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May 22, 2019

Self-replicator that is simultaneously created and destroyed may lead to better understanding of life

Posted by in category: biological

As living organisms eat, grow, and self-regenerate, all the while they are slowly dying. Chemically speaking, this is because life is thermodynamically unstable, while its ultimate waste products are in a state of thermal equilibrium. It’s somewhat of a morbid thought, but it’s also one of the characteristics that is common to all forms of life.

Now in a new study, have created a self-replicator that self-assembles while simultaneously being destroyed. The synthetic system may help researchers better understand what separates biological matter from simpler chemical matter, and also how to create synthetic life in the lab.

The researchers, Ignacio Colomer, Sarah Morrow, and Stephen P. Fletcher, at the University of Oxford, have published a paper on the self-replicator in a recent issue of Nature Communications.

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May 22, 2019

RICK AND MORTY Getting It’s Own DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Tabletop Adventure!

Posted by in category: entertainment

Rick and Morty is getting its own Dungeons & Dragons tabletop adventure! The news comes from Wizards of the Coast and it will be called, Dungeons & Dragons vs Rick and Morty: Tabletop Roleplaying Game Adventure.

The game will feature an adventure for characters of the series as you take one of the most dysfunctional families in all of the parallel worlds through the realms in their own story. The campaign is set up for a five-player game for levels 1–3. They are basically building an introductory campaign for people who are just starting out and those who might only be interested in the game because it’s Rick and Morty.

The press release says that the game “[blends] the world of Dungeons & Dragons with the mad narcissistic genius of Rick Sanchez’s power-gaming sensibilities, and it includes everything a Dungeon Master needs to channel their inner mad scientist and run a rickrolling adventure.”

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May 22, 2019

Stunning Sonar Image Just Revealed Largest Underwater Volcano Eruption Ever Detected

Posted by in category: futurism

In November last year, geologists announced they’d picked up something really weird: a huge seismic event originating in the island of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, felt all across the globe, source unknown. A few months later, scientists used modelling to produce an answer — hypothesising a giant underwater volcanic eruption.

And now it seems that is pretty likely to be the case. Scientists travelled out to where they think the swarm’s epicentre is located, and they found a large active volcano, rising 800 metres (2,624 feet) from the seafloor, and sprawling up to 5 kilometres (3.1 miles) across.

A large active volcano that wasn’t there six months prior.

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May 22, 2019

‘We as a species need to come to terms’ with CRISPR technology as China awaits birth of third genetically modified baby

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, ethics, genetics

The scientific community is now struggling to grapple with the ethics of human germline editing as another woman pregnant with a gene-edited baby is soon due to give birth.

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May 22, 2019

Creating a Universe in the Lab? The Idea Is No Joke

Posted by in category: futurism

Circa 2017


Scientists in all areas of research must feel able to freely articulate the implications of their work without concern for causing offense.

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May 22, 2019

Newly discovered hybrid molecules could serve as a novel category of anti-cancer agent

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, chemistry

Researchers from NYU Abu Dhabi’s (NYUAD) chemistry program and colleagues from the University’s biology program have developed and studied the biological activity of five new, metal-organic hybrid knotted molecules, termed metal-organic trefoil knots (M-TKs). These molecules can effectively deliver metals to cancer cells, demonstrating the potential to act as a new category of anti-cancer agents.

In a study published in the journal Chemical Science, NYUAD Research Scientists Farah Benyettou and Thirumurugan Prakasam from the Trabolsi Research Group, led by NYUAD Associate Professor of Chemistry Ali Trabolsi, report that these nanoscale, water-soluble M-TKs showed high potency in vitro against six cancer cell lines and in vivo in zebrafish embryos. Zebrafish-related studies were performed by NYUAD Postdoctoral Associate Anjana Ramdas Nair from the Sadler Lab.

The M-TKs, generated by metal-templated self-assembly of a simple pair of chelating ligands, were well tolerated in vitro by non-cancer cells but were significantly more potent than cisplatin, a common chemotherapy medication, in both human cancer cells—including those that were cisplatin-resistant—and in zebrafish embryos. In cultured cells, M-TKs introduce reactive oxygen species (ROS) that damage the mitochondria of cancer cells, but not the nuclear DNA or the plasma membrane.

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May 22, 2019

Synopsis: How High Schools Teach Quantum Physics

Posted by in categories: education, quantum physics

Researchers analyze secondary school curricula from 15 countries, revealing common themes and a need for emphasizing process over facts.

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May 22, 2019

Supercapacitor Rover Charges in 10 Seconds

Posted by in category: energy

So-called supercapacitors, AKA ultracapacitors, are amazing devices. While they don’t store as much total energy as a comparable battery, they can discharge this energy extremely quickly. They can also charge rapidly, as demonstrated by Mike Rigsby’s “Little Flash.” As described in his project write-up, the mini rover “runs for twenty minutes, charges in ten seconds.”

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May 22, 2019

Massive sequencing study links rare DNA alterations to type 2 diabetes

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

An international consortium of scientists has analyzed protein-coding genes from nearly 46,000 people, linking rare DNA alterations to type 2 diabetes. The study, one of the largest known of its type, includes data from people of European, African American, Hispanic/Latino, East Asian, and South Asian ancestries.

From this large cohort—roughly 21,000 individuals with type 2 diabetes and 25,000 healthy controls—the researchers identified four genes with rare variants that affect diabetes risk. The data suggests that hundreds more genes will likely be identified in the future.

These genes and the proteins they encode are potential targets for new medicines, and may guide researchers to better understand and treat disease.

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May 22, 2019

Scientists Modify Viruses With CRISPR To Create New Weapon Against Superbugs

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

Superbugs are bacteria that can beat modern medicine’s most powerful drugs. So doctors are racing to find new ways to fight back, such as developing “living antibiotics.”

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