Lifeboat Foundation

• Bus manufacturer New Flyer has launched an autonomous technology program to develop and deploy self-driving and driver-assist technology for public transit agencies.
• In a release, New Flyer said it will focus on building connectivity and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) technology into public roadways. The company also said it will coordinate its efforts with federal agencies and industry groups working on automation, including the Society of Automotive Engineers.
• “Transit agencies across North America have been asking for progressive technology, regulators have shown commitment and support to technology advancement, and passenger confidence has been increasing as they experience autonomous technology firsthand,” New Flyer president Chris Stoddart said in a statement.

Most major technology research has focused on smaller autonomous vehicles (AVs), with companies eyeing shared autonomous fleets or ride-hailing services. But applying self-driving technology to public transit could hold huge potential, making bus service more energy efficient and safer. Buses travel on defined routes and can be coordinated with connected infrastructure, making them a potentially appealing option for cities fearful of further congestion from autonomous fleets.

Governments have already been exploring driverless shuttles, which carry fewer people than a full-size bus and run on shorter routes. Cities like Detroit, Las Vegas and Austin, TX have all run autonomous shuttle trials. Autonomous buses have gathered more research abroad, with pilots in China and the Netherlands. Volvo recently ran trials for an 85-passenger autonomous, electric bus at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University.

A study out of John’s Hopkins University published by Dr. Robert Yolken, MD, and colleagues late last year have found a possible biomarker for schizophrenia. Biomarkers are extremely important to help diagnose disease, yet very few exist for psychiatric disorders. You cannot take a blood test to diagnose depression, for example. The current study found that schizophrenics carry a high level of a certain antibody produced in response to Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), a type of herpes virus that can lead to infectious mononucleosis (aka “mono” or “the kissing disease”). The schizophrenic patients in this study had a greater immune response to EBV-viral capsid antibody (VCA) compared to controls.

Can the brain’s conscious mechanisms exert a significant influence on the body’s autonomic functions? New research suggests yes – with possible implications for mental health.

Longevity companies have often risen and fallen with little ado. But if these financial experts are correct that biotech companies are poised to start “bringing unprecedented increases to the quality and length of human lifespans,” per CNBC, then we may start seeing serious results out of the industry.

“New Frontier”

Bank of America’s predictions would mean a six-fold increase in the amount of money in longevity companies. In a report to clients reviewed by CNBC, analysts wrote that the human lifespan may soon extend to 100 years.

Continue reading “Major Bank: The Immortality Industry Is the Next Hot Investment” »

Feeding mosquitoes sugar makes them less attracted to humans, a response that is regulated by the protein vitellogenin, according to a study publishing May 9 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Jessica Dittmer, Paolo Gabrieli and colleagues at the Università degli Studi di Pavia in Italy.

Female mosquitoes must feed on blood to provide energy and nutrients for their developing eggs, but they can also supplement their diet with sugars by drinking plant nectar or sap. The team fed young female tiger mosquitos (Aedes albopictus) sugar solutions, and found it reduced their attraction to human skin. Female energy levels constantly increase after feeding sugars, and they are not related to the insects’ motivation to find a host.

Transcriptome sequencing revealed a wave of gene expression changes associated with this reduction in host-seeking behaviour, which affected at least 23 genes including the vitellogenin gene Vg-2—known to play a role in ovary development. RNA interference experiments to knockdown the Vg-2 gene expression restored the mosquitos’ attraction to humans, confirming the gene’s key role in regulating feeding behaviour.

Continue reading “Egg yolk precursor protein regulates mosquitoes’ attraction to humans” »

A new open-access study from researchers at the Biomedical Research Centre in the United Kingdom shows how two antibiotics and Vitamin C can be combined to suppress cancer stem cells (CSCs) of the breast [1].

While antibiotics are not normally effective against cancer, and Vitamin C is more well-known for its role in supporting the immune system, this combination has been shown to attack cancer stem cells through a combination of mitochondrial suppression and oxidative attacks on the mitochondria, thus causing mitochondrial growth to falter.

It’s all about the web and Lego blocks.

Fans of science fiction and related genres have always been disappointed by real life. The future holds so much promise on paper, yet millions were disappointed upon reaching 2015 to find that hoverboard technology still eluded us. It’s not all bad, though – [abetusk] has developed a cyberpunk jacket so you can live out your grungy hacker fantasies in real life.

The effect is achieved with specially designed jacket patches. Nylon fabric is lasercut with artwork or lettering, and then placed over an electroluminescent panel. The fabric acts as a mask and is glued onto the EL panel, and the assembly is then attached to the back of the jacket with velcro.

Continue reading “Cyberpunk Jacket Is The Garment of Choice For The Streets of 2019” »

Depending on who you talk to, everything is either fine, or we’re living in an oppressive cyberpunk dystopia in which we forgot to drench everything in colored neon lighting. There’s little to be done about the digital surveillance panopticon that stalks our every move, but as far as the aesthetic goes, [abetusk] is bringing the goods. The latest is a laser jacket, to give you that 2087 look in 2019.

The build starts with a leather jacket, which is festooned with 128 individual red laser diodes. These are ganged up in groups of 4, and controlled with 32 individual PWM channels using two PCA9685 controllers. An Arduino Nano acts as the brains of the operation, receiving input from a joystick and a microphone. This allows the user to control lighting effects and set the jacket to respond to sounds and music.

Continue reading “We Were Really Overdue For Laser Jackets” »