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Mar 12, 2018

The Pitch-Black Exoplanet WASP-12b

Posted by in category: space

This artist’s impression shows the exoplanet WASP-12b — an alien world as black as fresh asphalt, orbiting a star like our Sun. Scientists were able to measure its albedo: the amount of light the planet reflects. The results showed that the planet is extremely dark at optical wavelengths.

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Mar 12, 2018

The Hubble Space Telescope captured two galaxies colliding

Posted by in category: space

Located 350 million light-years away, two neighbor galaxies are slowly being brought together by gravitational forces.

The Hubble Space Telescope captured the pair’s beautiful cosmic dance in a recent photo of the spiral galaxies, known as Arp 256.

One of the most stunning aspects of the image are the swaths of blue on the outer edges of both galaxies. Those are “stellar nurseries,” collections of gas and dust in the process of becoming new stars. Stellar nurseries are set off by intense gravitational forces, like the massive forces of two galaxies slowly merging.

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Mar 12, 2018

Inevitable muscle wasting of old age could be stopped, scientists believe

Posted by in category: life extension

T he inevitable muscle wasting of old age could be stopped, scientists believe, after discovering why people become frail as they grow older.

Most people become weaker in their later years, as their leg muscles get smaller and less able to bear weight, which often leads to disability and falls.

But until now, nobody has known why the process happens or if it can be reversed.

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Mar 12, 2018

John Oliver explains Bitcoin, Blockchain & Crypto (with precision & clarity)!

Posted by in categories: bitcoin, cryptocurrencies, economics, finance, internet

John Oliver is a crossover who bridges the art of a comedian with the reporting and perspective of a liberal political pundit. Even detractors acknowledge that Oliver addresses serious issues with unusual wit and humor.

I never thought Oliver could (or would) tackle the topic of cryptocurrency—at least not with value to the viewer. It is too geeky, and too esoteric. (It also cuts into my mission of evangelism and education). smile

He did, and he sparkles! Feel free to jump past the fluff. The Bitcoin tutorial starts at 3:40. Of course, my friend, Shechter, in Long Island New York will bust a gut over what Oliver says at 9:40. It is not only clear and concise, it is accurate and terribly funny!

Whether you are a Bitcoin newbie or a seasoned blockchain coder, this is the video you have been looking for. This one is durable.

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Mar 12, 2018

Elon Musk plans Mars spaceship, warns there’s a ‘good chance’ that early passengers could die

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, space travel

Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the Moon, once said, “Mars is there, waiting to be reached.”

If Elon Musk has his way, he’ll be the one to reach it, even if it’s likely to be a dangerous journey that could result in the loss of human life.

Speaking at the South by South West festival in Austin, Texas, SpaceX and Tesla CEO Musk said he envisions test flights of his Mars spacecraft next year, though he cautioned early trips could end in death.

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Mar 12, 2018

What sets cryptocurrencies apart from each other?

Posted by in categories: bitcoin, cryptocurrencies, economics, finance, internet

Today, I was asked to answer this question at Quora:

What sets each cryptocurrency apart from the others?

“Cryptocurrency” is a broad term. It refers to payment coins, of course—such as Bitcoin and Litecoin. But, because most tradeable tokens attain an asset value, the word is often used to refer to smart contract devices, such as Ethereum, a host of other blockchain based tokens, functional Internet-of-Things tokens, and even ICOs (Initial Coin Offerings). Since people treat ICOs and IOT tokens as investment instruments even if they are useless as a payment mechanism, they all fall within the realm of a cryptocurrency.

So, before addressing the question, let’s distinguish between Altcoins and ICOs. I assume the question refers to Altcoins, and not ICOs…

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Mar 12, 2018

A Protein that Shows the Difference Between Cancer and Non-cancer Cells

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, evolution

Researchers have identified a protein that is different between healthy and cancerous cells, offering a potential target for therapeutic interventions.

Abstract

Sorting nexins anchor trafficking machines to membranes by binding phospholipids. The paradigm of the superfamily is sorting nexin 3 (SNX3), which localizes to early endosomes by recognizing phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate (PI3P) to initiate retromer-mediated segregation of cargoes to the trans-Golgi network (TGN). Here we report the solution structure of full length human SNX3, and show that PI3P recognition is accompanied by bilayer insertion of a proximal loop in its extended Phox homology (PX) domain. Phosphoinositide (PIP) binding is completely blocked by cancer-linked phosphorylation of a conserved serine beside the stereospecific PI3P pocket. This “PIP-stop” releases endosomal SNX3 to the cytosol, and reveals how protein kinases control membrane assemblies. It constitutes a widespread regulatory element found across the PX superfamily and throughout evolution including of fungi and plants.

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Mar 12, 2018

This House Can Be 3D-Printed For $4,000

Posted by in categories: 3D printing, habitats

  • 03.12.18
  • 6:00 am
  • world changing ideas

This House Can Be 3D-Printed For $4,000 New Story, a company that builds housing in the developing world, has a new invention: a massive 3D printer that extrudes an entire four-room house in less than a day.

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Mar 12, 2018

What an “infinite” AI-generated podcast can tell us about the future of entertainment

Posted by in categories: futurism, robotics/AI

Can artificial intelligence tell a good story? Or do we still need humans to find the narratives we enjoy the best?

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Mar 12, 2018

Tax the terminator: Chinese adviser calls for levy to stop robots taking over the workplace

Posted by in categories: government, robotics/AI

Cai, a delegate to the National People’s Congress in Beijing, said the idea made sense.

As the country rides a wave of investment in automation, Cai is among the first Chinese academics to call for restrictions on robots.


NPC delegate Cai Fang says it won’t be long before machines can do most things better than humans.

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