Lifeboat Foundation

Graphene is one of the strongest materials. On top of that, it is exceptionally good at conducting heat and electrical currents, making it one of the most special and versatile materials we know. For all these reasons, the discovery of graphene was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010.

Yet, many properties of the material and its cousins are still poorly understood—for the simple reason that the atoms they are made up of are very difficult to observe. A team of researchers from the University of Amsterdam and New York University have now found a surprising way to solve this issue.

Two-dimensional materials, consisting of a hyper-thin single layer of atomic crystal, have attracted a lot of attention recently. This well-deserved attention is mainly due to their unusual properties, very different from their three-dimensional ‘bulk’ counterparts. Graphene, the most famous representative, and many other two-dimensional materials, are nowadays researched intensely in the laboratory.

Michael Levin is a biologist at Tufts University working on novel ways to understand and control complex pattern formation in biological systems.

Michael Levin links.
Michael’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/drmichaellevin.
Michael’s Website: https://drmichaellevin.org.

Continue reading “Michael Levin: Epigenetic Adaptation, Bioelectricity, Anatomical Compiler — Learning with Lowell 170” »

AI is increasing at a breakneck pace, and the Futurati Podcast can help you stay up to speed. Here are the updates for March 24, 2023.

Remarkably, the storm has rapidly intensified six times.

Rapid intensification describes an uptick in winds of 35 mph or greater in 24 hours. Research has shown rapid intensification increasing in frequency in many ocean basins because of rising ocean temperatures linked to human-caused climate change.

(TB) is a disease caused by bacteria that attacks the lungs. Skin tests, blood tests, and x-rays can tell if you have TB. Learn more.

In 2018, Musk wanted to take charge of OpenAI to beat Google but others opposed the move, putting Altman at the helm.

March 21 (Reuters) — Two organic compounds essential for living organisms have been found in samples retrieved from the asteroid Ryugu, buttressing the notion that some ingredients crucial for the advent of life arrived on Earth aboard rocks from space billions of years ago.

Scientists said on Tuesday they detected uracil and niacin in rocks obtained by the Japanese Space Agency’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft from two sites on Ryugu in 2019. Uracil is one of the chemical building blocks for RNA, a molecule carrying directions for building and operating living organisms. Niacin, also called Vitamin B3 or nicotinic acid, is vital for their metabolism.

The Ryugu samples, which looked like dark-gray rubble, were transported 155 million miles (250 million km) back to Earth and returned to our planet’s surface in a sealed capsule that landed in 2020 in Australia’s remote outback for analysis in Japan.

In a mind-warping milestone experiment, scientists have been able to manipulate small numbers of individual photons of light, opening doors for the development of quantum technologies. This research, published in the journal Nature Physics on March 20, describes how the researchers were able to make two photons of light interact and measure the difference between these interacting photons and a single photon.

A treatment that enables human beings to live to the age of 150 could be available within the next five to 10 years, one of the world’s most eminent plastic surgeons has claimed. Dr Steven Cohen, who specialises in complex aesthetic facial and regenerative surgery, believes the results of studies and advances in the medical sphere could soon pave the way to extend our lives.