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Apr 27, 2020

Restoring Telomerase Activity in Telomere Biology Diseases

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics, life extension

Researchers have demonstrated that it is possible to restore telomerase activity in stem cells affected by telomere biology diseases, which prevent them from producing telomerase and repairing their telomeres.

Telomeres and telomerase

Each chromosome that stores our genetic information has a protective cap at each end known as a telomere, a specific DNA sequence that is repeated thousands of times. This sequence has two purposes: it protects the coding regions of the chromosome and prevents it from being damaged, and it acts as a clock that controls the number of replications a cell can make; this is known as the Hayflick limit.

Apr 27, 2020

Coronavirus attacks blood vessels all over the body, Swiss study finds

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

Researcher says virus enters ‘defence line’ and causes circulation problems, which can lead to multiple organ failure.

Apr 27, 2020

Quantum electrodynamics experiment ‘major step toward’ large-scale implementation

Posted by in categories: particle physics, quantum physics

The fundamental laws of physics are based on symmetries that determine the interactions between charged particles, among other things. Using ultracold atoms, researchers at Heidelberg University have experimentally constructed the symmetries of quantum electrodynamics. They hope to gain new insights for implementing future quantum technologies that can simulate complex physical phenomena. The results of the study were published in the journal Science.

The theory of quantum electrodynamics deals with the electromagnetic interaction between electrons and light particles. It is based on so-called U symmetry, which, for instance, specifies the movement of particles. With their experiments, the Heidelberg physicists, under the direction of Junior Professor Dr. Fred Jendrzejewski, seek to advance the efficient investigation of this complex physical theory. They recently experimentally realized one elementary building block. “We see the results of our research as a major step toward a platform built from a chain of properly connected for a large-scale implementation of quantum in ,” explains Prof. Jendrzejewski, who directs an Emmy Noether group at Heidelberg University’s Kirchhoff Institute for Physics.

According to the researchers, one possible application would be developing large-scale quantum devices to simulate complex physical phenomena that cannot be studied with particle accelerators. The elementary block developed for this study could also benefit the investigation of problems in materials research, such as in strongly interacting systems that are difficult to calculate.

Apr 27, 2020

See a string of lights in the sky? It was probably SpaceX’s ‘Starlink’ satellites

Posted by in categories: economics, satellites

We’re getting many calls and emails from WGN viewers who say they spotted a strange string of lights crossing the night sky on Sunday.

No, it’s not planes flying in formation or a meteor shower. It’s actually a satellite string that’s part of SpaceX’s “Starlink” project. You can read more about it below.

While much of the world economy stands still, SpaceX is running full speed ahead.

Apr 27, 2020

Astronomers Have Found a Star That Survived Being Swallowed by a Black Hole

Posted by in categories: cosmology, materials

When black holes swallow down massive amounts of matter from the space around them, they’re not exactly subtle about it. They belch out tremendous flares of X-rays, generated by the material heating to intense temperatures as it’s sucked towards the black hole, so bright we can detect them from Earth.

This is normal black hole behaviour. What isn’t normal is for those X-ray flares to spew forth with clockwork regularity, a puzzling behaviour reported last year from a supermassive black hole at the centre of a galaxy 250 million light-years away. Every nine hours, boom — X-ray flare.

After careful study, astronomer Andrew King of the University of Leicester in the UK believes he has identified the cause — a dead star that’s endured its brush with a black hole, trapped on a nine-hour, elliptical orbit around it. Every close pass, or periastron, the black hole slurps up more of the star’s material.

Apr 27, 2020

CDC expands the official list of coronavirus symptoms

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has added six new symptoms of Covid-19 to its website as scientists gather more data on the coronavirus and patients show “a wide range of symptoms,” the agency said Friday.

The previous list of symptoms included fever, cough and shortness of breath or difficulty breathing. The CDC now says chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and a sudden loss of taste or smell are also common indicators of the coronavirus.

Emergency warning signs include trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion or inability to arouse, and bluish lips or face. People experiencing those symptoms should seek medical attention immediately, according to the CDC.

Apr 27, 2020

Study of twins reveals genetic effect on Covid-19 symptoms

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics

The team then focused on data from just over 2,600 twins to try to establish whether the symptoms experienced by those predicted to have Covid-19 was related to genetic makeup.

“The idea was to basically look at the similarities in symptoms or non-symptoms between the identical twins, who share 100% of their genes, and the non-identical twins, who only share half of their genes,” Prof Tim Spector, one of the scientists leading the endeavour, told the Guardian. “If there is a genetic factor in expressing the symptoms then we’d see a greater similarity in the identical [twins] than the non-identical [twins] and that is basically what we showed.”

The study, which has not yet been peer reviewed, took into account whether the twins were in the same household, with the results revealing that genetic factors explained about 50% of the differences between people’s symptoms of Covid-19.

Apr 27, 2020

The first ever YouTube video was uploaded 15 years ago today. Here it is

Posted by in category: futurism

It is the anniversary of a legend. A YouTube legend. Meet “Me at the zoo.”

Apr 27, 2020

Springer has released 65 Machine Learning and Data books for free

Posted by in categories: mathematics, robotics/AI

Hundreds of books are now free to download.

Springer has released hundreds of free books on a wide range of topics to the general public. The list, which includes 408 books in total, covers a wide range of scientific and technological topics. In order to save you some time, I have created one list of all the books (65 in number) that are relevant to the data and Machine Learning field.

Among the books, you will find those dealing with the mathematical side of the domain (Algebra, Statistics, and more), along with more advanced books on Deep Learning and other advanced topics. You also could find some good books in various programming languages such as Python, R, and MATLAB, etc.

Apr 27, 2020

The brain’s imprint on the skull shows what separates humans from other primates

Posted by in category: neuroscience

The key appears to be lateralization, meaning the specialization of different sides of the brain for different functions.