Lifeboat Foundation

Scientists now say the cub, of which the hide, hair and teeth are intact, is “the most complete wolf mummy known”.

The era of oil is coming to an end…at last.

Here I look at the evidence to support such a claim and what may be the results 🙂

Continue reading “End Of Oil Age” »

It started as a regular, recreational drone flight. It ended with the rescue of a woman who was lying motionless on the beach. #dronesforgood

Honorable Mentions

One more scientific brilliance this year is the use of light in neuroscience and tissue engineering. One study, for example, used lasers to directly print a human ear-like structure under the skin of mice, without a single surgical cut. Another used light to incept smell in mice, artificially programming an entirely new, never-seen-in-nature perception of a scent directly into their brains. Yet another study combined lasers with virtual reality to dissect how our brains process space and navigation, “mentally transporting” a mouse to a virtual location linked to a reward. To cap it off, scientists found a new way to use light to control the brain through the skull without surgery—though as of now, you’ll still need gene therapy. Given the implications of unauthorized “mind control,” that’s probably less of a bug and more of a feature.

We’re nearing the frustratingly slow, but sure, dying gasp of Covid-19. The pandemic defined 2020, but science kept hustling along. I can’t wait to share what might come in the next year with you—may it be revolutionary, potentially terrifying, utterly bizarre or oddly heart-warming.

Summary: Gene expression patterns in four regions of the prefrontal cortex are distinctly different in those who have been diagnosed with PTSD compared to those who have not. Major differences were seen in interneurons, which inhibit the immune system and microglia in the central nervous system. Findings shed light on why women are more likely to experience PTSD and compound a link between post-traumatic stress and a dampening of the immune system.

Source: Yale.

A post-mortem analysis of brain tissue from people who had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may help explain enduring mysteries about the disorder, such as why women are more susceptible to it and whether a dampened immune system response plays a role in dealing with stress, a team headed by Yale University researchers has found.

Its happening again, it seems.

Just a Drip

Losing air on a space station sounds perilous, but Roscosmos maintains that the crewmembers are safe and that the situation is under control. The leak is very small, it says, and backup systems are in place if needed.

Continue reading “New Leak May Force Russia to Ship Oxygen to Space Station” »

Video on the gene edited mosquitos to be released in Florida.

The U.S. EPA gave the green light to release millions of genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys in 2021 — here’s what we know.

https://sc.mp/subscribe-youtube.

A 30-year-old in Thailand is turning chicken feathers into food. Sorawut Kittibanthorn got his idea from the 2.08 million tonnes of chicken feathers dumped each year. He hopes his creations can help reduce feather waste produced every day.

Continue reading “Thailand’s new alternative meat: feathers” »

A long-gone dwarf planet-sized object likely produced unusual crystals that crashed into Earth.