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Feb 26, 2020

How to Battle an Epidemic? Digitize Its DNA and Share It With the World

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

Ogba Educational Clinic


A nightmarish scene was burnt into my memory nearly two decades ago: Changainjie, Beijing’s normally chaotic “fifth avenue,” desolate without a sign of life. Schools shut, subways empty, people terrified to leave their homes. Every night the state TV channels reported new cases and new deaths. All the while, we had to face a chilling truth: the coronavirus, SARS, was so novel that no one understood how it spread or how to effectively treat it. No vaccines were in sight. In the end, it killed nearly 1,000 people.

It’s impossible not to draw parallels between SARS and the new coronavirus outbreak, COVID-19, that’s been ravaging China and spreading globally. Yet the response to the two epidemics also starkly highlights how far biotech and global collaborations have evolved in the past two decades. Advances in genetic sequencing technologies, synthetic biology, and open science are reshaping how we deal with potential global pandemics. In a way, the two epidemics hold up a mirror to science itself, reflecting both technological progress and a shift in ethos towards collaboration.

Continue reading “How to Battle an Epidemic? Digitize Its DNA and Share It With the World” »

Feb 26, 2020

A tactile robot finger with no blind spots

Posted by in categories: engineering, robotics/AI

Researchers at Columbia Engineering announced today that they have introduced a new type of robotic finger with a sense of touch. Their finger can localize touch with very high precision.

Feb 26, 2020

D-Wave launches Leap 2, the next version of its quantum cloud service

Posted by in category: quantum physics

D-Wave today announced the launch of Leap 2, the latest version of its quantum cloud service that gives developers real-time access to its hardware quantum systems.

As the company notes, Leap 2 was built with the feedback of thousands of developers in mind who used the previous generation of the service since it launched 18 months ago.

At the core of Leap 2 is D-Wave’s new hybrid solver that can handle complex problems with up to 10,000 variables. As a hybrid system, D-Wave uses both classical and quantum hardware to solve these problems.

Feb 26, 2020

The Complete Guide On How To Image Mars (And Other Planets)

Posted by in category: space

Planetary imaging is a fun and rewarding hobby that allows beginners and advanced amateur astronomers to delve into astronomical imaging without much of the expense and complexity of deep space astrophotography. There are also quite a few opportunities for planetary imagers to contribute to some significant scientific research. However, it is important to first understand what equipment is needed to successfully capture images of the solar system. In addition, some basic understanding of our atmosphere and optics are required, which will be addressed in this write-up.

Telescope

Feb 26, 2020

Top Iran health official gets virus as fears grow

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, health

Iraj Harirchi, who has strongly denied any cover-up of a growing outbreak, has self-quarantined.

Feb 26, 2020

Aubrey de Grey on the Joe Rogan Experience

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, life extension

https://youtube.com/watch?v=9-z0kglwpwo

They don’t waste much time getting right into it. He is 57 but has been told he is physically 47.


Dr. Aubrey de Grey of SENS Research Foundation was interviewed by the extremely popular Joe Rogan, and they discussed the damage repair approach to aging. Dr. de Grey talked about the current state of aging research, including stem cell therapies, and explained the role of SENS in developing next-generation rejuvenation biotechnology therapies. He also brought up the role of funding, a key bottleneck in research and development, and gave his prognosis on how quickly these therapies will be developed.

Feb 26, 2020

The Future is Faster Than You Think: An Interview with Peter Diamandis

Posted by in categories: Peter Diamandis, quantum physics, robotics/AI, transportation, virtual reality

Do you àgree?


In Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler’s new book, The Future Is Faster Than You Think, the futurist and science writer talk about converge and how a host of technologies, including VR, quantum computing, and A.I., are speeding up development of flying cars and changing new and old industries.

Feb 26, 2020

Looks like Earth has a new natural moon

Posted by in category: space

Astronomers have announced that Earth has a new mini-moon, a small asteroid apparently captured into Earth orbit 3 years ago. It’s been designated 2020 CD3.

Feb 26, 2020

Study identifies a transition in the strong nuclear force that illuminates the structure of a neutron star’s core

Posted by in category: particle physics

Most ordinary matter is held together by an invisible subatomic glue known as the strong nuclear force—one of the four fundamental forces in nature, along with gravity, electromagnetism, and the weak force. The strong nuclear force is responsible for the push and pull between protons and neutrons in an atom’s nucleus, which keeps an atom from collapsing in on itself.

In atomic nuclei, most protons and neutrons are far enough apart that physicists can accurately predict their interactions. However, these predictions are challenged when the subatomic particles are so close as to be practically on top of each other.

While such ultrashort-distance interactions are rare in most matter on Earth, they define the cores of neutron stars and other extremely dense astrophysical objects. Since scientists first began exploring nuclear physics, they have struggled to explain how the strong nuclear force plays out at such ultrashort distances.

Feb 26, 2020

Coronavirus live updates: US confirms new case, Moody’s slashes auto forecast

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, health

Wuhan Coronavirus Pandemic — new US case.

“U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar confirmed a new case of the coronavirus in the U.S. “Coming into this hearing, I was informed that we have a 15th confirmed case, the epidemiology of which we are still discerning,” he testified before a House panel. The new case brings the total number of cases in the U.S. to 60. The CDC has separated out 45 confirmed infections in people evacuated from a cruise ship in Japan or from Wuhan, China from its official case count.”


As of Wednesday, more than 81,000 cases of coronavirus have been reported, resulting in at least 2,764 deaths.