Page 8865
May 9, 2018
Future anti-aging drugs could flip a “metabolic switch” to mimic fasting
Posted by Manuel Canovas Lechuga in categories: biotech/medical, life extension
Fasting has been found to have a range of health benefits, and appears to slow down the aging process. Now, researchers from MIT have found that fasting for just 24 hours is enough to improve the regeneration of a person’s intestinal stem cells, which naturally declines with age. Better yet, with the metabolic switch identified, in the future the effect could be mimicked with a drug.
As with stem cells in all parts of the body, intestinal stem cells are in charge of growing new cells in the organ. They maintain the lining of the intestine, which is shed and replaced every few days, fight off infection and repair damage to the tissue. But as is usually the case, these stem cells get less and less effective at their job with age.
Previous research has found that caloric restriction, or continual fasting, has a profound effect on health and longevity. These effects have been seen in mice, rats, monkeys, lemurs, and other animals, and although human studies haven’t really been conducted, it seems that we could also benefit from harnessing the diet. So the MIT team set out to study the effects of fasting on intestinal stem cells.
May 9, 2018
Neuroscientists Strongly Recommend That You Visit The Beach Regularly. Here’s Why
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: neuroscience, space
We all know that spending time outdoors is good for you on both a physical and mental level, but the benefits of spending time specifically at the beach have just been revealed.
That incredible feeling of peace and calmness that you experience at the beach is now being referred to as “blue space.” That’s what scientists have dubbed the effect that the combination of soothing smells and sounds of water have on your brain. The blue space is enough to make you feel at ease in a hypnotic sort of way.
When you notice how relaxed you feel at the beach, it’s not just all in your head. Science says that it’s a change in the way your brain reacts to its environment leaving you feeling happy, relaxed and reenergized.
May 9, 2018
California to become first U.S. state mandating solar on new homes
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: habitats, solar power, sustainability
California is about to become the only state in the nation mandating that virtually every new home have solar panels by 2020.
May 9, 2018
Baldness cure could come from side-effect of cancer drug
Posted by Genevieve Klien in categories: biotech/medical, genetics
A cure for baldness could be on the horizon after British scientists discovered that an osteoporosis drug stimulates hair growth three times quicker than other drugs.
Around four in 10 men suffer male pattern baldness by the age of 45 and two thirds by the age of 60.
At the moment only two drugs, minoxidil and finasteride, are available for the treatment of male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia) — the classic type of receding hair loss in men.
Continue reading “Baldness cure could come from side-effect of cancer drug” »
May 9, 2018
All systems are go for SpaceX’s BFR rocket facility at Port of Los Angeles after City Council OKs plan
Posted by Genevieve Klien in category: space travel
The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday approved a plan allowing SpaceX to build and operate a facility at the Port of L.A., where the Hawthorne space company will produce its next-generation BFR rockets and spacecraft.
May 9, 2018
Google goes all-in on artificial intelligence, renames research division Google AI
Posted by Genevieve Klien in categories: business, robotics/AI
With Google’s I/O developer conference kicking off later today, Google is setting the scene for what it expects to be one of the big themes of the event: artificial intelligence. Today, the company rebranded the whole of its Google Research division as Google AI, with the old Google Research site now directing to a newly expanded Google AI site.
Google has over the years worked on a wide variety of other computing pursuits beyond AI, and all of that content will continue to exist within that new site, the company said. But the move signals how Google has increasingly focused a lot of its R&D on breaking new ground across the many facets of AI specifically, from technologies like computer vision, natural language processing, and neural networks, through to applications across virtually any and every business that Google currently and potentially touches, such as video, search and mobile apps, but also healthcare, automotive applications and other verticals.
That’s not just Google reflecting how the wider world of tech is evolving; it’s also a measure of how much Google has influenced it.
May 9, 2018
Mining asteroids could unlock untold wealth – here’s how to get started
Posted by Genevieve Klien in category: space
The first step to mining an asteroid is finding a suitable candidate. Scientists estimate there should be some ten nearby targets.
May 9, 2018
Uber teams up with U.S. Army, NASA to develop flying taxis
Posted by Genevieve Klien in category: drones
UberAir will fly electric passenger drones on short trips, the U.S. Army is researching Uber’s tech, and NASA has forged an agreement with the flying taxis.