Lifeboat Foundation

When you were a kid, did you ever sign a classmate’s cast after they broke an arm or a leg? Your name would be on display there for the rest of the semester. Broken bones are one of the worst trade-offs in childhood—a few seconds of calamity followed by months of boring rest and recovery. But children in the future may have a different story to tell as emerging tech overhauls how we fix broken bones.

Carbon nanomaterials may have the power to heal bones faster than a Harry Potter fan can say ‘Brackium Emendo!’ Researchers from Stefanie A. Sydlik’s team at Carnegie Mellon University have tested a new formulation of graphene that is biodegradable, mimics bone, attracts stem cells, and ultimately improves how animals can repair damage to their skeletons.

As reported in PNAS, this phosphate graphene serves as a scaffold, allowing the body’s own cells to more rapidly reform the missing or damaged bone. The technique has already shown success in mice. As this technology matures it could become a vital part of orthopedic medicine, helping us recover faster with stronger, healthier bones.

Continue reading “Graphene Shows Promise for Repairing Broken Bones” »

Despite being the very first candidate planet discovered by our Kepler Mission, Kepler-1658b had a rocky road to confirmation. Ten years later, scientists have now confirmed that it is, in fact, a planet. It whips around its star every 3.85 days. Details: https://go.nasa.gov/2TDlaIl

D-Wave’s architecture becomes more complex while machine gets faster, more capable.

Late last year, archaeologists in China found some very interesting items in an ancient tomb dating back as far as 202 BC, including a bronze vessel that somehow still held liquid. The liquid, which at the time was thought to be some type of wine, has since undergone closer examination that reveals its true purpose.

China’s Xinhua news agency is now reporting that the beverage was actually an “elixir of immortality” that matches descriptions from ancient documents. The substance has been tested and, if scientists are right about it, there’s probably little chance it would do anything to extend someone’s life, and may even usher death in even quicker.

Taken by Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, the first high-resolution photos of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft have begun to trickle in, offering the best views yet of the advanced human-rated spacecraft in its natural habit: Earth orbit.

Filling in for a distinct and uncharacteristic lack of official photos from NASA, the spacecraft’s inaugural spaceflight had thus far only been documented through NASA’s own live coverage of its International Space Station (ISS) rendezvous, limited to a relatively low-quality stream. With Oleg’s extremely high-resolution captures, we can begin to see SpaceX’s Crew Dragon with a level of detail previously only seen (if ever) on the ground.

Stunning photos of Dragon 2 docking from Oleg Kononenko! https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2019/03/crew-dragon-first-docking-iss-dm1/

Continue reading “SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spaceship shown off in first high-res orbital portraits” »

The little-known “Significant Locations” list tracks every location you’ve been and how often you go there. But there’s a way to delete your history.

An antibody against the “don’t eat me” signal on cancer cells appears safe and well-tolerated by patients with advanced cancers. A phase 2 trial is planned.

Author Krista Conger Published on March 5, 2019 March 5, 2019.

Undersea cables are the backbone of the internet. Connecting places like the United States to Europe, or France to India, these submarine fiber optic cables permit the world’s web traffic to flow.

One such cable is called Marea. It runs from Virginia Beach in the U.S. to Balboa, Spain. And recently, a company called Infinera announced that it had broken a record for how much data it could send through this cable in a second. It’s a mind-boggling amount. Below, we break down everything you wanted to know about undersea cables and this experimental accomplishment, by the numbers.

That’s the total number of undersea cables in use right now, according to a company called TeleGeography, which conducts telecom market research. Modern cables use fiber optics and lasers to transmit data. Major cables complete key connections like New Jersey and Praia Grande, Brazil, or Australia to Indonesia to Singapore. Take a look at a beautiful, interactive map here.

Archaeologists in Mexico have discovered a sealed Maya “ritual cave” containing a trove of relics that offer new clues about the ancient civilization.

The cave system, which researchers believe had been sealed for 1,000 years, is known as Balamku or “Jaguar God,” and contains at least 150 stunning objects. The findings were announced at a Monday press conference in Mexico City.

According to researchers, the cave’s difficult access and structure increase its sacred qualities, suggesting that it was used for rituals.

Continue reading “Sealed Maya ‘ritual cave’ untouched for 1,000 years contains trove of stunning relics” »