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May 14, 2020

Study confirms cats can become infected with and may transmit COVID-19 to other cats

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

In a study published today (May 13, 2020) in the New England Journal of Medicine, scientists in the U.S. and Japan report that in the laboratory, cats can readily become infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and may be able to pass the virus to other cats.

Professor of Pathobiological Sciences at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine Yoshihiro Kawaoka led the study, in which researchers administered to three SARS-CoV-2 isolated from a human patient. The following day, the researchers swabbed the nasal passages of the cats and were able to detect the virus in two of the animals. Within three days, they detected the virus in all of the cats.

The day after the researchers administered virus to the first three cats, they placed another cat in each of their cages. Researchers did not administer SARS-CoV-2 virus to these cats.

May 14, 2020

NASA and SpaceX are now less than two weeks from a historic crew launch

Posted by in category: space travel

SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft is less than two weeks from launching NASA astronauts to the International Space Station for the first time, but some big obstacles still stand in the way.

With this SpaceX mission, known as Demo-2, veteran NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley are set to launch on a Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on May 27. The historic launch will be the first crewed launch from the United States to orbit since NASA’s space shuttle program ended in 2011.

May 14, 2020

Army researchers develop new ways to nudge the brain

Posted by in categories: military, neuroscience

For Army scientists, the goal of neuroscience research is pursuing the inner workings of the human brain to advance scientific understanding and improve Soldier performance.

Researchers recently applied new techniques to modify brain activity. Not only are these techniques used to characterize and study complex networks such as in telecommunications or social networks—they describe how different nodes, or elements of the network: brain regions in neuroscience, or individuals in social networks, interact with each other.

The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s Army Research Laboratory, in collaboration with academic partners, collaborated on a neurostimulation study, where they safely and non-invasively modified and then characterized the dynamics of the brain’s response to this modification. This research provides some of the foundational knowledge for future technologies that may one day expedite cognitive processes. The journal Network Neuroscience published the recent discoveries.

May 14, 2020

Here’s what SpaceX and NASA’s crucial Crew Dragon mission should look like on May 27

Posted by in categories: space travel, sustainability

SpaceX and NASA are planning a triumphant return to American human spaceflight on May 27, with the SpaceX Demo-2 mission for its Crew Dragon spacecraft. This is the final step required for Crew Dragon to become certified for human flight, after which it’ll enter into regular operational service ferrying people (and some cargo) to the International Space Station on behalf of the U.S. and some of its allies.

The animation above shows how SpaceX and NASA envision the mission going, from the astronauts stepping out of their ride to the launch pad (a Tesla Model X badged with NASA logos past and present), their trip across the bridge linking the launch tower to the Falcon 9 that will take them up and their spacecraft’s separation from the rocket and subsequent docking procedure with the ISS.

SpaceX and NASA have done plenty of preparation to get to this point, including running a full uncrewed original demo mission that more or less followed this exact flow, just without any actual astronauts on board. That mission also included the undocking of the Crew Dragon capsule, and its return to Earth, with a parachute-assisted splashdown in the ocean.

May 14, 2020

Scientists say doing this type of exercise will make your brain more powerful

Posted by in categories: chemistry, health, neuroscience

According to Li and Spitzer, running on a treadmill, or performing another sustained aerobic exercise—like dancing or kickboxing—on a regular basis might actually enhance motor skill-based learning.

When comparing the brains of mice that exercised versus those who did not, Li and Spitzer found that specific neurons switched their chemical signals (neurotransmitters), after exercising, which led to improved learning for motor skill-specific acquisition.

While physical exercise is proven to promote motor skill learning in normal individuals as well as those with neurological disorders, the mechanism of action is unclear. The study found that that one just week of voluntary wheel running enhances the acquisition of motor skills in normal adult mice. Voluntary being the keyword here.

May 14, 2020

How the body makes triglycerides

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

Doctors regularly warn their patients that having high levels of triglycerides, a major dietary fat, can increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity and fatty liver disease. There is considerable interest in finding novel ways to effectively regulate triglycerides in the blood to help manage these potentially life-threatening common conditions.

Now, researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, Princeton University and Texas A&M University are closer to achieving this goal after discovering the 3D and mode of action of diacylglycerol O-acyltransferase-1 (DGAT1), the enzyme that synthesizes triglycerides and also is required for human dietary fat absorption and storage. DGAT1 is a known target to treat obesity and other metabolic diseases, so having a detailed understanding of what DGAT1 looks like and how it works opens opportunities for designing novel strategies for managing these conditions. The findings are published in the journal Nature.

“DGAT1 is a particularly interesting enzyme because it synthesizes triglycerides, which are the main component of hard fat, the type of fat usually found in the belly or midsection in our body. Triglycerides also are part of the particles that transport cholesterol—high-density lipoproteins (HDL, or ‘good cholesterol’), and low-density and very-low-density lipoproteins (LDL and VLDL, or ‘bad cholesterols’),” said co-corresponding author Dr. Ming Zhou, Ruth McLean Bowman Bowers Professor in Biochemistry in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Baylor. “Learning to regulate this enzyme can help regulate fat synthesis and potentially manage related conditions.”

May 14, 2020

Virologist hospitalized with coronavirus believes he got it through his eyes

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

The 42-year-old virologist and epidemiologist, who has responded to multiple outbreaks around the world, got sick about three days after a flight to his home in New Orleans.

“I had a mask on, I had gloves on, I did my normal wipes routine … but obviously, you can still get it through your eyes,” Fair said on the “TODAY” show from his hospital bed. “And of course I wasn’t wearing goggles on the flight.”

“That’s one of the three known routes of getting this infection that we just don’t pay a lot of attention to; we tend to pay attention to the nose and mouth because that is the most common route,” he said. “But you know, droplets landing on your eyes are just as infectious.”

May 14, 2020

The 20 Biggest Tech Advances of the Past 20 Years

Posted by in category: futurism

Humanity has started off the new millennium with some astounding accomplishments.

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May 14, 2020

The US Senate just voted to let the FBI access your browser history without a warrant

Posted by in categories: law enforcement, security, surveillance

In a major blow to citizens’ privacy, the US Senate voted today to give law enforcement agencies such as the FBI and CIA the power to look into your browser history without a warrant. Thanks, Mitch McConnell.

Senators Ron Wyden from Oregan and Senator Steve Daines of Montana led the charge to insert privacy protections into the Patriot Act, which gives law enforcement agencies power for surveillance in order to maintain national security. However, the privacy protection amendment fell short by just one vote, as many senators who may have voted in favor of it didn’t show up.

May 14, 2020

Can Human Minds Be Reduced to Computer Programs?

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

Selmer Bringsjord (right): … Proving things. Discovering things. I don’t think that even a hair’s width of these things have been simulated in computational and cognitive science and in AI.

I remember asking James Moor, the Dartmouth professor who’s written quite a bit on AI: “You know. Jim, you really are a true believer in this stuff but can you tell me how much time you’re willing to give these AI people?”

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