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Feb 12, 2020

Quarantined Cruise Passengers Have Many Questions. Japan Has Few Answers

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, government

Critics say the government is making a coronavirus episode worse by not being more forthcoming.

Feb 12, 2020

Teen born without left half of her brain is leading a normal life

Posted by in category: neuroscience

An 18-year-old who was born without the left half of her brain scores well on IQ tests and plans to attend university, revealing our brain’s incredible adaptability.

Feb 12, 2020

Spaceflight Industries to sell rideshare business to Japanese firms

Posted by in categories: business, satellites, security

WASHINGTON — Spaceflight Industries announced Feb. 11 it will sell its smallsat rideshare launch business to a pair of Japanese companies, allowing it to focus on its BlackSky geospatial business.

Spaceflight Industries said that Mitsui & Co., Ltd. and Yamasa Co., Ltd. will acquire its rideshare business, known as Spaceflight, Inc., for an undisclosed sum. Mitsui & Co. and Yamasa will own Spaceflight as a 50/50 joint venture. The companies said that they expect the deal to close in the second quarter of this year, after a review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to examine any national security implications of the sale.

Spaceflight Industries said it will use the proceeds from the deal to accelerate the growth of BlackSky, its geospatial intelligence business that is developing a constellation of high-resolution imaging satellites. BlackSky has four satellites in orbit currently with another eight scheduled for launch this year.

Feb 12, 2020

Photon trick lets you bend the rules of quantum physics

Posted by in category: quantum physics

A basic rule of quantum physics is that knowing too much about an experiment will break quantum interference, but now physicists have discovered a way to bend that rule.

Feb 12, 2020

Achilles’ heel of ALL viruses? Scientists discover holy grail which could lead to UNIVERSAL vaccine

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, innovation

Researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in the US have uncovered the ‘Achilles’ heel’ of most viruses which plague mankind, and could soon develop a universal vaccine.

Vaccine research, development and testing takes a long time, as the ongoing coronavirus outbreak has shown, but that is because researchers devote their time, attention and resources to targeting specific viruses one-by-one. But now scientists at MGH have located what may prove to be a game-changing breakthrough for humanity which could strengthen our bodies and make them impervious to most viruses.

Feb 12, 2020

Mass General Hospital researchers identify new “universal” target for antiviral treatment

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

Apparently scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital are making some progress on identifying what they are calling a “universal vaccine” or the “Achilles heel” for viruses…


BOSTON — As the coronavirus outbreak shows, viruses are a constant threat to humanity. Vaccines are regularly developed and deployed against specific viruses, but that process takes a lot of time, doesn’t help everyone who needs protection, and still leaves people exposed to new outbreaks and new viruses.

Now, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have uncovered a novel potential antiviral drug target that could lead to treatments protecting against a host of infectious diseases — creating a pan, or universal, treatment. Their work suggests that the protein Argonaute 4 (AGO4) is an “Achilles heel” for viruses.

Continue reading “Mass General Hospital researchers identify new ‘universal’ target for antiviral treatment” »

Feb 12, 2020

We all know taking away screens and reading to our children during their formative years is the best thing for their brains

Posted by in category: neuroscience

We all know taking away screens and reading to our children during their formative years is the best thing for their brains. Now, there is new incredible science to back it up. We asked Jessica Ewing, CEO of subscription book club Literati and graduate of Stanford University in Cognitive Science, every question we could think of about kids, brains, and books.


The latest science, as explored by Literati CEO Jessica Ewing.

Feb 12, 2020

NASA confirms Crew Dragon almost ready, mostly paperwork left

Posted by in category: space

Even though it sounds mundane, there is a load of paper that has to be verified.

Feb 12, 2020

Your decision-making ability is a superpower physics can’t explain

Posted by in category: physics

In a universe that unthinkingly follows the rules, human agency is an anomaly. Can physics ever make sense of our power to change the physical world at will?

Feb 12, 2020

FIFA experiments with AI for more accurate offside calls

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

FIFA, football’s governing body, is experimenting with artificial intelligence in hope of making better offside calls with the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system.

A report by Forbes notes FIFA tested the new system during last year’s Club World Cup, but kept it separate from on-ground refereeing decisions.