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Apr 4, 2020
Coronavirus Update III
Posted by Eric Klien in categories: biotech/medical, existential risks
This is the latest Lifeboat Foundation update on our worldwide pandemic.
It is also at https://www.facebook.com/groups/lifeboatfoundation/permalink/10158811699298455.
Key summary of this report:
Apr 4, 2020
Agave Could Be the Next Big Biofuel
Posted by Genevieve Klien in category: sustainability
Scientists in Australia think hardy agave plants could be the next big biofuel source. In addition, the bioethanol produced from the plants could help fill unprecedented global demand for hand sanitizer.
Apr 4, 2020
CDC shows you how to make a face mask in 45 seconds
Posted by Genevieve Klien in category: biotech/medical
https://youtube.com/watch?v=tPx1yqvJgf4
Don’t despair: In just 45 seconds, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams demonstrates how to make your own cloth facemask.
It’s lo-tech. You can use a T-shirt, hand towel, or bandana. The only other thing you need is rubber bands.
Continue reading “CDC shows you how to make a face mask in 45 seconds” »
Apr 4, 2020
Scientists Explore Prehistoric Forest Entombed off the Coast of Alabama
Posted by Genevieve Klien in category: futurism
Scientists have found an ancient submarine forest of bald cypress trees entombed in Mobile Bay off the coast of Alabama.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the forest flourished on the banks of a prehistoric river near the Gulf of Mexico nearly 60,000 years ago. When the trees died, their massive trunks became entombed in peat and sediment. Eventually, sea levels rose, the coastline receded, and the remains of these ancient trees were buried by the sea. The forest was preserved, undisturbed for millennia, until recent intensifying storms along the coast began to expose it.
Earlier this week, NOAA shared a video of the incredible site (below), showing it teeming with schools of fish.
Apr 4, 2020
Researchers look at humidity as a weapon in the fight against airborne viruses
Posted by Genevieve Klien in category: biotech/medical
The ongoing fight against the COVID-19 pandemic could get a boost if Canadians paid more attention to the relative humidity levels in public and private spaces, according to a growing body of international research.
Doctors, scientists and engineers agree that sufficient indoor air moisture levels can have a powerful but little-understood effect on the transmission of airborne diseases. While the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 is currently treated as one that’s transmitted through droplet infection rather than the air, research on exactly how it passes between humans is still underway.
Most buildings, however, fall short of the recommended threshold of 40 to 60 per cent relative humidity, particularly in countries with colder, dryer climates such as Canada.
Apr 4, 2020
If Your Brain Were Cut in Half, Would You Still Be One Person?
Posted by Genevieve Klien in category: neuroscience
The implications of split-brain research have been widely debated. Scientists and philosophers have long argued over what is known as the mind-body quandary, the relationship between our mind and the physical brain. Some scientists saw the work of Sperry and others as supporting the notion that the brain operates almost entirely mechanically, and that consciousness, reasoning and free will have almost no effect. But Sperry strongly felt otherwise…
What this meant to Sperry was that free will, and responsibility, were no illusion. “It is possible to see today,” he believed, “an objective, explanatory model of brain function that neither contradicts nor degrades but rather affirms age-old humanist values, ideals, and meaning in human endeavor.”
It’s fair to say that the true significance of the split-brain experiments goes far beyond the significance of the lateralization of the brain; it also points to the immaterial nature of the mind.
Apr 4, 2020
The genetic architecture of the human cerebral cortex
Posted by Genevieve Klien in categories: biotech/medical, genetics, neuroscience
The human cerebral cortex is important for cognition, and it is of interest to see how genetic variants affect its structure. Grasby et al. combined genetic data with brain magnetic resonance imaging from more than 50,000 people to generate a genome-wide analysis of how human genetic variation influences human cortical surface area and thickness. From this analysis, they identified variants associated with cortical structure, some of which affect signaling and gene expression. They observed overlap between genetic loci affecting cortical structure, brain development, and neuropsychiatric disease, and the correlation between these phenotypes is of interest for further study.
Science, this issue p. eaay6690.
Apr 4, 2020
Trial drug can significantly block early stages of COVID-19 in engineered human tissues
Posted by Nicholi Avery in category: biotech/medical
An international team led by University of British Columbia researcher Dr. Josef Penninger has found a trial drug that effectively blocks the cellular door SARS-CoV-2 uses to infect its hosts.
The findings, published today in Cell, hold promise as a treatment capable of stopping early infection of the novel coronavirus that, as of April 2, has affected more than 981,000 people and claimed the lives of 50,000 people worldwide.
Apr 4, 2020
3 Fun Space Games Play With Your Kids to combat isolation.
Posted by Bill D’Zio in categories: health, space, virtual reality
![](https://lifeboat.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/chess-2314384-1920-1024x633.jpg)
So we are on month 3 of COVID19 here in Asia. We have had some time to figure out how to keep ourselves from going stir crazy. Playing some boardgames with the kids is a better alternative to youtube or xbox all day long.
I know that being stuck in side can be challenging. Going outside with your kids may not be a possibility if you live in a high density population area. So what do you do with your kids when they are stuck at home, getting stressed out or spending too much time online? Answer: Spend time with them.
Scholastic, the company that is known for educational fun books for kids, said that there many benefits for playing games as a family. If you bring out board games, the kid turn off the screen. You can have special time with your kids and allowing you to teach them about teamwork, patience, and how to win and lose gracefully. Board games can help benefit kids’ brains and language development.
- Board games offer math skills like probability… but don’t tell them that.
- They boost their language skills as they read cards and ask what words mean.
- They sharpen your child’s focus by getting them interested in reading rules, looking at the play board and figuring out how to win.
- They teach the value of teamwork. All for yourself doesn’t work very often in games. Kids learn that if they play dirty, other people adjust their strategy, and usually form alliances to counter a cutthroat player.
- Strategy games are useful developing thinking skills. Working through problems, adjusting strategy to account for twists and turns is helpful.
- Take your mind off things and easy anxiety. Looking at the news full time isn’t healthy. Especially kids don’t need to be exposed to all of the serious problems outside. Let them focus at home with you.
- Show kids how to be a good loser (and winner). Winning is great. Playing in a way that everyone has fun is better. Kids will learn that is okay to fail in a game, because they can always play again and do better next time.
- Unplug. Unplug. Unplug. To much screen time isn’t good for anyone. Let the eyes have a rest and let your and your kids brain unwind.
- Set an example. Put down the phone and have a conversation with your kids. They will talk with you so much more when playing a game.