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Dec 10, 2019

This Is How Astronomers Know The Age Of The Universe (And You Can, Too)

Posted by in category: cosmology

The hot Big Bang occurred 13.8 billion years ago, and there’s no other possible answer consistent with what we know today.

Dec 10, 2019

The Surgical Complication That Can Damage Your Brain

Posted by in category: neuroscience

Delirium can be more serious than people realize, but there are ways to help prevent it.

Dec 10, 2019

How playing the drums changes the brain

Posted by in category: neuroscience

Drummers have higher microstructural diffusion in the corpus callosum, an area of the brain that connects the two hemispheres and which plays a critical role in motor planning.

Dec 10, 2019

A Step Closer to a Bioengineered Liver Fit for Transplantation

Posted by in categories: bioengineering, biotech/medical

Currently over 6,300 people in the UK are waiting for an organ transplant, and sadly everyday around three people die waiting. In efforts to reduce the reliance on organ donors and improve the outlook for patients, alternative sources of organs are being explored by several research groups.

In a study recently published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, bioengineered livers created by decellularization and recellularization were implanted into pigs, where they were able to sustain continuous perfusion for up to 15 days. We spoke to Miromatrix’s CEO, Dr Jeff Ross, to learn more about the study and how it advances the state of bioengineering organs.

Anna MacDonald (AM): What are some of the main challenges faced when creating bioengineered organs?

Dec 10, 2019

Common Genetic Link Between Autism and Tourette’s Discovered – Brain Communication Impaired

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

Lancaster University researchers have discovered, for the first time, how a genetic alteration that increases the risk of developing Autism and Tourette’s impacts on the brain.

Their research also suggests that ketamine, or related drugs, may be a useful treatment for both of these disorders.

Autism affects an estimated 2.8 million people in the UK while Tourette’s Syndrome — a condition that causes a person to make involuntary sounds and movements called tics –affects an estimated 300,000 people in the UK. The treatments available for both disorders are limited and new treatments are urgently required. Recent research has also shown that these disorders are genetically linked.

Dec 10, 2019

Researchers develop new method to remove dust on solar panels

Posted by in categories: particle physics, solar power, sustainability

Taking a cue from the self-cleaning properties of the lotus leaf, researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev have shed new light on microscopic forces and mechanisms that can be optimized to remove dust from solar panels to maintain efficiency and light absorption. The new technique removed 98 percent of dust particles.

In a new study published in Langmuir, the researchers confirmed that modifying the surface properties of may greatly reduce the amount of remaining on the surface, and significantly increase the potential of solar energy harvesting applications in the desert.

Dust adhesion on solar panels is a major challenge to energy harvesting through photovoltaic cells and solar thermal collectors. New solutions are necessary to maintain maximum collection efficiency in high dust density areas such as the Negev desert in Israel.

Dec 10, 2019

Beneficial Viruses and the Human Virome — ideaXme — Dr. Jack Stapleton, MD, — University of Iowa College of Medicine — Ira Pastor

Posted by in categories: aging, bioengineering, biotech/medical, DNA, genetics, health, science, transhumanism

Dec 10, 2019

In surprise breakthrough, scientists create quantum states in everyday electronics

Posted by in categories: computing, engineering, mobile phones, particle physics, quantum physics, transportation

After decades of miniaturization, the electronic components we’ve relied on for computers and modern technologies are now starting to reach fundamental limits. Faced with this challenge, engineers and scientists around the world are turning toward a radically new paradigm: quantum information technologies.

Quantum technology, which harnesses the strange rules that govern particles at the , is normally thought of as much too delicate to coexist with the electronics we use every day in phones, laptops and cars. However, scientists with the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering announced a significant breakthrough: Quantum states can be integrated and controlled in commonly used made from silicon carbide.

“The ability to create and control high-performance quantum bits in commercial electronics was a surprise,” said lead investigator David Awschalom, the Liew Family Professor in Molecular Engineering at UChicago and a pioneer in quantum technology. “These discoveries have changed the way we think about developing quantum technologies—perhaps we can find a way to use today’s electronics to build quantum devices.”

Dec 10, 2019

AstroBiology and the Search for ExtraTerrestrial-Like Life!! — ideaXme — Dr. Penelope “Penny” Boston, PhD., Director of NASA’s Astrobiology Institute — Ira Pastor

Posted by in categories: alien life, astronomy, bioengineering, chemistry, DNA, Elon Musk, evolution, futurism, government, Mark Zuckerberg

Dec 10, 2019

Nvidia built an AI that creates 3D models from 2D images

Posted by in categories: mobile phones, robotics/AI

What if developing a 3D gaming world were as easy as snapping pics with your phone? Nvidia researchers recently developed an AI system capable of predicting a complete 3D model from any 2D image.

Called “DIB-R,” the AI takes a picture of any 2D object – an image of a bird, for example – and predicts what it would look like in three dimensions. This prediction includes lighting, texture, and depth.