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Archive for the ‘biotech/medical’ category: Page 2635

Apr 18, 2016

Kumaun Univ’s project to turn plastic waste to graphene bags Rs 2 crore grant

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, computing, sustainability

Like it — turning those old plastic into Graphene bags.


Summary: The project will also motivate people to collect used plastic bottles and other plastic waste, which is degrading to the environment, and help us in putting it to good use. Once the varsity is able to make graphene out of the plastic waste, it can eventually also be used as an alternate source of energy. We received an approval letter for the project proposal on April 16 and the initial grant of Rs 1,97,88,800 for a period of three years has been approved. “Dhami also said that much of the encouragement for research work in the varsity came from governor K K Paul, who has been motivating universities in the state to pursue research in nano science and nano technology. In fact, even wrappers and packets of chips are an environmental hazard.

DEHRADUN: A project proposed by Kumaun University in Nainital to synthesize graphene from plastic waste to use the material in energy and biomedical applications has received approval for a grant of nearly Rs 2 crore. Confirming that the grant has been approved, vice-chancellor of Kumaun University, H S Dhami, said, “It is a great achievement as the varsity aims at contributing to the society through research work. We received an approval letter for the project proposal on April 16 and the initial grant of Rs 1,97,88,800 for a period of three years has been approved.” The grant has been approved by The National Mission on Himalayan Studies (NMHS), G B Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development (GBPIHED), Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.

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Apr 18, 2016

Paralyzed man regains control of hand after having chip implanted in brain

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

BMI/ BCs are only going to improve over time and give new lives and chances again to people. Note: this version has limited use outside the medical lab; however, they are working on making one wireless and connected in order to be used anywhere.


Thanks to an experimental treatment that included implanting a chip in his brain, Ian Burkhart was able to regain control of his hand.

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Apr 18, 2016

People paralysed from neck down will be able to walk in 20 years’ time

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, engineering

Professor John Donoghue, director of Switzerland’s Wyss Centre for Bio and Neuro Engineering, predicts that in about 20 years time patients will have movement restored to all four limbs.

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Apr 18, 2016

Implanted Medical Devices Save Our Lives And Tempt Computer Hackers

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, computing, cyborgs, health, internet, mobile phones, neuroscience, security

All true and good points. Until the under pinning technology and net infrastructures are update; all things connected will mean all things hackable.


Medical devices like pacemakers and insulin pumps will save many lives, but they also represent an opportunity to computer hackers who would use the Internet to cause havoc. Former futurist-in-residence at the FBI, Marc Goodman says it is easy to take for granted how connected we’ve already become to the Internet. Most American adults keep their phones within arm’s reach all day, and keep their devices on their nightstand while they sleep — and forget about actually remembering people’s phone numbers. That is a job we have outsourced to machines.

In this sense, says Goodman, we are already cyborgs. But digital devices connected to the Internet will continue to move inside our bodies, just as pacemakers and insulin pumps have. In his interview, Goodman discusses cases of computer hackers taking advantage of these devices’ connectivity to show how vulnerable we could soon become to their potentially destructive wishes. In one case, a hacker demonstrated he could release several weeks of insulin into a diabetic’s body, certain to cause a diabetic coma and death. In another, hackers induced epileptic seizures by hacking the Epilepsy Foundation’s webpage.

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Apr 18, 2016

Germans Plan Petawatt Laser to Zap Brain Tumors

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, neuroscience

Nice


Laser would propel precise protons to kill cancer.

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Apr 18, 2016

Brain caught ‘filing’ memories during rest

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, health, neuroscience

Interesting and will be important in brain/ neuro replicating and enhancements.


Memories formed in one part of the brain are replayed and transferred to a different area of the brain during rest, according to a new UCL study in rats.

The finding suggests that replay of previous experiences during rest is important for , a process whereby the brain stabilises and preserves memories for quick recall in the future. Understanding the physiological mechanism of this is essential for tackling amnesiac conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, where memory consolidation is affected.

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Apr 18, 2016

Transhumanism is Being Guided by Reason and the Word “Why”

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, cyborgs, neuroscience, transhumanism, virtual reality

https://youtube.com/watch?v=TFErQ3XM__c

My new story for The Huffington Post on the virtue of reason and asking: Why?.


2016-04-15-1460696511-7718468-futureimage.jpg
Image of the future — By Smart Gadget Technology

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Apr 16, 2016

Baffling genetic glitch creates stuttering mice w/ human-like speech disorder

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics

Researchers hope the stammering rodents help find a cure for the speech problem.

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Apr 16, 2016

Penn Researcher uses CRISPR/Cas9 to snip out tiny piece of DNA from gene in white button mushroom

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

CRISPR to improve shelf life of vegetables and fruits. I magine what this would mean for populations in remote locations with horrible climates or in disaster zones that need fresh foods.


Yinong Yang, a Penn State University researcher, has used a famous gene editing tool known as CRISPR/Cas9 for cutting out a small piece of DNA from one specific gene in a white button mushroom. With this, Yang was able to stop the gene, which in turn cuts the production of an enzyme known as polyphenol oxidase in mushroom. With this gene editing of white mushrooms, the mushroom doesn’t get spoiled as natural mushrooms.

You might have heard something like this earlier as scientists have also developed non-browning versions of apples and potatoes. However, those crops were called GMOs as scientists had put in new, slightly altered genes within those plants to ‘silence’ the natural gene.

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Apr 16, 2016

Tweaking Genes to Save Species

Posted by in categories: bioengineering, biotech/medical, existential risks, genetics

Another gene editing triumph.


Genetic engineering may emerge as an important tool to avert extinctions. But ecosystems are complex, and this tinkering might not unfold as planned.

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