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Mar 16, 2020

Google becomes third U.S. tech company worth $1 trillion

Posted by in category: futurism

Google’s parent company became the third tech company to reach a $1 trillion market capitalization Thursday, joining Apple Inc. and Microsoft Corp.

Mar 16, 2020

A new theory of magnetar formation

Posted by in categories: computing, space

Magnetars are neutron stars endowed with the strongest magnetic fields observed in the universe, but their origin remains controversial. In a study published in Science Advances, a team of scientists from CEA, Saclay, the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics (MPA), and the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris developed a new and unprecedentedly detailed computer model that can explain the genesis of these gigantic fields through the amplification of pre-existing weak fields when rapidly rotating neutron stars are born in collapsing massive stars. The work opens new avenues to understand the most powerful and most luminous explosions of such stars.

Magnetars: what are they?

Neutron stars are compact objects containing one to two within a radius of about 12 kilometers. Among them, magnetars are characterized by eruptive emission of X-rays and gamma rays. The energy associated with these bursts of intense radiation is probably related to ultra–. Magnetars should thus spin down faster than other neutron stars due to enhanced magnetic braking, and measurements of their rotation period evolution have confirmed this scenario. We thus infer that magnetars have a dipole magnetic field of the order of 1015 Gauss (G), i.e., up to 1000 times stronger than typical neutron stars! While the existence of these tremendous magnetic fields is now well established, their origin remains controversial.

Mar 16, 2020

Woolworth’s Launches ‘Elderly-Only’ Shopping Hour To Ensure Seniors Get Supplies

Posted by in categories: food, government

Australian supermarket giant Woolworths is introducing a dedicated shopping hour that will only allow elderly and disabled people to purchase items.

Starting tomorrow (March 17) shopping between 7 am and 8 am will be exclusive to elderly and disabled people with government-issued disability and pension cards.

These actions are a direct response to the chaotic panic buying and hoarding of essential items by other greedy shoppers which has left older people struggling to get their hands on food and toiletries.

Mar 16, 2020

Existing antibiotic found to take out the root cause of Lyme disease

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

Lyme disease is an infectious condition spread by ticks that affects as many as 300,000 people in the US every year, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Today’s treatment is largely effective in treating the infection, but a good portion of patients do not respond and go on to endure lingering symptoms. A new study has revealed that an already-approved antibiotic can completely eliminate the underlying bacteria that causes the disease in mice, offering new hope of a more comprehensive therapy for humans.

While the standard antibiotics used to treat Lyme disease do the job for the majority of patients, somewhere between 10 and 20 percent go on to experience its symptoms. These include muscle pain, fatigue, fever, headaches and heart problems. There are couple of theories for why this might be.

“Some researchers think this may be due to drug-tolerant bacteria living in the body and continuing to cause disease,” said study author Jayakumar Rajadas. “Others believe it’s an immune disorder caused by bacteria during the first exposure, which causes a perpetual inflammation condition. Whatever the cause, the pain for patients is still very real.”

Mar 16, 2020

Automated trucking, a technical milestone that could disrupt hundreds of thousands of jobs, hits the road

Posted by in categories: employment, robotics/AI, transportation

Companies are already testing driverless trucks on America’s roads. The technology will bring untold profits, but it may cost thousands of truckers their livelihoods.

Mar 16, 2020

These space surveillance satellites just got an upgrade

Posted by in categories: satellites, surveillance

According to SOPS, this was one of the most significant upgrades to the system since it became operational in 2015. The ground system upgrade will also be important as the Space Force expands the constellation later this year, said 1st SOPS engineer Capt. Zachary Funke.

The first two satellites in the constellation launched in 2014, with two more satellites joining them on orbit in 2016. The Space Force is slated to launch the fifth and sixth GSSAP satellites in the fourth quarter of 2020 aboard an Atlas V rocket.

Operating near the geosynchronous belt, the four GSSAP satellites can provide data on other man-made objects in space without being interrupted by the weather or atmospheric conditions that impact ground-based space situational awareness systems. GSSAP satellites can also perform rendezvous and proximity operations, approaching other space vehicles to provide attribution or enhanced surveillance on objects of interest to United States Space Command.

Mar 16, 2020

With Its Coronavirus Rapid Paper Test Strip, This CRISPR Startup Wants To Help Halt A Pandemic

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

Uncertainty and fear about coronavirus’ spread and the course of the illness is causing shockwaves in our daily lives. A simple paper test could provide answers to basic questions and shape a sensible course forward.

Mar 16, 2020

A Transhumanism future? — Anders Sandberg interview

Posted by in categories: cryonics, life extension, transhumanism

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFe7oRIDMxs&feature=youtu.be

I interviewed transhumanist thinker Anders Sandberg, research fellow at Oxford Universities Future of Humanity Institute. We discuss how the global transhumanist movement has changed, the potential political impact of technological revolutions and the debate around cryonics. Fairly new channel so very grateful for any subscribers smile


My interview with Anders Sandberg, a prominent transhumanist thinker and research fellow at the Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford University.

Continue reading “A Transhumanism future? — Anders Sandberg interview” »

Mar 16, 2020

Desert sand bricks

Posted by in category: materials

These bricks are made out of desert sand, but are as strong as concrete.

Mar 16, 2020

Mars Likely Has Living Microbes At Its Poles, Say Researchers

Posted by in categories: biological, space

Mars polar researchers offer a shortcut to detecting life on the Red planet.