collaboration with AbbVie, offers the potential of a one-time treatment for wet AMD and other retinal conditions, including diabetic retinopathy. This is in contrast to existing treatments which rely on repeated intraocular injections of drugs that inhibit a protein known as Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), a protein responsible for the formation of new retinal blood vessels.
The ABBV-RGX-314 therapy is based on a an AAV8 viral vector as a delivery system. The AAV8 platform has been genetically engineered to encode an antibody that can inhibit VEGF for the long-term.
Most recently, 90s heartthrob and Dawson’s Creek star James Van Der Beek announced he’d been diagnosed with colorectal cancer at the age of just 47.
The rise is mysterious, but experts suspect ultra-processed foods, pollution and the over use of antibiotics could be driving microscopic cancer-causing changes in the body’s cells.
Now, a team of scientists across five nations, including at King’s College London, have been given £20 million by charities including Cancer Research UK to fund fresh studies that will begin early next year, The Times reported.
