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Apr 7, 2022

DOD Building Largest 3D-Printed Structures in Western Hemisphere

Posted by in category: 3D printing

The Defense Department, in partnership with the private sector, is building three transient training barracks using advanced 3D printing technology.

Apr 7, 2022

Antonov shortage threatens delivery delays for the biggest satellites

Posted by in categories: business, satellites

COLORADO SPRINGS — A shortage of Ukrainian Antonov aircraft raises the prospect of more delays for satellite projects already bogged down by supply chain issues.

Satellite manufacturers make heavy use of large cargo space on Antonovs to transport GEO spacecraft from factory to launch site.

But some Antonovs have been destroyed amid Russia’s war in Ukraine, noted Mark Quinn, head of Willis Towers Watson’s satellite insurance business, and those that are in service tend to be owned by Russian air cargo companies subject to Western sanctions or are being used to support the war effort.

Apr 7, 2022

Man photographs ISS from Earth’s surface, captures astronauts in space

Posted by in category: cosmology

A German astrophotographer has taken an HD photo of the ISS from the surface of Earth, showing two astronauts on a spacewalk.

Apr 7, 2022

See The Jaw-Dropping New 83 Megapixel Photo Of The Sun Sent Back From A Spacecraft Halfway There

Posted by in category: space

The European Space Agency’s Solar Orbiter took an incredibly detailed image of the Sun as it passed with 50 million kilometers.

Apr 7, 2022

Hubble views a galaxy with an active black hole

Posted by in category: cosmology

This image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope reveals tendrils of dark dust threading across the heart of the spiral galaxy NGC 7172. The galaxy lies approximately 110 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Piscis Austrinus. The lane of dust threading its way across NGC 7,172 is obscuring the luminous heart of the galaxy, making NGC 7,172 appear to be nothing more than a normal spiral galaxy viewed from the side.

When astronomers inspected NGC 7,172 across the they quickly discovered that there was more to it than meets the eye: NGC 7,172 is a Seyfert galaxy—a type of galaxy with an intensely luminous active galactic nucleus powered by matter accreting onto a supermassive black hole.

This image combines data from two sets of Hubble observations, both proposed to study nearby . The image also combines data from two instruments—Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys and Wide Field Camera 3.

Apr 7, 2022

System helps severely motor-impaired individuals type more quickly and accurately

Posted by in category: computing

A new human-computer interaction system enables severely motor-impaired individuals who communicate using a single switch to do so faster and with more accuracy. This assistive technology is led by Tamara Broderick of MIT.

Apr 7, 2022

NASA is about to broadcast a message to the universe. Should they?

Posted by in category: space

What could possibly go wrong?

If only the American Indians had let Europe know of all their free land, and natural resources sooner…


Calling all beings.

Continue reading “NASA is about to broadcast a message to the universe. Should they?” »

Apr 7, 2022

Applying genome sequencing to rare disease diagnoses

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, information science, robotics/AI

The study also developed an automated diagnostic pipeline to streamline the genomic data— including the millions of variants present in each genome—for clinical interpretation. Variants unlikely to contribute to the presenting disease are removed, potentially causative variants are identified, and the most likely candidates prioritized. For its pipeline, the researchers and clinicians used Exomiser, a software tool that Robinson co-developed in 2014. To assist with the diagnostic process, Exomiser uses a phenotype matching algorithm to identify and prioritize gene variants revealed through sequencing. It thus automates the process of finding rare, segregating and predicted pathogenic variants in genes in which the patient phenotypes match previously referenced knowledge from human disease or model organism databases. The use of Exomiser was noted in the paper as having greatly increased the number of successful diagnoses made.

The genomic future.

Not surprisingly, the paper concludes that the findings from the pilot study support the case for using whole genome sequencing for diagnosing rare disease patients. Indeed, in patients with specific disorders such as intellectual disability, genome sequencing is now the first-line test within the NHS. The paper also emphasizes the importance of using the HPO to establish a standardized, computable clinical vocabulary, which provides a solid foundation for all genomics-based diagnoses, not just those for rare disease. As the 100,000 Genomes Project continues its work, the HPO will continue to be an essential part of improving patient prognoses through genomics.

Apr 7, 2022

Could ‘hot carrier’ solar cells break the theoretical efficiency limit?

Posted by in categories: solar power, sustainability

Up to 50% of the energy absorbed by a solar cell is lost as heat. Scientists are now developing a third generation of “hot carrier” solar cells that take advantage of this heat, potentially breaking the Shockley-Queisser limit of silicon-based PV.

Apr 7, 2022

Second FAA BVLOS drone operations waiver for Iris Automation

Posted by in categories: drones, robotics/AI

The FAA has granted Iris Automation a second waiver for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) autonomous drone operations on behalf of the City of Reno. But while the previous waiver required the use of Iris Automation’s advanced detect and avoid solution Casia X, this one utilizes the company’s Casia G ground-based solution (pictured above).

The fresh waiver allows an operator to fly without the need for visual observers or the Remote Pilot in Command to maintain visual contact with the drone. Casia G uses Iris Automation’s patented detect and avoid technology to create a stationary perimeter of sanitized, monitored airspace, enabling drones to complete missions safely. The system also provides awareness of intruder-piloted aircraft to maneuver drones to safe zones.