Lifeboat Foundation

New research shows that resveratrol, a chemical found in red wine, contributes to genomic stability by reducing the occurrence of DNA double-strand breaks and prolongs lifespan in genetically modified mice that are prone to carcinogenic mutations [1].

DSBs and genomic instability

Genomic instability, one of the hallmarks of aging, is a condition characterized by frequent mutations within the genome, and it has long been associated with cancer [2]. The authors of this study state that one of its major causes is the erroneous repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). High numbers of DSBs have been found in pre-cancerous cells, and DNA lesions caused by unrepairable DSBs accumulate with time, both in organisms and in cultured cells. One of the possible culprits is the degradation of DNA repair mechanisms in aged cells [3].

Utilizing the antibodies from the plasma of survivors of the coronavirus to help those who are critically ill from the coronavirus has been deemed successful:

In trial, 10 severely-ill patients made recoveries after receiving antibodies from people who had successfully fought the Covid-19 virus

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Continue reading “Blood from recovered coronavirus victims helps patient come off ventilator in just two days” »

The laws of physics imply that the passage of time is an illusion. To avoid this conclusion, we might have to rethink the reality of infinitely precise numbers.

A heads up: Dyson has “created 44 engineering and science activities for children to try out while at home during the coronavirus pandemic, from making a balloon-powered car to building a bridge from spaghetti,” writes the Dezeen website. They go on to add: “Comprised of 22 science tasks and 22 engineering activities, the Challenge Cards can be completed by children using common household items such as eggs, string and balloons.” You can also find a related playlist of videos on YouTube, one of which appears above.

This engineering/science activities have been added to our refreshed collection, 200 Free Kids Educational Resources: Video Lessons, Apps, Books, Websites & More. If you know of any great K-12 resources, especially ones that are always free, please add them in the comments below, and we will try to add them to the list.

Continue reading “Dyson Creates 44 Free Engineering & Science Challenges for Kids Quarantined During COVID-19” »

Let NASA and the International Space Station help inform and entertain your child from the safety and comfort of your own home. Both are sharing a wealth of activities and experiments for kids of all ages.

This is the first in an eight-part series looking at how Huawei has found itself at the epicentre of the US-China tech war.

Four years after Huawei set up shop in the US, a RAND report tied Chinese telecommunications companies like Huawei and ZTE directly to Beijing.

Over the past two years the relationship between Chinese tech champion Huawei and the US has only worsened but why did the relationship sour in the first place?

Continue reading “The US vs a Chinese giant: Huawei and the tech war” »

Why the world’s most ambitious array of submillimeter antennas continues to reap astronomical dividends.

He said many businesses would take the opportunity to ask the following question: What’s different about the way we are working now that has made us much more effective?

One of the CEOs said large businesses previously threatened by start-ups and disruptive new players could emerge from the crisis in a stronger position to compete because of the digitisation priorities imposed by the crisis.

Most of the CEOs who took part in the roundtable have operations overseas, including manufacturing operations, business process outsourcing, call centres and offshore IT centres.

Tiny biohybrid robots on the micrometer scale can swim through the body and deliver drugs to tumors or provide other cargo-carrying functions. The natural environmental sensing tendencies of bacteria mean they can navigate toward certain chemicals or be remotely controlled using magnetic or sound signals.

To be successful, these tiny biological robots must consist of materials that can pass clearance through the body’s immune response. They also have to be able to swim quickly through viscous environments and penetrate tissue cells to deliver cargo.

In a paper published this week in APL Bioengineering, from AIP Publishing, researchers fabricated biohybrid bacterial microswimmers by combining a genetically engineered E. coli MG1655 substrain and nanoerythrosomes, small structures made from red blood cells.