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Jun 8, 2020

PAC-MAN: Scientists Aim Gene-Targeting Breakthrough Against COVID-19

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, innovation

Lipitoids, which self-assemble with DNA and RNA, can serve as cellular delivery systems for antiviral therapies that could prevent COVID-19 and other coronavirus infections. Credit: Illustration courtesy of R.N. Zuckermann.

Jun 8, 2020

Nio might have figured out battery swap for electric cars as it completes 500,000 swaps

Posted by in categories: business, sustainability, transportation

Over the years I have been covering electric vehicles, I’ve seen several companies attempt to add value to EVs by using swappable battery packs.

The idea is that if charging takes longer than refueling a tank of gas, we could just swap a battery pack for a fully charged one.

Continue reading “Nio might have figured out battery swap for electric cars as it completes 500,000 swaps” »

Jun 8, 2020

Drug researcher develops ‘fat burning’ molecule that has implications for treatment of obesity

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

Mentions aging!


Obesity affects more than 40 percent of adults in the United States and 13 percent of the global population. With obesity comes a variety of other interconnected diseases including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and fatty liver disease, which makes the disease one of the most difficult—and most crucial—to treat.

“Obesity is the biggest health problem in the United States. But, it is hard for people to lose weight and keep it off; being on a diet can be so difficult. So, a pharmacological approach, or a drug, could help out and would be beneficial for all of society,” said Webster Santos, professor of chemistry and the Cliff and Agnes Lilly Faculty Fellow of Drug Discovery in the College of Science at Virginia Tech.

Continue reading “Drug researcher develops ‘fat burning’ molecule that has implications for treatment of obesity” »

Jun 8, 2020

Repetitive negative thinking linked to dementia risk

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, neuroscience

Persistently engaging in negative thinking patterns may raise the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, finds a new UCL-led study.

In the study of people aged over 55, published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia, researchers found ‘repetitive negative thinking’ (RNT) is linked to subsequent cognitive decline as well as the deposition of harmful brain proteins linked to Alzheimer’s.

The researchers say RNT should now be further investigated as a potential risk factor for dementia, and psychological tools, such as mindfulness or meditation, should be studied to see if these could reduce .

Jun 8, 2020

Scientists Claim the Universe Is Actually Flat

Posted by in category: cosmology

Warped Structure

When scientists say the universe is flat, it doesn’t necessarily mean it resembles an infinitely-expanding sheet of paper. More study, for instance, is needed to determine whether the universe could be bent into a torus — a donut-like shape still considered “flat” by cosmological models.

“This result shows the power of galaxy surveys to pin down the amount of dark energy and how it evolved over the last billion years,” Portsmouth cosmologist Seshadri Nadathur said in a press release. “We’re making really precise measurements now and the data is going to get even better with new surveys coming online very soon.”

Jun 8, 2020

Asteroid the size of Empire State Building nears earth this weekend

Posted by in categories: astronomy, existential risks

The asteroid is estimated to be 1,100 ft. in diameter, while the Empire State Building stands at approximately 1,400 ft. tall.

Jun 8, 2020

Apple Watch Series 5

Posted by in category: health

Has glucose monitor: 3.


With a new Always-On Retina display, Apple Watch Series 5 is always there for you. To monitor your health, help you stay fit, and keep you connected.

Jun 8, 2020

Elon Musk says Starship is now SpaceX’s top priority

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, space travel

SpaceX CEO and founder Elon Musk says that after accomplishing its first human launch, the company’s primary focus going forward will be developing Starship, its next-generation spacecraft. According to an internal email seen by CNBC, Musk said that Starship is job one for the company, with the exception of ensuring that everything goes well with the forthcoming return of the Crew Dragon capsule from the International Space Station, which will be carrying NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken on their homeward bound trip.

Starship has been in development at a SpaceX production and testing site in Boca Chica, Texas, since 2019, and was also originally being developed by a second team in parallel in Florida. SpaceX combined the efforts and focused prototype builds in Texas late last year and has been building a number of Starship prototypes using a model of rapid iteration.

The spacecraft is designed to be a fully reusable vehicle that can support both crew and cargo configurations that can make trips to both Earth orbit and deep space destinations including the moon and Mars when paired with the forthcoming SpaceX Super Heavy rocket booster. SpaceX eventually wants to replace both Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy with Starship, which should reduce costs by unifying its production lines and offering full reusability.

Jun 8, 2020

Robots with flexible feet walk 40% faster

Posted by in categories: robotics/AI, space

Researchers from the University of California San Diego (UCSD) have developed flexible feet that can help robots walk up to 40% faster on uneven terrain such as pebbles and wood chips. The work has applications for search-and-rescue missions, as well as space exploration.

“Robots need to be able to walk fast and efficiently on natural, uneven terrain, so they can go everywhere humans can, but maybe shouldn’t,” said Emily Lathrop, the study’s first author and a PhD student in the Jacobs School of Engineering at UCSD.

The researchers are presenting their breakthrough at the RoboSoft conference, taking place virtually from now until 15th July.

Jun 8, 2020

Physicists think they’ve figured out a way to save Schrödinger’s cat

Posted by in categories: particle physics, quantum physics

The famous cat-in-a-box thought experiment by Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger is an illustration of one of the defining characteristics of quantum mechanics — the unpredictable behaviour of particles at the quantum level.

It makes working with quantum systems incredibly difficult; but what if we could make quantum predictions? A team of physicists believes it’s possible.

In a study published last year, they demonstrated their ability to predict something called a quantum jump, and even reverse the process after it’s started.