Lifeboat Foundation

A team of plant geneticists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) has identified a protein receptor on stem cells involved in plant development that can issue different instructions about how to grow depending on what peptide (protein fragment) activates it.

This is the first such multi-functional receptor found to work in this way to control plant development. The new findings obtained by CSHL Professor David Jackson and colleagues may have important implications for efforts to boost yields of essential food crops such as corn and rice.

Plant growth and development depend on structures called meristems — reservoirs in plants that contain stem cells. When prompted by peptide signals, stem cells in the meristem develop into any of the plant’s organs — roots, leaves, or flowers, for example. These signals generally work like a key (the peptide) fitting into a lock on the surface of a cell (the protein receptor). The lock opens momentarily, triggering the release of a chemical messenger inside the cell. The messenger carries instructions for the cell to do something, such as grow into a root or flower cell or even stop growing altogether. Conventionally, one or more peptides fit into a receptor to release a single type of chemical messenger.

While bee populations dwindle at an alarming rate, Walmart made a surprising move in filing a patent for robot bees to act as agricultural pollinators.

New York City’s discerning high-end chefs often ship in rare herbs and edible flowers from other states or even overseas. But Farm.One, an organic farm in the basement of an office building in Manhattan, can pick and deliver the precious leaves and flowers within the same day, says Robert Laing, the company’s CEO.

With its stacked shelves of hydroponic plants and grow lights, Farm. One is part of a growing movement of vertical farming across the world. The tech-enabled system uses less space and water than traditional farming.

Continue reading “The freshest herbs in Manhattan were grown in this office building basement” »

Meet GummiArm, the soft-handed robot that could fill in for a lack of human crop pickers—if British farmers can afford the cost.

The problem: The Telegraph notes that 40 percent of the growing costs for cauliflower, and similar crops like cabbage and broccoli, comes from harvesting in the UK. And that could rise, as crop-picking labor supply is set to decline in the country following Brexit.

Robots could help: University of Plymouth researchers say their GummiArm bot can pick up the slack. Computer vision allows it to work out which vegetable it should try to pick, while its hand can become more or less stiff to gently pick brassicas from their stems. It’s currently being tested in fields in southwestern England.

Continue reading “This cauliflower-picking robot aims to make up for a shortage of human labor in the UK” »

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MhAX, or Microhomology-Assisted eXcision.

Gene editing has the power to completely reshape our world.

It promises everything from fixing the genetic faults that lead to disease, to destroying disease-causing microbes, to improving the nutrition of the foods we eat and even resurrecting extinct species like the wooly mammoth — all largely thanks to the genetic editing tool CRISPR, which has both popularized this work and made it possible.

Continue reading “Gene Editing Just Got So Precise, Researchers Can Change Single Letters of DNA Code” »

My free event tomorrow w/ free food in San Francisco at Stock and Trade, 4-6PM. Come here me talk transhumanism and politics, and ask questions. Network TV is on hand to film it and would love to hear from you. Free tickets are below:

The Libertarian Party of San Francisco invites you to join us as we host Zoltan Istvan in his run for governor of California. Come and discover Zoltan’s unique perspective on Libertarianism and Transhumanism, and learn how he is working to spread these ideas in California and across the nation.

Join us at Stock in Trade where you will hear Zoltan speak and have an opportunity ask questions, followed by plenty of time to socialize with other LIbertarians. We will provide appetizers and addtional food and drinks are available for purchase from the bar.

Continue reading “Zoltan Istvan for CA Governor” »

There’s hope for a tastier, healthier, more robust tomorrow: high-tech new food preservation methods that fend off the bad stuff (bacteria, spoilage) while protecting the good (flavor, texture, nutrients). Scientists are experimenting with everything from microwave sterilization to blasts of plasma to ensure food stays appetizing longer—even without refrigeration. That salmon dinner you bought on Monday? It’ll taste just as fresh a week later. And it’ll be just as good for you.

Best for: Berries, nuts Scientists at Scotland’s University of Strathclyde pioneered a technique that bombards fluids with high-intensity blue light, which produces a form of oxygen that’s lethal to pathogens. It’s now being adapted for use on berries and other foods.

Best for: Eggs The USDA has developed a machine for eliminating salmonella in fresh eggs. Electrodes pulse radio frequency waves through the shells, targeting the space between the white and yolk where salmonella dwells.

A burger-flipping robot named Flippy is now cooking up hamburgers at a fast food restaurant called Caliburger.

A robot named Flippy is now in the kitchen at a fast food restaurant called CaliBurger in Pasadena. We were there for a preview event where Flippy made us some lunch.

Follow KTLA Tech Reporter Rich DeMuro on Facebook or Twitter for cool apps, tech tricks & tips!

Continue reading “Flippy the Burger Flipping Robot Is Now Cooking at the CaliBurger Fast Food Chain” »