Lifeboat Foundation

Bell Textron Inc., a Textron Inc. company, has been down-selected for Phase 1B of U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Speed and Runway Independent Technologies (SPRINT) X-Plane program. The SPRINT program intends to design, build, and fly an X-Plane, an experimental aircraft to demonstrate enabling technologies and integrated concepts necessary for a transformational combination of aircraft speed and runway independence for the next generation of air mobility platforms. In Phase 1A, Bell executed conceptual design review and will move into preliminary design efforts for the SPRINT X-plane. Bell completed risk reduction testing at Holloman Air Force Base in late 2023, showcasing folding rotor, integrated propulsion, and flight control technologies.

The SPRINT X-plane is intended to be a proof-of-concept technology demonstrator and its flight test program seeks to validate enabling technologies that can be scaled to different size military aircraft. Bell is building on its investment in High-Speed Vertical Takeoff and Landing (HSVTOL) technology and past X-plane experience to inform the X-plane development for this program. Bell’s HSVTOL technology blends the hover capability of a helicopter with the speed (400+ kts), range, and survivability of jet aircraft. Bell has developed high-speed vertical lift technology for more than 85 years, pioneering innovative VTOL configurations like the X-14, X-22, XV-3 and XV-15 for NASA, the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force, and continues to build on its proven history of fast flight from the Bell X-1.

Principles behind gravity-mediated entanglement were experimentally demonstrated in a simulation using photons, providing new insights into the nature of gravity.

Researchers are making significant progress in the field of quantum gravity, aiming to reconcile Einstein’s theory of gravity with quantum mechanics. Recent experiments demonstrate the principles of gravity-mediated entanglement using photons, a breakthrough in testing theories like string theory and loop quantum gravity. These experiments could transform our understanding of the universe and support future theoretical frameworks.

Quantum Gravity Research Advances

Brighter with Herbert.

Researchers in Japan have developed a novel “heat switch device” that could extend the lifespan of lunar exploration vehicles in the extreme Moon environment.

Moon goes through extreme temperature variations, ranging from scorching highs of 127°C (260°F) to freezing lows of −173°C (−280°F).

Lunar rovers cost millions of dollars to build and operate, but lunar temperatures limit their operating life. As exploration of the lunar surface is gaining pace, surface missions demand innovative solutions for thermal control.

Discover an innovative ultra-thin battery for smart contact lenses, powered by tears and inspired by ‘Mission Impossible.’

GSK announced a major breakthrough concerning cancer therapy. A drug called Jemperli (dostarlimab) showed impressive results in a phase 2 trial at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). The study included 42 patients suffering from mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) locally advanced rectal cancer, a type of bowel cancer.

Used as a first-line treatment and an alternative to chemotherapy and surgery, Jemperli cured cancer in all patients, showing “an unprecedented 100% clinical complete response rate.” Tests that followed showed no evidence of remaining tumors. Moreover, the first 24 of the 42 patients were observed after an average time of 26.3 months, and they showed no signs of cancer resurfacing.

GSK will test the drug in additional studies involving certain types of colorectal cancers.

GCC19CART has previously been evaluated in an investigator-initiated clinical trial (ChiCTR2000040645) in China for the treatment of relapsed/refractory metastatic colorectal cancer (r/r mCRC).² Data from that trial showing improvements over standard of care (SOC) third-line therapies were presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2023, held April 14–19, 2023, in Orlando, Florida. Among the 21 patients included in the efficacy analysis, superior results were observed in patients (n=8) who received the higher dose level (2×10⁶ CAR-T cells/kg; DL2) than in patients (n=13) who received the lower dose level (1×10⁶ CAR-T cells/kg; DL1). The objective response rate was 50% (n=4) for DL2, 15% (n=2) for DL1, and 29% (n=6) for all patients.

“The new AE specific to this product is diarrhea because the target is guanylate cyclase 2C (GCC), which plays a role in intestinal homeostasis… So, that’s expected, theoretically,” Victor Lu, PhD, the chief technology officer of Innovative Cellular Therapeutics, who presented the data, said during his presentation.2 “Most patients treated with this product experienced diarrhea, but it can be controlled and because of the diarrhea management most of the patients actually recovered very quickly.”

GCC19CART targets both GCC and CD19.¹ It was designed using ICT’s CoupledCAR platform, which combines 2 CAR T cells engineered to release cytokines that are thought to promote proliferation and infiltration.³ The platform was designed following observations that CD19-directed CAR T cells also stimulated the immune system, which could lead to increase proliferation for other CAR T cells, specifically those directed toward solid tumor antigens, like GCC.

In the brain, timekeeping is done with neurons that relax at different rates after receiving a signal; now memristors—hardware analogs of neurons—can do that too.

Artificial neural networks may soon be able to process time-dependent information, such as audio and video data, more efficiently. The first memristor with a ‘relaxation time’ that can be tuned is reported today in Nature Electronics, in a study led by the University of Michigan.

Energy Efficiency and AI.

NVIDIA today announced the general availability of NVIDIA ACE generative AI microservices to accelerate the next wave of digital humans, as well as new generative AI breakthroughs coming soon to the platform.