Latest posts
Nov 6, 2024
Breakthrough In Growing Lip Cells In The Lab Could Help Develop Medical Treatments
Posted by Rx Sobolewski in categories: biotech/medical, innovation
More than paying lip service, the cells may offer new opportunities to research and treat various lip conditions.
Nov 6, 2024
Docking Complete: SpaceX Dragon Soars to ISS with 6,000 Pounds of Science and Supplies
Posted by Genevieve Klien in categories: science, space travel
At 9:52 a.m. EST, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft successfully docked to the forward port of the International Space Stations Harmony module.
This mission, SpaceX’s 31st commercial resupply service for NASA, delivered over 6,000 pounds of scientific equipment and cargo to the space station. The journey began at 9:29 a.m. on November 4, when a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Nov 6, 2024
Stunning 450-Million-Year-Old Fossil Preserved in Fool’s Gold Reveals Evolution’s Secrets
Posted by Genevieve Klien in category: evolution
A new 450-million-year-old arthropod fossil, Lomankus edgecombei, has been uncovered in New York, revealing crucial evolutionary shifts in appendage function from predation to environmental sensing among ancient arthropods. A new 450-million-year-old fossil arthropod, preserved in 3D by iron py.
Nov 6, 2024
Habitable Zones Aren’t Always Safe Havens: The Hidden Cosmic Perils Facing Potential Life
Posted by Genevieve Klien in category: alien life
When considering the potential for life on exoplanets, scientists often focus on the habitable zone, the region around a star where conditions might allow liquid water to exist. However, new research suggests that this concept alone oversimplifies the dangers these planets face. It’s not just about being in the right place; it’s also about avoiding interstellar chaos.
While identifying exoplanets in the habitable zone is a crucial step in the search for extraterrestrial life, their environments can be treacherous. In a study soon to be published in The Astronomical Journal, researchers led by Tisyagupta Pyne from Visva-Bharati University highlight the threats lurking in dense stellar neighborhoods. Stellar flybys and catastrophic supernovae explosions have the power to disrupt entire planetary systems, stripping atmospheres or ejecting planets into interstellar space.
Nov 6, 2024
Achieving the “Impossible”: Nuclear Physicists Are Closer Than Ever to the Elusive Double Magic Nuclei
Posted by Genevieve Klien in categories: materials, particle physics
Advancements in nuclear physics may soon enable the creation of stable, superheavy nuclei, paving the way for new materials and insights into atomic stability.
A team of scientists has made significant advancements in the quest to create new, long-lasting superheavy nuclei. These double magic nuclei, which have a precise number of protons and neutrons that form a highly stable configuration, are exceptionally resistant to decay. Their research could deepen our understanding of the forces that bind atoms and pave the way for the development of new materials with unique properties. This work brings us a step closer to the so-called “Island of Stability,” a theoretical region in the nuclei chart where it’s believed some nuclei could exist far longer than those created so far.
The study, led by Professor Feng-Shou Zhang, has predicted promising reactions between different elements that could be used in experiments to create double magic nuclei. One key discovery involves a reaction between a special type of radioactive calcium isotope and a plutonium target, which could produce the predicted double magic nuclei 298 Fl. Another potential double magic nuclei, 304 120, could be created by combining vanadium and berkelium, although this reaction is currently less likely to succeed.
Nov 6, 2024
New high-speed 3D bioprinter uses acoustics to print human tissues
Posted by Omuterema Akhahenda in categories: bioprinting, biotech/medical, neuroscience
This development comes from…
Researchers have designed a high-speed 3D bioprinter to accurately print human tissues.
Continue reading “New high-speed 3D bioprinter uses acoustics to print human tissues” »
Nov 6, 2024
Future of the World — Space Politics & Interplanetary Conflict
Posted by Jose Ruben Rodriguez Fuentes in categories: life extension, robotics/AI
Remember to watch part 1: https://youtu.be/tANAl15CCLE
Welcome to the year 2,324, where humanity has transcended its Earthly origins to build civilizations across the solar system. Mars, Titan, and even the clouds of Venus are now home to more than 2.5 billion people, thanks to anti-aging technologies and AI-driven advancements. But how did we get here? And what does life look like in this brave new world? In this continuation of my speculative future series, I explore the political structures, societal shifts, and technological innovations that define our interplanetary existence. Get ready for a journey through a transformed solar system!
Continue reading “Future of the World — Space Politics & Interplanetary Conflict” »
Nov 5, 2024
Scientists discover molecules that store much of the carbon in space
Posted by Omuterema Akhahenda in categories: chemistry, space
The discovery of pyrene in this far-off cloud, which is similar to the collection of dust…
A team led by researchers at MIT has discovered that a distant interstellar cloud contains an abundance of pyrene, a type of large, carbon-containing molecule known as a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH).
The discovery of pyrene in this far-off cloud, which is similar to the collection of dust and gas that eventually became our own solar system, suggests that pyrene may have been the source of much of the carbon in our solar system. That hypothesis is also supported by a recent finding that samples returned from the near-Earth asteroid Ryugu contain large quantities of pyrene.
Continue reading “Scientists discover molecules that store much of the carbon in space” »
Nov 5, 2024
A “wearable” device for individual neurons can measure electrical activity in the brain
Posted by Tomer Ze’ev in categories: biotech/medical, neuroscience, wearables
MIT researchers have developed a battery-free, subcellular-sized device made of polymer designed to measure and modulate a neuron’s electrical and metabolic activity. When the device is activated by light, it can gently wrap around the neuron cell’s axons and dendrites without damaging the cells.
Scientists want to inject thousands of these tiny wireless devices into a patient’s central nervous system and then actuate them noninvasively using light. The light would penetrate the tissue and allow precise control of the devices, and thereby restore function in cases of neuronal degradation like multiple sclerosis (MS).
The MIT researchers developed these thin-film devices from a azobenzene, a soft polymer that readily reacts to light. Thin sheets of azobenzene roll into a cylinder when exposed to light, which enables them to wrap around cells. Researchers can control the direction and diameter of the rolling by changing the intensity and polarization of the light, producing a microtube with a diameter smaller than one micrometer.