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Jun 3, 2021

Experimental vaccine forces bacteria down an evolutionary dead end

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

The team says that the technique could be used to develop new vaccines against antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and potentially even wipe out some dangerous strains in a similar way to how smallpox was eradicated.


Pathogens like bacteria and viruses are extremely good at evolving in response to drugs, which can render vaccines ineffective. But now, researchers at ETH Zurich have found a way to weaponize that ability against them, forcing the bugs down harmless evolutionary dead ends.

Continue reading “Experimental vaccine forces bacteria down an evolutionary dead end” »

Jun 3, 2021

Researchers identify how to prevent cancer metastases

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

The published results indicate several possible methods of preventing metastasis: immunotherapy based on interleukin-15, which increases the number of natural killer cells in the tissue; interferon gamma therapy, which maintains the dormant state of the cancer cells; and inhibitors of the mechanism through which the hepatic stellate cells paralyze the natural killer cells. Appropriate therapies already exist for all these approaches, but they still need to be clinically tested.


Metastases can develop in the body even years after apparently successful cancer treatment. They originate from cancer cells that migrated from the original tumor to other organs, and which can lie there inactive for a considerable time. Researchers have now discovered how these “sleeping cells” are kept dormant and how they wake up and form fatal metastases. They have reported their findings in the journal Nature.

A tumor can leave behind an ominous legacy in the body: cancer cells can migrate from the tumor to other tissues in the body, where they survive after treatment in a kind of hibernation called dormancy. Currently, cancer medicine relies on monitoring after their initial treatment in order to detect the awakening of these cells to form metastases. One of the biggest questions in cancer research is what exactly causes this transition.

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Jun 3, 2021

Tesla Model S Plaid achieves new quarter-mile world record in 9.2 seconds

Posted by in categories: sustainability, transportation

Family sedan breaks speed record.


The new Tesla Model S Plaid has reportedly achieved a new quarter-mile world record with a 9.2-second run, according to Jay Leno, who was at the racetrack for the record attempt.

After several months of delays, Tesla is apparently finally going to start deliveries of the new and updated Model S next week, including the new top performance Plaid version.

Continue reading “Tesla Model S Plaid achieves new quarter-mile world record in 9.2 seconds” »

Jun 3, 2021

New ocean spaceport reveals SpaceX’s next chapter

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, space travel

Elon Musk plans to unveil a spaceport in the ocean. Here’s what you need to know.

Jun 2, 2021

Extreme Magnetic Fields and Temperature Variation of Distant Magnetars

Posted by in categories: cosmology, physics

New research is helping to explain one of the big questions that has perplexed astrophysicists for the past 30 years — what causes the changing brightness of distant stars called magnetars.

Magnetars were formed from stellar explosions or supernova e and they have extremely strong magnetic field s, estimated to be around 100 million, million times greater than the magnetic field found on earth.

The magnetic field on each magnetar generates intense heat and x-rays. It is so strong it affects the physical properties of matter, most notably the way that heat is co nducted through the crust of the star and across its surface, creating the variations in brightness which has puzzled astrophysicists and astronomers.

Jun 2, 2021

Revolutionary Self-Aware Materials Build the Foundation for Living Structures

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, nanotechnology

New research in Nano Energy introduces revolutionary scalable material that senses and powers itself.

From the biggest bridges to the smallest medical implants, sensors are everywhere, and for good reason: The ability to sense and monitor changes before they become problems can be both cost-saving and life-saving.

To better address these potential threats, the Intelligent Structural Monitoring and Response Testing (iSMaRT) Lab at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering has designed a new class of materials that are both sensing mediums and nanogenerators, and are poised to revolutionize the multifunctional material technology big and small.

Jun 2, 2021

Merging nature and engineering: mantis shrimp vision in the operating room

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, engineering

Inspired by the mantis shrimp visual system, researchers have built a camera that helps cancer surgeons see the unseen.

Jun 2, 2021

How to opt out of Amazon Sidewalk

Posted by in category: futurism

Echo and Ring users have just under a week to disable the new Amazon Sidewalk shared network feature.

Jun 2, 2021

NASA picks Venus as hot spot for two new robotic missions

Posted by in categories: robotics/AI, space

NASA is returning to sizzling Venus, our closest yet perhaps most overlooked neighbour, after decades of exploring other worlds.

The US space agency’s new administrator, Bill Nelson, announced two new robotic missions to the solar system’s hottest planet, during his first major address to employees.

“These two sister missions both aim to understand how Venus became an inferno-like world capable of melting lead at the surface,” Nelson said.

Jun 2, 2021

Venusian Acid-Cooked Turkeys, or Why I Still Read Blog Comments…

Posted by in category: futurism

A bit early, (or a lot late 🙂) but I love this post. Beverage warnings apply:


In a world where many blogs and websites are shutting down comment threads, I think we all need the occasional reminder of why we permit comments. Sure, you often learn something new from other people’s inputs, and sometimes get corrected when you step beyond the limits of your actual knowledge-base too far. But sometimes you read a comment that’s so brilliant, you just have to look up the commenter’s email, and beg them for permission to repost their work of art. This was one of those times.