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Nov 5, 2024

Stanford researchers develop molecule that forces cancer cells to kill themselves

Posted by in categories: bioengineering, biological, biotech/medical

The researchers’ recently published study describes a way to re-activate apoptosis in mutated cells, which would amount to forcing cancer to self-destruct through a bioengineered, bonding molecule.

Gerald Crabtree, one of the study’s authors and a professor of development biology, said he had the idea while hiking through Kings Mountain, California, during the pandemic period. The new compound would have to bind two proteins which already exist in the cancerous cells, turning apoptosis back on and making the cancer kill itself.

“We essentially want to have the same kind of specificity that can eliminate 60 billion cells with no bystanders,” Crabtree said, so that no cell gets destroyed if it isn’t the proper target of this new killing mechanism. The two proteins in question are known as BCL6, an oncogene which suppresses apoptosis-promoting genes in the B-cell lymphoma, and CDK9, an enzyme that catalyzes gene activation instead.

Nov 5, 2024

Your Standing Desk Might Actually Be as Bad as Sitting All Day

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

In recent years, standing has been touted as a remedy to a sedentary lifestyle, especially for desk workers who spend long hours seated at their screens.

But a new study from researchers in Australia and the Netherlands has found standing for long periods of time might not be much better than sitting after all – and actually comes with its own life-threatening risks.

Continue reading “Your Standing Desk Might Actually Be as Bad as Sitting All Day” »

Nov 5, 2024

Meta’s nuclear power plans were foiled by bees — yes, bees

Posted by in categories: nuclear energy, robotics/AI

A rare species of bee was found on land where the company was planning to put a nuclear-powered artificial intelligence data center, the Financial Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg reportedly told employees during an all-hands meeting that the rare bees would further complicate a deal with an existing nuclear power plant to build the data center.

Nov 5, 2024

Sam Altman Says AGI Is “Achievable With Current Hardware”

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

Even the exact definition of AGI is still heavily debated, making it a murky milestone.

Regardless, the stakes are high: the AI industry has poured untold billions of dollars into building out datacenters to train AI models, an investment that’s likely many years away from paying off.

Naturally, OpenAI CEO and hypeman Sam Altman has remained optimistic. During a Reddit AMA this week, he even claimed that AGI is “achievable with current hardware.”

Nov 5, 2024

Japan-made world’s first wooden satellite blasts off into space

Posted by in categories: materials, satellites

The world’s first wooden satellite, built by Japanese researchers, was launched into space on Tuesday, in an early test of using timber in lunar and Mars exploration.

LignoSat, developed by Kyoto University and homebuilder Sumitomo Forestry, will be flown to the International Space Station on a SpaceX mission, and later released into orbit about 400 kilometres above the Earth.

Named after the Latin word for “wood”, the palm-sized LignoSat is tasked to demonstrate the cosmic potential of the renewable material as humans explore living in space.

Nov 5, 2024

Textile energy grid charges wirelessly, can transform wearables, eradicate battery needs

Posted by in categories: energy, nanotechnology, wearables

Researchers develop nanomaterial textiles for wireless power, allowing real-time data transmission without the need for bulky batteries.

Nov 5, 2024

Meta AI Is Ready For War

Posted by in categories: military, robotics/AI

Meta is letting the US military and defense contractors use its Llama AI model for national security purposes.

Nov 4, 2024

Phys. Rev. Lett. 133, 146002

Posted by in category: materials

Revealing hidden layers in superconducting nickelates.

In a collaborative effort, researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research (MPI-FKF) have discovered a new crystal structure in La₃Ni₂O₇, a material known to exhibit high-temperature superconductivity under high pressure.

Nov 4, 2024

AI Designs Antibodies From Scratch In ‘Landmark Moment’ For Science

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, robotics/AI, science

Marking a major breakthrough in medical development, scientists have used AI to design antibodies from scratch.

Nov 4, 2024

Starlink pauses new subscriptions in Nairobi, cites network overload

Posted by in category: internet

Oh my. And here I was about to get Starlink.


Starlink has suspended new subscriptions in Nairobi and neighbouring Kiambu, Machakos, Narok, Murang’a and Nakuru regions, citing a network capacity overload due to increased demand.

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