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Apr 18, 2020

Israel, US researchers create ‘mini Human-on-a-Chip’ to speed up drug testing

Posted by in categories: bioengineering, biotech/medical, computing, neuroscience

Two new studies by researchers in Tel Aviv University and Harvard University on the subject were published in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering on Monday.

Organs-on-a-chip were first developed in 2010 at Harvard University. Then, scientists took cells from a specific human organ — heart, brain, kidney and lung — and used tissue engineering techniques to put them in a plastic cartridge, or the so called chip. Despite the use of the term chip, which often refers to microchips, no computer parts are involved here.

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Apr 18, 2020

Genetic tracing ‘barcode’ is rapidly revealing COVID-19’s journey and evolution

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics

Drexel University researchers have reported a method to quickly identify and label mutated versions of the virus that causes COVID-19. Their preliminary analysis, using information from a global database of genetic information gleaned from coronavirus testing, suggests that there are at least six to 10 slightly different versions of the virus infecting people in America, some of which are either the same as, or have subsequently evolved from, strains directly from Asia, while others are the same as those found in Europe.

First developed as a way of parsing to get a snapshot of the mix of bacteria, the genetic analysis tool teases out patterns from volumes of genetic information and can identify whether a virus has genetically changed. They can then use the pattern to categorize viruses with using tags called Informative Subtype Markers (ISM).

Applying the same method to process viral genetic data can quickly detect and categorize slight genetic variations in the SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, the group reported in a paper recently posted on the preliminary research archive, bioRxiv. The genetic analysis tool that generates these labels is publicly available for COVID-19 researchers on GitHub.

Apr 18, 2020

How does coronavirus kill? Clinicians trace a ferocious rampage through the body, from brain to toes

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, neuroscience

The lungs are ground zero for COVID-19, but blood clots may play a surprisingly big role in severe illness.

Apr 18, 2020

This Artificial Intelligence Extracts Emotions And Shows What People Are Feeling

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

Expert Systems and Sociometrica analyze the sentiment of 63,000 social media posts each day to … [+] determine the emotional state of the internet in response to COVID-19.

Apr 18, 2020

Focus: Acoustic Diode Hits the Perfect Note

Posted by in category: computing

A waveguide structure allows a specific type of sound wave to travel in only one direction with near-perfect transmission and without a power source required.

Apr 18, 2020

Controversial ‘gene drive’ could disarm deadly wheat pathogen

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

Lab tests show potential of gene-spreading strategy to fight plant diseases.

Apr 18, 2020

Hacking the Nature of Reality

Posted by in category: particle physics

In particle physics, we try to understand reality by looking for smaller and smaller building blocks. But what if that has been the wrong philosophy all along?

In standard use, the S-matrix can be calculated if you understand the forces in the interaction region – for example, in the nucleus of an atom. But what if you don’t know those internal interaction forces? Heisenberg sought a way to ignore that internal structure and, rather, treat the S-matrix as fundamental. The S-matrix was to become the physics of the interaction, rather than an emergent property of more fundamental, internal physics. Heisenberg’s made some progress in the 40s, but the approach came into its own 20 years later when the atomic nucleus refused to give up its mysteries.

Apr 18, 2020

Boeing Patents ‘Star Wars’-Style Force Field Technology

Posted by in categories: energy, transportation

Circa 2015


— — Boeing’s new patent may let the force be with you even in real life.

The aircraft and defense company has taken a cue from science fiction with its plan to develop a Star Wars-style force field that would use energy to deflect any potential damage.

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Apr 18, 2020

Meteor Impact Leaves Giant Crater in Africa, Creates Ejecta Blast Zone

Posted by in category: futurism

April 16, 2020: A meteor impacted the earth in Akure, Nigeria at an angle of 43 degrees on March 28, 2020. The space rock left a large crater and created an ejecta blast zone that damaged many structures. #AsteroidImpact #MeteorExplosion #CometSwan

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Apr 18, 2020

Possible Dinosaur DNA Has Been Found

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics

New discoveries have raised the possibility of exploring dino genetics, but controversy surrounds the results.