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Feb 8, 2018

Mind-reading program translates brain activity into words

Posted by in category: neuroscience

The research paves the way for brain implants that would translate the thoughts of people who have lost power of speech.

, science correspondent.

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Feb 8, 2018

US Scientists Have Figured Out A Way To Make Wood As Strong As Steel

Posted by in category: materials

Some of the strongest materials to build with are titanium alloys but they are not only expensive but heavy as well. Researchers at the University of Maryland (UMD) have used a new densification process to make super wood that has the same strength and toughness as steel.

Wood is probably the most used construction material already and the UMD team is working to make it even more useful. Liangbing Hu is leading the team responsible for developing the super wood. The researchers first boil samples of wood in a watery mixture of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfite, which partially removes lignin and hemicellulose from the material. This wood is then hot-pressed causing the cell walls to collapse and form highly-aligned cellulose nanofibers. This gives rise to densified wood, which is stronger than natural wood.

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Feb 8, 2018

Forget curtains. One day, you could block out glare with smart windows that also charge your phone

Posted by in categories: mobile phones, solar power, sustainability

New material pulls double-duty as shade and perovskite solar cell

By

Maria Temming

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Feb 8, 2018

Elon Musk: In 3–6 months, Tesla cars will be able to drive themselves from coast to coast

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, robotics/AI, transportation

But that doesn’t mean the company isn’t working on cool new features. During the earnings call, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that within three to six months, he expects Tesla cars to be able to drive autonomously from U.S. coast to coast.

SEE ALSO: Tesla’s bringing Powerwall batteries to 50,000 homes in Australia

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Feb 8, 2018

A Remarkable Technique to Replace Heart Valves Spares Patients Surgery

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

Nancy Clayton needed a mitral valve replacement. She came to NYU Langone, where surgeons were trialling a nonsurgical approach. Learn more.

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Feb 8, 2018

Vitamin D3 could prevent and repair cardiovascular damage, finds study

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

A new study by researchers at Ohio University found that vitamin D3 – a vitamin that is naturally produced when skin is exposed to sunlight – could prevent and restore damage caused by several cardiovascular diseases, including diabetes, hypertension and atherosclerosis.

Credit: polaris50d/Shutterstock.com

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Feb 8, 2018

SpaceX Successfully Launches The Falcon Heavy With A Tesla Roadster On Board

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, space travel, sustainability

The Falcon Heavy is finally on its way to mars and this rocket has had its fair share of delays. Elon Musk gave us a first glimpse of the rocket a couple of months ago and then a little later announced the unique cargo that it would be carrying. At the start of this year, he announced that the rocket will be launched within the first month but there were more unexpected delays and things finally got back on track as it completed the static test last week.

The Falcon Heavy Rocket launched its test flight successfully from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Millions of fans from all around the globe watched the launch go off without a hitch. The Falcon Heavy has 27 engines which give a thrust equal to 18 Boeing (BA) 747 jetliners making it the biggest rocket ever made. “It’s the biggest rocket in the world by far,” SpaceX CEO Musk told CNN’s Rachel Crane on Monday.

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Feb 8, 2018

Engineers use natural protein as nanoshuttle for anti-cancer vaccines

Posted by in categories: bioengineering, biotech/medical

Cancer fighting nanovaccines have shown significant promise, but clinical application has been hampered by complications in large-scale manufacturing, quality control, and safety. Biomedical engineers at the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) developed a new technology that enables nanovaccines to bind to the albumin protein naturally present in the body. The albumin protein then delivers these nanocomplexes to the lymph nodes, resulting in potent immune activation against multiple tumor types in mouse cancer models. The use of natural albumin as a universal vaccine shuttle is a significant step towards the application of cancer nanovaccine immunotherapy in humans.

Nanovaccines that work to mount an immune response against a tumor basically consist of two components: the part that delivers the vaccine to the correct site, the lymph nodes, where immune system activation happens; and the part that activates the immune cells to expand and specifically target the tumor.

Schematic of self-assembly of the AlbiVax nanovaccine.

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Feb 8, 2018

Cheap AI is better at removing Henry Cavill’s Superman mustache than Hollywood special effects

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

AI “deepfakes” have become a cheap way to digitally alter faces. Just look what they did to Henry Cavil’s Superman mustache.

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Feb 8, 2018

Meet the immortal jellyfish that can live forever

Posted by in category: life extension

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