Lifeboat Foundation

A long-awaited space mission in the coming year could herald the start of a new era where so many science fiction dreams finally begin to cement themselves as science fact. But first we must pass a critical test of our own making that pits our technological expansion into orbit against the sun itself.

It’s not that difficult to predict what science stories we’ll be talking about over the next year: artificial intelligence, climate change and advances in biotechnology will remain front of mind. But there’s a pair of happenings just beyond our planet that I’ll be watching closely, because they amount to tests of a sort that could determine the trajectory of our species.

Continue reading “Two Space Stories In 2024 Will Determine The Future Of Humanity” »

Japanese researchers have unraveled the mystery of how the jellyfish Cladonema pacificum regenerates its injured tentacles within a remarkably brief period of two to three days.

The team from the University of Tokyo was able to study the intricate process of blastema production, revealing insights into tissue regeneration in not just jellyfish but also other species, such as salamanders.

The official release defines blastema as a “clump of undifferentiated cells that can repair damage and grow into the missing appendage.” However, the formation of this critical blastema has long eluded scientific understanding until now.

Researchers taking part in the Human Brain Project have identified a mathematical rule that governs the distribution of neurons in our brains.

The rule predicts how neurons are distributed in different parts of the brain, and could help scientists create precise models to understand how the brain works and develop new treatments for neurological diseases.

In the wonderful world of statistics, if you consider any continuous random variable, the logarithm of that variable will often follow what’s known as a lognormal distribution. Defined by the mean and standard deviation, it can be visualized as a bell-shaped curve, only with the curve being wider than what you’d find in a normal distribution.

In their public lecture at Perimeter on May 1, 2019, neuroscientist Anne M. Andrews and nanoscientist Paul S. Weiss outlined their scientific collaboration and explained the importance of communicating across disciplines to target significant problems. \
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In this new episode Steven sits down with the physician and longevity expert, Dr Peter Attia. 0:00 Intro 03:26 What is your mission? 06:52 Medicine 3.0 14:51 When should we really think about diseases? 23:14 What role does trauma play in longevity? 47:24 The 5 health deterioration 50:16 Proof exercise is important 01:04:48 Body deterioration can be slowed down 01:08:38 How much exercise should we be doing? 01:14:03 The importance of stability 01:20:59 We’ve engineered discomfort out of our lives 01:26:29 Sugar 01:34:16 Misconceptions about weight loss 01:45:13 Alcohol 01:49:13 Sleep 01:52:35 Hormone replacement therapy 01:57:07 Hair loss 01:59:48 The last guests question You can purchase Dr Attia’s new book, ‘Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity’, here — https://amzn.to/3FUD6ok Follow Dr Attia: Instagram: https://bit.ly/3rBMyJ7 Twitter: https://bit.ly/44DkrYF YouTube: https://bit.

Rice University scientists and collaborators at Texas A&M University and University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have found a new way to kill cancer cells by using near-infrared light to make a small dye molecule attached to their membrane vibrate strongly. It is the first time this kind of mechanical molecular action has been used as a potential therapy.

A special form of molecule has been found to “tear apart” the membranes of cancer cells once activated, a promising new study by scientists at Rice University in Texas has revealed.

Known as aminocyanine molecules – and commonly used as synthetic dyes in medical imaging – their atoms can vibrate in unison and form a “plasmon” when hit with near-infrared light, causing cancer cells’ membranes to rupture.

And this treatment – through the use of what researchers are calling “molecular jackhammers” – is unbelievably effective, going by the study’s results.

Innovative quantum-inspired imaging technique excels in low-light conditions, offering new prospects in medical imaging and art conservation.

Researchers at the University of Warsaw’s Faculty of Physics with colleagues from Stanford University and Oklahoma State University have introduced a quantum-inspired phase imaging method based on light intensity correlation measurements that is robust to phase noise. The new imaging method can operate even with extremely dim illumination and can prove useful in emerging applications such as in infrared and X-ray interferometric imaging and quantum and matter-wave interferometry.

Revolutionizing Imaging Techniques

For decades, a substantial number of proteins, vital for treating various diseases, have remained elusive to oral drug therapy. Traditional small molecules often struggle to bind to proteins with flat surfaces or require specificity for particular protein homologs. Typically, larger biologics that can target these proteins demand injection, limiting patient convenience and accessibility.

In a new study published in Nature Chemical Biology, scientists from the laboratory of Professor Christian Heinis at EPFL have achieved a significant milestone in drug development. Their research opens the door to a new class of orally available drugs, addressing a long-standing challenge in the pharmaceutical industry.

“There are many diseases for which the targets were identified but drugs binding and reaching them could not be developed,” says Heinis. “Most of them are types of cancer, and many targets in these cancers are protein-protein interactions that are important for the tumor growth but cannot be inhibited.”