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Archive for the ‘biotech/medical’ category: Page 2511

Nov 22, 2016

Turning back the aging clock

Posted by in categories: bioengineering, biotech/medical, genetics, life extension

SENS makes official comment on the excellent news about Mitochondrial repair from UCLA and Caltech.


So the big news is progress has been made on Mitochondrial repair. Our resident expert at the SENS Research Foundation, Dr. Matthew O’Connor of the MitoSENS project had this to say about the exciting news:

“New work from UCLA and Caltech has shown that a genetic pathway can be harnessed to selectively remove mutant mitochondria from the muscles of fruit flies. This work from Kandul et al is exciting because it raises the possibility of someday finding a way to control this genetic pathway in such a way to selectively delete mutant mitochondria. Further they did it in live flies in a tissue (muscle) where we are especially concerned about the impact of mitochondrial DNA mutations. Our ability to selectively control genetic pathways in non-genetically engineered animals (such as humans) is, however, extremely limited so it may be a long time before any clinical benefits can be realized from this research.” — Dr. Matthew O’Connor SRF

Continue reading “Turning back the aging clock” »

Nov 22, 2016

Carbon Nanotube Array Opens Door for Terahertz Radiation in Medical Practice

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, health, nanotechnology, security, wearables

Terahertz (THz) radiation is used today most prominently for security screening at the airport. It’s the machine you stand in with your hands up as it swings its scanning arms in front and behind you. In medicine, terahertz imaging has the potential to help diagnoze certain types of cancer and to monitor a variety of health parameters to aid in assessment of overall health. Because of the extremely short length of terahertz waves, this imaging modality has a lot of limitations, including shallow penetration into tissues, and that prevents it from being used more widely. Yet, since it’s non-ionising, it’s probably safe and may even replace dangerous X-rays for some applications.

Currently, terahertz imaging is very poor at scanning curved surfaces even though it can peer a few millimeters deep into some tissues. To overcome this, researchers at Tokyo Institute of Technology have developed a flexible and even wearable terahertz scanner that can image curved 3D surfaces such as our skin.

Continue reading “Carbon Nanotube Array Opens Door for Terahertz Radiation in Medical Practice” »

Nov 22, 2016

China is at the forefront of manipulating DNA to create a new class of superhumans

Posted by in categories: bioengineering, biotech/medical, ethics, genetics, neuroscience

In China, there are fewer regulations and ethical quandaries standing in the way of genetic progress.

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Nov 22, 2016

Virtual Reality Headsets Concern Doctors

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, virtual reality

BOSTON (CBS) – It’s expected to be the hot holiday gift of the season: virtual reality headsets. We know it’s a cool new experience but there’s still a lot we don’t know about the technology, especially when it comes to kids.

The headset completely immerses users in a new 3D virtual world. “I felt like I was actually there.” said one first-time user. “There’s no age limit to this,” said another virtual reality fan.

But there actually is an age limit. Many of the top selling brands warn against kids using the device. Oculus Rift and Samsung VR Gear say it’s not for kids under 13. Sony PlayStation is recommended for kids 12 and up. And the HTC Vive is less specific, just saying it’s not for young children.

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Nov 21, 2016

Aubrey De Grey provides a summary of his goal of combating ageing

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, health, life extension

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJSCYvFk6r4

A quick dash of Aubrey to remind us of the goal and the importance of research.


Aubrey believes ageing is a serious issue, not only because people die of old age, but because it causes suffering. He discusses the fact that many diseases including chronic cancer, are the result of ageing and that by tackling ageing of cells, we can address many of the issues associated with poor health. To find out more about Aubrey and the SENS Research Foundation visit: http://www.sens.org/

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Nov 21, 2016

Genetics Startup Helix Wants To Create A World Of Personalized Products From Your DNA

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics

As the price of DNA sequencing drops, a new wave of consumer genomics companies is taking the science mainstream. Are you ready?

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Nov 21, 2016

Synthetic Organs: We’re One Step Closer to Having Bioartificial Kidneys

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

In Brief:

  • Researchers have succeeded in creating a “living membrane” that can transport molecules from one side to the other, a key requirement for a functional bioartificial kidney.
  • Their work could make dialysis or transplantation unnecessary for the millions of patients suffering from renal failure across the world.

A new study being presented at the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Kidney Week 2016 at McCormick Place in Chicago is poised to revolutionize kidney failure treatment. Dutch researchers Dimitrios Stamatialis of the University of Twente, Roos Masereeuw from the University of Utrecht, and their teams have successfully engineered a key requirement for a functional bioartificial kidney.

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Nov 20, 2016

Scientists Discover How to Implant False Memories

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, neuroscience

Implanting false memories could cure Alzheimer’s, PTSD, and depression. It could also make scapegoating easier, allow for witness tampering, or give those under a brutal dictatorship false patriotism.

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Nov 20, 2016

80% of IT Jobs can be Replaced by Automation, and it’s ‘Exciting’

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, employment, law, robotics/AI, virtual reality

In Brief:

  • Computing pioneer, Vinod Khosla, envisions a future where Artificial Intelligence will take over 80 percent of IT jobs.
  • IT guys are not the only white collar professionals who Khosla sees as replaceable by VR they also join doctors, lawyers, and accountants on the growing list.

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Nov 20, 2016

A Brief Explanation of the Kardashev Scale: How Far Can Humanity Really Advance?

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, space travel

Let’s be honest, we have our fair share of problems on planet Earth: war, floods, disease, poverty, environmental destruction, Justin Bieber (the list goes on and on, really). But we also have a lot of things going for us: the Alcubierre Warp Drive, invisibility cloaks, the Mars rover missions, the discovery of the Higgs (the list goes on and on, really).

How can we weigh all the exciting and inspiring scientific discoveries against all the destruction and chaos? We have an ever expanding list of catastrophes that is coupled with (indeed, that parallels) our unrelenting march towards technological perfection. With such a coupling of unimaginable horrors and magnificent advancements, how can we possibly measure our status as a civilization?

One of the easiest ways to answer this question is to form a scale that will allow us to scientifically measure our technological *abilities* against the technological *possibilities.* Or in layman’s terms, something that will allow us to measure our awesomeness against the total possible awesomeness. Fortunately, there are several ways of conducting such measurements.

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