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Apr 8, 2020

Gray Matter Volume May Indicate Efficacy of Acupuncture for Migraine

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, neuroscience

Presence and location of gray matter in the brain may indicate whether acupuncture is an effective method of treating migraine without aura, according to a study published in Frontiers in Neurology.

Presence and location of gray matter (GM) in the brain may indicate whether acupuncture is an effective method of treating migraine without aura (MwoA), according to a study published in Frontiers in Neurology.

In many countries acupuncture is used as a treatment for migraine, but there is insufficient evidence to claim it is effective for all migraineurs. According to researchers, “about 50% of patients do not achieve substantial improvement after acupuncture.” However, determining which patients may benefit from acupuncture will prevent nonresponders from undergoing time-consuming and unsuccessful treatment.

Apr 8, 2020

NASA reveals its plan for ‘Artemis Base Camp’ on the moon

Posted by in categories: space, transportation

NASA has released a detailed plan for an ‘Artemis Base Camp’ that will be home to first woman and next man on the moon in 2024.

The 13-page document highlights elements such as a terrain vehicle for transporting the astronauts around the landing zone, a permanent habit and a mobility platform to travel across the lunar surface.

Continue reading “NASA reveals its plan for ‘Artemis Base Camp’ on the moon” »

Apr 8, 2020

The Future is Now | Life after Artificial Intelligence

Posted by in categories: education, robotics/AI, transportation

These days, neural networks, deep learning and all types of sensors allow AI to be used in healthcare, to operate self-driving cars and to tweak our photos on Instagram.

In the #future, the ability to learn, to emulate the creative process and to self-organize may give rise to previously unimagined opportunities and unprecedented threats.

Continue reading “The Future is Now | Life after Artificial Intelligence” »

Apr 8, 2020

A Brain Stimulation Experiment Relieved Depression in Nearly All of Its Participants

Posted by in category: neuroscience

Massaging key parts of the brain with a pulsating magnetic field can do wonders for some living with chronic depression. For others, it falls well short of promising a life without a debilitating mood disorder.

The overwhelmingly positive results of an unblinded experiment on a small group of volunteers suggests some tweaks to the protocol might improve the odds of it working for people who have failed to find a solution elsewhere.

Researchers from Stanford and Palo Alto University in the US have shown in an open study on 21 people that administering five times the overall dosage of pulses across a higher number of daily sessions not only seems safe, but could achieve much better results.

Apr 8, 2020

You can watch 3 astronauts launch to the space station early Thursday. Here’s how

Posted by in category: space

Three people will launch toward the International Space Station (ISS) in the predawn hours Thursday (April 9), and you can watch their departure from Earth live.

Apr 8, 2020

Tech’s Biggest Leaps From the Last 10 Years, and Why They Matter

Posted by in categories: 3D printing, drones, genetics, robotics/AI, surveillance, virtual reality

As we enter our third decade in the 21st century, it seems appropriate to reflect on the ways technology developed and note the breakthroughs that were achieved in the last 10 years.

The 2010s saw IBM’s Watson win a game of Jeopardy, ushering in mainstream awareness of machine learning, along with DeepMind’s AlphaGO becoming the world’s Go champion. It was the decade that industrial tools like drones, 3D printers, genetic sequencing, and virtual reality (VR) all became consumer products. And it was a decade in which some alarming trends related to surveillance, targeted misinformation, and deepfakes came online.

For better or worse, the past decade was a breathtaking era in human history in which the idea of exponential growth in information technologies powered by computation became a mainstream concept.

Apr 8, 2020

Japan to Fund Firms to Shift Production Out of China

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, economics

Japan has earmarked $2.2 billion of its record economic stimulus package to help its manufacturers shift production out of China as the coronavirus disrupts supply chains between the major trading partners.

The extra budget, compiled to try to offset the devastating effects of the pandemic, includes 220 billion yen ($2 billion) for companies shifting production back to Japan and 23.5 billion yen for those seeking to move production to other countries, according to details of the plan posted online.

Apr 8, 2020

Alzheimer’s trial supports high amyloid levels as early sign of disease

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, government, neuroscience

An ongoing long-term trial suggests high levels of amyloid proteins in the brain do serve as an early sign of Alzheimer’s disease before cognitive decline becomes apparent.


A new study presenting the first data from a long-running US government trial is suggesting high levels of amyloid proteins in the brains of cognitively normal older adults can be an effective presymptomatic sign of early stage Alzheimer’s disease.

Over the last few decades, the amyloid hypothesis has guided the majority of research into an Alzheimer’s disease treatment. The idea is that a build up of toxic amyloid proteins in the brain, called plaques, is the primary degenerative driver behind the disease.

Continue reading “Alzheimer’s trial supports high amyloid levels as early sign of disease” »

Apr 8, 2020

The U.S. Military Wants to Kill Nuclear-Armed ICBMs with Lasers

Posted by in category: military

Circa 2019


Here’s how.

Apr 8, 2020

Mutant Bacterial Enzyme Can Break Down Plastic Waste in Just Hours

Posted by in category: sustainability

Researchers working for industrial development company Carbios have created a mutant bacterial enzyme that can break down plastic bottles for recycling in only a couple of hours, according to The Guardian.

The enyzme can break down PET plastic bottles into their individual chemical composites, which could later be reused to make brand new bottles.

Conventional recycled plastic that goes through a “thermomechanical” process isn’t high enough quality and is mostly used for other products such as clothing and carpets.