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May 15, 2020
NASA and SpaceX Prepare to #LaunchAmerica
Posted by Alberto Lao in category: space travel
Together with SpaceX, we will return human spaceflight to American soil after nearly a decade. May 27th is not only a big day for our teams – it’s a big day for our country.
What does our upcoming NASA Commercial Crew Program mission mean to YOU? Here’s how to submit your responses using #LaunchAmerica : https://go.nasa.gov/2Wk2opU
Watch the full trailer: https://go.nasa.gov/35LLaov
May 15, 2020
The US Space Force now has a flag. Here it is
Posted by Alberto Lao in categories: military, space
The flag of the nation’s newest military branch was unveiled today (May 15) during a ceremony in the Oval Office. President Donald Trump watched as the flag was unfurled and designated it the official banner of the Space Force.
“Space is going to be the future, both in terms of defense and offense and so many other things,” said Trump, who also signed the 2020 Armed Forces Day Proclamation during today’s event. “And already, from what I’m hearing and based on reports, we’re now the leader in space.”
May 15, 2020
U.S. Special Forces Test Laser Gunship For Covert Strikes
Posted by Quinn Sena in category: futurism
The AC-130J Ghostrider gunship is a fearsome flying arsenal, so why would Air Force Special Forces add a comparatively low-powered laser to it? The answer may be ‘plausible deniability.’
May 15, 2020
ALERT: Tornado Watch in effect
Posted by Quinn Sena in categories: climatology, electronics
SYRACUSE, NY (WSYR-TV)- A Tornado Watch is in effect for Chenango, Madison and Oneida counties until 10 p.m. Friday. Thunderstorms are moving into Central New York now and will sweep east across th…
May 15, 2020
The Air Force just tested a laser weapon for fighter jets
Posted by Quinn Sena in category: military
May 15, 2020
Visa Files Patent for Cryptocurrency System to Replace Cash
Posted by Quinn Sena in categories: bitcoin, computing, cryptocurrencies, finance
Bitcoin News.
Visa International has filed for a cryptocurrency system patent that is meant to replace physical currency. The system, which utilizes both central banks and commercial banks, leverages a private blockchain to improve the payment ecosystem.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) published on Thursday a patent application entitled “digital fiat currency,” filed by Visa International Service Association on Nov. 8, 2019.
Continue reading “Visa Files Patent for Cryptocurrency System to Replace Cash” »
May 15, 2020
Sorrento finds a coronavirus antibody that blocks viral infection 100% in preclinical lab experiments
Posted by Jeremy Mancuso in categories: biotech/medical, innovation
Therapeutics company Sorrento has made what it believes could be a breakthrough in potential treatment of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that leads to COVID-19. The company released details of its preclinical research on Friday, announcing that it has found an antibody that provides “100% inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 virus infection of healthy cells after four days incubation.” The results are from a preclinical study that still has to undergo peer review. It was an in vitro laboratory study (meaning not in an actual human being), but it’s still a promising development as the company continues to work on production of an antibody “cocktail” that could provide protection against SARS-CoV-2 even in case of mutations in the virus.
Sorrento says it believes this antibody, which is labelled STI-1499, stood out among billions of candidates it has been screening from its extensive human antibody library for its ability to completely block the interaction of the SARS-CoV-2’s spike protein with a human cell target receptor. That means it prevents the virus from attaching to the host’s healthy cell, which is what leads to incubation and infection.
The nature of the antibody’s efficacy means that Sorrento currently believes it will be the first antibody to be included in the cocktail it is developing, which will be made up of a large number of different antibodies that show efficacy in blocking the attachment of the spike protein, in order to provide multiple avenues of protection that are designed to remain effective even if the virus mutates in transmission from person to person, or within the same individual. One of the big outstanding questions that researchers are working on answering currently is just how mutagenic SARS-CoV-2 actually is, as many coronaviruses like the common cold show a tendency to mutate pretty quickly, rendering long-lasting cures and treatments difficult to develop.
May 15, 2020
‘Hot and messy’ entanglement of 15 trillion atoms
Posted by Genevieve Klien in categories: computing, particle physics, quantum physics
Quantum entanglement is a process by which microscopic objects like electrons or atoms lose their individuality to become better coordinated with each other. Entanglement is at the heart of quantum technologies that promise large advances in computing, communications and sensing, for example, detecting gravitational waves.
Entangled states are famously fragile: In most cases, even a tiny disturbance will undo the entanglement. For this reason, current quantum technologies take great pains to isolate the microscopic systems they work with, and typically operate at temperatures close to absolute zero. The ICFO team, in contrast, heated a collection of atoms to 450 Kelvin in a recent experiment, millions of times hotter than most atoms used for quantum technology. Moreover, the individual atoms were anything but isolated; they collided with each other every few microseconds, and each collision set their electrons spinning in random directions.
The researchers used a laser to monitor the magnetization of this hot, chaotic gas. The magnetization is caused by the spinning electrons in the atoms, and provides a way to study the effect of the collisions and to detect entanglement. What the researchers observed was an enormous number of entangled atoms—about 100 times more than ever before observed. They also saw that the entanglement is non-local—it involves atoms that are not close to each other. Between any two entangled atoms there are thousands of other atoms, many of which are entangled with still other atoms, in a giant, hot and messy entangled state.
May 15, 2020
MIT Nanosensor Can Alert a Smartphone When Plants Are Stressed
Posted by Genevieve Klien in categories: chemistry, mobile phones, nanotechnology
Carbon nanotubes embedded in leaves detect chemical signals that are produced when a plant is damaged.
MIT engineers have developed a way to closely track how plants respond to stresses such as injury, infection, and light damage, using sensors made of carbon nanotubes. These sensors can be embedded in plant leaves, where they report on hydrogen peroxide signaling waves.
Plants use hydrogen peroxide to communicate within their leaves, sending out a distress signal that stimulates leaf cells to produce compounds that will help them repair damage or fend off predators such as insects. The new sensors can use these hydrogen peroxide signals to distinguish between different types of stress, as well as between different species of plants.