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Feb 11, 2018

Roadside barrier that folds like origami blocks traffic noise

Posted by in category: futurism

Traffic noise has many frequencies, making it hard to suppress. A new barrier with movable folds can change its acoustic properties in response to traffic patterns.

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Feb 11, 2018

We can finally map the spiral arm on the far side of the galaxy

Posted by in category: space

Using a jet of radio waves, astronomers have begun to map the other side of the Milky Way. Within 10 years we could have a complete map of the entire galaxy.

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Feb 11, 2018

Tesla updates mobile app to bring new cold weather convenience features

Posted by in categories: sustainability, transportation

Tesla released a new update to its mobile app to include some new cold weather convenience features when combined with its latest car software update.

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Feb 11, 2018

The key to a naked mole rat’s cancer-free life?

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, life extension

Summary: Clues to the naked mole rat’s remarkable cancer-fighting abilities have been uncovered by researchers at the University of Rochester in a new study. [This article first appeared on LongevityFacts. Author: Brady Hartman. ]

With their wrinkled, hairless bodies, naked mole rats won’t be winning any beauty contests.

However, they do win longevity contests.

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Feb 11, 2018

Researchers discover off-switch to inflammation machine at the root of our chronic diseases

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, life extension, neuroscience

Summary: Researchers discover what may be the key to stopping uncontrolled inflammation and the damage it causes in a multitude of chronic diseases. [This article first appeared on the website LongevityFacts.com. Author: Brady Hartman. ]

A discovery by researchers at the University of Queensland (UQ) could be the key to stopping the damage caused by uncontrolled inflammation in a range of chronic diseases including Alzheimer’s and liver disease.

Queensland scientists have uncovered how an inflammation process automatically switches off in healthy cells, and are now investigating ways to stop it when it runs amok. The finding may lead to a way to turn off chronic low-grade inflammation without interfering with the body’s natural defenses against infection.

Continue reading “Researchers discover off-switch to inflammation machine at the root of our chronic diseases” »

Feb 11, 2018

Researchers crack secret code to genetic changes causing our cancer

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics, life extension

Summary: Researchers at the University of California discovered a key way that cancer manipulates the genetic code using DNA methylation that has important implications for the treatment of cancers. [This article first appeared on the website LongevityFacts.com. Author: Brady Hartman. ]

Up until now, scientists haven’t fully understood how DNA methylation causes changes in our genetic code that enable cancer to thrive.

Now, a team led by associate professor Jikui Song at the University of California Riverside have deciphered the crystal structure of an enzyme that plays a crucial role in DNA methylation that allows tumors to survive and grow.

Continue reading “Researchers crack secret code to genetic changes causing our cancer” »

Feb 11, 2018

Elon Musk’s record-breaking ‘virtual power plant’ will see 50,000 homes given free solar panels and Tesla batteries

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, energy, government, sustainability, transportation

Elon Musk has agreed to build what is being hailed the “world’s largest virtual power plant”, by rolling out solar panels and Tesla batteries to 50,000 homes in South Australia. The scheme, which will be completed over the next four years, will see any excess energy stored in each battery fed back into the grid to provide power to the rest of the state whenever required. The South Australian government claims participating households will generate a total of 250MW of electricity – about half as much energy produced by a typical coal-fired power station. Read more — Elon Musk about to launch…

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Feb 11, 2018

Gene therapy researchers find viral barcode to cross the blood-brain barrier

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, neuroscience

This image shows AAV therapy affecting pyramidal neurons in the hippocampus. Credit: Blake Albright, Asokan Lab Gene therapies promise to revolutionize the treatment of many diseases, including neurological diseases such as ALS. But the small viruses that deliver therapeutic genes can have adverse side effects at high doses. UNC School of Medicine researchers have now found a structure on these viruses that makes them better at crossing from the bloodstream into the brain – a key factor for administering gene therapies at lower doses for treating brain and spinal disorders. This structural…

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Feb 11, 2018

Forging a quantum leap in quantum communication

Posted by in category: quantum physics

In quantum communication, the participating parties can detect eavesdropping by resorting to the fundamental principle of quantum mechanics — a measurement affects the measured quantity. Thus, an eavesdropper can be detected by identifying traces his measurements of the communication channel leave behind. The major drawback of quantum communication is the slow speed of data transfer, limited by the speed at which the parties can perform quantum measurements. Researchers at Bar-Ilan University have devised a method that overcomes this, and enables an increase in the rate of data transfer by…

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Feb 11, 2018

‘Ultra-intense laser’ stops electrons travelling at near-light speed for first time, mimicking black holes

Posted by in categories: cosmology, quantum physics

Using a laser beam one quadrillion times brighter than the Sun, physicists have stopped electrons travelling at near-light speeds for the first time. The experiment produced a quantum mechanical phenomenon that was previously only thought to occur around black holes and quasars.

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