Lifeboat Foundation

Researchers at MIT and Harvard University have designed a way to selectively turn on gene therapies in target cells, including human cells. Their technology can detect specific messenger RNA sequences in cells, and that detection then triggers production of a specific protein from a transgene, or artificial gene.

Because transgenes can have negative and even dangerous effects when expressed in the wrong cells, the researchers wanted to find a way to reduce off-target effects from gene therapies. One way of distinguishing different types of cells is by reading the RNA sequences inside them, which differ from tissue to tissue.

By finding a way to produce transgene only after “reading” specific RNA sequences inside cells, the researchers developed a technology that could fine-tune gene therapies in applications ranging from regenerative medicine to cancer treatment. For example, researchers could potentially create new therapies to destroy tumors by designing their system to identify cancer cells and produce a toxic protein just inside those cells, killing them in the process.

It will focus on projects that illuminate the basic biology of the adeno-associated virus, one of the most common gene-delivery vectors.

The general index is a collection of 100+ million scientific papers that can be downloaded in 38 Terabytes. It is structured and can be searched via code.

There’s a vast amount of research out there, with the volume growing rapidly with each passing day. But there’s a problem.

Not only is a lot of the existing literature hidden behind a paywall, but it can also be difficult to parse and make sense of in a comprehensive, logical way. What’s really needed is a super-smart version of Google just for academic papers.

Continue reading “Ginormous New ‘Index’ Shares Data From 100 Million Science Papers For Free” »

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Paper referenced in the video:
Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Mortality Results From 2 Prospective Cohort Studies of US Men and Women and a Meta-Analysis of 26 Cohort Studies.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33641343/

Facebook has been putting research into systems that will see, hear, and remember everyday activities and interactions on AR/VR devices.

MicroBooNE weakens the case for sterile neutrinos, but the mystery that shrouded earlier neutrino experiments remains.

The importance of considering the numerous cybersecurity holes likely to be present in AI self-driving cars and seriously seeking to plug them up.

The emission-free aircraft will carry up to 76 passengers.

A new aviation partnership could see commercial hydrogen-electric airliners take to the skies. The parent company of Alaska Airlines, Alaska Air Group, is partnering with zero-emission aviation firm ZeroAvia to develop a hydrogen-electric powertrain for a 76-seater passenger airliner, a press statement reveals.

Continue reading “A New Commercial Hydrogen-Electric Plane Will Boast a 500 Mile Range” »

To keep up with China and Russia. The future of warfare builds on previous successes. And throughout conflicts in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan, the U.S. military possessed an unrivaled advantage in air superiority. But all things change, and to face the possibility of conflict with new and advanced weapons and aircraft from Russia or China, the Special Operations Command (SOCOM) wants to upgrade some of its largest aircraft with cruise missiles, according to a recent solicitation shared on a government website. Specifically, SOCOM’s plans call for equipping AC-130s with cruise missiles, in addition to transforming the MC-130 into a \.

Equipping AC-130s with cruise missiles could prove superfluous.

Continue reading “The US Wants to Upgrade Its Biggest Planes With Cruise Missiles” »