Lifeboat Foundation

UPTON, N.Y. — Efforts to achieve net-zero carbon emissions from transportation fuels are increasing demand for oil produced by nonfood crops. These plants use sunlight to power the conversion of atmospheric carbon dioxide into oil, which accumulates in seeds. Crop breeders interested in selecting plants that produce a lot of oil look for yellow seeds. In oilseed crops like canola, yellow-seeded varieties generally produce more oil than their brown-seeded counterparts. The reason: The protein responsible for brown seed color — which yellow-seeded plants lack — also plays a key role in oil production.

Now, plant biochemists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory — who are interested in increasing plant oil synthesis for the sustainable production of biofuels and other bioproducts — have harnessed this knowledge to create a new high-yielding oilseed crop variety. In a paper just published in The Plant Biotechnology Journal, they describe how they used tools of modern genetics to produce a yellow-seeded variety of Camelina sativa, a close relative of canola, that accumulates 21.4% more oil than ordinary camelina.

“If breeders can get a few percent increase in oil production, they regard it as significant, because even small increases in yield can lead to large increases in oil production when you’re planting millions of acres,” said Brookhaven Lab biochemist John Shanklin, chair of the Lab’s Biology Department and leader of its plant oil research program. “Our nearly 22% increase was unexpected and could potentially result in a dramatic increase in production,” he said.

What methods can be developed to help identify symptoms of myopia and its more serious version, myopic maculopathy? This is what a recent study published in JAMA Ophthalmology hopes to address as an international team of researchers investigated how artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms can be used to identify early signs of myopic maculopathy, as left untreated it can lead to irreversible damage to a person’s eyes. This study holds the potential to help researchers develop more effective options for identifying this worldwide disease, as it is estimated that approximately 50 percent of the global population will suffer from myopia by 2050.

“AI is ushering in a revolution that leverages global knowledge to improves diagnosis accuracy, especially in its earliest stage of the disease,” said Dr. Yalin Wang, who is a professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence at Arizona State University and a co-author on the study. “These advancements will reduce medical costs and improve the quality of life for entire societies.”

For the study, the researchers used a novel AI algorithm known as NN-MobileNet to scan retinal images and classify the severity of myopic maculopathy, which currently has five levels of severity in the medical field. The team then used deep neural networks to determine what’s known as the spherical equivalent, which is how eye doctors prescribe glasses and contacts to their patients. Combining these two methods enabled researchers to create a new AI algorithm capable of identifying early signs of myopic maculopathy.

With this success, Synchon is looking to take its experiments to the next level by adding more participants in a larger study. CEO Tom Oxley claims that their future study would focus more on ‘gathering brain data to improve the BCI.

Are Brain-Computer Interfaces the Future of Technology?

Different companies have already begun their developments and clinical trials of their brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) which need to be implanted on human test subjects, centering mostly on paraplegic patients. One of the most famous companies behind this is Elon Musk’s Neuralink, and their first patient, Noland Arbaugh, testified how the implant can help in controlling technology, and in his case, gaming.

Imagine being able to create incredibly tiny structures with the same ease and sustainability as printing on paper.

This is the frontier of microfabrication—the process of making microscopic structures that are crucial for the operation of everything from computer chips to medical devices.

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Continue reading “A breakthrough by UChicago scientists enables greener microfabrication” »

We’re joined by Dr. Denis Noble, Professor Emeritus of Cardiovascular Physiology at the University of Oxford, and the father of ‘systems biology’. He is known for his groundbreaking creation of the first mathematical model of the heart’s electrical activity in the 1960s which radically transformed our understanding of the heart.

Dr. Noble’s contributions have revolutionized our understanding of cardiac function and the broader field of biology. His work continues to challenge long-standing biological concepts, including gene-centric views like Neo-Darwinism.

Continue reading “Denis Noble — Why The Last 80 Years of Biology was Wrong” »

A new study led by Stanford Medicine scientists found that certain changes in neural activity predicted which patients would benefit from a type of cognitive behavioral therapy.

Inside every cell, inside every nucleus, your continued existence depends on an incredibly complicated dance. Proteins are constantly wrapping and unwrapping DNA, and even minor missteps can lead to cancer. A new study from the University of Chicago reveals a previously unknown part of this dance—one with significant implications for human health.

In the study, published Oct. 2 in Nature, a team of scientists led by UChicago Prof. Chuan He, in collaboration with University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Prof. Mingjiang Xu, found that RNA plays a significant role in how DNA is packaged and stored in your cells, via a gene known as TET2. The paper is titled “RNA m⁵C oxidation by TET2 regulates chromatin state and leukaemogenesis.”

This pathway also appears to explain a long-standing puzzle about why so many cancers and other disorders involve TET2-related mutations—and suggests a set of new targets for treatments.

Unlocking the complexities of the fruit fly brain is a crucial step toward understanding the human brain. Fruit flies share many genetic similarities with humans, making them a valuable model organism for studying brain functions as well as diseases.

“An estimated 75% of human genes related to diseases have homologs in the fly genome,” Sebastian Seung, co-leader of the research team, told Interesting Engineering (IE).

Continue reading “139,000 Neurons of Adult Fruit Fly Brain Mapped For The First Time” »

The team says that DNA — known for its stability and density — could be an ideal candidate for MRI data storage.

Brain MRI scans provide invaluable insights into our bodies.

Continue reading “250,000 DNA sequences successfully store 11.28 MB of MRI information” »