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Feb 18, 2021

Quantum computing poised to transform big-data landscape

Posted by in categories: computing, quantum physics

Problems that defy traditional computing can be solved by quantum solutions.

Feb 18, 2021

Engineers develop polymer cores that redirect light from any source to solar cells

Posted by in categories: solar power, sustainability

Rice University engineers have suggested a colorful solution to next-generation energy collection: Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) in your windows.

Feb 18, 2021

Altered Brain Connectivity After Prolonged Anesthesia

Posted by in category: neuroscience

Summary: Prolonged anesthesia significantly alters the synaptic architecture of the brain, regardless of age.

Source: Columbia University

Feb 18, 2021

Scientists seek better understanding of black holes from star cluster

Posted by in category: cosmology

Scientists might be able to piece together a better understanding of the complexities around how black holes behave.

Feb 18, 2021

Iris to Test Commercial Drone Sense and Avoid System in BVLOS First

Posted by in category: drones

In the coming weeks, a drone will fly beyond its operator’s visual line of sight using only onboard collision-avoidance – with no ground radar support.

Feb 18, 2021

SuperAger Brains Resist Protein Tangles That Lead to Alzheimer’s

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, neuroscience

Summary: SuperAgers who maintain their cognitive abilities have resistance to the development of Alzheimer’s related tau tangles. The resistance to tangles may help to preserve memory.

Source: Northwestern University

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

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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.”