Lifeboat News: The Blog – Safeguarding Humanity

An experiment that solved a 100-year-old mystery posed by Einstein is about to turn back on — and it’s more powerful than ever

Posted by Genevieve Klien in cosmology, physics

Mar 28
2019

Colliding black holes and neutron stars create ripples in spacetime, called gravitational waves. These were “heard” for the first time in September 2015.
On Monday, a pair of gravitational-wave detectors called LIGO will turn back on after 6 months of downtime and upgrades.
To boost its power, the experiment will now work with a sister machine in Italy called Virgo.
Physicists expect the next period of searching for colliding black holes to last a year and be 40% more sensitive than before.

One of the most remarkable experiments in history — a pair of giant machines that listen for ripples in spacetime called gravitational waves — will wake up from a half-year nap on Monday. And it will be about 40% stronger than before.

That experiment is called the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO); it consists of two giant, L-shaped detectors that together solved a 100-year-old mystery posed by Albert Einstein.

The Worst Disease Ever Recorded

Posted by Genevieve Klien in biotech/medical, existential risks

Mar 28
2019

A doomsday fungus known as Bd has condemned more species to extinction than any other pathogen.

Exquisite fossil finds shed new light on the ‘Cambrian explosion’, when oceans first filled with complex animal life

Posted by Quinn Sena in futurism

Mar 28
2019

Exceptionally well preserved 500m year old fossils show Cambrian seas were more diverse than scientists had thought.

This woman’s genetic mutation shields her from pain and anxiety

Posted by Quinn Sena in biotech/medical, genetics

Mar 28
2019

Arthritis is usually painful. So is the surgery to fix it, at least in the immediate aftermath. So when a 66-year old woman at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness, Scotland, told doctors that her severely arthritic hand felt fine both before and after her operation, they were suspicious. The joint of her thumb was so severely deteriorated that she could hardly use it—how could that not hurt?

So they sent her to see teams specializing in pain genetics at University College London and the University of Oxford. Those researchers took DNA samples from both her and some of her family members and uncovered her secret: a tiny mutation in a newly-discovered gene. They recently published their results in the British Journal of Anaesthesia.

This minuscule deletion is inside something called a pseudogene, which is a partial copy of a fully functioning gene inserted elsewhere in the genome. Pseudogenes don’t always have a function—sometimes they’re just junk DNA—but some of them have residual functionality leftover from the original gene’s purpose.

Remote-Controlled Insect Ornithopter Developed

Posted by Quinn Sena in futurism

Mar 28
2019

Aeronautical engineer Edwin Van Ruymbeke has developed a remote-controlled insect ornithopter called MetaFly.

Capable of reaching a top speed of 18 km/h (11 mph) and a maximum range of 100 metres (328 ft), the wings are flapped using a mechanical coreless motor and an aluminum heat sink that is powered by a rechargeable lithium-polymer battery.

Weighing 10 grams (0.35 oz), MetaFly measures 19 cm long (7.5 in) with a 29-cm (11.4-in) wingspan. The patented wings are made from carbon fibre, liquid crystal polymer and oriented polypropylene.

Chip combining CRISPR and graphene can detect genetic mutations in minutes

Posted by Quinn Sena in biotech/medical, computing, genetics

Mar 28
2019

The marriage of these two technologies can only mean something great is in store.

An electric plane with no moving parts has made its first flight

Posted by Quinn Sena in transportation

Mar 28
2019

The turbineless design uses electroaerodynamic propulsion to fly and could herald the arrival of quieter, lower-emission aircraft.

Techstars Is Giving Space Startups A Chance To Accelerate Their Business To The Final Frontier

Posted by Klaus Baldauf in business, space

Mar 28
2019

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory will be hosting the Techstars Starburst Space Accelerator in the heart of Southern California’s Commercial Space hub. Startups are invited to apply now!

These 3D-Printed Mars Habitats Just Won a NASA Award

Posted by Klaus Baldauf in 3D printing, habitats, space

Mar 28
2019

It’s a fascinating competition that paints an incredibly detailed picture of what the future of Moon or even Mars exploration could look like one day — and we’ve never been closer to that future.

More on the Challenge: Here Are The Finalists For NASA’s Mars Habitat Design Competition.

The Human, Smart and Sustainable Future of Cities

Posted by Alexandra Whittington in architecture, big data, environmental, transportationTagged AI, Smart Cities

Mar 28
2019

The city of the future is a symbol of progress. The sci-fi vision of the future city with sleek skyscrapers and flying cars, however, has given way to a more plausible, human, practical, and green vision of tomorrow’s smart city. Whilst smart city visions differ, at their heart is the notion that in the coming decades, the planet’s most heavily concentrated populations will occupy city environments where a digital blanket of sensors, devices and cloud connected data is being weaved together to build and enhance the city living experience for all. In this context, smart architecture must encompass all the key elements of what enable city ecosystems to function effectively. This encompasses everything from the design of infrastructure, workspaces, leisure, retail, and domestic homes to traffic control, environmental protection, and the management of energy, sanitation, healthcare, security, and a building’s eco-footprint.

The

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