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May 6, 2020

See which countries fund the most scientific research

Posted by in category: government

China ranks second only to the U.S.—thanks to a big boost in government spending.

May 6, 2020

Microsoft offers $100,000 to hack its custom Linux OS

Posted by in categories: cybercrime/malcode, internet

Microsoft is looking for hackers to test its Azure Sphere OS security. It’s a custom-built Linux OS that’s designed for Internet of Things devices. Microsoft will reward security researchers up to $100,000 for vulnerabilities in the OS.

May 6, 2020

Nuclear Proliferation North Korea

Posted by in categories: biological, chemistry, existential risks, military

North Korea has an active nuclear weapons program & has repeatedly tested nuclear explosive devices. It is also believed to possess biological & chemical weapons.

May 6, 2020

Scientists Say Llama Antibodies Could Be Key to Defeating COVID

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

“Vaccines have to be given a month or two before infection to provide protection,” McLellan said in the statement. “With antibody therapies, you’re directly giving somebody the protective antibodies and so, immediately after treatment, they should be protected.”

“The antibodies could also be used to treat somebody who is already sick to lessen the severity of the disease,” McLellan added.

“There is still a lot of work to do to try to bring this into the clinic,” Xavier Saelens, a molecular virologist at Ghent University in Belgium and co-author, told the Times. “If it works, llama Winter deserves a statue.”

May 6, 2020

The Pentagon Wants to Test a Space-Based ‘Particle Beam’ by 2023

Posted by in categories: military, particle physics, space

The U.S. Department of Defense wants to test a directed energy weapon in space, one that it hopes will someday destroy ballistic missiles moments after launch. The weapon, a so-called neutral particle beam, would be boosted into space and tested from orbit in 2023.

Neutral particle beams don’t get as much attention as lasers but are attractive in their own right. The weapons work by accelerating particles without an electric charge—particularly neutrons—to speeds close to the speed of light and directing them against a target. The neutrons knock protons out of the nuclei of other particles they encounter, generating heat on the target object.

May 6, 2020

14 mutations found in SARS-CoV-2: One strain may be more easily spread

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, education, genetics

A team of researchers from Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS and the Duke Human Vaccine Institute and Department of Surgery has found 14 mutations to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, one of which they suspect might be more easily spread. In the interest of speedy dissemination of findings, the group has uploaded their paper to the bioRxiv preprint server rather than waiting for peer review at another journal.

The work involved analyzing the genomes of the virus found in 6,000 infected people from around the globe. They focused most specifically on the virus genes that are responsible for producing the “spike protein,” which is the mechanism the virus uses to attach to human cells. In so doing, they found 14 mutations, but one they named D614G (also known as G614) stood out because it was found in almost all samples outside of China. It was also particularly notable because it appeared to replace a prior mutation called D614. They also noted that in the original outbreak in China, there were only D614 mutations. It was only after the virus began appearing in Europe that the G614 mutation emerged. They suggest that the fact that the G614 virus took over from the prior mutation could mean it is more easily spread.

May 6, 2020

Scientists Found A Way to Disable a Gene Responsible For Obesity: Worry About Getting Too Fat No More?

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

If this is viable, this will cut the cost of healthcare dramatically, and improve billions of lives over the centuries.


Despite being fed high-fat diets, a study reveals that by blocking macrophages or inflammatory cells, low-grade inflammation related to obesity could also be controlled. Click the link above to learn more.

May 6, 2020

PLANDEMIC (pt. 1 Judy Mikovits)

Posted by in category: futurism

Click on photo to start video.

This is “PLANDEMIC (pt. 1 Judy Mikovits)” by ELEVATE on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

May 6, 2020

Physicists Criticize Stephen Wolfram’s ‘Theory of Everything’

Posted by in category: physics

The iconoclastic researcher and entrepreneur wants more attention for his big ideas. But so far researchers are less than receptive.

May 6, 2020

Navy Confirms Global Strike Hypersonic Weapon Will First Deploy on Virginia Attack Subs

Posted by in categories: military, robotics/AI

The Navy intends to deploy its conventional prompt strike hypersonic weapon on Virginia-class attack submarines, after previous discussions of putting the weapon on the larger Ohio-class guided-missile submarine (SSGN), according to budget request documents.

In its Fiscal Year 2021 budget overview, the Navy outlines a research and development portfolio with 5 percent more funding than this current year – for a total of $21.5 billion – that is aimed at “providing innovative capabilities in shipbuilding (Columbia class), aviation (F-35), weapons (Maritime Strike Tomahawk), hypersonics (Conventional Prompt Strike), unmanned, family of lasers, digital warfare, applied [artificial intelligence], and [U.S. Marine Corps] expeditionary equipment. These technologies are crucial to maintaining DON’s competitive advantage.”

On the Conventional Prompt Strike, the Navy wants to invest $1 billion for research and development.