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Oct 29, 2020
FBI warns ransomware assault threatens US healthcare system
Posted by Quinn Sena in categories: biotech/medical, cybercrime/malcode
BOSTON (AP) — Federal agencies warned that cybercriminals are unleashing a wave of data-scrambling extortion attempts against the U.S. healthcare system designed to lock up hospital information systems, which could hurt patient care just as nationwide cases of COVID-19 are spiking.
In a joint alert Wednesday, the FBI and two federal agencies warned that they had “credible information of an increased and imminent cybercrime threat to U.S. hospitals and healthcare providers.” The alert said malicious groups are targeting the sector with attacks that produce “data theft and disruption of healthcare services.”
The cyberattacks involve ransomware, which scrambles data into gibberish that can only be unlocked with software keys provided once targets pay up. Independent security experts say it has already hobbled at least five U.S. hospitals this week, and could potentially impact hundreds more.
Oct 29, 2020
For the first time, scientists demonstrate self-repair mechanism in cells
Posted by Jeff Myers in category: biotech/medical
As cells bump into each other, forces cause them to move and shake, or even sometimes rupture.
“Cells are constantly generating forces and responding to them. They are being pulled on by their environment,” said Jonathan Winkelman, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Chicago. Winkelman works in the lab of Margaret Gardel, professor in the Department of Physics and the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering.
Unlike a rubber band that breaks when you stretch it too much, an overstretched cell initiates a response to repair itself. This phenomenon has been observed using microscopy, but the question of how the repair and adaptation process initiates inside the cells has remained unanswered until now.
Oct 29, 2020
Researchers break magnetic memory speed record
Posted by Genevieve Klien in categories: computing, particle physics
Spintronic devices are attractive alternatives to conventional computer chips, providing digital information storage that is highly energy efficient and also relatively easy to manufacture on a large scale. However, these devices, which rely on magnetic memory, are still hindered by their relatively slow speeds, compared to conventional electronic chips.
In a paper published in the journal Nature Electronics, an international team of researchers has reported a new technique for magnetization switching—the process used to “write” information into magnetic memory—that is nearly 100 times faster than state-of-the-art spintronic devices. The advance could lead to the development of ultrafast magnetic memory for computer chips that would retain data even when there is no power.
In the study, the researchers report using extremely short, 6-picosecond electrical pulses to switch the magnetization of a thin film in a magnetic device with great energy efficiency. A picosecond is one-trillionth of a second.
Oct 29, 2020
NASA-funded scientist says ‘MEGA drive’ could enable interstellar travel
Posted by Raphael Ramos in category: space travel
The scientist claims that this design could enable propulsion while only relying on electricity.
But take it with a grain of salt. It seems the propulsion system is based on ideas that are still being validated.
Continue reading “NASA-funded scientist says ‘MEGA drive’ could enable interstellar travel” »
Oct 29, 2020
How Two MIT Grads Created A Painless Mist To Repair And Rejuvenate Skin Without Needles Or Creams
Posted by Genevieve Klien in category: chemistry
Two MIT chemical engineers launched Droplette, which has garnered nearly $10 million in funding. The company’s device delivers skincare actives like vitamin C, retinol and collagen through a mist. Founders Madhavi Gavini and Rathi Srinivas learned about entrepreneurship and more during development.
Oct 29, 2020
How to Get Professional Results with Photoshop’s AI Sky Replacement Tool
Posted by Genevieve Klien in category: robotics/AI
One of the major updates to the latest version of Photoshop is the addition of Sky Replacement: a tool that has the potential to save you a ton of time when editing your landscape images. But as Aaron Nace explains in this video, this AI-powered tool requires a bit of thought if you want to get professional results.
AI-powered photo editing tools are always sold as “one click” or “a few clicks” solutions that can transform a photo with next-to-no input from you. But even with the most advanced machine learning available, no automated tool can generate fool-proof results without a little bit of thought from the creator on the other end of that mouse.
Oct 29, 2020
A New Way to Plug a Human Brain Into a Computer: via Veins
Posted by Raphael Ramos in categories: biotech/medical, computing, neuroscience
Article. I guess having implants directly on the brain isn’t the only way to have a brain to machine interface. The scientists involved in the study found an alternative by picking up signals through the blood vessels.
It’s not as information packed as a direct brain connection, but it’s not as invasive.
I think it would be a good alternative or even complementary to direct brain implants. Interesting. 😃
Continue reading “A New Way to Plug a Human Brain Into a Computer: via Veins” »
Oct 29, 2020
New ‘epigenetic’ clock provides insight into how the human brain ages
Posted by Kevin Huang in categories: biotech/medical, genetics, life extension, neuroscience
While our circadian body clock dictates our preferred rhythm of sleep or wakefulness, a relatively new concept—the epigenetic clock—could inform us about how swiftly we age, and how prone we are to diseases of old age.
People age at different rates, with some individuals developing both characteristics and diseases related to aging earlier in life than others. Understanding more about this so-called ‘biological age’ could help us learn more about how we can prevent diseases associated with age, such as dementia. Epigenetic markers control the extent to which genes are switched on and off across the different cell-types and tissues that make up a human body. Unlike our genetic code, these epigenetic marks change over time, and these changes can be used to accurately predict biological age from a DNA sample.
Now, scientists at the University of Exeter have developed a new epigenetic clock specifically for the human brain. As a result of using human brain tissue samples, the new clock is far more accurate than previous versions, that were based on blood samples or other tissues. The researchers hope that their new clock, published in Brain and funded by Alzheimer’s Society, will provide insight into how accelerated aging in the brain might be associated with brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
Oct 29, 2020
Glutamine protects against muscle injuries and aging
Posted by Kevin Huang in categories: biotech/medical, life extension
A team headed by Prof. Massimiliano Mazzone (VIB-KU Leuven Center for Cancer Biology), in collaboration with Dr. Emanuele Berardi and Dr. Min Shang, revealed a new metabolic dialogue between inflammatory cells and muscle stem cells. The researchers show that strengthening this metabolic crosstalk with an inhibitor of the enzyme GLUD1 fosters the release of glutamine, and improves muscle regeneration and physical performance in experimental models of muscle degeneration such as trauma, ischemia, and aging. Besides its translational potential, this work also provides key advances in several fields of research including muscle biology, immunometabolism, and stem cell biology.
The role of glutamine
Skeletal muscle is instrumental to move our body, but it is also a large reservoir of amino acids stored as proteins and it influences energy and protein metabolism throughout the human body. The role of the amino acid glutamine has been considered central for muscle metabolism because of its abundance. However, its precise role after trauma or during chronic muscle degenerative conditions were largely neglected.