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Sep 6, 2020

Engineers Genetically Reprogram Yeast Cells to Become Microscopic Drug Factories

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, chemistry, food, genetics

Since antiquity, cultures on nearly every continent have discovered that certain plant leaves, when chewed or brewed or rubbed on the body, could relieve diverse ailments, inspire hallucinations or, in higher dosages, even cause death. Today, pharmaceutical companies import these once-rare plants from specialized farms and extract their active chemical compounds to make drugs like scopolamine for relieving motion sickness and postoperative nausea, and atropine, to curb the drooling associated with Parkinson’s disease or help maintain cardiac function when intubating COVID-19 patients and placing them on ventilators.

Now, Stanford engineers are recreating these ancient remedies in a thoroughly modern way by genetically reprogramming the cellular machinery of a special strain of yeast, effectively transforming them into microscopic factories that convert sugars and amino acids into these folkloric drugs, in much the same way that brewers’ yeast can naturally convert sugars into alcohol.

Sep 6, 2020

Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne 3D Prints tiny objects in seconds

Posted by in category: 3D printing

Unlike every other AM technology, their process prints the entire object at once. The researchers published the paper in the journal Nature Communications.

Sep 6, 2020

Myanmar Must Prevent Genocide Of Rohingya, U.N. Court Rules

Posted by in category: military

In a unanimous decision, a 17-judge panel said Myanmar must take steps to protect the Muslim minority Rohingya, who “remain extremely vulnerable” after a brutal 2017 crackdown by the military.

Sep 6, 2020

California blackouts could hit up to 3 million as grid managers declare emergency

Posted by in category: energy

The California Independent System Operator warned rolling blackouts could hit 3 million customers Sunday. PG&E said 17 counties could see power outages Monday.

Sep 6, 2020

This Army corps wants you … to send in your solutions

Posted by in category: military

Winners will get four days off, a medal and the training school of their choice.

Sep 6, 2020

Second case of human plague reported this summer in Colorado

Posted by in category: health

A second case of human plague has been reported in Colorado this summer and state health officials are urging residents to take precautions to prevent exposure.

A resident of a rural county in the state has been diagnosed with plague and the case was reported to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment on Thursday, according to a news release. A southwest Colorado resident was diagnosed earlier this summer.

Grand County Public Health on Friday said the newly infected victim is a Grand County resident.

Sep 6, 2020

Mars Curiosity Rover Captures Stunning 1.8 Billion Pixel Panorama

Posted by in category: space

NASA released the highest-resolution panorama that the Mars Curiosity rover has ever taken, at close to 1.8 billion pixels.

Sep 6, 2020

Britain’s first robot ship prepares to set sail

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

Autonomous vessels may offer solution to pandemic struggles.

Sep 6, 2020

One cure for an ailing American economy: Legalize cannabis

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, economics

😃


Forty states have already led the way, and the time is now.

Sep 6, 2020

Europe Just Declared Independence From China

Posted by in category: futurism

As the EU navigates an increasingly Sino-American world, it finally sees the need to stand together, even against Beijing.