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Feb 18, 2021

Printed in days, a house: New York firm takes 3D printing to the next level

Posted by in category: habitats

Most homes are built block by block, or brick by brick. But a demo house in Calverton, New York, was constructed scan by scan — its walls made using a giant three-dimensional printer.

Feb 18, 2021

Forever young? Biotech’s next frontier

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, life extension

Investments into the longevity sector is stepping up, bolstered by the pandemic.

Feb 18, 2021

Landing Toolkit: Perseverance Rover

Posted by in category: space

They’ve lit up at LAX

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Feb 17, 2021

20% of People Have a Genetic Mutation That Provides Superior Resilience to Cold

Posted by in categories: climatology, genetics

Almost one in five people lack the protein α-aktinin-3 in their muscle fiber. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden now show that more of the skeletal muscle of these individuals comprises slow-twitch muscle fibers, which are more durable and energy-efficient and provide better tolerance to low temperatures than fast-twitch muscle fibers. The results are published in the scientific journal The American Journal of Human Genetics.

Skeletal muscle comprises fast-twitch (white) fibers that fatigue quickly and slow-twitch (red) fibers that are more resistant to fatigue. The protein α-aktinin-3, which is found only in fast-twitch fibers, is absent in almost 20 percent of people – almost 1.5 billion individuals – due to a mutation in the gene that codes for it. In evolutionary terms, the presence of the mutated gene increased when humans migrated from Africa to the colder climates of central and northern Europe.

“This suggests that people lacking α-aktinin-3 are better at keeping warm and, energy-wise, at enduring a tougher climate, but there hasn’t been any direct experimental evidence for this before,” says Håkan Westerblad, professor of cellular muscle physiology at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet. “We can now show that the loss of this protein gives a greater resilience to cold and we’ve also found a possible mechanism for this.”

Feb 17, 2021

SoftBank presses Vision Fund companies to seize IPO chance

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, business, finance

TOKYO — SoftBank Group has urged some of its high-profile portfolio companies to accelerate plans for stock market listings, telling them they should capitalize on strong investor appetite for the booming tech sector.

The Japanese tech investment group led by Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son hopes many of the businesses in its nearly $100 billion Vision Fund will tap the bullish sentiment for tech companies after the coronavirus pandemic, sources familiar with SoftBank’s strategy say.

Feb 17, 2021

Learn What It Feels Like to Have Synesthesia at This Interactive Google Arts Exhibit | Future Blink

Posted by in categories: futurism, innovation

Google Arts & Culture debuted an interactive exhibit that lets you explore the work of Vassily Kandinsky, an innovative painter with synesthesia.

Mashable is your source for the latest in tech, culture, and entertainment.

Continue reading “Learn What It Feels Like to Have Synesthesia at This Interactive Google Arts Exhibit | Future Blink” »

Feb 17, 2021

Researchers discover a new route to forming complex crystals

Posted by in category: materials

When materials reach extremely small size scales, strange things begin to happen. One of those phenomena is the formation of mesocrystals.

Feb 17, 2021

Silicon waveguides move us closer to faster computers that use light

Posted by in category: computing

Our team has managed to efficiently guide visible light through a silicon wire – a milestone towards faster, more efficient integrated circuits.

Feb 17, 2021

Scientists Show That Algae Could Grow Using Only Mars Resources

Posted by in categories: futurism, space

We want to go from this proof-of-concept to a system that can be used on Mars efficiently.

Feb 17, 2021

China and Russia Agree to Collaborate on Lunar Base

Posted by in category: space travel

NASA’s position as the leader of space exploration is in trouble.