Lifeboat Foundation

A new DNA analysis has shown that the arrival of modern humans from Africa was far from smooth.

It could lead to vaccines that could be simply rubbed onto the skin like creams.

Some bacteria, like harmless Staphylococcus epidermidis, have adapted to thrive on human skin.

Continue reading “Skin bacteria turned into topical vaccine, protects mice against tetanus” »

Noting that recent advances in artificial intelligence and the existence of large-scale experimental data about human biology have reached a critical mass, a team of researchers from Stanford University, Genentech, and the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative says that science has an “unprecedented opportunity” to use artificial intelligence (AI) to create the world’s first virtual human cell. Such a cell would be able to represent and simulate the precise behavior of human biomolecules, cells, and, eventually, tissues and organs.

“Modeling human cells can be considered the holy grail of biology,” said Emma Lundberg, associate professor of bioengineering and of pathology in the schools of Engineering and Medicine at Stanford and a senior author of a new article in the journal Cell proposing a concerted, global effort to create the world’s first AI virtual cell. “AI offers the ability to learn directly from data and to move beyond assumptions and hunches to discover the emergent properties of complex biological systems.”

Continue reading “Beyond batteries: Researchers bring body-heat powered wearable devices closer to reality” »

The big mover in the CSIRO’s GenCost report was the plunging cost of battery storage. One major battery project may already be doing much better.

Google’s new 105-qubit quantum processor has surpassed a key milestone first proposed in 1995.

The researchers produced new materials with perovskite crystal structures and compared them with existing materials at the cell level, concluding that high efficiencies can only be achieved with lead perovskites. They then fabricated highly efficient demonstrators, such as a perovskite silicon tandem solar cell of more than 100 sq cm with screen-printed metallization.

The project also included the development of a scalable perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell that achieved a 31.6% power conversion efficiency, first announced in September. The Fraunhofer researchers used a combination of vapor deposition and wet-chemical deposition to ensure an even deposition of the perovskite layer on the textured silicon surface. “Close industrial cooperation is the next step in establishing this future technology in Europe,” said Professor Andreas Bett, coordinator of the project.

Oil and gas giant bp spins offshore wind interests into JV with another fossil major, in what the CEO describes as a “capital-light” approach to “an electrifying world.”

Mosasaurs are extinct marine lizards, spectacular examples of which were first discovered in 1766 near Maastricht in the Netherlands, fueling the rise of the field of vertebrate paleontology. Paleontologist Michael Polcyn presented the most comprehensive study to date on the early evolution and ecology of these extinct marine reptiles.

On 16 December, Polcyn will receive his Ph.D. from Utrecht University for his research into the evolution of the mosasaurs. Mosasaurs are a textbook example of macroevolution, the emergence of new and distinct groups of animals, above the level of species. Although they have been studied for centuries, new discoveries, novel research approaches, and the application of technology, are still teaching us about their relationships and behaviors, some of which continue to surprise us.

For example, through the use of detailed comparative anatomy aided by micro-CT scanning technology, we have gained a much better understanding of what group of lizards mosasaurs likely evolved from.

Google has unveiled a new chip which it claims takes five minutes to solve a problem that would currently take the world’s fastest super computers ten septillion – or-1 years – to complete.

The chip is the latest development in a field known as quantum computing — which is attempting to use the principles of particle physics to create a new type of mind-bogglingly powerful computer.

Continue reading “Google unveils ‘mind-boggling’ quantum computing chip | BBC News” »