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May 19, 2020

Terraform Mars: Elon Musk responds to claim he needs 10,000 missiles

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, space

We need an artificial atmosphere not this it can cause radiation for much too long.


The SpaceX CEO is not too concerned about reports that the firm would need a huge amount of missiles.

May 19, 2020

The end of plastic? New plant-based bottles will degrade in a year

Posted by in category: materials

Carlsberg and Coca-Cola back pioneering project to make ‘all-plant’ drinks bottles.

May 19, 2020

Accion raises $11 million to refine its dime-size spacecraft thrusters

Posted by in category: space travel

Ion propulsion company Accion Systems has raised $11 million in its latest funding round and has launches and contracts planned this year with NASA, the DoD and academic institutions.

May 19, 2020

These insects are annoying, but they might just save your life

Posted by in category: virtual reality

Researchers designed a 3D virtual environment just for insects to determine how controlled stimuli, like air and scent, would change their flying behavior.

May 19, 2020

Secure smart-home entry via earprint

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, computing, internet, mobile phones, privacy, security

Fingerprints and DNA are widely known forms of biometrics, thanks to crime dramas on television. But as technology advances the Internet of Things, the interconnection of computer devices in common objects, other forms of biometrics are sought for security. For example, distinctive physical characteristics of users are increasingly used in computer science as forms of identification and access restriction. Smartphones use fingerprints, iris scans and face recognition in this way. Other biometrics that are likely to come into use include retinas, veins and palm prints.

The ear is another potential biometric. According to research published recently in the Journal of Electronic Imaging, ear recognition technology, or “earprints,” could one day be used as personal identification to secure via smartphones.

May 19, 2020

E.T. Is Likely To Be More Rare Than Common In Cosmos

Posted by in category: alien life

Microbial life is likely fairly ubiquitous in the cosmos, new statistical models indicate. But extraterrestrial intelligence? Not so much.

May 19, 2020

A potentially major breakthrough in anti-aging medicine

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, life extension

A pre-print study reveals that young blood plasma given to older mice reduced aging by an average of 54% across multiple tissues; and had an impact on other signs of aging, such as cellular senescence, fat accumulation, and behavioural measures.

May 19, 2020

Neurobiologist Finds Potent Pain-Suppression Center in the Brain

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, neuroscience

A Duke University research team has found a small area of the brain in mice that can profoundly control the animals’ sense of pain.

Somewhat unexpectedly, this brain center turns pain off, not on. It’s also located in an area where few people would have thought to look for an anti-pain center, the amygdala, which is often considered the home of negative emotions and responses, like the fight or flight response and general anxiety.

“People do believe there is a central place to relieve pain, that’s why placebos work,” said senior author Fan Wang, the Morris N. Broad Distinguished Professor of neurobiology in the School of Medicine. “The question is where in the brain is the center that can turn off pain.”

May 19, 2020

Sony, Microsoft Strike Deal on Tiny AI Chip With Huge Potential

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

The new module’s big advantage is that it has its own processor and memory built in, which allows it to analyze video using AI tech like Microsoft’s Azure, but in a self-contained system that’s faster, simpler and more secure to operate than existing methods.


Sony Corp. and Microsoft Corp. have partnered to embed artificial intelligence capabilities into the Japanese company’s latest imaging chip, a big boost for a camera product the electronics giant describes as a world-first for commercial customers.

May 19, 2020

7 New Insights about the Frontrunner U.S. Vaccine Candidate

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, government

U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci called the vaccine’s preclinical data “impressive” and told National Geographic this week that a vaccine could be ready for general use as early as January.

The Phase I trial has dosed 45 healthy adults. Phase II trials are about to start, enrolling around 600 adults. Pivotal efficacy trials would follow soon thereafter, bankrolled in collaboration with the government office BARDA (Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority).

Today, the chief medical officer of Moderna, Tal Zaks, answered burning questions from the public in a webinar hosted by STAT. Here’s an edited and condensed summary of his answers.