Lifeboat Foundation

It’s been a big year for the ‘impossible’ EM Drive — a new kind of rocket engine that appears to generate thrust without any kind of exhaust or propellant. Back in May, NASA researchers reported a successful 10-week trial of their EM Drive prototype, and inventor Guido Fetta just got approval to test his own version in space.

Now, the UK Intellectual Property Office has released the latest patent application from British EM Drive inventor Roger Shawyer, and he says millions of pounds rest on the success of design within.

“The patent process is a very significant process, it’s not like an academic peer review where everyone hides behind an anonymous review, it’s all out in the open,” Shawyer told Mary-Ann Russon at the International Business Times.

Continue reading “The latest patent for the ‘impossible’ EM Drive has just been made public — and it’s wild” »

As Uber pushes ahead with plans for self-driving cars, there are differing views on the roles of drivers in that future.

Researchers have made the breakthrough of couch potatoes’ dreams with a new drug that mimics some of the most important effects of exercise. Scientists from Deakin University in Melbourne published their findings in Cell Reports earlier this week, showing that overweight mice who were given the drug no longer showed signs of cardiovascular disease.

Madeleine Lancaster has 300 brains growing in her lab – here’s how she’s done it.

The robot uses trial and error to perfect complex tasks.

A new mathematical model of memory could accelerate the quest to build super-powered, brain-inspired hardware systems.

In Brief:

Researchers have proposed an alternative way to generate super-strong magnetic fields that would solve the hindrances keeping us from harnessing the Faraday effect to its full use. More research and experimentation are needed to test the method.

Continue reading “Physicists Propose A Way to Make Magnetic Fields That Are Stronger Than Any on Earth” »

A space nation, independent of countries on Earth, could be founded after a team of engineers, scientists and legal experts put forward proposals for an extra-terrestrial state.

The project, which is led by Russian scientist Dr Igor Ashurbeyli, Chairman of UNESCOs Science of Space committee, aims to create an area in space which is beyond the control of individual nations.

Under current space law, government’s must authorise and supervise space programmes run from their own countries even if they are commercial.

Continue reading “Scientists propose space nation named ‘Asgardia’ and cosmic shield to protect Earth from asteroids” »

A rare group of children is immune to AIDS, scientists believe.

The 170 boys and girls in South Africa are known as ‘non-progressors’.

Continue reading “Rare group of children are IMMUNE to AIDS, scientists reveal” »