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Mar 19, 2019

Women’s Pain Is Different From Men’s—the Drugs Could Be Too

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, sex

A new study shows clear differences in the biology of how men and women feel pain, a reminder that sex-specific pain medications might benefit us all.

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Mar 19, 2019

Online polygraph separates truth from lies using just text-based cues

Posted by in categories: information science, robotics/AI

Imagine a future where electronic text messaging is tracked by an intelligent algorithm that can identify truth from lies. A new study from two US researchers suggests this kind of online polygraph is entirely possible, with early experiments showing a machine learning algorithm can separate truth from lies based just on text cues over 85 percent of the time.

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Mar 19, 2019

5 Killer Events From Space That Could Wipe Out Human Life On Earth

Posted by in categories: alien life, existential risks

Wiping out all life on Earth is hard, but causing mass extinctions is easy. Five major extinction events have occurred since the Cambrian explosion, each eradicating over 60% of terrestrial species. At least five extraterrestrial scenarios are capable of wiping humanity out.


Even if we don’t destroy ourselves, we always have the Universe to contend with.

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Mar 18, 2019

SpaceX tests starship’s heat shield tiles

Posted by in category: space travel

One step closer to Mars.

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Mar 18, 2019

Heart disease and depression are linked

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, neuroscience

The link between heart disease and depression could be inflammation, research suggests.

The two conditions have been heavily linked to each other for years but scientists have struggled to explain why this is.

Now experts have found inflammation — the body’s first line of defence — could be to blame.

Continue reading “Heart disease and depression are linked” »

Mar 18, 2019

Semen Frozen 50 Years Ago Just Produced Dozens of Healthy Lambs

Posted by in category: futurism

Semen frozen back in 1968 has been used to impregnate dozens of Merino ewes, resulting in healthy lambs. The Australian scientists who made it happen say it’s the oldest sperm ever used to produce offspring.

A research team led by Simon de Graaf from the Sydney Institute of Agriculture and School of Life and Environmental Sciences impregnated 34 Merino ewes with the thawed out 50-year-old ram sperm, according to a University of Sydney press release. Incredibly, the sperm resulted in birth rates comparable to semen frozen for 12 months.

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Mar 18, 2019

Mini tremors detected on Mars for first time

Posted by in category: space

Faint “microseisms” may help scientists understand the Red Planet’s subsurface.

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Mar 18, 2019

New Technique Turns Seawater Into Hydrogen Fuel

Posted by in category: energy

Imagine a submarine turning water into hydrogen fuel and breathable oxygen.

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Mar 18, 2019

SpaceX’s Crew Dragon heat shield shown off after first orbital-velocity reentry

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, space travel

Following SpaceX’s successful debut launch, rendezvous, and recovery of Crew Dragon, NASA has published official photos documenting the scorched spacecraft’s Atlantic Ocean splashdown, GO Searcher’s recovery, and the duo’s return to Port Canaveral shortly thereafter.

Aside from offering a number of spectacularly detailed views of Crew Dragon after its inaugural orbital reentry, NASA’s photos also provide an exceptionally rare glimpse of the spacecraft’s PICA-X v3 heat shield, revealing a tiled layout that is quite a bit different from Cargo Dragon’s own shield. A step further, CEO Elon Musk offered updates on March 17th about progress being made towards a new, metallic heat shield technology meant to make ablative shields like those on Dragon outdated, serving as a striking bit of contrast to SpaceX’s newest spacecraft, potentially just a dozen or two months away from already becoming anachronistic.

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Mar 18, 2019

Harvard Study on Sugary Drinks and Early Death May Spell the End of Soda

Posted by in category: futurism

Soda, sports drinks, and fruit drinks are all under fire.

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