Lifeboat Foundation

So people can change the weather, and science-based weather modification techniques are now employed in over 50 countries according to the World Meteorological Organization. But for every science-based weather-altering technique, there are dozens of pseudoscientific urban legends.

In Cuba, it is believed that a shotgun can stop twisters. Aim at the funnel cloud, pull the trigger, and stop the tornado or waterspout before it touches down. In Puerto Rico, people have suggested installing giant fans in the El Yunque rainforest on the east side of the island to blow hurricanes away. Others have suggested putting fans in Africa to increase the amount of Saharan dust that already enters the Atlantic early in hurricane season, which can dampen fledgling tropical storms. The proposal to tow icebergs from the Arctic down to the tropical ocean to cool it down is equally impractical. No flotilla could bring enough rapidly melting icebergs to cool the vast tropical Atlantic Ocean for the six months of hurricane season.

Given all these fantastical ideas perhaps it should come as no surprise that besides altering the weather, conspiracy theorists also claim HAARP can trigger earthquakes, and, as the Georgia men believed, remotely control minds. The line between harmless urban legend and dangerous conspiracy theory is thin.

45K likes, — supercarsfor.sale on October 11, 2024: ‘The new Tesla Robovan. What do you think? Video by @dragtimescom’

Ready to set another industry record!

New multi-launch agreement between Firefly Aerospace and True Anomaly includes three Alpha missions to provide rapid launch capabilities for Tactically Responsive Space mission sets

Cedar Park, Texas, October 17, 2024 – Firefly Aerospace, Inc., an end-to-end space transportation company, and space defense technology company True Anomaly, Inc., today announced a multi-launch agreement for three responsive launch missions aboard Firefly’s Alpha rocket. The first mission will deploy the True Anomaly Jackal Autonomous Orbital Vehicle (AOV) for the U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command’s VICTUS HAZE Tactically Responsive Space (TacRS) mission targeted for 2025. The two additional missions are available for execution between 2025 and 2027.

Continue reading “True Anomaly Taps Firefly Aerospace to Launch Jackal Autonomous Orbital Vehicle for U.S. Space Force VICTUS HAZE Tactically Responsive Space Mission” »

The Haven-1 project has an ambitious schedule, as its development and preparation for launch are planned to be completed in the second half of 2025. The Vast team includes experienced professionals, particularly former NASA astronaut Andrew Feistel, who provides advice on optimizing the module’s design.

“After three missions to space, we will use our experience to create a comfortable environment on the station. It is important to consider all aspects, from communications and private space to support crew work and scientific progress,” said Andrew Feistel.

Continue reading “ISS will be replaced by a space station with artificial gravity” »

Summary: Researchers have discovered that the protein USP50 regulates DNA replication by managing which enzymes—nucleases or helicases—cleave or unwind DNA strands during replication. This control is crucial for stable replication, especially when the process encounters issues that need restarting. When USP50 is absent, cells struggle to coordinate enzyme use, leading to replication errors and potential genetic instability.

The findings provide new insights into genome maintenance and may help explain some hereditary conditions, such as early-onset aging and certain cancers. Understanding USP50’s role opens doors to potential therapeutic strategies aimed at protecting DNA integrity.

Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton of Virginia, who is retiring after this term, was diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy. There is no cure for her condition, which has rapidly robbed her of her mobility, balance and most recently her speech. She’s using her rare diagnosis and AI to help make change during her final months in office.

Fortunately, the past decade has experienced a boom, with over 200 startups bringing novel cancer therapies—primarily antibodies, viruses, or cells—into clinical trials aiming to find alternatives to toxic chemotherapy. Despite these innovations, chemotherapy remains an essential yet toxic part of cancer care. In Pittsburgh, a small team of scientist-entrepreneurs and oncologists started meeting every Friday morning before work, collaborating to search for a new chemistry, one that could replace toxic chemotherapies. Their search soon focused on compelling research about novel ultra-small nanomedicine chemistry that carried potent drugs deep into solid tumors while sparing healthy organs.

This new nanomedicine chemistry fascinated Dr. Sam Rothstein, a scientist-entrepreneur with 20+ years of nanomedicine research experience spanning academia and industry. “We could make a real positive impact on patients,” says Rothstein. “We know that nanomedicines, which keep potent therapies out of healthy organs, improve quality of life. But this novel ultrasmall chemistry could go even further, saving lives by reaching remote cancer cells that current therapies can’t touch.”

Dr. Rothstein set to work building a new company, calling on connections made over a 10+-year career as a life science startup CEO and CSO, where he founded and grew two nanomedicine startups from academic discoveries. After months of market, regulatory, and business research, Duo Oncology was born.

JWST observations of outflows from four young stars reveal in each case a molecular wind with a central cavity surrounding a fast jet. These results point to disk winds driving accretion, with implications for planet formation and evolution.

She’s a real Vincent van Go-bot.

In a first for Sotheby’s, the famed auction house will sell a painting made by a humanoid robot — and it’s expected to fetch up to a whopping $180,000.

Continue reading “Sotheby’s to auction painting by humanoid robot in a futuristic first— and it’s expected to fetch up to $180K” »