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Jul 28, 2022

Martin Shkreli Is Back With a Web3 Drug Discovery Platform

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, chemistry, computing

The platform, still in the early development phase, is called Druglike, according to a press release that circulated on July 25. Its goals are ostensibly lofty, but the details are extremely sketchy, and Shkreli’s intentions have already drawn skepticism. It’s also unclear whether the enterprise will run Shkreli afoul of his lifetime ban from the pharmaceutical industry, which stemmed from the abrupt and callous 4,000 percent price hike of a life-saving drug that made him infamous.

Shkreli, who is named as a cofounder of Druglike, says the platform aims to make early-stage drug discovery more affordable and accessible. “Druglike will remove barriers to early-stage drug discovery, increase innovation and allow a broader group of contributors to share the rewards,” Shkreli said in the press release. “Underserved and underfunded communities, such as those focused on rare diseases or in developing markets, will also benefit from access to these tools.”

Generally, early-stage drug development can sometimes involve virtual screens to identify potential drug candidates. In these cases, pharmaceutical scientists first identify a “target”—a specific compound or protein that plays a critical role in developing a disease or condition. Then researchers look for compounds or small molecules that could interfere with that target, sometimes binding or “docking” directly to the target in a way that keeps it from functioning. This can be done in physical labs using massive libraries of compounds in high-throughput chemical screens. But it can also be done virtually, using specialized software and a lot of computing power, which can be resource-intensive.

Jul 28, 2022

NASA details plans to bring back Mars rock samples

Posted by in category: space

NASA plans to bring 30 Martian rock samples back to Earth in 2033, the agency said Wednesday — and is sending two small helicopters to help the mission.

The Perseverance rover, which landed on Mars in February 2021, has so far collected 11 samples as part of its hunt for signatures of ancient life.

But bringing them back for detailed lab study on Earth is proving to be a highly complex task.

Jul 28, 2022

Inefficient building electrification risks prolonging fossil fuel use

Posted by in categories: climatology, sustainability

A new study finds that decarbonization pathways need to incorporate more efficient electric heating technologies and more renewable energy sources to minimize strain on the U.S. electric grid during increased electricity usage from heating in December and January. Otherwise, harmful fossil fuels will continue to power these seasonal spikes in energy demand.

Buildings’ direct fossil fuel consumption, burned in water heaters, furnaces, and other heating sources, accounts for nearly 10 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Switching to an electric system that powers heating through , rather than coal, oil, and natural gas—the process known as building electrification or building decarbonization—is a crucial step towards achieving global net-zero climate goals.

However, most building decarbonization models have not accounted for seasonal fluctuations in energy demand for heating or cooling. This makes it difficult to predict what an eventual switch to cleaner, all-electric heating in buildings could mean for the nation’s electrical grid, especially during peaks in energy use.

Jul 28, 2022

Japan marks world’s highest number of weekly COVID cases

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

The World Health Organization says Japan recorded the highest global number of new coronavirus cases in the seven days through Sunday.

The WHO on Wednesday released an update on new COVID-19 cases reported during the week from July 18 to 24.

The report says the number of weekly cases in Japan stood at 969,068 — an increase of 73 percent from the previous week.

Jul 28, 2022

Australian researchers to build apps for Google quantum computer

Posted by in categories: computing, quantum physics

As part of a $1 billion initiative, Google has hired researchers at Sydney’s biggest unis to find applications for the quantum computer it’s building in the US.

Jul 28, 2022

A.I. Wars, The Fermi Paradox and Great Filters with David Brin

Posted by in categories: alien life, existential risks, nanotechnology, physics, robotics/AI, security

Why we need AI to compete against each other. Does a Great Filter Stop all Alien Civilizations at some point? Are we Doomed if We Find Life in Our Solar System?

David Brin is a scientist, speaker, technical consultant and world-known author. His novels have been New York Times Bestsellers, winning multiple Hugo, Nebula and other awards.
A 1998 movie, directed by Kevin Costner, was loosely based on his book The Postman.
His Ph.D in Physics from UCSD — followed a masters in optics and an undergraduate degree in astrophysics from Caltech. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the California Space Institute and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Brin serves on advisory committees dealing with subjects as diverse as national defense and homeland security, astronomy and space exploration, SETI and nanotechnology, future/prediction and philanthropy. He has served since 2010 on the council of external advisers for NASA’s Innovative and Advanced Concepts group (NIAC), which supports the most inventive and potentially ground-breaking new endeavors.

Continue reading “A.I. Wars, The Fermi Paradox and Great Filters with David Brin” »

Jul 28, 2022

DeepMind’s protein-folding AI cracks biology’s biggest problem

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

DeepMind has predicted the structure of almost every protein so far catalogued by science, cracking one of the grand challenges of biology in just 18 months thanks to an artificial intelligence called AlphaFold. Researchers say that the work has already led to advances in combating malaria, antibiotic resistance and plastic waste, and could speed up the discovery of new drugs.

Determining the crumpled shapes of proteins based on their sequences of constituent amino acids has been a persistent problem for decades in biology. Some of these amino acids are attracted to others, some are repelled by water, and the chains form intricate shapes that are hard to accurately determine.

Thinking long-term to save the world Martin Rees at New Scientist Live this October.

Jul 28, 2022

What Actually Are Space And Time?

Posted by in categories: food, quantum physics, space

Use code HISTORY16 for up to 16 FREE MEALS + 3 Surprise Gifts across 7 HelloFresh boxes plus free shipping at https://bit.ly/3Rkknac!

If you like this video, check out writer Geraint Lewis´ excellent book, co-written with Chris Ferrie:
Where Did the Universe Come From? And Other Cosmic Questions: Our Universe, from the Quantum to the Cosmos.

Continue reading “What Actually Are Space And Time?” »

Jul 28, 2022

AMAZING Quantum Discovery May Solve WHY WE EXIST | Quantum Entanglement, Quantum Theory

Posted by in categories: computing, quantum physics

Quantum mechanic discoveries are some of the most groundbreaking discoveries that scientists can make as they allow us to get a better understand of the space and matter around us. From multiple dimensions to quantum superposition, there are many things that are difficult for scientists and physicists to explain. Hopefully we can clear up some of the confusion!

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Continue reading “AMAZING Quantum Discovery May Solve WHY WE EXIST | Quantum Entanglement, Quantum Theory” »

Jul 28, 2022

The 2022 Oppenheimer Lecture: The Quantum Origins of Gravity

Posted by in categories: cosmology, quantum physics

It was once thought that gravity and quantum mechanics were inconsistent with one another. Instead, we are discovering that they are so closely connected that one can almost say they are the same thing. Professor Susskind will explain how this view came into being over the last two decades, and illustrate how a number of gravitational phenomena have their roots in the ordinary principles of quantum mechanics.

Leonard Susskind is an American physicist, who is a professor of theoretical physics at Stanford University, and founding director of the Stanford Institute for Theoretical Physics. His research interests include string theory, quantum field theory, quantum statistical mechanics, and quantum cosmology.