As the first patient to receive an experimental treatment that relied on the gene-editing technique CRISPR continues to do well 17 months later, more patients seem to be benefiting, too.
I think I want non-gene hacked pigs for my supper. đ
For the second time ever, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a gene-hacked animal for human consumption.
In this case, itâs the GalSafe pig, CNN reports, a genetically modified swine thatâs safe even for people with allergies to eat. All in all, itâs a fresh sign that genetically-altered animals and sophisticated gene-hacking technology are now becoming commercially viable and entering the mainstream.
âTodayâs first ever approval of an animal biotechnology product for both food and as a potential source for biomedical use represents a tremendous milestone for scientific innovation,â FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said in a press release.
âWhile astronauts in space need to get creative with their water supply, thatâs not to suggest that people ought to start drinking pee to access clean water. Rather, Aquaporin, the company behind the new system, suggests that the same kind of technology could be used to clean up other types of wastewater or filter existing drinking water supplies to the point that they could be used.â
As Above
Roughly 2 billion people donât have access to clean drinking water, according to CNN, and a system like Aquaporin could help remove pollution and plastics from the supply.
âIt has an enormous potential,â Dines Thornberg, innovation manager at BIOFOS, Denmarkâs largest state-owned wastewater facility, told CNN. âI think the Aquaporin system could lead the way in actually creating clean, affordable drinking water from wastewater in the future. I am really optimistic that we can meet the challenges of water scarcity in many parts of the world with technologies like this.â
Circa 2008
Using superconducting nanowires and lasers, a new camera system can produce high-resolution 3D images of objects from up to a kilometer away.
Telecoms and travel data shows activist was shadowed on multiple trips before his poisoning in August, Bellingcat reports.
Is ADHD actually a superpower that goes out of control from time to time? Can it be turned into an advantage?
Unclench. Mary is just an urban legendâa case example of how people with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder can hyperfocus on a task for hours, losing all awareness of their surroundings. Hers is a story that people in the ADHD community tell themselves so we will feel less alone.
âWe all hate the name ADHD,â says Elaine Taylor-Klaus, cofounder of Atlanta consultancy group ImpactADHD. Because the word âdeficitâ is in the name, many incorrectly assume having ADHD means you canât pay attention. Instead, ADHDers often pay more attention to certain tasks than we should. Itâs called hyperfocus.
Kimberly Gordon, a psychiatrist at Sheppard Pratt Health System in Baltimore, explains the symptom as âan intense, deep concentration on a specific task.â Like our mythological Mary, Gordon says, âWhen individuals with ADHD hyperfocus on one thing, they tend to block out everything else going on around them. The brain sends off signals of activity, pleasure, and engagement as they are immersed in a task while hyperfocused.â
The United States generates seven million tons of sewage sludge annually, enough to fill 2, 500 Olympic-sized swimming pools. While a portion of this waste is repurposed for manure and other land applications, a substantial amount is still disposed of in landfills. In a new study, Texas A&M University researchers have uncovered an efficient way to use leftover sludge to make biodegradable plastics.
In the September issue of the journal American Chemical Society (ACS) Omega, the researchers report that the bacterium Zobellella denitrificans ZD1, found in mangroves, can consume sludge and wastewater to produce polyhydroxybutyrate, a type of biopolymer that can be used in lieu of petroleum-based plastics. In addition to reducing the burden on landfills and the environment, the researchers said Zobellella denitrificans ZD1 offers a way to cut down upstream costs for bioplastics manufacturing, a step toward making them more competitively priced against regular plastics.
âThe price of raw materials to cultivate biopolymer-producing bacteria accounts for 25â45% of the total production cost of manufacturing bioplastics. Certainly, this cost can be greatly reduced if we can tap into an alternate resource that is cheaper and readily obtainable,â said Kung-Hui (Bella) Chu, professor in the Zachry Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. âWe have demonstrated a potential way to use municipal wastewater-activated sludge and agri-and aqua-culture industrial wastewater to make biodegradable plastics. Furthermore, the bacterial strain does not require elaborate sterilization processes to prevent contamination from other microbes, further cutting down operating and production costs of bioplastics.â
Hereâs my latest video about arguably the most debated biomarker, LDL!
LDL is arguably the most debated biomarker in terms of whatâs optimal for health. In the video, I present data showing that 100 â 140, not 50 â 70 mg/dL may be optimal in terms of minimizing disease risk and maximizing longevity.
The U.S. government Agencies and cybersecurity firm FireEye were hacked using SolarWinds software supply chain attack.
Mushroom buildings! đ
Using mycelium, Bay-area designer Phil Ross creates an 6X6 arch out of mushroom roots turned into bricks, and he wants to build a house next.