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Mar 12, 2019

Why Bezos and Microsoft are betting on this $10 trillion energy fix for the planet

Posted by in categories: business, nuclear energy, transportation

So far, no one has commercialized nuclear fusion, but the race is on to be the first to figure it out. Whoever does will be able to bring power to the more than 1 billion who don’t have access to electricity, power cars and help companies operate businesses without having to create harmful emissions.


Jeff Bezos and others have sunk more than $127 million into General Fusion, a start-up trying to commercialize fusion energy. Microsoft is partnering with the company. The goal: to provide energy to 1 billion people that don’t have electricity.

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Mar 12, 2019

Axolotl’s Regeneration Genes Also Present in Humans

Posted by in categories: biological, neuroscience

Scientists at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) have identified gene “partners” in the axolotl salamander that, when activated, allow the neural tube and associated nerve fibers to functionally regenerate after severe spinal cord damage. Interestingly, these genes are also present in humans, though they are activated in a different manner. Their results are published this week in Nature Communications Biology.

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Mar 12, 2019

China to develop a quantum satellite to provide 24h-service

Posted by in categories: quantum physics, satellites

China plans to develop a medium-high-earth-orbit quantum communication satellite able to provide services around the clock in the next few years, Pan Jianwei, member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), told CGTN at the press conference for the second session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee on Sunday.

When asked about the future plan for quantum communication technology, Pan said his team is planning to design a new one to supplement the Mozi satellite, which can only function at night due to interference from the sun.

The nation launched its first quantum satellite in 2016. As the world’s first quantum communication satellite, Mozi is expected to provide a technical foundation for China to build a self-developed ultra-secure communication system.

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Mar 12, 2019

The war on ‘prediabetes’ could be a boon for pharma—but is it good medicine?

Posted by in category: finance

The push for drug treatments for prediabetes takes place in an environment rife with financial conflicts of interest. For years, ethicists have criticized ADA for financial dependence on diabetes drugmakers. In recent years, ADA says, it has received $18 million to $27 million annually from drug companies, including many donations of $500,000 to $1 million per year. The group also gets up to $500,000 annually from each of more than a dozen other firms in the diabetes and prediabetes markets, including makers of consumer and medical products, testing labs, insurance companies, and drug retailers.


A third of Americans are considered prediabetic—but many may be better off without treatment.

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Mar 11, 2019

Stunning new Stephen Hawking 50p unveiled — where to you can get one

Posted by in category: futurism

Royal Mint has unveiled its stunning new Stephen Hawking 50p — this is where you can get one and what it will cost.

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Mar 11, 2019

Genes that evolve from scratch expand protein diversity

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

A new study published in Nature Ecology and Evolution led by scientists from the University of Chicago challenges one of the classic assumptions about how new proteins evolve. The research shows that random, noncoding sections of DNA can quickly evolve to produce new proteins. These de novo, or “from scratch,” genes provide a new, unexplored way that proteins evolve and contribute to biodiversity.

“Using a big genome comparison, we show that noncoding sequences can evolve into completely novel proteins. That’s a huge discovery,” said Manyuan Long, PhD, the Edna K. Papazian Distinguished Service Professor of Ecology and Evolution at UChicago and senior author of the new study.

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Mar 11, 2019

The man who helped create the internet as we know it has a warning about its future

Posted by in categories: futurism, internet

Tim Berners-Lee has consistently warned about the threats facing the web he helped create.

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Mar 11, 2019

Electrically syncing up brain regions improves depression in first-of-its-kind study

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, neuroscience

In a first-of-its-kind study from researchers at the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine, a new kind of non-invasive electrical brain stimulation has been trialed in patients with major depression. The results show this new technique to be extraordinarily promising in reducing depressive symptoms, with larger trials set to explore this novel treatment in greater detail.

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Mar 11, 2019

Quantum computing could change the way the world uses energy

Posted by in categories: computing, quantum physics

Classical computing will require more energy than our entire energy grid by 2040.

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Mar 11, 2019

Snipr raises $50M to use CRISPR to modulate the microbiome

Posted by in categories: bioengineering, biotech/medical

Snipr Biome has raised (PDF) $50 million (€43 million, DKK320 million) to take CRISPR-based microbiome drugs into clinical trials. The Danish biotech is using CRISPR/Cas to selectively target and kill bacteria with specific DNA sequences.

Christian Grøndahl, the CEO of Snipr, began working with his co-founders on the use of gene editing to modify or kill bacteria shortly after he left Kymab in 2015. The work led to a series of patents on altering microbiota, for reasons including immune modulation, and a €2.6 million investment from Lundbeckfonden Emerge to support research into potential applications for the technology.

Now, Lundbeckfonden has joined with Dutch VC shop LSP to lead a $50 million series A round. The jump in funding follows a period in which Snipr has begun to validate its technology and refine its R&D strategy.

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