Delhi was the second driest it has been in 26 years in June, and recorded its highest ever temperature for the month at 48 degrees Celsius on June 10.
By Mayank Bhardwaj
NEW DELHI, July 7 (Reuters) — In this teeming capital city of more than 20 million people, a worsening drought is amplifying the vast inequality between India’s rich and poor.
SAN FRANCISCO – The United States has the advanced technology and capable workforce it needs for further space exploration. However, it lacks the focus and prioritization that assured the success of the Apollo program, Apollo flight director Gene Kranz told Senators July 9.
“We have an administration that is strongly supportive of space and willing to provide the resources,” Kranz said July 9 at a Senate Commerce science and transportation subcommittee hearing. “We have an agency charted to do the mission, top level leadership in place and a very capable workforce. But each of the segments are philosophically divided on the goal.” Without greater unity, the U.S. space exploration program “will be grounded,” he added.
Kranz was one of the NASA veterans and industry leaders who discussed the Apollo program and the benefits and challenges of future missions at the hearing, “NASA Exploration Plans: Where We’ve Been and Where We’re Going.”
We need worms
You might think they are disgusting. But our war against intestinal worms has damaged our immune systems and mental health.
William Parker
The strongmen warm-up by lifting a 900 pound mast before an even heavier challenge in this digital exclusive from “Stronger Than a Viking”. #StrongestMan
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HISTORY’s new series “The Strongest Man In History,” will send four of the world’s leading strongmen;—Brian Shaw, Eddie Hall, Robert Oberst and Nick Best—on a journey across the world to seek out history’s most legendary titans of strength, celebrate their feats of fortitude, immerse themselves in their history and attempt to break their long-standing records, some of which have endured for hundreds of years.
A recently released study from Maria Blasco and her team of researchers at the Spanish National Cancer Research Center (CNIO) shows that the rate of telomere shortening is strongly correlated with the maximum lifespan of animal species.
Telomeres
Telomeres, which are simply repeating segments of DNA on the ends of our chromosomes, serve two critical functions: They protect the ends of our chromosomes, preventing genetic damage, and they serve as a clock, limiting the number of times that our cells can divide. This limit, known as the Hayflick limit, serves as a basic defense against cancer. However, telomere attrition is a primary hallmark of aging and leads to cellular senescence and other age-related disorders.
“We cannot directly image what’s going on near objects like black holes and neutron stars, but studying the polarization of X-rays emitted from their surrounding environments reveals the physics of these enigmatic objects,” Paul Hertz, director of NASA’s astrophysics division, said in a statement at the time. The project, he said, “will open a new window on the universe for astronomers to peer through.”
A preliminary launch date is set for April 2021 on a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A in Florida. It’s unlikely it will take up the full payload of the rocket, as SpaceNews.com points out.
READ MORE: SpaceX contracted by NASA to launch black hole and neutron star research craft [TechCrunch].
Posted in biotech/medical, genetics
A team of researchers led by scientists in Vienna, Dresden and Heidelberg has decoded the entire genetic information of the Mexican salamander axolotl. The axolotl genome, which is the largest genome ever to be sequenced, will be a powerful tool to study the molecular basis for regrowing limbs and other forms of regeneration.
Salamanders have long served as valuable biological models for developmental, regeneration and evolutionary studies. In particular, the Mexican axolotl Ambystoma mexicanum has received special attention due to its astounding ability to regenerate body-parts. If the cannibalistically inclined animal loses a limb, it will regrow a perfect substitute within weeks, complete with bones, muscles and nerves in the right places. Even more fascinating, the axolotl can repair severed spinal cord and retinal tissue. These qualities and the relative ease in breeding have made it a favourite biological model, cultivated in the lab for more than 150 years.
