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Feb 5, 2020

Step aside CRISPR, RNA editing is taking off

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

But CRISPR editing — at least as a therapeutic technique in people — has turned out to be more difficult than initially thought. Researchers have documented ways that Cas9, one of the enzymes used in CRISPR gene editing, could trigger immune responses, or cause accidental changes to the genome that would be permanent. RNA editing, by contrast, could allow clinicians to make temporary fixes that eliminate mutations in proteins, halt their production or change the way that they work in specific organs and tissues. Because cells quickly degrade unused RNAs, any errors introduced by a therapy would be washed out, rather than staying with a person forever.


Making changes to the molecular messengers that create proteins might offer flexible therapies for cancer, pain or high cholesterol, in addition to genetic disorders.

Feb 4, 2020

Wolfenstein: Youngblood – Official E3 2019 Trailer

Posted by in categories: cyborgs, entertainment, robotics/AI

Rid Paris of its Nazi problem together with a friend in Wolfenstein: Youngblood, the first co-op game in the series’s history. Set in a twisted 1980, step into the power armor of the “Terror Twins,” Jess and Soph Blazkowicz, on a mission to find your missing father BJ.

Clean up the Parisian streets with an arsenal of weapons and abilities in online co-op or with an AI companion. Wolfenstein: Youngblood is available July 26, 2019 for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.

Continue reading “Wolfenstein: Youngblood – Official E3 2019 Trailer” »

Feb 4, 2020

Cyberpunk 2077 — Official 4K Gameplay Deep Dive

Posted by in categories: futurism, life extension

Watch the worldwide reveal of brand new game footage from Cyberpunk 2077!

This video contains work-in-progress gameplay — everything you see is potentially subject to change.

Continue reading “Cyberpunk 2077 — Official 4K Gameplay Deep Dive” »

Feb 4, 2020

DARPA is testing drones it can launch from a plane—then collect mid-air

Posted by in categories: drones, media & arts, military, surveillance

The news: The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has conducted the first test of a new type of drone that can be launched from a plane in a swarm and recovered in mid-air when it’s done its job.

How it works: A military transport or bomber plane releases a series of drones in rapid succession. They carry out the task designated to them (surveillance, for example) and then return to the plane, docking on a line before being winched in. It looks a bit like the airborne refueling process.

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Feb 4, 2020

SpaceX requests permission to fly new Starship rocket on 12-mile-high test flight

Posted by in category: space travel

SpaceX is already planning the next big test flight of its future Starship rocket out of southern Texas. As early as mid-March, the company is hoping to fly a test version of the vehicle to a super high altitude and then land it upright on solid ground, proving the rocket can be reused and potentially touch down on other worlds.

The upcoming test is detailed in new paperwork SpaceX filed with the Federal Communications Commission, which provides licensing to aerospace companies that are hoping to fly their vehicles to space. Specifically, the FCC allocates which radio frequencies companies can use to communicate with their vehicles during flight.

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Feb 4, 2020

Scientists Grow ‘Yarn’ Out of Human Skin Cells So They Can Literally Stitch People Up

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, materials

A team of researchers at the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research in Bordeaux have grown yarn from human skin cells that they call a “human textile” — and they say it could be used by surgeons to close wounds or assemble implantable skin grafts.

“These human textiles offer a unique level of biocompatibility and represent a new generation of completely biological tissue-engineered products,” the researchers wrote in a paper published in the journal Acta Biomaterialia.

The key advantage of the gruesome yarn is that unlike conventional synthetic surgical materials, the material doesn’t trigger an immune response that can complicate the healing process, according to New Scientist.

Feb 4, 2020

US Army plans to bring human-AI interaction to the battlefield

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

The Aided Threat Recognition from Mobile Cooperative and Autonomous Sensors (ATR-MCAS) will act as a ‘teammate’ to soldiers.

Feb 4, 2020

Bloom Science Granted Exclusive Option to License ALS Microbiome-based Gut Therapies

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

Bloom Science and Duke University have entered into an exclusive licensing agreement that provides the biopharmaceutical company access to the intellectual property and technology related to unique strain isolates and genetic variants of Akkermansia genus bacteria.

This type of bacteria has been demonstrated to slow disease progression and prolong survival in animal models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Feb 4, 2020

This Cloth Destroys Deadly Nerve Agents in Minutes

Posted by in category: military

In Omar Farha’s lab at Northwestern University, the chemist and his team are working on an unusual craft project in collaboration with the United States Army. They mix powders and liquids into a paint-like consistency, dip swatches of cotton fabric into the liquid, and then leave the beige cloth out to dry. Through this process, they are creating fabrics that can rapidly neutralize some of the deadliest poisons known to humankind: nerve agents.


Chemists are collaborating with the US Army to build uniforms that can quickly break down toxic substances, protecting soldiers from chemical weapons.

Feb 4, 2020

Bosch Gets Smartglasses Right With Tiny Eyeball Lasers

Posted by in category: futurism

These glasses from Bosch use tiny lasers to project an image directly onto your retina.


My priority at CES every year is to find futuristic new technology that I can get excited about. But even at a tech show as large as CES, this can be surprisingly difficult. If I’m very lucky, I’ll find one or two things that really blow my mind. And it almost always takes a lot of digging, because the coolest stuff is rarely mentioned in keynotes or put on display. It’s hidden away in private rooms because it’s still a prototype that likely won’t be for ready the CES spotlight for another year or two.

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